16 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



nac, " advanced to his excellency, Colonel M'Donald, 

 and spoke as follows : ' On the part of my emancipa- 

 ted brothers and sisters, I venture to approach your ex- 

 • cellency, to entreat you to thank our most gracious 

 Queen for all that she has done for us. We will pray 

 for her ; we will fight for her ; and, if it is necessary, 

 we will die for her. We thank your excellency for all 

 you have done for us. God bless your excellency ! 

 God bless her excellency, Mrs. M' Donald, and all the 

 royal family ! Come, my countymen, hurrah ! Dance, 

 ye black rascals ; the flag of England flies over your 

 heads, and every rustle of its folds knocks the fetters 

 off the limbs of the poor slave. Hubbabboo Cochalo- 

 rum Gee !' " 



The negro schools stand in the rear of the Govern- 

 ment House, and the boys' department consisted of 

 about two hundred, from three to fifteen years of age, 

 and of every degree of tinge, from nearly white down 

 to two little native Africans beaying on their cheeks the 

 scars of cuts made by their parents at home. These 

 last were taken from on board a slave-ship captured by 

 an English cruiser, brought into Balize, and, as provi- 

 ded for by the laws, on a drawing by lot, fell to the 

 share of a citizen, who, entering into certain covenants 

 for good treatment, is entitled to their services until 

 they are twenty-one years old. Unfortunately, the 

 master was not present, and I had no opportunity of 

 learning the result of his experience in teaching ; but 

 in this school, I was told, the brightest boys, and those 

 who had improved most, were those who had in them 

 the most white blood. 



The mistress of the female department had had great 

 experience in teaching ; and she told us that, though 

 she had had many clever black girls under her charge, 



