30 
TRINIDAD, 
The Triiiidacliaus are a tall, well-made people, rather 
showy in their persons, fond of dress, music, and amuse- 
ments generally, especially dancing and theatricals. 
They have a frank manner about them, but are some- 
what fickle, and lack stability of character and firmness 
of purpose. The liberated classes and their descendants 
cannot be said to have attained to any high standard 
of moral character. If the truth must be told, they are 
litigious, and somewhat lax in the principles of honesty. 
It does not seem to them anything wrong to take up 
articles, to incur debts, even when they see no way of 
paying for them. One is led in charity to believe, that 
thoughtlessness often leads into actions of this kind. 
Fond of dress, and extravagant and lofty in their 
notions, they run up bills without reflecting that a day 
of reckoning will surely come. That day does come, 
and unable to meet the demands made upon them, the 
law is resorted to, and compulsory payment is enforced. 
They seem never to say, “ Well, I cannot afford to buy 
this, and must wait till I can,” but -will get credit to 
considerable amount, and as far as can lie gathered, be 
quite unconcerned as to consequences. It is not from 
want of example, that the Trinidadians are not more 
frugal and thrifty; for most of the immigrants, the 
Coolies in particular, are saving and frugal. But not- 
withstanding example set tlieni, and in spite of the 
consequences, the Trinidadians remain as I have de- 
scribed them. 
In Trinidad we have Africans, but of many different 
tribes, speaking different dialects, and with very marked 
differences in character. 
The Yarrabas are a veiy fine race of people, tail and 
well-proportioned, some of them with fine intelligent 
featiires, and they appear to value the benefits of civi- 
lization and Christianity. They are laborioiis, usually 
Avorking for day wages on estates, but preferring jol) 
work. The women arc mostly occupied in jjetty trade 
huckstering ; some, also, in the culture of ground provi- 
