226 HISTORY OF THE [book m 
Hitherto I have confined myself to those people 
who, having some portion of Christian blood in 
their veins, pride themselves on that circumstance, 
and to the conscious value of which, it is probable, 
that some part of what is commendable in their 
conduct is owing. The free blacks, not having the 
same advantage, have not the same emulation to 
excel. In truth, they differ but little from their 
brethren in bonds, whose manners, genius, and 
character, will be the subject of my next inquiries. 
I shall therefore conclude the present chapter by 
presenting to my readers, a performance of a de¬ 
ceased friend, in which the character of the sable 
and saffron beauties of the West Indies, and the 
folly of their paramours, are pourtrayed with the 
delicacy and dexterity of wit, and the fancy and 
elegance of genuine poetry. 
“ relation, and so become a barrier against the designs of the blacks, 
“ Sec." All this, however, is easily proposed in theory, but lam 
afraid, more difficult to adopt in practice than Mr. Ramsay was 
aware of. 
