On my arrival at home, my agent made me a very elegant little present of a scorpion and a couple of centipedes : the first was given to him, but the large centipede he had shaken out of a book last night, and having immediately covered her up in a phial of rum, he found this morning that she had produced a young one, which was lying drowned by her side.
I find that my negroe were called away from their attention to the works yesterday evening (for the crop is now making with the greatest activity), and kept us up all night by a fire at a neighbouring estate. On these occasions a fire-shell is blown, and all the negroes of the adjoining plantations hasten to give their assistance. On this occasion the fire was extinguished with the loss of only five negroe houses ; -but this is a heavy concern to the poor negro proprietors, who have lost in it their whole stock of clothes, and furniture, and finery, which they had been accumulating for years, and to which their attachment is excessive.
JANUARY 6.
This was the day given to my negroes as a festival on my arrival. A couple of heifers were slaughtered for them : they were allowed as much rum and sugar, and noise, and dancing as they chose; and as to the two latter, certainly they profited by the permission. About two o'clock they began to assemble round the house, all dressed in their holiday clothes, which, both for men and women, were chiefly white; only that the women', were decked out with a profusion of be-ads and corals, and gold ornaments of all descriptions; and that while the blacks wore jackets, the mulattoes generally wore cloth coats; and inasmuch as they were all plainly clean instead of being shabbily fashion able, and affected to be nothing except that which they really were, they looked twenty times more like gentlemen than nine tenths of the bankers' clerks who swagger up and down Bond Street. It is a custom as to the mulatto children, that the males born on an estate should never be employed as field negroes, but as tradesmen ; the females are brought up as domestics about the house. I had particularly invited " Mr. John-Canoe " (which I found to be the polite manner in which the negroes spoke of him), and there arrived a couple of very gay and gaudy ones. I inquired whether one of them was " John-Crayfish ;" but I was told that John-Crayfish was John-Canoe's rival and enemy, and might belong to the factions of " the Blues and the Reds;" but on Cornwall they were all friends, and therefore there were only the father and the son-Mr. John-Canoe, senior, and Mr. John-Canoe, junior.
The person who gave me this information was a young mulatto carpenter, called Nicholas, whom I had noticed in the crowd, on my first arrival, for his clean appearance and intelligent countenance; and he now begged me to notice the smaller of the two John-Canoe machines. " To be sure," be said, " it was not so large nor so showy as the other, but then it was much better proportioned (his own word), and altogether much prettier;" and lie said so much in praise of it, that I asked him whether lie knew the maker? and then out came the motive: " 0h, yes ! it was made by John Fuller, who lived in the next house to him, and worked in the same shop, and indeed they were just like brothers." So I desired to see his fidus Achates, and he brought me as smart and intelligent a little fellow as eye ever beheld, who came grinning from ear to par to tell me that lie had made every bit of the canoe with his own hands, and had set to work upon it the moment that he knew of massa's coming to Jamaica. And indeed it was as fine as paint, pasteboard, gilt paper, and looking-glass could make it ! Unluckily, the breeze being very strong blew off a fine glittering umbrella, surmounted with a plume of John-Crow feathers, which crowned the top; and a little wag of a negro boy whipped it up, clapped it upon his head, and performed the part of an impromptu Mr. John-Canoe with so much fun and grotesqueness, that he fairly beat the original performers out of the pit, and carried off all the applause of the spectators; and a couple of my dollars. The John-Canoes are fitted out at the expense of the rich negroes, who afterwards 00 69 money collected from the spectators during their performance, allotting one share to the representator himself and it is usual for the master of the estate to give them a couple of guineas apiece.
This Nicholas, whom I mentioned, is a very interesting person, both from his good looks and gentle manners, and from his story. He is the son of a white man, who on his death-bed charged his nephew and heir to purchase the freedom of this natural child. The nephew had promised to do so; I had consented; nothing was necessary but to find the substitute (which is no easy matter) ; when about six months ago the nephew broke his neck, and the property went to a distant relation. application on behalf of poor Nicholas has been made to the heir, and I heartily hope that he will enable me to release him . I felt strongly tempted to set him at liberty at once; but if I were to begin in that way, there would be no stopping; and it would be doing a kindness to an individual at the expense of all negroes-others would expect the same; and then I must either contrive to cultivate my estate with fewer hands, or must cease to cultivate it altogether-and, from inability to maintain them, send my negroes to seek bread for themselves-- which, as two-thirds of them have been born upon the estate, and many of them are lame, dropsical, and of great age, would, of all misfortunes that could happen to them, be the most cruel. even when Nicholas was speaking to me about his liberty, he said, "It is not that I wish to go away, sir; it is only for the name and honour of being free: but I would always stay here and be your servant; and I had rather be an under-workman on Cornwall, than a head carpenter anywhere else." Possibly this Was all palaver(in which the negroes are great dealers), but at least he seemed to be sincere ; and I was heartily grieved that I could not allow myself to say more to him than that I sincerely wished him to get his liberty, and would receive the very lowest exchange for him that common prudence would authorize. And even for those few kind words, the poor fellow seemed to think it impossible to find means strong enough to express his gratitude.
Nor is this the only instance in which Nicholas has been unlucky. It seems that he was the first lover of the beautiful Psyche, whom I bad noticed on my arrival. This evening, after the performance of the John-Canoes, I desired to see some of the girls dance; and by general acclamation Psyche was brought forward to exhibit, she being avowedly the best dancer on the estate ; and certainly nothing could be more light, graceful, my, and spirited, than her performance. She perfectly answered the description of Sallust's Sempronia, who was said -" Saltare elegantius, quam necesse est probae, et cui cariora semper omnia, quam decus et pudicitia fuit." When her dance was over, I called her to me, and gave her a handful of silver. " Ah, Psyche," said Nicholas, who was standing at my elbow, 41 Massa no give you all that if massa know you so bad girl! she run away from me, massa 1 " Psyche gave him a kind of pouting look, half kind, and half reproachful, and turned away. And then he told me that Psyche had been his wife (one of his wives he should have said); that he had had a child by her, and , then she had left him for one of my " white people " (as they call the book-keepers), because he had a good salary, and could afford to give her more presents than a slave could. " Was there not another reason for your quarrelling? " said my agent. " Was there not a shade of colour too much ? "-" Oh, massa!" answered Nicholas, " the child is not my own, that is certain , it is a black man's child. But still I will always take care of the child. because it have no friends, and me wish make it good neger for massa-and she take good care of it too," he added, throwing his arm round the waist of a sickly-looking woman rather in years; " she my wife, too, massa, long ago ; old now and sick, but always good to me, so I still live with her, and will never leave her, never massa ; she Polly's mother, sir." Polly is a pretty, delicate looking girl, nursing a young child; she belongs to the mansion- house, and seems to think it as necessary a part of her duty to nurse me as the child. To be sure she has not as vet insisted upon suckling me; but if I open a jalousie in the evening, Polly walks in and shuts it without saying a word. " Oh, don't shut the window, Polly."-" Night-air not good for massa;" and she shuts the casement without mercy. I am drinking orangeade, or some such liquid; Polly walks up to the table, and seizes it " Leave that jug, Polly; I
am dying with thirst."-" More hurt massa;" and away go Polly and the orangeade. So that I begin to fancy myself Sancho in Barataria, and that Polly is the senor Doctor Pedro in petticoats.
The difference of colour, which had offended Nicholas so much in Psyche's child, is a fault which no mulatto will pardon; nor can the separation of castes in India be more rigidly observed, than that of complexional shades among the Creoles. My black page, Cubina, is married: I told him that I hoped he had married a pretty woman ; why had he not married Mary Wiggins ? he seemed quite shocked at the very idea. " Oh, massa, me black, Mary Wiggins sambo; that not allowed."
The dances performed to-night seldom admitted more than three persons at a time : to me they appeared to be movements entirely dictated by the caprice of the moment ; but I am told that there is a regular figure, and that the, least mistake, or a single false step, is immediately noticed by the rest. I could indeed sometimes fancy that one story represented an old duenna guarding a girl from a lover; and another, the pursuit of a young woman by two suiters, the one young and the other old ; but this might be only fancy. However, I am told that they have dances which not only represent courtship and marriage, brought to bed. Their music consisted of nothing but Gambys (Eboe drums), Shaky-shekies, and Kitty-katties: the latter is nothing but any flat piece of board beat upon with two sticks, and the former is a bladder with a parcel of pebbles in it. But the principal part of the music to which they dance is vocal; one girl generally singing two lines by herself, and being answered by a chorus. To make out either the rhyme of the air, or meaning of the words, was out of the question. But one very long song was about the Duke of Wellington, every stanza being chorused with,
"Ay! hey-day! Waterloo!
Waterloo ! ho ! ho! ho !"
I too had a great deal to do in the business, for every third word was " massa." The singing began about six o'clock, and lasted, without a moment's pause, till two in the morning; and such a noise never did I hear till then. The whole of the floor which was not taken up by the dancers was, through every part of the house except the bed-rooms, occupied by men, women, and children, fast asleep. But although they were allowed rum and sugar by whole pailfuls, and were most of them merry in consequence, there was not one of them drunk; except, indeed, one person, and that was an old woman, who sang, and shouted, and tossed herself about in an elbow chair, till she tumbled it over, and rolled about the room in a manner which shocked the delicacy of even the least prudish part of the company. At twelve my agent wanted to dismiss them; but I would not suffer them to be interrupted on the first holiday that I had given them ; so they continued to dance and shout till two, when human nature could bear no more, and they left me to my bed, and a violent headache.
JANUARY 7. (Sunday.)
In spite of their exertions of last night, the negroes were again with me by two o'clock in the day, with their drums and their choruses. However, they found themselves unable to keep it up as they had done on the former night, and were content to withdraw to their own houses by ten in the evening. But first they requested to have to-morrow to themselves, in order that they might go to the mountains for provisions. For although ,, their cottages are always surrounded with trees and shrubs, their provision-grounds are kept quite distinct, and are at a distance among the mountains. Of course, I made no difficulty of acceding to their request, but upon condition that they should ask for no more holidays till the crop should be completed. For the purpose of cultivating their provision -grounds, they are allowed every Saturday ; but on' the occasion of my arrival, they obtained permission to have the Saturday to themselves, and to fetch their week's provisions from the mountains on the following Monday, All the slaves maintain themselves in this manner by their own labour; even the domestic attendants are not exempted, but are expected to feed themselves, except stated allowances of salt-fish, salt-pork, &c.
JANUARY 8.
I really believe that the negresses can produce children at pleasure; and where they are barren, it is just as hens will frequently not lay eggs on ship-board, because they do Dot like their situation. Cubina's wife is in the family way, and I told him that if the child should live I would christen it for him, if he wished it. " Tank you, kind massa, me like it very much: much oblige if massa do that for me too." So I promised to baptize the father and the baby on the same day, and said that I would be godfather to any children that might be born on the estate during my residence in Jamaica. This was soon spread about, and although I have not yet been here a week, two women we in the straw already, Jug Betty and Minerva: the first is wife to my bead driver, the Duke of Stilly; but my sense of propriety was much gratified at finding that Minerva's husband was called Captain.
In my evening' s drive I met the negroes returning from the mountains, with baskets of provisions sufficient to last them for the week. By law they are only allowed every other Saturday or the purpose of cultivating their own grounds, which, indeed, is sufficient ; but by giving them every alternate Saturday into the bargain, it enables them to perform their task with so much 61W as almost converts it into an amusement; and the frequent visiting their grounds makes them grow habitually as much attached to them as they are to their houses and gardens. It is also adviseable for them to bring home only a week's provisions at-is time, rather than a fortnight's ; for they are so thoughtless and improvident, that, when they find themselves in possession of a larger supply than is requisite for their immediate occasions, they will sell half to the wandering higglers, or at Savannah la Mar, in exchange for spirits ; and then, at the end of the week, they find themselves entirely unprovided with food, and come to beg a supply from the master's storehouse.
The sensitive plant is a great nuisance in Jamaica: it overruns, and, being armed with very strong sharp prickels it wounds the mouths of the cattle, and, in some places, makes it quite impossible for them to feed. Various endeavours have been made to eradicate this inconvenient weed, but none, as yet have proved effectual.
JANUARY 10.
The houses here are generally built and arranged according to one and the same model. My own is of wood, partly raised upon pillars; it consists of a single floor: a long gallery, called a piazza, terminated at each end by a square room, runs the whole length of the house. Oil each side of the piazza is a range of bed-rooms, and the porticoes of the two fronts form two more rooms, with balustrades, and flights of steps descending to the lawn. The whole house is virandoed with shifting Venetian blinds to admit air ; except that one of the end rooms has sash-windows on account of the rains, which, when they arrive, are so heavy, and shift with the wind so suddenly from the one side to tile. other, that all the blinds are obliged to be kept closed ; consequently the whole house is in total darkness during their continuance, except the single sash-windowed room. There is nothing underneath except a few store-rooms and a kind of waiting-hall; but none of the domestic negroes sleep in tile house, all going home at night to their respective cottages and families.
Cornwall House stands on a dead flat, and the works are built in its immediate neighbourhood, for the convenience of their being the more under the agent's personal inspection (a point of material consequence with them all, but more particularly for the hospital).
This dead flat is only ornamented with a few scattered bread-fruit and cotton trees, a grove of mangoes, and the branch of a small river, which turns the mill. Several of these buildings are ugly enough; but the shops of the cooper, carpenter, and blacksmith, some of the trees in their vicinity,, and the negro-huts, embowered in shrubberies, and groves of oranges, plantains, cocoas, and pepper-trees, would be reek, picturesque in tile most ornamented grounds. A large spreading tamarind fronts me at this moment, and overshadows the stables, which are formed of open wickerwork; and an orangetree, loaded with fruit, grows against the window at which I am writing.
On three sides of the landscape the prospect is bounded by lofty purple mountains; and the variety of occupations going on all around me, and at the same time, give an incon
ceivable air of life and animation to the whole scene, especially as all those occupations look clean,-even those which in England look dirty. All the tradespeople are dressed in jackets and trousers, either white or of red and sky-blue stripe. One band of negroes an carrying the ripe canes on their heads to the mill; another set are conveying away the trash , after the juice has been extracted ; flocks of turkeys axe sheltering from the heat under the trees; the river is filled with ducks and geese; the coopers and carpenters are employed about the puncheons ; carts drawn some by six others by eight, oxen, are bringing loads of Indian corn from the fields; the black children are employed in gathering it into the granary, and in quarrelling with pigs as black as themselves, who are equally busy in stealing the corn whenever the children are looking another way: in short, a plantation possesses all the movement and interest of a farm, without its dung, and its stench, its dirty accompaniments.
JANUARY 11.
I saw the whole process of sugar-making this morning. The ripe canes are brought in bundles to the mill, where the cleanest of the women are appointed, one to put them into tile machine for crushing them, and another to draw them out after the juice has been extracted, when she throws then into an opening in the floor close to her; another band of negroes collects them below, when, under the name of trash , they an carried away to serve for fuel. The juice, which is itself at first of a pale ash-colour, gushes out in great streams, quite white with foam, and passes through a wooden gutter into the boiling-house, where it is received into the siphon, or " cock-copper," where fire is applied to it, and it is slaked with lime, in order to make it granulate. The feculent parts of it rise to the top, while the purer and more fluid flow through another gutter into the second copper. When little but the impure scum on the surface remains to be drawn off, the first gutter communicating with the copper is stopped, and the grosser parts are obliged to find a new course through another gutter, which conveys them to the distillery, where, being mixed with the molasses, or treacle, they are manufactured into rum. From the second copper they are transmitted into the first, and thence into two others, and in these four latter basins the scum is removed with skimmers pierced with holes, till it becomes sufficiently free from impurities to be skipped off, that is, to be again ladled out of the coppers and spread into the coolers, where it is left to granulate. The sugar is then formed, and is removed into the curing-house, where it is put into hogs heads, and left to settle for a certain time, during which those parts which are too poor and too liquid to granulate, drip from the casks into vessels placed beneath them: these drippings are the molasses, which, being carried into the distillery, and mixed with the coarser scum formerly mentioned, form that mixture from which the spirituous liquor of sugar is afterwards produced by fermentation: when but once distilled it is called "low wine;" and it is not till after it has gone through a second distillation, that it acquires the name of rum. The " trash " used for fuel consists of the empty canes: that which is employed for fodder and for thatching is furnished by the superabundant cane tops ; after so many have been set apart as are required for planting. After these original plants have been cut, their roots throw up suckers, which, in time, become canes, and are called ratoons : they are far inferior in juice to the planted caries ; but then, on the other band, they require much less weeding, and spare the negroes the only laborious part of the business of sugar-making, the digging holes for the plants; therefore, although an acre of ratoons will produce but one hogshead of sugar, while an acre of plants will produce two, the superiority of the ratooned piece is very great, inasmuch as the saving of time and labour will enable the proprietor to cultivate five acres of ratoons in the same time with one of plants. Unluckily, after three crops, or five at the utmost, in general the ratoons are totally exhausted, and you are obliged to have recourse to fresh plants.
Journal of a Residence among the Negroes in the West Indies Page 5
