"The health of William Cobbett, and thanks to him for his exposition of hypocrisy and knavery."

Thus they continued their carouse, as far as I may guess, long after Nunnez had conducted me, not to my lodging house, but to a ball of persons of colour, something in the style of that which I had seen in Westmoreland. Here I imagine they were all free people, mostly Mulattoes and Quadroons, with several European gentlemen among them, who enjoyed themselves in dancing and philandering with their partners, many of whom were really lovely, beautiful creatures. I should have stayed longer among them, but my masquerade face attracted more attention than I was ambitious of.

Nunnez tells me that libertinage prevails among this class to as great an extent as among the dress-makers in the metropolis of England, but without any deceit. The people consider such connexions perfectly respectable, and even necessary in a society where men come to make fortunes, not to settle themselves for life. I own I could have fancied myself at the court of Calypso, where there were so many lovely creatures, without

vanity or affectation, replete with every attraction of youth, grace, and amiability. They danced delightfully, and some of the women sang and played on the piano-forte, and I witnessed no symptom of indelicacy on the part of male or female.

I found no great difficulty in arranging my little matters of business with the executors of my deceased relation. His negroes had been sold, with the exception of a fatherless boy and girl, both of course Creoles, who had not yet found any person to purchase them, to whom they had taken a fancy to belong. Unfortunately, they conceived a prepossession in my favour, and came to me with every importunity, besceching me to buy them, promising they would serve me with all their hearts and souls till death. This prepossession originated, no doubt, in the affection they retained for my departed friend, their late master; for what could they think of myself to induce a wish that I should become his successor? Of myself, whom they had never seen or heard of before? They said they had "no fader and no mumma; that massa had lubb'd them, and they lubb'd massa, and wanted to b'long to massa re

lation." It was in vain I told them I should leave the island in a few weeks, and never return. They would go to England with me, to France, ebery where; I should nebba want any other servant if I would but buy them." What was to be done, or rather what could I do, with two ink-black children, (for they were not fourteen years old, either of them) in England, except to instruct the natives there in the condition of the slaves, to let them see the happiness of English peasantry, and send them back to Jamaica with the account of it? It would be rather an expensive experiment, as I should have to pay one hundred and fifty pounds for them at starting. However, I promised to consult with my Israelite, and take his advice, and to buy them, if I could anyhow dispose of them, so as to make them happy and contented.

CHAPTER XXX.

I PASSED Sunday at a gentleman's Pen near the half-way tree, as it is called, where is a burial ground, with the tomb of a governor or two; and in the evening I heard my old acquaintance, Mr. Reiterhoffer, preach to an assembly of negroes in a mill-house. The Moravian reminded me of my faithful friend, the pretty Diana, for whom he made many enquiries, with a degree of enthusiasm that convinced me he was a zealous missionary at all events, as he was as anxious as ever about the Quadroon's soul. He was mortified to hear that she was gone into Portland, and that he had no farther chance of seeing her, except he made a pilgrimage thither to enlighten the negroes. He told me he was a watchmaker by trade, and had worked some years in London. His discourse to the negroes was really.

excellent, for it was in fact a paraphrase of Christ's sermon on the mount, enforced in plain language, and in a tone and manner very different from that which in England has often made me think, as I have listened to a dignitary of the church, that he performed his duty as if he were doing heaven a favour. The negroes were very attentive, and departed literally in peace.

February 11-Wednesday.

I left Kingston this morning, to pass a few days at Port Morant with an old friend, who has just left me at this place (Yallah's) that is, a tavern kept by, a black dame on the eastern side of the river of the same name. The whole road is superb. I breakfasted at an inn by the road side, kept by a white man, about eleven miles from Kingston, having passed Rock Fort, and crossed one or two small rivers and a lagoon, near which I saw an alligator cross the road. I should think he was four or five feet long; but he passed so unexpectedly that I had not time to remark him much; besides, he was a hundred and fifty yards before me. I rested during the heat of the day, and it was evening when