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quoted with approbation by their critics, but such as abound in antithesis, or such as are confessedly of a nature too lyrical for representation. The love of epigram may have rendered a metre, peculiarly favourable to it, popular; but, from the history of their poetry, I am inelined to believe that the epigram rather owes its popularity to the cultivation of a metre, which, when the language is somewhat refined, becomes insipid without it. Such short pauses are evidently more calculated for the expression of wit than of passion. Hence it is not unusual for the characters of Lope, when placed in embarrassing situations, and wavering between the most violent and opposite affections, to express their wishes, describe their feelings, and justify their conduct in a long string of reasoning epigrams; of which the logic is not very convincing, and the wit evidently misplaced."

More than five hundred of Lope de Vega's plays are still extant. Many of them are exceedingly scarce, but all merit preservation.

A Dutch Vendue of Slaves, at Berbische, &c. From Pinckard's Notes on the West Indies.

On arriving at the town, we were surprised to find it quite a holiday, or a kind of public fair. The sale seemed to have excited general at tention, and to have brought together all the inhabitants of the colony. The planters came down from the estates with their wives and families all arrayed in their gayest apparel: the belles and beaux appeared in their Sunday suits even the children were in full

dress; and their slaves decked out in holiday-clothes. It was quite a gala-day, and greater numbers of people were collected than we had supposed to have been in the colo ny. Short jackets, with tawdry wide-flowered petticoats, and loose Dutch slippers, formed the prevailing dress of the females. Scarlet, crimson, and poppy, with all the bright colours used in a northern winter, rivalled a tropical sun, and reigned conspicuous in the flaming broad-patterned petticoat. To the inhabitants it seemed a day of feasting and hilarity, but to the poor Africans it was a period of heavy grief and affliction, for they were to be sold as beasts of burden-tora from each other and widely, dispersed about the colony, to wear out their days in the hopeless toils of slavery.

The fair being opened, and the crowd assembled, these unpitied sable beings were exposed to the hammer of public auction. A long table was placed in the middle of a large room, or logis. At one end was scated the auctioneer, at the other was placed a chair for the negroes to stand upon, in order to be exposed to the view of the purchasers; who were sitting at the sides of the table, or standing about the different parts of the room. All being in readiness, the slaves were brought in, one at a time, and placed upon the chair before the bidders, who handled and inspected them, with as little concern as if they had been examining cattle in Smithfield market. They turned them about, felt of them, viewed their shape and their limbs, looked into their mouths, made them jump and throw out their arms, and subjected them to all the means of trial

as if dealing for a horse, or any other brute-animal. Indeed the indelicacy shewn towards the poor defenceless Africans, by some of these dealers in their species, was not less unmanly and disgusting than it was insulting to humanity.

We were shocked to observe women in the room who had come to the fair for the express purpose of purchasing slaves. Nay, even chil. dren were brought to point the lucky finger, and the boy or girl, thus chosen, was bought by papa at the request of superstitious mamma, to give to young massa or missy!

The price of these poor degraded blacks varied from 600 to 900 guilders, according to their age and strength, or their appearance of being healthy or otherwise. The boys and girls were sold for 600 or 700 guilders-some of the men fetched as high as 900-and the women were knocked down at about 800.

In the course of the sale, a tall and robust negro, on being brought into the auction-room, approached the table with a fine negress hanging upon his arm. The man was order ed to mount the chair. He obeyed, though manifestly with reluctance. His bosom heaved and grief was in his eye. The woman remained in the crowd. A certain price was mentioned to set the purchase forward, and the bidding commenced: but on the slave being desired to exhibit the activity of his limbs, and to display his person, he sunk his chin upon his breast, and hung down his head in positive refusal then, looking at the woman, made signs expressive of great distress. Next he pointed to her, and then to the chair, evidently intimating, that he desired to have her placed by

his side. She was his chosen wife, and nature was correctly intelligible. Not obtaining immediate acquiescence, he became agitated and impatient. The sale was interrupted, and as he could not be prevailed upon to move a single muscle by way of exhibiting his person, the proceedings were at a stand. He looked again at the woman,— again pointed to the chair,-held up two fingers to the auctioneer, and implored the multitude in anxious suppliant gestures. Upon his countenance was marked the combined expression of sorrow, affec. tion, and alarm. He grew more and more restless, and repeated signs which seemed to say-" Let us be sold together. Give me my heart's choice as the partner of my days, then dispose of me as you please, and I will be content to wear out my life in the heavy toils of bondage." It was nature that spakeand her language could not be mistaken! Humanity could no longer resist the appeal, and it was universally agreed that they should make but one lot. A second chair was now brought, and the woman was placed at the side of her husband. His countenance instantly brightened. He hung upon the neck of his wife, and embraced her with rapturc-then folding her in his arms, and pressing her to his bosom, he became composed; and looked round, with a smile of complacency, which plainly said "proceed!—Í am yours, yours, or yours! Let this be the associate of my toils, and I am satisfied. The bidding was renewed! They exhibited marks of health and strength, and, quickly, the two were sold together for 1650 guilders.

314

"Enough"

"Enough!"--you will say. "Give me no more of slaves, nor of slavery!"-For the present I obey, and, leaving the dusky Africans, proceed to introduce you to the copper-coloured Indians; thus, leading you to the opposite extreme of human life, and placing you among those of our species, who spurn alike the shackles of slavery, and the slavish trammels of society. I have lately had an opportunity of seeing several parties of the wild and naked inhabitants of these woods-men who range at large, in the fullest freedom of nature; neither suffering their liberty to be effaced by bondage, nor abridged by civilization. Being one day at the town of New Amsterdam with the acting surgeon of the garrison, we took a walk down to the bush,* on the border of the creek or river Kannye. Nigh to the water we met with a party of Indians, and observing that they made no attempt to avoid us, we went so near to them as to mix in the group. We found them engaged in various pursuits; and remarked that none of their occupations suffered any interruption from our presence. A woman and her son, who were in the river, continued to bathe before us, and seemed greatly to enjoy the water. Some were cutting wood for firing-some collecting the bushwater with a calabash, for the purpose of drinking, or of cooking-some, with their pot of baked clay, upon the fire, were stewing crabs, together with capsicum and cassada juice into pepper-pot-and some were eating the raw tops of the mountain-cabbage. To the latter I

held forth my hand implying a desire to partake of their repast. They immediately gave me a part; and seemed pleased on observing me eat of it. A better sallad I never tasted. It was very crisp and white

much superior to the best lettuce or endive; and, in flavour, somewhat resembling the filbert. Perceiving that they were not incom moded by our society, we remained a considerable time attentively watching their proceedings; but their curiosity was not commensurate with our own, for they scarcely looked at us, or appeared to be, in any degree, interested concerning us. With indifference they saw us approach-they regarded us with indifference whilst we remainedand with indifference they witnessed our departure.

Two days after, I saw a much larger party of Indians, who came to the government house to ask för rum, as a compensation for cutting down timber: and the same evening, on walking towards the creek with some of the officers, we met with a still more numerous body of these inhabitants of the forest, who had been employed by the governor to cut down wood preparatory to clearing the land near the town for cultivation. They were busied in packing up all their little store of implements and utonsils, in order to return to their native abode in the woods. Bows and arrows, appara. tus for preparing cassada, the clay. cooking vessel, hammocks, calabashes, and crab-baskets, constitut ed their whole list of stores and furniture. All these were light in structure, or made of light materi

* Upon this coast the forest is termed the Bush. The rain-water which lodges in the low parts of the forest.

als,

als, and, being arranged in compact and pepper in the woods, they have no ambition to become planters. Cotton is not necessary to protect their naked skins; nor are their appetites so refined as to require. either coffee or sugar.

order, were easily carried on their backs. The women were made to bear the burden; while the men - took no share of the load. One man, who had three wives, very neatly packed upon their backs the whole of what he had to carry away; then taking up a long staff, he marched on before with lordly step, the wives following him in silent train, one after another. We walked gently behind a party of about forty as far as the creek, and there saw some of them embark in their canoes, and paddle up the river, while the others took a narrow path leading into the depths of the forest; and presently the whole body of them were out of sight, leaving not a trace of their visit behind.

They come down, occasionally, in parties, and enter into an engagement to cut wood for a certain compensation; but no dependence can be placed upon them for a single day, for they sometimes pack up all belonging to them, and return suddenly and unexpectedly into the woods; from whence they come not again for several months, perhaps not at all. They are naturally indolent, and being tenacious of freedom, they become impatient of the restraint imposed by daily labour; wherefore, they hastily east it off, and fly back to the woods to range in their native liberty, which knows no bounds, nor control. From possessing a degree of expertness in the felling of timber, they might be highly use. ful in forwarding the cultivation of the colony, but they have no sense of industry, nor do they seem to acquire the least disposition to emu late the colonists in any of their pursuits--content with finding food

At the fort we have also had a visit from an Indian family, who came to us in the true style of native accommodation-exhibiting the full equipage of the family canoe, and forming a scene of high interest and novelty. Before the canoe reached the fort, we observed the long black hair and naked skins of the man, his two wives, and several children, who were all stowed about the vessel with the strictest attention to equipoise-trimming it most exactly. The canoe was large, and, in addition to the family, was loaded with cedar and other kinds of wood, for sale or barter. On the top of the cargo appeared a ferocious-looking animal, setting up his bristles like the quills of the porcupine. It was a species of wild-hog caught in the forest, and hence called a bush-hog. A small monkey was likewise skipping about the canoe. At one side sat two very fine parrots, and on the other was perched a large and most beautiful mackaw, exhibiting all the rich splendour of his gay plumage. On the canoe arriving at the landing-place, the bow and arrows, the clay cooking-vessel, calabashes, hammocks, and crabbaskets, were all brought into view, and we gazed on the whole, as forming a very complete and striking specimen of original equipage and accommodation. The whole family, -the household apparatus-the bow and arrows-the canoe and paddles-the hammocks-in short all the furniture and implements for cooking, for sleeping, for shooting,

fishing,

fishing, and travelling, were here moved together in one compact body, so as to render it indifferent to them, whether they should return to the home from whence they came, or take up a new abode in any other part of the forest.

From

On the Island of Madeira.
Barrow's voyage to Cochinchina.

The few good dwelling-houses that are found in the town (of Funchal) are those which are occupied by the British merchants, who have established themselves here in the wine trade. These houses are in general sufficiently spacious, but neither commodious nor comfortable. These and a few others excepted, all the rest have rather a mean appearance. Their roofs are chiefly covered with tiles, on which Jarge loose stones are laid to prevent their being carried away by the blasts of wind that occasionally blow with great violence from the mountains behind the town. The extent of Funchal may be nearly a mile in a line parallel with the beach, and rather more than half a mile in depth. It is said to contain two thousand houses, occupied by abont twelve thousand inhabitants. There are besides six other small towns or villages on the island, the whole population of which, includng Funchal, is estimated to amount to about ninety thousand persons.

At a little distance behind the government-house, which stands within the fort Lorenço, and overlooks the bay, is the Passao Publico, the public mall, a short but very pretty walk, well shaded with orange or lime trees, willows and poplars. On one side of the entrance

stands the theatre, which is seldom opened, and on the other the hos pital, Funchal, like other towns and cities of Roman Catholic coun. tries, has no scarcity of churches and convents; but we met with little in any of them that could be considered as deserving of particukr notice. The beams and the roof of the cathedral are pointed out to strangers as being of cedar, a spe cies of tree with which it is said the island was at its discovery nearly covered. Another curiosity which is shewn in the town is a chamber in one of the wings of the Franciscan convent, the walls and ceiling of which are completely covered with rows of human skulls and human thigh bones, so arranged that in the obtuse angle made by every pair of the latter, crossing each other obliquely, is placed a skull. The only vacant space that appears is in the centre of the side opposite to the door, on which there is an extraordinary painting abore a kind of altar, but what the subject is intended to represent I am really at a loss to decide. A figure in the picture, intended probably for St. Francis, the patron saint, seems to be intent on trying in a balance the comparative weight of a sinner and a saint. But a very accurate drawing, from which a print was taken for Mr. Barrow's work, by Mr. Daniell, will perhaps best explain the subject.

A dirty lamp suspended from the ceiling, and just glimmering in the socket, served dimly to light up this dismal den of skulls. The old monk who attended as shewman was very careful to impress us with the idea that they were all relics of holy men who had died on the island; but I suspect they must oc

casionally

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