302 N A R R A T I V E OF A N
CHAP. One confolation, however, in the midft of this difap-
XXVIL, pointaient, tnoft opportunely prefented itfelf. The fa*
mous negro, àraman-Qtvacy, formerly mentioned, who
Wàs juft returned from Holland, brought the news, that
partly by bis intereft a new law Was there enabled, by
which all Haves were to be free fix months after their
landing at the TeXel; which, indeed, on application o f
their matters, might be extended to twelve, but not a
Jingle day longer on any account whatfoever.— Thus being
përluaded that I fhould one day joyfully carry both
him and his mother over the Atlantic, my heart was
greatly relieved.
Of this Graman-Qwacy I will beg leave to give a Jhort
account, before I take farewell o f the reader. Suffice it
for the prefent to fay, that the Prince of Orangey befides
paying his but and homeward paflage, and giving him
lèverai prefents, fent him back to Surinam drefled in a
fuit o f blue and fcarlet, trimmed ôver with broad gold
lace : on his hat he wore a white feather, and looked
upon the whole not unlike one o f the Dutch generals ;
which goodnefs made this king o f the negroes, however,
very proud, and even frequently very faucy.
On the 25th, the Governor of the colony gave a very
fumptuous feaft to feveral o f his friends at his indigo-
plantation, which was fituated but a few miles at the back
o f his palace, Where I had the honour to be invited as
one of the party, and had the pleafure of infpe&ing the
procefs
procefs of making indigo, a detail of which will probably c h a p .
, • XXVH.
■ be acceptable, ■
In the firft place, therefore, I fball prefejat the curious
with a drawing of the indigo plant, which is a knotty
ffirub produced from feed* which grows to about two feet
from the ground, and comes to perfection in the fpace o f
two'months. This‘plant requires a very rich foil, which
befides ought to be kept perfectly clean from weeds. Jn
the plate, A is the colour of the fprig; B, the leaves
above; C, the fame below ; D, the feed inclofed in fmall
brown pods; E, th e fize o f the leaf as it grows; F , a
-piece o f indigo ready made for ufe. The above Jprig
was-defigned fmrh nature on the fpot, but on a -fmall
fcale : it has fomething the appearance o f the tamarind
branch,-principally 'in the fixe of the leaf,, which alfp
grows in pairs, and is darker above than below l?ut ^
the extremity o f each ihoot in tpis flirub, one leaf grows
fingle, which is not the cafe in the other. The young
Ihoot in the tamarind-trees alfo appears at the extremity
o f the branches; hut in this they fpring forth, a« may-he
feen:, from the bafe.
'The mode inwhichrfhis plant ii^jconverted into indigo
is as follows:— When all the verdure is ;cut off,
the whole crop iis: tied in bunches, and put into a very
large tub with water* covered over with very ■ heavy
logs of wood >byn way of preffers: thus kept, it begins
ferment; in lefs than eighteen .hours the water
feems to boil, and becomes of a violet or garter blue.cp^-
lour, extracting all the grain" or colouring matter frona
the