and dependants, we generally formed a party of twenty. Piles of
meat, stewed in grease, and oozing out their own under a burning
sun, which seemed to varnish the eaters as well as eatables ; large
tureens of stagnant soup, pyramids of bouilli; hors d’oeuvres of
garliek, dressed in different fashions, were presented to us, escorted
by myriads of black flies, that disputed every morsel; servants
were obliged to stand behind us, and continually wave large cloths
to keep them away; if this exercise ceased for a minute, the table
would be almost black with these disgusting insects. The freedom
of helping, thè calling of different people for salt, bread, <fc., made
it so like a diligence dinner at a bad French inn, that could I have
altered personal appearance a little, t should have fancied myself
making the grand tour. Before the dessert arrived, the- younger
children, one of whom was only two years old, made their way
from the kitchens- below, where they had. acquired all the dirt that
would stick to their skins and clothes, and either bestriding the
backs of young slaves, or crawling-along the sanded floor, came in,
bawling for wine and fruit. One of them, laying his greasy paws
upon my silk gown, set his dirty foot on my knee, and in an
instant mounted on to his father’s chair, where he was caressed-for
the feat, and crammed till he was almost unable to return to the
lower regions.
The breakfasts were as abundant as the dinners, and I was
informed, that a supper was partaken of nightly, that did not yield
in grossness to the other-repasts ; and thus did these people, males
and females, with the thermometer ranging between 80° and 90°,
daily devour this enormous quantity of animal food, with smaller
meals intervening. I must not omit, however, to assure future
travellers, that Bona Vista affords excellent fresh butter, milk, and
eggs, things so grateful after a voyage*;' or to praise the unbounded
hospitality of Senhor Manoel Martins.- I have no doubt he would
readily have extended his kindness-to us-for months, and- he was
almost angry because We declined all meals except breakfast and
dinner. He keeps a second table, at which his wife, who is an
amiable, well-behaved woman, presides over her younger children,
the clerks, fyc.; and it is calculated, that two hundred mouths are
daily supplied in this establishment.
Among the dependants of the household is a tiuisic-master,
expressly imported from Lisbon to teach the children; but as
neither masters nor misses have musical talents or inclination, he
fills up his abundant leisure by keeping a little school, exercising
his profession only in the evening, when he thumps out a sonata
on the piano, amid a clamour of tongues which renders it impossible
to do more than guess at the sounds he produces. This
double function of his was no small inconvenience to Mr. Bowdich
and myself, for his school-room, which was at the same time his
bed-room, was only divided from our custom-house quarters by a
demi-partition, to the top of which the scholars climbed, (their
master assisting them by holding their legs) to peep over at the
strangers, or through which they bored holes to shoot small seeds
at us. On our complaining of this annoyance, he assumed a huge
straw hat, and a tremertdous broiid sword, and paced' up and down
the room,- to the amusement, not terror of his scholars, who enjoyed
the joke too much to run away: —This alone would have been a
droll incident,. but, after three days, the nuisance was augmented
by the accession of a seijeant and some recruits, who, being
followed by their male and- female playmates, rendered our lodging
so insupportable, that we could not remain ifi it. I have no
doubt, that Senhor Martins thought us very affected, and consequently
procrastinated our removal to the new house; but at last,
when I took refuge with the English lady above mentioned, who
kindly allowed me and my children to sleep on the floor of her
room, he gave us leave to take up our1 abode with the carpenters,
in the unfinished dwelling. Luckily, the wet plaster did us no