iriside of nrltóéfii they Wöufd nöt; alleging that it: v?as Used for
religious seHicès; b a i t m a f'perhaps make use è fd t^ a * plaée
for keeping-a quadtitj ©f müskëts tód- gtópoWdef5*; f o ïh h tó t
they havé alsö their palavets ur meetings Thére is nothing round
this village indicating any cultivation ; howëVër, it ils 'Knówn that
they do plant Indian corn and ëügat canes. Thèse ëügar canes are
in general of a much largér size.than -those gfyhwirigfckt ffi^^pmhta-
tS6ns,-but the f&fëè?iTdrkS ifffè
the ground 'on whiëhf it grows. The^e1 p»e6plfeJ' lïi%5 prihfcfpnlly! by
Bunting, and appear to be in goÓd ëdntïltiÖti; ilibyiaMlrill
made, arid some Of-their women hav^fèëlly-fine fe'atWè^y'TKdthve
mightsee möre of their customs, vrèasked them to dSttté in tlfh ëvbïi^
ing to rilermitage tbha’Vea dance,-which tHby readily acceptedV but
p e took carë^nébtt) invite lód'maïiy, hs #ë eS^ehthd ®ffe¥fom ffib
neighbouring villages.- Whradhcy Caine, accordingtd%ie lfvitatiöiïl
there whs ncM alferatum in the dress*bf the meh; fhèy hpjWkraf fh
the skirieOjeStUmë we hadiéfeèh tBetóiU thë %tóds i but itó°#bif81Ë
appeared in their full dröss, having on short Calitó pëtftCo^fé^hfti
tufbhris toürid their heads, and strings of êofahróónd
dfms. The danée had seërcely begun when anbfhl^disjpiift^iïS^
for t i e bush üégfcoëS found' themselves' d^ndfed 'by'
company wlffi‘ their "bréthreri off thé- plantation^,5 thëïf
side, observed;dhat as their master'gaNré' the
thëmsëlves entitled tp the privilege óf sharing in it. To put ‘an
énd to this altëréhtiöhrir'e told the pltótanonS tógrliëS that tftriy*
might choose another place to dance in, arid they should have
their due proportion Of the faré that was proVidéd -folr thë general
entertainment: «1
' The dances of the bush negroes are much the saitife with those Of
the plantation inegroCs, except that they are mote 1 ice n riotS: 'A rii o n g
their instruments, which consist mostly iü dififerent'soril bf^amiklr,'
there was one in particular which I had pot setehf béförèV: ft was
made of different sounding woods cut into several sticks of various
sizes, and laid upon two pieces of wood : : this instrument is played
with twojlittle sticks, and was probably the original which^ave rise
to the didcknekv as this again did to the .moreimproved harpsichord.
Our; :-visi tors) became at last, » very * nojsy i and trou blesome ; f they
made uso • free with the rum which wb had providedc for them, as
soon to ;exhaust it entirely, and when they found there was no fresh
supply, they took their leave. \ . The parties Were from tw© different
villages) and the' second was under the government of' a female
negro whd goessby -the aamë of Belle Mama, and it "ought to be
ob’sèrved that her subjects were by far the most > decent in their
behavioiÜF. ' j^$|j wfV
17 Hermitage was the greatest distance-intended for our journey ■:
Imcaild’nat help, lookingitowards thoserimmensè forests where so
fôwiEavèildum^irivj^éd' «atikàs have yet penetrated1; whât a treasure
must there bedridden; in all the Varietiés!#Çitàe creation { The
principal articlesf now cultivated®! the Polonies of America, sugar,
coffee, and' cotton,, were known before the. disGbvery,Q'f- the New
Worid'; anddf we have not as many, valuable ptoductions peculiar
to America, as to Asia, it is ©nly because tAsia bas bèeu longer im
habited by erilightened nations, tp whom the Peruvians and Mexicans
could -not be compared ; nor can we expect -that wer. shall
make any great discoveries'in this part of the World- so;long as the
planters .think themselves- ©iffy strangers hère,» intending as soon as
they' have made a fortune, to emigrate again. ; But sinceIke cacao
and the «indigo-, together with sdf many valuable balms and roost
powerful medieinek, have already been discovered in these regions,
what may not be expected OfJpèstëÉity, when men of various talents
and of active minds-shall haveiëompletelÿ pentetfated into these, immense
forests, hitherto unexplored !
We left l’Hermitage April 28th, and as we had to pass by the
village where the Belle Mama resided, we paid her a’visit, and com