emaciated to appearance; their contrarious cha racteristic is, that they are open-hearted, generous, kind and hofpitable to excefs; proud, vain, high-fpirited and flighty to an extreme; lazy, dull, and indolent, in all industrious matters; and volatile as air where drinking, whoring, gaming, or any kind of diffipation invites; so that their hearts and fortunes feldom agree; for they are extremely extravagant, and know not the value of money or effects till they want them. They are amazing fond of coftly, tinfel frippery; abroad they appear ridiculously gay, and at home flovenly and dirty; and when deprived of the advantage of an European education, are affuming and prefuming, negroefied, aukward, ignorant guegaws; their darling amufements are confined to negroe huts and mulatto balls; though a Creole was languishing on his death bed, I believe the found of the gumbay or violin would induce him to get up and dance till he killed himself, They are very fond of all kinds of sweetmeats and sweet liquors: cool drink or * mauby is a delicious nectar to them in the morning:-I often laughed heartily at hearing a Creole mafter or mifs fay, "Do, momma, get me fome mauby, mine head no 'tand good." It is quite ufual for a Creole gentleman after dinner to fend to the field for one of his favourite wenches, who is inftantly hurried home and conveyed to his cham A fermented liquor, made of fugar, water, and ginger, and lignumvita. H ber, ber, (or if he has a wife, to fome other apartment) piping hot and drowned with perfpiration, in which condition he enjoys the favoury object; after which he takes a nap for an hour or fo, and she returns to labour till night: thus he takes 'one almost daily in rotation, and roves with as much ease and dignity as a plenipotentiary through raptures of delight, and enjoys happinefs as he likes it. When pepper-pot and wine his blood alarms, The melting object pleas'd, then takes her hoe, Creole men commonly keep black or mungrel women till a day or two before they enter into the serious bond of marriage; and though there may be a family of different coloured children of their intended fpoufes ready made before them, yet it does not hurt their delicacy; in one family I have seen white, meftee, quadroon and mulatto children, all brothers and fifters, playing together. 1 muft not be too fevere, for I have known a few prudent fenfible Creole men, who lived within bounds, and paid their debts honeftly; and further I will fay that they are as capable of improvements in all the polite arts and fciences as other men; if talents of this kind could make volatile flighty men fedate and folid, no doubt but they would all act and behave like other men ; hence, hence I must conclude that their uncommon levity is certainly owing to the climate, which has a wonderful influence on the brains and hearts of even Europeans. Creoles are witty at times, and numbers can speak and write fenfibly though they act inconfiftant and foolishly; which confirms what Dryden says: "Great wits to madness fure are near ally'd, Creole ladies who have been properly educated and polished in England from their infancy in polite fchools, under the direction of parental guardians, are, no doubt, as prudent, chafte, and fine women as any in the world, fave only what difference of climate produces; for when they return to their native regions, they cannot keep long, (if I may ufe the expreffion): the climate, I am confident, would affect European ladies in the fame manner; fo that if they have opportunities with men, it is difficult, very difficult indeed, for them not to tranfgrefs; even married ladies, the tranfgreffions of whom are in a great measure owing to the neglect of their diffipated hufbands, who waste their vigour and fubftance upon black or mungrel wenches, which certainly is very provoking, and deprives poor wives of their dues; yet I have known fome ladies who had no cause at all to complain of their husband's infidelity, which, I muft fay, is a great rarity, who behaved intolerable: one, in particular, was married H 2 married to a worthy gentleman who was doatingly fond of her, by whom he had four or five pratling pledges of connubial blifs; he had a plentiful fortune, and was diftinguished for hospitality and generofity; nor did he ever fufpect her virtue, till he accidentally found her in a fituation which I fhall not mention, with a captain of a man of war, who frequently vifited him as a particular friend; upon examining her trunks, all the letters which he had received from her different gallants were found; for it appeared she had not only criminal connections with the marine hero, but with merchants, planters, and clerks: the letters were produced in court, with her own private journal of all her intrigues and amours, and criticisms on the different gentlemen: the captain was prosecuted, and confiderable damages were obtained, which were appropriated to charitable uses. The good natured dupe, her husband, was diftracted for fome time, but recovered; he took the harmless little ones into his own protection, and difbanded their vile mother. Young ladies who have been confined to the narrow limits of Jamaica from their infancy, are foft, innocent, ambitious, flirting play-things; and in a more particular manner, those who are retired in the country; when they drefs, they decorate themselves elegantly: abroad they appear as neat as if they came out of band-boxes, lovely and engaging at home, diametrically the re verse. verfe. If you furprize them, as I have often done, you will be convinced of the truth of this affertion, that Ovid, with all his metamorphofes, could not match fuch transformations: instead of the well-shaped, mild, angelic looking creature you beheld abroad, you will find, perhaps, a clumsy, greasy tomboy, or a paper-faced skeleton, romping, or stretching and lolling, from fofa to fofa, in a dirty confused hall, or piazza, with a parcel of black wenches, learning and finging obfcene and filthy fongs, and dancing to the tunes. Creole miffes, when scarcely ten, Cock their eyes and long for men. But ftill as they arrive to riper age, they delight more and more in the tender paffions: when they take a liking to men, though entire strangers to them, they feldom fail to shake off all manner of modesty and shame to gratify their extravagant defires-though guarded and cooped up in their chambers by their parents, or friends, they will find ways and means to get to men,-their eyes, their looks, and fondling actions, all betray wantonnefs and love: their little hearts are a fort of tinder, that catch fire from every Spark who flatters their vanity, and whispers them foft nonfenfe they are pliable as wax, and melt like butter; and though naturally delicate in their texture, H 3 |