صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

MAN

I ftill regard the young ladies, though I abhor their manners and cuftoms; I think it is to be lamented that in fuch a florifhing ifland as Jamaica, there are not proper feminaries for the inftruction of both fexes, of those whofe parents cannot afford them an European education; those feminaries fhould be well fupplied with English maiters and miftreffes whofe abilities and morals would bear ftrict fcrutiny; alfo, with men and maid fervants from England. The children fhould be put to fchool at an early age; nor fhould they have any intercourfe, if poffible, with any of the black or tawny race, to corrupt their dialect and morals,

in

I think it is very neceffary that every man fhould study the nature and difpofitions of different women, as well as of men; and he cannot get a proper knowledge of the former without fome finful experience, difeafe and expence: I would recommend it, even to my fon, to get troduced into a bawdy houfe at times, but to be particular in his choice of the company who introduced him, as to their friendship and integrity; and if he got a few comfortable kickings, with two or three smart touches of a fashionable disease, fo that he got properly cured again, to make a long and lafting impreffion on his mind, and after trying the tempers and difpofitions of other women, their ftrength and weakness, &c. he would be cool as ice to the ogling incitations of jilting coquets, and the vile allurements of dif

tempered

tempered harlots, who with fictitious fmiles and aching hearts procure their exiftances: he would fhun their dens of infamy, and deteft their horrid keepers, wicked hags of hell; and if his conftitution was not too far impaired, he might make a prudent loving hufband, a good father, and a good master; he would know the value of a truly virtuous woman better than the bashful youth who never went aftray. "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."

Do not imagine from what I have faid, that every Creole lady is fo foft and ignorant as Mifs Louifa and Mifs Laura. I have mentioned be.. fore, that those who are educated properly from their infancy are as chaste and well bred women as any in the world; I only point particularly at those who receive their education amongft negroe wenches, and imbibe great part of their dialect, principles, manners and cuftoms.

The company of polite fenfible women is ferviceable to young men; I would with you to get introduced to fuch as much as poffible; for there is a certain delicacy, a foftness and fweetnefs of manners, and brilliancy of wit and fentiment, to be found in women only, which polish and refine men:By frequenting the company of polite women you will shake off aukwardness and clownish rufticity. Without women men would be mere brutes.

"Can there in woman be fuch glorious faith!
"Sure all ill ftories of the sex are false:

"O, woman! Lovely woman! Nature made you

[merged small][ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"To temper man; without you we'd been brutes:
"There's in you all we can believe of Heaven,
"Amazing brightness, purity and truth,
"Eternal joy and everlasting love!"

[ocr errors]

Yet, I would not have you be one of those fashionable monkies, conftantly dangling after the fex, carrying the lap dog of one, and the fan or flippers of another-no, women like men to appear and act like men, and not like baboons or affes. One thing more I recommend to you; if you wish to keep in favour with the fair, never contradict them, but coincide with them in their impertinences and little abfurdities; for flattery in difguife, artfully difplayed, is an effential ingredient; and though you be ever so seriously inclined, when you get amongst ladies throw all care afide, and be all attention; there is a certain affable and agreeable lively behaviour, and chitchat nonfenfe, which you must practice; and alIways have at command a few nice little humorous wrapped up anecdotes, &c. It is a general rule all over the world, amongst the lovely fex, from the cinderbritch to the dutchefs, that flattery and trifling presents in time and feafon have a wonderful effect in foftening their hearts.

"Or wou'd you the frowns of a lady prevent,
"She too has this palpable failing;
"The perquifite foftens her into confent;
"That reason with all is prevailing."

Having

Having thus far endeavoured to give you fome idea of Creole men and women, I fhall next treat of Mongrels; a Mongrel is any thing that is engendered or begotten between different kinds, and resembles neither in nothing but form, fuch as a mule that is begot between an afs and a mare; or in the human species, a Sambo, that is begot by a Mulatto and a black: a Mulatto, that is begot by a white and a black: a Mestee, that is begot between a white and a Mulatto: a Quadroon, that is begot between a white and a Meftee, &c. &c. A Sambo is of a footy dark brown colour, with hair or coarse wool, like that of a negroe, but rather longer; a Mulatto is of a yellow fickly colour, without the least tincture of rofy bloom; a Mestée is much fairer than a Mulatto, but of a fickly hue; a Quadroon is as fair as fome whites, but rather delicate and fickly inclined. When Mongrels of different kinds copulate together, they beget Mongrels differing from themselves, of which there may be innumerable gradations; for in my opinion, Mongrels, though thirty generations diftant from blacks blood, cannot be real whites.

All Mongrels, male and female, have a vast fhare of pride and vanity, baseness and ingratitude in their compofitions: their delicacy and ignorance being fuch, that they despise and degrade their parents and relations inclining to the fable race; the men, if born to eftates or proper

[blocks in formation]

ties (as many are), are much of the fame nature of the illiterate white Creole men; not much inferior, but of courfe more negrofied; and when they are not kept at a proper diftance and under due fubjection, are often very infolent and impudent. When those fpurious cubs, having no trades, fquander what their infatuated parents bequeathed them, they turn out the most thieving pilfering vagrants; for never having practifed any industry, but beggared themselves by their profligacy and diffipation, Creole fashion, they are quite ignorant ever after of the ways and means to earn their livelihoods industriously and honeftly. If a gentleman wifhed his Mongrel fon to do well, he should do nothing more for him than to give him a smattering of reading, writing and arithmetic, to procure his freedom, and bind him at an early age to a trade, during which time to ftint him in both money and cloaths, and to convince him that he might never expect any other favours; in fuch cafe, he might labour for a livelihood, and come to fome good. I knew a Mulutto man in Spanish-Town, whose father did little more for him than to procure his manumiffion, and bind him to a millwright; and this very man in the year 1784, when I was in Jamaica, was attorney for thirty or forty plantations, and fupposed to be worth 4 or 500l. fterling.

As for Mongrel women, though the daughters of rich men, and though poffeffed of flaves and

estates

« السابقةمتابعة »