consider a theft, as is too evident by an expression very common

among them, viz. "Me no tief him: Me take him from Massa."

"ST

INCE writing to you last, I have been present at the sale of a Dutch cargo of slaves, at the new town of Amsterdam, Many of the officers went from the fort to witness this degrading spectacle; and although my feelings had suffered from a similar scene at Demarara, I could not resist the novelty of observing the Dutch mode of proceeding in this sad traffic of human cattle.

"On arriving at the town, we were surprized to find it quite a holyday, or a kind of public fair. The sale seemed to have excited general attention, and to have brought together all the inhabitants of the colony. The planters came down from the estates with their wives and amilies all arrayed in their gayest apparel: the belles and beaux appeared in their Sunday suits: even the children were in full dress; and their slaves decked out in holyday clothes. It was quite a gala-day, and greater numbers of people were collected than we had supposed to have been in the colony. Short jackets, with tawdry wide-flowered peticoats, and loose Dutch slippers, formed the prevailing dress of the females, Scarlet, crimson, and poppy, with all the bright colours used in a northern winter, rivalled a tropical sun, and reigned conspicuous in the flaming broad-patterned petticoat. To the inhabitants it seemed a day of feasting and hilarity, but

to the poor Africans it was a period of heavy grief and affliction; for they were to be sold as beasts of burden-torn from each otherand widely dispersed about the colony, to wear out their days in the hopeless toils of slavery.

"The fair being opened, and the crowd assembled, these unpitied sable beings were exposed to the hammer of public auction. A long table was placed in the middle of a large room, or logis. At one end was seated the auctioneer: at the other was placed a chair for the negroes to stand upon, in order to be exposed to the view of the purchasers; who were sitting at the sides of the table, or standing about the different parts of the room. All being in readi ness, the slaves were brought in, one at a time, and placed upon the chair before the bidders, who han died and inspected them, with as little concern as if they had been examining cattle in Smithfield market. They turned them about, felt of them, viewed their shape and their limbs, looked into their mouths, made them jump and throw out their arms, and subjected them to all the means of trial as if dealing for a horse, or any other brute-animal. Indeed the indeli cacy shewn towards the poor defenceless Africans, by some of these dealers in their species, was not less unmanly and disgusting than it was insulting to humanity.

K 3

"We

"We were shocked to observe women in the room who had come to the fair for the express purpose of purchasing slaves. Nay, even children were brought to point the lucky finger, and the boy or girl, thus chosen, was bought by papa at the request of superstitious mama, to give to young Massa or Missy!

"The price of these poor degraded blacks varied from 600 to 900 guilders, according to their age and strength, or their appearance of being healthy or otherwise. The boys and girls were sold for 600 or 700 guilders; some of the men fetched as high as 900; and the women were knocked down at about 800.

"In the course of the sale, a tall and robust negro, on being brought into the auction-room, approached the table with a fine negress hanging upon his arm. The man was ordered to mount the chair. He obeyed, though manifestly with reluctance. His bosom heaved, and grief was in his eye. The woman remained in the crowd. A certain price was mentioned to set the purchase forward, and the bidding commenced but on the slave being desired to exhibit the activity of his limbs, and to display his person, he sunk his chin upon his breast, and hung down his head in positive refusal; then, looking at the woman, made signs expressive of great distress. Next he pointed to her, and then to the chair, evidently intimating that he desired to have her placed by his side. She was his chosen wife, and nature was correctly intelligible. Not ob taining immediate acquiescence, he became agitated and impatient. The sale was interrupted, and as he could not be prevailed upon to move a single muscle by way of ex

hibiting his person, the proceedings were at a stand. He looked again at the woman; again pointed to the chair; held up two fingers to the auctioneer, and implored the multitude in anxious suppliant gestures. Upon his countenance was marked the combined expression of sorrow, affection, and alarm. He grew more and more restless, and repeated signs which seemed to say, 'Let us be sold together. Give me my heart's choice as the partner of my days, then dispose of me as you please, and I will be content to wear out my life in the heavy toils of bondage.' It was nature that spake, and her language could not be mistaken! Humanity could no longer resist the appeal, and it was universally agreed that they should make but one lot. A second chair was now brought, and the woman was placed at the side of her husband. His countenance instantly brightened. He hung upon the neck of his wife, and em. braced her with rapture; then folding her in his arms, and pressing her to his bosom, he became composed; and looked round with a smile of complacency, which plainly said Proceed! I am yours, yours, or yours! Let this be the associate of my toils, and I am satisfied.' The bidding was renewed! They exhibited marks of health and strength, and quickly the two were sold together for 1650 guilders.

666

Enough -you will say. Give me no more of slaves, nor of slavery!' For the present I obey, and, leaving the dusky Africans, proceed to introduce you to the copper-colored Indians; thus, leading you to the opposite extreme of human life, and placing you among those of our species, who spurn alike the shackles of slavery, and the

slavish

slavish trammels of society. I have lately had an opportunity of seeing several parties of the wild and naked inhabitants of these woods; men who range, at large, in the fullest freedom of nature; neither suffering their liberty to be effaced by bondage, nor abridged by civilization. Being one day at the town of New Amsterdam with the acting surgeon of the garrison, we took a walk down to the, Bush, on the border of the creek or river Kannye. Nigh to the water we met with a party of Indians, and 'observing that they made no attempt to avoid us, we went so near to them as to mix in the group. We found them engaged in various pursuits; and remarked that none of their occupations suffered any interruption from our presence. A woman and her son, who were in the river, continued to bathe before us, and seemed greatly to enjoy the water. Some were cutting wood for firing-some collecting the Bush water with a calabash, for the purpose of drinking, or of cooking-some, with their pot of baked clay upon the fire, were stew. ing crabs, together with capsicum and cassada juice into pepper-potand some were eating the raw tops of the mountain cabbage. To the latter I held forth my hand, implying a desire to partake of their repast. They immediately gave me a part; and seemed pleased on observing me eat of it. A better salad I never tasted. It was very crisp and white, much superior to the best lettuce or endive; and, in flavour, somewhat resembling the filbert. Perceiving that they were not incommoded by our society, we remained a considerable time attentively watching their proceedings; but their curiosity was not

commensurate with our own, for they scarcely looked at us, or appeared to be, in any degree, interested concerning us. With indifference they saw us approach; they regarded us with indifference whilst we remained; and with indifference they witnessed our departure.

"Two days after, I saw a much larger party of Indians, who came to the Government-house to ask for rum, as a compensation for cutting down timber: and the same evening, on walking towards the creek with some of the officers, we met with a still more numerous body of these inhabitants of the forest, who had been employed by the governor to cut down wood preparatory to clearing the land near the town for cultivation. They were busied in packing up all their little store of implements and utensils, in order to return to their native abode in the woods. Bows and arrows, apparatus for preparing cassada, the clay cooking-vessel, hammocks, calabashes, and crab-baskets constituted their whole list of stores and furniture. All these were light in structure, or made of light materials, and, being arranged in compact order, were easily carried on their backs. The women were made to bear the burden; while the men took no share of the load. One man, who had three wives, very neatly packed upon their backs, the whole of what he had to carry away; then taking up a long staff, he marched on before with lordly step, the wives following him in silent train, one after another. We walked gently behind a party of about forty as far as the creek, and there saw some of them embark in their canoes, and paddle up the river, while the others took a narrow path K 4 leading

leading into the depths of the forest; and presently the whole body of them were out of sight, leaving not a trace of their visit behind.

"They come down, occasionally, in parties, and enter into an engagement to cut wood for a certaiu compensation; but no dependance can be placed upon them for a single day, for they sometimes pack up all belonging to them, and return suddenly and unexpectedly into the woods; from whence they Come not again for several months, perhaps not at all. They are naturally indolent, and, being tenacious of freedom, they become impatient of the restraint imposed by daily labour; wherefore, they hastily cast it off, and fly back to the woods to range in their native liberty, which knows no bounds, nor controul. From possessing a degree of expertness in the felling of timber, they might be highly useful in forwarding the cultivation of the colony; but they have no sense of industry, nor do they seem to acquire the least disposition to emulate the colonists in any of their pursuits: content with finding food and pepper in the woods, they have no ambition to become planters, Cotton is not necessary to protect their naked skins; nor are their appetites so refined as to require either coffee or sugar.

"At the fort we have also had a visit from an Indian family, who came to us in the true style of native accommodation, exhibiting the full equipage of the family canoe, and forming a scene of high

interest and novelty. Before the cance reached the fort, we observed the long black hair and naked skins of the man, his two wives, and several children, who were all stowed about the vessel with the strictest attention to equipoise, trimming it most exactly. The canoe was large, and, in addition to the family, was loaded with cedar and other kinds of wood for sale or barter. On the top of the cargo appeared a fero cious-looking animal, setting up his bristles like the quills of the porcupine. It was a species of wild hog caught in the forest, and hence called a bush-bog. A small monkey was likewite skipping about the canoe. At one side sat two very fine parrots, and on the other was perched a large and most beautiful mackaw, exhibiting all the rich splendour of his gay plumage. On the canoe arriving at the land. ing place, the bow and arrows, the clay cooking-vessel, calabashes, hammocks, and crab-baskets, were all brought into view, and we gazed on the whole, as forming a very complete and striking specimen of original equipage and accommodation. The whole family-the house, hold apparatus-the bow and arrows-the canoe and paddles-the hammocks-in short all the furni ture and implements for cooking, for sleeping, for shooting, fishing, and travelling were here moved together in one compact body, so at to render it indifferent to them, whether they should return to the home from whence they came, or take up a new abode in any other part of the forest."

CLIMATE,

ARLY in the morn

well: it was completely repaired,

were off Noness Head inShetland having had a favorable breeze through the night. The general aspect of the country, as we coasted along towards Lerwick, was hilly, bleak, and steril. At 9, we anchored in Brassay Sound, opposite to Lerwick. It being Sunday, the colours were displayed from Fort Charlotte, a fortress situated to the north of the town. We had scarcely landed, when some of the inhabitants asked of me, whether we were direct from Scotland ?- -a question that rather surprised me, as sceming to imply that the Shetland islands themselves did not constitute a part of that country. In Lerwick there is only one established church, and there are no dissenters. The church appeared to be well attended, and the common people were in general very neatly dressed.

"The town of Lerwick consists of one principal street next the quay, with several lanes branching off. No regularity has been observed in former times in the position of the houses, some of which project almost quite across the street. The general appear ance of the town has of late years been much improved by several handsome houses built in the modern style. The town is computed to contain about 1000 inhabitants. Fort Charlotte is a great ornament to it. Several large cannon command the harbour and protect the town. This fortress is said to have been originally erected during the protectorate of Crom

and named Fort Charlotte, after our gracious queen. At present (1801), it is garrisoned by a part of the 6th royal garrison battalion, Upon a little island in the midst of a fresh-water lake, about a mile west from Lerwick, are situated the remains of a Pictish fort, in a better state of preservation than most others that we saw in Shetland. It consists of a thick circular wall, inclosing an area of about thirty feet in diameter. In the wall itself, which is about twelve feet thick, are several oblong recesses or little chambers, ten or twelve feet in length, by three in width. No kind of cement or mortar appears to have been em, ployed in these rude structures. All around the banks of this lake I found abundance of a dwarfish variety of Jasione montana (hairy sheep's scabious), both with blue and with white flowers. This is by no means a plant generally found in Scotland; but here it grows abundantly on all the dry turfs which form around half-sunk stones, or which project on grassy banks. Upon this little lake, one of the officers from Fort Charlotte, about this time, shot a truly northern bird, the red-throated diver (colym bus septentrionalis), which was po litely presented to me. The Shetlanders name it the rain-goose, its shrill and harsh call, as it flies along, being thought to prognosticate rain. The black-throated diver is generally seen in company with the red, and is perhaps the female. They breed in Shetland.

"Near