TWELVE MONTHS

IN

THE WEST INDIES.

LETTER XXII.

THE CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST OF

AUGUST.

TO DR. RICHARDSON.

MY DEAR SIR,

Kingston, August 6, 1834.

Events that have been long anticipated are generally stripped of their importance by the time of their occurrence; like those structures we have seen, whose wondrous magnitude has been so long the theme of admiration, that, when we gaze on them at last, we find our astonishment surpassed by our expectations. In all the events, political or otherwise, that man looks forward to; in all the marvels of art or nature, that his enthusiasm pauses at the sight of, for the fruition of his preconceived enjoyment, blessed indeed is he who expects least, for he shall not be disappointed."

From the day the Abolition Bill was passed, the first of August was looked forward to with intense interest; with extravagant hopes by one party, and groundless VOL. II.

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apprehensions by the other. The ides of August, however, are come, and, what is more, they are passed, and not a single riot occurred throughout the island, and not a single man, woman, or child, was butchered to make a negro holiday. This conduct of the great unchained was very provoking, to be sure; for a great many prophecies were to be fulfilled on the first of August, or thereabouts," as Mr. Moore would say: but, somehow or another, the predictions have not been accomplished; and, unfortunately for the prophetic character of the Cobbetts of Jamaica, they are never likely to be accomplished. The House of Assembly judiciously decided that the first of August should be a holiday, and the negroes were recommended to observe it as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. All the sectarian places of worship were accordingly thrown open, and they were thronged with the negroes to an unprecedented extent; but I regret to say, that, for some reasons which to me are unknown, divine service was not performed in the Protestant churches in this town. In a former work, I have spoken unfavourably of the success attending the labours of the sectarian missionaries in the Levant; and I certainly was disposed to think, before my arrival here, that the accounts of the success attending their exertions were likely to be greatly exaggerated, but the experience of many months has led me to form a different opinion. I do not belong to their communion; and, moreover, I do not think that the intellectual condition of the negroes has been improved to the extent which might be desired, though, perhaps, not expected, under the difficulties the sectarian clergy have had to contend with. But I cannot shut my eyes against the light of facts that may not be resisted. It is evident to every one, that the moral condition of the negro is improved, and that the improvement is mainly to be attributed to the labours of the dissenting missionaries. I should think two-thirds of the negroes who attend places of worship are either Methodists or Baptists. There are six large Methodist and Baptist chapels in Kingston, two Protestant churches, two Ro

man Catholic, and one Presbyterian; but in the two latter the negro part of the congregations is extremely small. In the larger Protestant church, the aisle is generally crowded with negroes; but in St. George's church I do not think I have ever seen fifty negroes at any one time. I by no means attribute the preference that the negroes give to the sectarian chapels, to any want of zeal or assiduity on the part of the clergy of the established church,-but, in a great measure, to the entire attention that is given by the clergy of the former to the mode of adapting their instruction to the capacity of the negroes; while in the Protestant church, where the majority of the congregation consists of white people, the clergyman must adapt his language and delivery to one class only. There is another circumstance that has a great influence on the preference I speak of: the accommodation of the negro in the sectarian chapel is as carefully attended to as that of the white man in the Protestant church; and, perhaps, of all the adventitious circumstances which enlist the senses on the side of religion, there is none that has greater influence on the devotion of the negro than that of sacred music, —a fact which the sectarians are well aware of, and have evinced their knowledge of, in their selection of simple tunes and familiar language for the hymns they teach the negroes. They are paid by their congregations by weekly contributions, from threepence to sixpence sterling for each person. But I need not say the clergy of any church are not likely to throw impediments in the way of any of its members who are disposed to be more liberal to their pastors than the majority of the congregation.

The annual charge of the established church in this island is £19,719 currency. The salary of the bishop is £4000 sterling, and the archdeacon £2000, but I am not sure whether in currency or sterling.

I visited three of the sectarian chapels on the first of August, during the morning, mid-day, and evening service; and I was greatly gratified at the pains that were

taken to make the negroes sensible of the nature of the change that had taken place in their condition, and the great benefits they had to show their gratitude for, under Him who had brought them out of bondage, to their benefactors both at home and in England, who expected of them to be good Christians, good citizens, and good servants. Indeed, in all the sectarian churches I have visited in different parishes, I have never heard other advice given than that which was favourable to the maintenance of industry and obedience; and if I were to particularise any sectarian instructer whose constant endeavours were directed to the public advantage, as well as to the moral improvement of his flock, I might name a poor negro preacher of the Baptist persuasion "Parson Kellick," as the negroes call him, who officiates in a spacious chapel nearly opposite my present abode.

The first of August passed over without the slightest. disorder. I did not see a single drunken negro, nor any great appearance of exultation, except that which in the subdued form of grateful piety I witnessed in the churches.

In fact, for a great festival, it was as quiet a day as can be well imagined. The only symptoms I saw of turbulent joy were on the part of some negro urchins, who were throwing stones at a drunken sailor, and who, whenever poor Jack made a reel after them, scampered away, shouting most lustily to each other, "What for you run away? we all free now! buckra can't catch we! hurra for fuss of Augus! hi, hi, fuss of Augus! hurra for fuss of Augus!" Then the young élite of the liberated blacks would courageously wheel round and give poor Jack another volley of pebbles, and cut all manner of ridiculous capers before him. This was the only emanation of the great spirit that had just walked abroad, that I happened to get a glimpse of.

There was a large dinner, however, of negroes and of free coloured people in Kingston, at which there

was no dearth of negro eloquence after the removal of the cloth.

But on the north side of the island the sable exclusives got up some dignity balls on an extensive scale, to one of which the lady patronesses invited Sir Ames Norcott and the officers of his staff; and the worthy General, who has no need of haughtiness for the maintenance of that respect which his character commands, I am told, attended one of the Almacks that is really in the west.

The letter which did the office of the Morning Post, describes the party as being numerously attended, and breaking up at a late hour; and omitted not to state that nothing could exceed the urbanity of the lady patronesses, and the indefatigable exertions of the Sambo stewards. Miss Quashabo, belonging to Mr. C-, led off with Mr. Cupid, belonging to Mr. M-, while Mrs. Juno, belonging to Mr. P-, received the blacks and buckras. But as there are no more slaves to be registered, I will dispense with the owners. Mr. Wilberforce danced with all his might and main with Miss Whaunica; Horace tripped it on the light fantastic toe with Mrs. Mackaroo; while Mr. Mangrove thumped it on the long projecting heel with Miss Diana Pullfoot. The harmony of the evening was only once disturbed by Mr. Quacco, a coppersmith, intimating to Wellington, a free tailor, that he was a dam black neger, for putting his arm by accident round the waist of his partner, Mrs. Weenus; but as the miss-take of property was nothing else, and could be nothing but a mistake, the intimation and the apology were only made in a whisper: so the dancing was resumed, and one of Hart's best-known quadrilles was done great justice to on a bonjoo and a gombah, the violoncello and kettle-drum of the negro orchestra. On the whole, there never was such a twinkling of black feet in Jamaica as the night of the first of August in Montega Bay: it seemed as if the Abolition Bill had made the limbs of the dark-com