add, that from the inhabitants of this island, they experienced the most hospitable and benevolent reception. Suddenly cut off, as they were, by a horrible convulsion, from their possessions and homes, reduced as it were in a moment from happiness, affluence, and independence, to all the wretchedness of want, many of them found in this island an hospitable asylum, and in the generosity of its inhabitants a relief from the horrors of their forlorn situation. Jealousies of the intriguing spirit of this people have, however, existed of late; and a wish has been expressed to the governor to have them removed; but whither was he to have sent them? and how and by what means were they to be provided for?

I

But to return. The want of public amusements and of amusing exhibitions in this island, creates an eager and lively curiosity in the bulk of the people of all descriptions to see whatever has the appearance or promise of novelty in spectacles of the most trifling nature. Conjurors, sleight of hand men, dancers on the slack wire, exhibitors of wax-work figures, sometimes make their appearance here, and never fail to attract crowds of inquisitive people, to their great emolument, as they take care that the price of admission should be consonant to the supposed wealth and munificence of the West Indians.

Monthly assemblies in the different parishes are a source of some amusement here, particu

N

larly to the females, who, as before observed, are very fond of dancing. These are continued throughout the year. In temperate climes, the inhabitants usually lay this exercise aside in the hot summer months, as being rather warm for such a season, but here there is no such renunciation; it continues throughout the year, and during the sultry dog days, the gay throng trip it on the "light fantastic toe" with as much vivacity and animation as in the cooler months of December and January. Country dances are the greatest favourites; and the negro fiddlers, accompanied by the lively sound of the tambourin, in lieu of the bass-viol, often play, though not regularly taught, with wonderful accuracy and apparent taste. It is, however, rather a painful sight often to see, in a hot room, where even the sedentary spectator pants for the refreshing air, a groupe of charming well-dressed young women sweltering through the fatigue of a long country dance, yet animated by gaiety, and a love of the amusement, to renew again and again the grateful toil.

The horse races, which have already been described, afford also a week's amusement once in two years to the inhabitants of the different parishes. On these occasions, a ball is given, and the time while the races last is spent with great. festivity and hilarity. Drinking, dancing, and gambling parties are then more than usually frequent, from the mixed concourse of people which

the occasion brings together from the different neighbouring parishes, besides the inhabitants of the one in which the race takes place. The opulent and the fashionable of both sexes throng the course, in carriages and on horse-back, the same as in England. The purses are an hundred pounds, or an hundred pistoles; they are all raised by subscription, except the king's purse, which is the first that is run for. The heats are two, three, and four miles. Gambling, if it may be classed as an amusement, is very common in Jamaica, particularly during races; and sometimes considerable sums of money are won and lost. The favourite games are billiards, and various games of hazard with the dice.

3

There are few rural sports here. There are neither deer, hares, nor foxes to pursue; and if there were, there is but a narrow range of champaign country for such amusement, and that little adapted to it. The hunting of the wild hog is now, as before said, generally relinquished as a too fatiguing and troublesome sport. Shooting various sorts of game is, however, common. These consist of the different species of the wild pigeon here, quails, coots, &c. and, in the season, the wild duck, the snipe, the ortolan, the plover, and other birds of the migratory kind common in the West Indies. There are no game laws existing in Jamaica, to restraint unqualified sportsman, or protect the feated

race from indiscriminate slaughter at all seasons. A penalty of five pounds is, however, very properly exacted from the person who wantonly kills a carrion crow (a species of the vulture) in the neighbourhood of the towns. This bird, though frightful and disgusting to the sight, is, however, a most useful and salutary appendage to the climate, by destroying those nuisances which might otherwise fill the air with pestilential vapours.

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Except the amusements here enumerated, there are few the inhabitants of Jamaica can have recourse to, but such as originate in a friendly interchange of visits. The inhabitant of the

town, as well as the country (unless constantly engaged in some active employment that engrosses the whole of his time), is liable to the dull uniformity of a perpetual unvaried sameness of life and objects; unless, happily actuated by a spirit of inquiry and taste for study, he employs the leisure hours of life in gratifying curiosity, and adding to the acquisition of knowledge. An account of a battle by land, or fight by sea, is therefore as acceptable to him as to most of our political quid-nuncs; and one will see clusters of those politicians gathered together in the towns and villages on a Sunday or Monday morning waiting the coming in of the post-boy, with axious looks, on the arrival of a packet from Emand; the greater part impatient to know the

prices and sales of sugar, rum, coffee, &c. and all solicitous to learn the important events of the war, as if their very existence depended on the issue of a siege, or the event of an expedition. Those vicissitudes of European warfare greatly contribute to keep their minds from a stagnant languor, and give a new spring to conversation and to conjecture. There are some tolerable good newspapers for the circulation of this sort of intelligence.

The inhabitants of this country, particularly the Europeans, are peculiarly fond of convivial parties, though perhaps not so much now as formerly. This is another source of amusement and occupation of spare time. Besides numerous private parties, there are frequent tavern dinners on various public occasions; as freemasons' dinners (there are no less than seventeen lodges in the island), military dinners, vestry dinners, grand jury dinners, peace dinners, king's birth-day dinners, governor's dinners (while that officer performs his military tour), victory dinners, &c. &c. On these occasions no expense is spared to render the entertainment costly and splendid. Every luxury is catered up for the purpose, and copious libations of various wines, and other good things, are poured forth to the jolly god of good fellowship. Indeed, neither Hygeia nor the goddess of prudence have often a voice at these jovial meetings. It is rather to be