cauldron in Macbeth, it is a combination of all that is hateful and disgusting; a toad's foot, a lizard's tail, a snake's tooth, the plumage of the carrion crow, or vulture, a broken egg-shell, a piece of wood fashioned into the shape of a coffin, with many other nameless ingredients, compose the fatal mixture. It will of course be conceived, that the practice of obeah can have little effect, without a negro is conscious that it is practised upon him, or thinks so; for as the sole evil lies in the terrors of a perturbed fancy, it is of little consequence whether it is really practised or not, if he only imagines that it is. An obeah man or woman upon an estate, is therefore a very dangerous person; and the practice of it for evil purposes is made felony by the law. But numbers may be swept off by its infatuation, before the practice is detected; for, strange as it may appear, so much do the negroes stand in awe of these wretches, so much do they dread their malice and their power, that, though knowing the havock they have made, and are still making, many of them are afraid to discover them to the whites; and others, perhaps, are in league with them for sinister purposes of mischief and revenge. A negro under this infatuation can only be cured of his terrors by being made a Christian; refuse him this indulgence, and he soon sinks a martyr to imagined evils. The author knew an instance of a negro, who, being reduced

S

by the fatal influence of obeah to the lowest state of dejection and debility, from which there were little hopes of his recovery, was surprisingly and rapidly restored to health and to spirits, by being baptized a Christian: so wonderful are the workings of a weak and superstitious imagination. But, though so liable to be perverted into an instrument of malice and revenge, obeah, at least a sort of it, may be said to have its uses. When placed in the gardens and grounds of the negroes, it becomes an excellent guard or watchman, scaring away the predatory runaway, and mid-night plunderer, with more effective terror than gins and spring guns. It loses its effect, however, when put to protect the gardens and plantainwalks of the Buckras! When an oath is taken by a negro, according to a certain obeah process, it binds by ties the most sacred and inviolable. This ceremony is usually performed over a grave.

The ideas which the negroes have of justice. are not the most liberal and correct. They are of opinion, in unison with their African habits, that she should, on some occasions, bow to superior power, or be influenced and tempered in some measure by favour, affection, and interest. On many of the estates, the leading and more wealthy negroes erect themselves into a sort of bench of justice, which sits and decides, privately, and without the knowledge and interference

of the whites, on all disputes and complaints of their fellow slaves. The sentences of this court are frequently severe, and sometimes partial and mequitable. They consist in pecuniary fines, which often exceed the means of the party. Fre-. quent appeals have been brought before the author from this court, complaining of enormous damages and costs of suit, which the appellants were utterly unable to make good. He has reversed or softened these sentences, always to the great satisfaction of one party, but to the never failing discontent of the other. He has attempted to abolish these courts altogether, but without success; still they would secretly hold their sittings, and were countenanced and desired by the principal negroes and their adherents. There were no advocates or pleaders in these courts; the judges themselves pleaded, and, when agreed in opinion, they passed sentence. Bribery, of course, had great weight in their decisions, and favour and affection were not unattended to; so that the poorest and most unfriended of the negroes had the worst chance of justice from their hands. The opening and proceedings of this court were curious enough. On the judges taking their seats (usually three in number) and the parties appearing, not a word was spoken on any of the causes, till the former had half intoxicated themselves by copious libations of rum, which was presented to them by the respective plaintiffs

and defendants, this offering being considered as an indispensable preliminary to the dispensing of justice. It is wonderful, however, with what patience they would hear each other's long harangues; though sometimes, where there was an irreconcileable difference of opinion between the judges, the court would break up with much clamour.

CHAPTER XXII.

Negro amusements.-Festivity and dissipation at Christmas and harvest-home.-Gambling. —Ideas which the negroes have of the inventions, &c. of the Europeans.

THE negroes have few amusements, nor have they much time to devote to amusement. Plays, as they call them, is their principal and favourite one. This is an assemblage of both sexes, who form a ring round a male and female dancer, who perform to the music of their drums, and the songs of the other females of the party, one alternately going over the song, while her com

Both the singers and

panions repeat in chorus. dancers shew the exactest precision as to time and measure. This rude music is usually accompanied by a kind of rattles, being small calabashes filled with the black hard seed of a plant which the negroes call Indian shot, or with the seed of the wild liquorice. Nigh at hand, this music is harsh and clamorous; at a distance, however, it has a not unpleasing sound. When two dancers have fatigued themselves pretty well, a second couple enter the ring, and thus the amusement continues. So fond are the negroes of this amusement, that they will continue for nights and days