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for them a large room which he formerly used as a warehoufe, in which they exhorted. We immediately determined to make a vifit to this kind merchant the next morning: but he prevented us by an invitation to breakfast with him, being previously informed by the foldiers of our arrival.

To my great furprize I found that Mr. Button knew me well; and though I had no perfonal acquaintance with him, he had frequently heard me preach at Baltimore in Maryland. Four of his black fervants had been baptized by me at that time, and one of them (a woman) is truly alive to God. His Lady is a native of this ifland. His house, his heart, his all feemed to be at our fervice. We difcharged our bill at the inn, and found an afylum indeed with this our benevolent friend. After breakfast Mr. Pearce and I paid our refpects to the Governor of the island, who received us with great politenefs. In the evening I preached at Mr. Button's house to about three hundred perfons, about twice as many being obliged to go away for want of room. The next evening I had as large a congregation as on the former. Many heard with deep attention, whilft I endeavoured to fhew them how the Comforter convinces of fin, righteousness and judgment. In the morning I rode into the country to vifit a Gentleman, (Henry Trotman, Efq;) for whom my kind friend Mr. Dornford of London, had procured for me a letter of recommendation, in order to open a way for Mr. Pearce into the country: but very providentially there were two Gentlemen of the fame chriftian and fir-name in the island, and I was led to the houfe of the Gentleman of that name, for whom my letter was not intended. He received me with the utmost politeness, and after I had breakfafted and dined with him, and laid before him our plan of Operations, he informed me that his house should be always open to my friend Mr. Pearce, and his Slaves at his command

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command at all proper hours. He has about two hundred.

On Sunday morning, after Mr. Pearce had preached at feven o'clock, we breakfasted according to invitation with the Curate of the parish, who received us with great civility. After din ner a note was fent me by the Mafter of a FreeSchool, offering me his great fchool-room for my evening's duty; where I had a very large and attentive congregation, many of the principal gentry of the town attending. In the evening Mr. Errington, one of the Magiftrates and Poft MafterGeneral of the Inland, made us a vifit and fupped with us. Between thirty and forty years ago he had frequently heard Mr. Wefley and his Brother preach in our Chapel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He expreffed the greatect fatisfaction and approbation of our defigns, warmly invited Mr. Pearce to visit him frequently, and told us he fhould be happy on all occafions to yield us any service in his power.

On Monday morning I visited the Mr. Trotman whom I had in vain fought on Saturday. He is a plain country Gentleman, has about two hundred and fifty Negroes on his plantations, and after dinner informed me that he would himself take the first opportunity of waiting on Mr. Pearce, and fhould be happy in having any of his Slaves inftructed by him.

Having thus finifhed the business which lay before me in this Island, I took a place in a veffel bound for St. Vincent's, and expecting to fail in the evening, defired Mr. Pearce to preach: as the violent heat into which preaching throws us in this climate, would have rendered it very hazardous to have gone on the water and I had the pleasure to find that he gave universal satisfaction to a large congregation.

At Mr. Bulton's there were three Ladies on a vifit who have a plantation and many Negroes, and have, I trust, in some degree received Divine impreffions

impreffions by our means. Their houfe will be opened to Mr. Pearce whenever he pleases: and our foldiers have engaged to hold prayer-meetings in different parts of the town three or four times a week.

Thus by a series of remarkable providences a wide door feems to be opened for us in Barbadoes. This island is most favourably circumstanced for the increase of the work of God. It is twenty-two miles long, and fifteen broad. It is faid to contain about feventy thousand Blacks, and from twentyfive to thirty thousand Whites. The ifland is also in general divided into very small farms or plantations, fo that even among the Whites, there are thousands whofe incomes are very fmall, and many who are very poor, and who cannot therefore indulge themselves in all the extremes of fenfuality, in the manner too many do in this luxuriant country.

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SECTION II.

N the 11th inft. I landed at St. Vincent's, and in a few hours after fet off with Mr. Baxter for the Caribb country, preaching in the evening to a lovely company of Negroes in a little town called Caliaqua. The next day we were joined by Meffrs. Gamble and Clark, and reached the house of our hofpitable friend, Dr. Davidfon; who fet off with us in the morning to vifit the Caribbs. The roads, or rather narrow paths over the mountains which form the boundaries between the Englifh and the Caribbs are the worst and the most tremendous I ever rode. Some time ago Mr. Baxter nearly lost his life in croffing them. His horse fell down a precipice of thirty feet perpendicular,

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and the hind legs of the horfe were juft over the precipice before he was alarmed, when he imme diately threw himfelf off. In one place we could not even lead our horses, till a company of Caribbs who were paffing by, lent us their cutlaffes, with which we at laft cut open a way. When we had defcended the great mountain, we came into one of the most beautiful plains I ever faw in my life, it is but feven miles long, and three broad, but I think it is as beautiful as uncultivated Nature can make it. It forms a bow, the ftring of which is washed by the Atlantic ocean, and the bow itself furrounded by lofty mountains. Here the Caribbs chiefly dwell. As we paffed by their villages, they ftood at their doors in ranks, crying out, "Bou jou, Bou jou" (a corruption of Bon Jour, a good day :) others cried out, "How dee, How dee: and many of them on being asked, delivered their cutlaffes into our hands, which is the higheft proof of confidence they can give. We had with us at this time one of the fons of the grand Chief of the Caribbs (Chateaway.) He has been under the tuition of Mr. and Mrs. Baxter for fome time, and fpeaks a good deal of English. His name is John Dimmey, a fine young man, and of a princely carriage. His father the grand Chief was gone from home; if I could have seen the father, I believe I fhould have obtained his consent to take his fon with me to England. His fentiments are highly refined for a Savage. "Teach me your language, Dimmey," said Mr. Baxter to him one day," and I will give you my watch." "I will teach you my language," replied the young Chief, "but I will not have your watch."

When we entered into the house of one of the Chiefs whose name is De Valley, Mr. Dimmey whispered to Mr. Baxter, that the family would not be fatisfied, if we did not take fome refreshment, to which we confented and they foon brought a large difhful of eggs and Caffada-bread,

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Jr Vincent's

and a bowl of punch. Mr. Dimmey alone could be with difficulty perfuaded to fit down with us at table, the rest would ferve. A little fon of the Chief alfo, (a very beautiful boy for his colour, who had been under the instruction of Mr. Baxter, and had been already taught to fpell) gave us high entertainment by the convincing proof he afforded us of an infant genius.

But in the midft of all this kindness there was fome degree of jealousy: for I perceived that Mr. Raxter feveral times informed them that I received no pay from the King. Mr. Baxter feemed to live in their affections; and he has already made a confiderable progrefs in their language, I could not help intreating him to fpend two years among them, and give them a full trial. Great as the crofs was to that good man who expected to return to his beloved Antigua, he immediately confented. On our return from the Caribb country, I vifited our new School-house, and found it much larger than I expected, and far too large for one family. I therefore ordered the workmen to divide it: one half of which I appropriated to the use of Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, and the other half to that of Mr. and Mrs. Joice. As Mrs. Baxter intends to educate fome of the Caribb girls, we shall now have three teachers among them. The conduct of Mrs. Baxter in this inftance is not to be overlooked. Though born of a confiderable family in Antigua, and brought up in all the foftnefs and luxury of the country, the readily confented fome years ago, that her husband fhould facrifice a place of four hundred a year currency which he held under Government, that he might devote his whole time and ftrength to the work of God; and now was perfectly willing to go with him among Savages, and spend her time in forming their totally uncultivated minds.

I was very uneasy when I found that little had yet been done by Mr. Joice in the education of the Children: but when all the difficulties were laid

open,

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