FEBRUARY 24.
To-day being a play-day, the gaiety of the negroes was promoted by a
distribution of an
additional quantity of salt-fish
(which forms a most acceptable ingredient in their pepper-pots),
and as much rum and sugar as they chose to drink. But there,
was also a dinner prepared at the house where the "white
people" reside, expressly for the pickaniny-mothers only ; that
is, for the women who had children living. I had taken care,
when this play day was announced by the head driver, to make
him inform the negroes that they were indebted for it entirely
to these mothers ; and to show them the more respect, I went
to them after dinner myself, and drank their healths. The
most respectable blacks on the estate were also assembled in the
room ; and I then told them that clothes would wear out, and
money would be spent, and that I wished to give them something
more lasting than clothes or money. The law only allows them,
as a matter of right, every alternate Saturday for themselves, and
holidays for three days at Christmas, which, with all Sundays,
forms their whole legal time of relaxation. I therefore granted
them as a matter of right, and of which no person should deprive
them on any account whatever,
every Saturday to cultivate their
grounds; and in addition to their holidays at Christmas, I gave
them for play-days Good-Friday, the second Friday in October,
and the second Friday in July. By which means, they will in
future have the same number of holidays four times a year,
which hitherto they have been allowed only once,
i.e . at Christmas.
The first is to be called " the
royal play-day," in honour
of that excellent Princess, the Duchess of York; and the negroes
are directed to give three cheers upon the bead driver's announcing "The
health of our good lady,
H. R. H. the Duchess of
York." And I told them, that before my leaving the island, I
should hear them drink this health, and should not fail to let
Her Royal Highness know that the negroes of Cornwall drank
her health every year. This evidently touched the right chord
of their vanity, and they all bowed and courtesied down to the
very ground, and said, that would do them much high honour.
The ninth being my own birthday, the July play-day is to be
called " the massa's ;" and that in October is to be in honour of
the picaninny-mothers, from whom it is to take its name.
The poor creatures overflowed with gratitude; and the prospective
indulgences which had just
been announced gave them
such an increase of spirits, that on returning to my own residence, they fell
to singing and
dancing again with as much
violence as if they had been a pack of French furies at the Opera.
The favourite song of the night was,
"Since massa come, we very well off;"
which words they repeated in chorus, without intermission (dancing all the
time), for 'hours
together; till, at half-past three, I
could endure it no longer, and was obliged to send them word
that I wanted to go to bed, and could not sleep till the noise
should cease. The idea of my going to bed seemed never to
have occurred to them till that moment : but now at once the
drums and gumbies were mute; the children left off singing;
the women and men left off the dancing ; and they all with one
accord fell to kicking, pulling, and thumping about two dozen of
their companions, who were lying fast asleep upon the floor.
Some of these resisted, some bega fighting, some got up and
lay down again ; but at length, by dint of leading, carrying, and
rolling, they got them all away. To-day my friend Strap, the
Eboe, came up to the house dressed in his best clothes, to show
me his seven children ; he marched at their head in all the
dignity of paternal pride. he begged me particularly to notice
two fine little girls, who were twins. I told him that I had
seen them already. "Iss! iss!" he said; "massa see um; but
massa no
admire um enough yet." Upon which I fell to
admiring them. tooth and nail; and the father went away quite
proud and satisfied.
