The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-18
NO.ss.

water is so shallow near the shore that
even lighters cannot come very near
So the men who discharge them wade in
to the water often up to the waist. and
carry out, or float and roll out the cargo
thus brought for landing 1t is amusing
to see the laborers working at the shore.
| watched dozen of them rolling log
out of the water. They we're all undress!
ed from the loins upward one Of them
bad only breech- cloth on; none of them,
at the time, wore either shoes or slippers.
Instead Of using lever. as our laborers
would do, each OF them held the log with
both hands and sang. After singing
verse of four lines, they gave half hoist,
then sang again. aud another half turn.
and so ou, very slowly, with execrsble
melody and more execrable indolenee,
turning the log over until it reached the
land. A couple of Irishmem would have
turned it in half the time.
STRANGE RIGS.
The wagons one sees are clumsy vehi-
cles, with uncommonly thick wheels,
drawn chiefly by little oxen, scraggy
horses, or shaggy asses. saw one wsg-
on that rather astonished ne. Il was
drawn by six asses, which were all abreast.
/ One was in the trans, three on Que side,
two on the other! A piece of broad,
braided rope, made out of cocos-bark,
served for the collar Of each animal; and
their only harness was white round rope
of the same beautiful material When
your mothers dead" says a Hsytian
proverb, "go and be Sucked by your
grandmother" This rigging must have
surely been suggested BY the quain. adj
vicel
Out in the suburbs of the town I saw
an equally unique and characteristic cos
tune. 1t was worn by boy Of ten years
Of age 1t consisted of an old battered
up tin can, suspended around his neck
by piece of native rope, which was
ID ade out of cocoa tree bark or some sim
liar material. His only other garment
consisted of stick, which be held 10 his
hand, and With which, from time to time,
be beat his novel substitute for drum and
wardrobe.
OA ~.
There are from twenty to thirty Prot
estants in town. The more intelligent
natives are neither Catholics nor Protes-
tants; they are chiefly indifferent to all
religions. This statement applies equal
ly to Cape Haytien, and is derived from
Protestant missionary.
There are three Government schools in
Gonaives. All of the Government schools
are free, although sometimes. | believe,
subscriptions are taken from the wealth
ier merchants, either to ID axe up dona-
ton to the teachers, or to induce them to
to remain; for the salaries they re-
ceived during the recent reign were ex-
ceedingly small One gentleman told me
that the teachers generally makes up for
their insufficient salaries by taking pri-
vate pupils in these public schools, who,
paying from $40 to $40 Haytian per
nonth-ssy one of our dollars on the av-
erage-receiyed nearly all of their atten-
ton; while the poor scholars, who cannot
afford to pay anything, get along, or don't
get along in the best way they may. They
are not very well attended. Only young
children 60, for "when boy here" said
a merchant. "is fourteen years old, be is
a vsgrant."
There is an English Wesleyan Mis-
siouary Station at this point They have
a chapel and school. | called one day,
and again saw Mr.. Bishop, the excellent
and exemplary English Missionary, whom
l met at Cape Haytien, and was again to
meet at Port au Prince. The day before
my visit, there had been SO scholars at
the Wesleyan school; while this day,
there had been 73 scholars in attendance.
Mr.. Bishop stated that the attendance
at all the schools was very Irregular
At the Wesleyan school they charge ST.
25 (Americau) per month. for tuition. l
think | forgot to say that there are four
public schools, supported by the Govern
ment, at Cape Haytien.
Although Soulonque did nothing to
encourage education. and did much to
retard the spread of intelligence, yet it is
admitted that even during his dark reign,
the people made considerable progress in
knowledge. 1t became fashionable, said
q native merchan, at Gonaives, for the
wealthier citizens to send their children
to Europe for an educstiOn. He himself
had sent six Of his own family. Their
return TO Hayti caused an emulation a.
moDg those who could not afford to go a
broad, and thus induced the natives to
avail themselves of all the opportunities
their own country afforded them. Late
ly, great numbers bad gone from Cape
Haytien, Port su- Prince and Aux Cages,
to France and England for educatiOn.-
Three of them, last year. took the high
est prizes of the Pari.isn Uuiser-ities
The influence of ChristoPhe's schools.
which we're admirable, he said. could still
be traced iD the character OF the people;
they were more Intelligent in the North
than at the South. Yet, except at Port
au. Prince, headed, education in Hayti
good for nothing. What the country
wsnted was foreign teaehers-such as