Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-03-04


II did not,take uss lcng, for there nre none at
sll,exccpt two churches and acalAboose-- and,
perhaps, ] shouM add O. couple Of SCHOOL
houses. The Catholic Church Is a'rude stmc-
ture, much larger than the inhabitants seem
to require and full of the oldest images dress
cd in quaint, not to say grotesque, habiliments'
A Methodist church. is building under the
auspices of the English Mission So
ciety, and the British flag is displayed on the
unfinished edifco as we'll as on the residence
of the minister The Rev. Joseph James is
colored man of ordinary intelligence, and has
a congregation including about 300 communi
cants, mostly descendants OF the colored colony
sent here from Philadelphia. They have
placed themselves under the British flag as a
protection in case of disturbance. In the
schools the textbooks are all in the English
language and published in Philadelphia. One
of the teachers upon whom we called Is
quadroon fro m Philadelphia. He was par
lisan of Salnaye in Hayti and came here from
the other end Of the island but he declares
that he would not stay month if he were
not sure of annexation. The better to
discuss this subject with us he dismissed his
eight or ten scholars, among whom were two
full-grown, good-loCking girls, as black as the
ace of clubs.
We found no prisoners in the calaboose-
perhaps they had all been released in honor
of the United Statcs-but the vigilant and inn
posing aspect of the guard was worthy of the
highest admiration. 1t was military guard,
detailed, l believe, from the standing army of
| al. md
halt clad. Their arms were various. Some
had knives two feet long, with blade from
two to six inches in width. Some had swords,
of all manner of odd patterns. One carried a
musket without any lock. About dozen Of
these troops lolled in the dirty guard-house.
eating bananas, drinking cocoOnut milk. and
smoking.
There is no tavern, or hotel or other place Of
accommodation for strangers, and so far as l
have been able TO learn there are not more
than two or three bedsteads on the whole
Peninsula. Those who have no hammocks
sleep on rude bamboo frurnes, or on improvised
pallets Of leaves and bark. 1t is curious
feature of SamalLA life that almost everybody
keeps shop. OF the 80 houses in the place,
more than half are in some way devoted TO
trade. How 40 shop-kecpers can be main
. tanned in village of 80 houses is problem
in political cconomy that shall not attempt
to solve, but SO it is. All that have seen sell
liquor, and beside this staple OF commerce ono
can buy common calicoes, groceries,, tobacco
vegetables, and fruit.
Where the Garth yields so freely Of heI
, store and the artificial W ants of civilized life
are unknown, it would be unreasonable tc
look for a very industrious population but
must say the people of SANTANA impress me as
an uncommonly lazy set of vagabonds. They
are irresistibly good-humored, and certainly
intelligent beyond their station. They have
= capacity for Improvement and more general
information than one would naturally expect
But where property is insecure, and fruit al
ways in season, and even pantaloens not al
absolute necessity, what is the use Of work
u The women are more industrious than the men
IS and what little laber is performed IL nearly al
J. done by them. made little journey inland
!, the other day, in company with one of m,
> fellow travellers leach Of us mounted ON bull
: according to the custom Of the country ant
. everywhere we were struck by this inver
sion of thu sexes. Near the top of long hill
y we met u man and woman returning from
u town. They had evidently been to barte
their produce for some family nccrssarics, an,
' the wife was staggering under the Eosti of tw,
heavy bags, while the husband walked gail,
i ahead with empty hands. We met severa
women leading bulls to or from the town, ant
h, children carrying burdens, but not a man do
ing anything The lords Of creation loung
- about the shops, suck oranges, and look u
= strangers but during our stay at this port
~ and | have been constantly ashore--I hay
" seen hardly man at work, except six or eig
~ handy negroes, who arc kept busy on til
'e Methodist Church.
u The population Of tho village Is about 25C
T. and OF the whole peninsula aboni 5000.
" majonty-at any rate, OF the villagers-spea
il English. There are very few white men. AL
10 the colored residents speak Spanish, many
. speak French, and certainly majority of al
8 linen, women and children-speak English
. Very few are natives of the island; indeed,
u have not thus far, to my knowledge, met ON
>. who was not an immigrant, or the immediat
- descendant of immigrants. Probably ha
~ Of all the blacks, or their ancestors, cam
W. from Philadelphia The earliest of the colon
% settled here in 1924, under President Boye
=, and others have been sent by Colonization Sc
cieties subsequently,, or have fed hilher fror
IIayti.