The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-12-11
BARBADOS.

BARBADOS.
Negro huts are scattered along the
sides of the roads all over Barbadoes I;
in fact, they are as thick all over the
island as plums in a pudding. It is
said that it is not possible TO raise your
voice in any part of IL without being
heard by some neighbOring house.
These huts are dotted about without
the slightest regard for regularity
sometimes a number OF them in kind
of promiscuous heap, sometimes one or
two by themselves. They frequently
have little patches of land or gardens
attached TO them, but often are set
down on the bare face of a piece of
stony or waste ground. Sometimes an
almond or a gooseberry tree grows close
to them, but apparently more by Rcci-
dent than design. Some of the huts arc
kept nicer than others and many have
n pig, or a sheep, or a goat tethered be-
side them, or in rarer cases even a COW
or a donkey. Chickens and turkeys
abound among the huts. Sheep have
no wool, but kind of coarse hair, and
are of as various colors as our COWS
black, brown, chestnut, and piebald,
occurring nearly as commonly as white.
Cows are much smaller than the aver
age size in England. Oxen and mules
are the beasts of burden, horses being
kept solely for riding and driving.
The first thing that struck me on
entering a West Indian house was the
extreme want Of privacy in their mode
Of life in fact, this is carried so far
that one does not even shut ones bed
room-door at night. The reason is, of
course, that everybody wants to create
a draught-a thing as much sought after
here as it is avoided ut home-and so
windows and doors are all left open.
There is seldom a hall, but the veranda
generally opens directly into the living |
rooms and everybody walks directly |
into the drawing-rOom when he comes |
in from riding or driving. In the rooms |
there arc never carpets nor curtains. |
On the beds are no blankets-the only |
covering for body at night is a single |
sheet, not even a counterpane and all |
the time windows and doors are open,
and there is great draught, but no one
thinks of taking cold.
THERE'S one thing in Barbados quar-
rel with immensely-that is, the way
the tall black hat is wOrshiped. That
institution, so ugly, so uncomfortable
even in cold England, is twice as ugly,
three times as uncomfortable, in tropl-
cal Barbadoes. where blackness IS sun
misunderstanding color to be sedulOus-
ly avoided, and tightness heat-giving
quality to be as sedulously Stunned.
o little Grundy-ridden island of Barba-
does Won, 80 small that everybody is
either related to, or an intimate of eve
rybody else, do you say that black hat
is token of respectability? Surely |
YOU know who is respectable without /
that mark of Grundyitish slavery. o |
black hat the blacklist blot on fair
Barbadoes, would that I could drown
you in yon bl ne sea, and so wash away
that stain of Grundyism forever
The Barbadian ladies do not seem to
have much taste for flowers. While
the most beautiful flowers grow all over
the island, saw many bouquets at the
ball composed of English chrysanthe-
ums and spindly rOse-buds. In few
OF the houses in which / have been
have there been natural flowers about
the house, but what requirement. there
was for floral decoration was satisfied in
many cases by a vase OF artificial or
paper flowers. vase of paper flow
ers inside, and lovely iasmines and ipo-
mmas, and the treasures of our green
houses, outside, is a rather surprising
sight TO an Englishman.
Tho peasantry of Barbados is nearly
entirely black, though there are some
few poor whites. They are civil, in
dustrious, and contented and since
the island is so thiclxly inhabited, they
are obliged TO work for though they
generally own their little huts, and get
good deal ont of the little patches of
land attached TO them, still il is not
sufficient TO keep them without work
ing. They have the credit of being in
measure immoral, but since the fe-
males very largely outnumber themales,
1t is so accounted for. They are, as a
rule, very h Jnest, and no great crimes
the person, as assaults and such like, |
are rare. The greatest temptation
placed in their way, and one TO which
they seem not unfrequently to fall VIC
TINS, is the facility for stealing sugar
cane from the cane-fields, which are
totally unprotected except by watch
men, who, of course cannot be in many
places vt one time. The negro is very
fond of cane, and practically lives upon
1t during the crop-time-that is. while |
sugar is being made. The punishment
Tor first oflense of stealing cane is
three months imprisonment T; ON sec
ond conviction, six months, which term
Is also the punishment for all after
ouenses of the same nature. Fowl
stealing is not very prevalent, though |
one sometimes hears of il but for that
also there is great facility. because of ]
the quantity of poultry kept at the
various estates Chill iren abound, and {
the iiee boys run about clothed in nothing !
VII they are eight or ten, but the girls
are invariably decently dressed.
Inc negroes are very religious on !
sundays, and flock to church and chapel
dressed in the most wondrous manner
out they do not carry their religion
win Them every day IN the week, nor
loes II penetrate very deep. A negro
one day, after hearing a powerful and l
y npIousing sermon, announced to his ;
friends that he was quite ready TO die {
mat night. One of his friends then. Z
while the negro in question was going
10 bed by the light of a candle. an
preached his front-door and Knocked /
hree times in a most sepulchral man {
ler. Who dere ? asked the negro. f
No answer, but three more knocks. \
I, Who derep" again he shouted. In a c
leep bass voice his friend answered, 81 a
I'm Michael, the angel of death" d
What you want here?' parleyed the v
leegro inside. " / am come for the soul b
d Thomas Jones'" A scuffle inside, S
aud o Lori O Lor' 70 in a smothered +
voice. Out went he candle, and care {
Ialiy peeping through the window of u
ne nut, he said, "You come for Tom
zones, eh ? !Rel, him Just gone ont"
lud OF he bolted as fast as he could q
trough the back-door. Another tale. +
,a1eh a,h TO the same purpose, is the fol- o
,G;Wlng niggsr hut had a pumpkin Ii
.l '-ue growing over the roof, and follow 4
'Noe chmhed MP TO steal the puHnDLins 4