Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-02
II. WHITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor,

l
Negro huts are scattered along the
sides of the roads all over Barbadoes; in
fact, they are as thick all over the island
as plums in pudding. 1t is said that il
is not possible to raise your voice in any
part of it without being heard by some
neighboring house. These huts are dot
ted about without the slightest regard
for regularity a Dumber OF
them in kind of promiscuous heap;
sometimes one or two by themselves.
They frequently have little patches ol
land or gardens attached to them, but
often are set down on the bare face of a
piece of stony or waste ground. Some
times an almond or gooseberry tree
grows close to them, but apparently
more by accident than design. Some OF
the huts are kept nicer than others; and
many have pig or sheep, or goat
tethered beside them, or in rarer cases
even COW or 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 aud piebald,
occurring nearly as commonly as white.
Cows are much smaller than the average
size ia England. Oxen and mules
are the beasts of burden, horses being
kept solely for riding and driving.
The first thing that struck me on en-
tering a West Indian house was the ex-
treme want of privacy in their mode of
life; in fact, this is carried so far that
one does not even shut ones bedroom
door at night. The reason is, Of course,
that everybody wants TO create draught,
thing as much sought after here as it
is avoided at home, and so windows and
doors are all left open. There is sell
dom o 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. Ia the rooms there
are 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 is one thing in Barbadoes l
quarrel with immensely-that is, the
way the tall black hat is worshipped.
That institution, so ugly, so uncomforta-
BILE even in cold England is twice as
ugly, three times as uncomfortable, in
tropical Barbados, where blackness is a
can-and- d-heat.attractin color to be sedu.
Iousiy avoided and tightness a heat
giving ouai.itv TO be as sedulously shun-
ned. o, little Grandy.ridden island Of
Barbadoes you, SO small that everybody
is either related to, or an intimate OF
everybody else, do you say that black
hat is token of respectabilityf Surely
you know who are respectable without
that mark of Grundyish slavery. y
black hat the blacklist blot on fair Bar
BADGES, would that could drown'you in
yon blue sea, and so wash away that
stain of Grundyism foreyerl
The Barbadian ladies do not seem TO
have much taste for flowers. While the
most beautiful flowers grow all over the
island, l saw many bouquets at the ball
composed of English chrysanthemums
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 doral
decoration was satisfied in many cases
By vase of artificial or paper flowers.
A vase of paper flowers inside, and
lovely jasminos and ipomeas, and the
treasures of our greenhouses outside,
is a rather surprising sight 10 pp Eng
lishman.
The peasantry of Barbados is nearly
entirely black, though there are some
few poor whites. They are civil, indus
trious, and conteBted; and since the
island is so thickly inhabited, they are
obliged to work; for though they gene.
rally own their little huts, and get o
good deai ont of the little patches of
land attached to them, still it is not
sufficient to keep them without working
They have the credit of being in a meas !
ure immoral, but since the females very
largely outnumber the males, it is so ac-
counted for. '1hey are, Ga a rule, very
honest, and no great crimes prevail |
among them. Offenses against the per- |
son. as assault and such like, are rare. !
The greatest temptation placed in their |
gav. and one to which they seem not |
to fall victims, is the iacil- |
ity for stealing sugar-eane from the cane !
fields, which are totally unprotected |
except by wstehmen, who, of course, | |
cannot be in many places at one time.
The negro is very fond of cane, and
practically lives upon it during the crop
time-that ia, while sugar is being made.
The punishment for first ohense of /
stealing cane is three months imprison-
ment; on a second conviction, SIX
which term is also the punish
ment for all aiter-Ofehses OF The same
nature. Fowl stealing is not very prev
alent, though one sometimes hears of 1t;
but for that there is also great facility, |
because Of the quantity Of poultry kept |
at the various estates. Children abound, |
and the boys run about clothed in moth