, 1874-07-29

mirably suited to this purpose and the govern
ment, after making a strict search for concealed
treasures, the result of which is not known,
turneditinto a Jail. Nothing could exceed the hor-
rors of those damp and gloomy dungeons, which
the light and air of heaven never entered. The
cells of the Inquisition were not more dreary and
horrible. None but negro malefactors were con-
fined there. When after the emancipation of the
slaves 10 1S48 the doors ofthe old Jail were
thrown open many affecting scenes took place
before the walls. Gray-headed old men came
forth who had not seen the light for years,
whose very existence had been forgotten, and
whose bent forms and tottering limbs told a
fearful story of suffering.
For some wears after this event the Old Jail
stood empty it was then converted into an
ice-house, and to this day serves this useful
purpose. The premises are now owned by a
company. The old dungeons have been trans
formed into ice chests, capable of holding over
a thousand tons. Traditions of immense trca-
sures concealed in the walls and in the cells
underneath the ground floors still circulate IN
Martinique but, like the stories Of Captain
Kidd's ~piratical spoils, these traditions probably
rest on a very slender foundation The govern
ment certainly left nothing untried to secure all
the old mans gold and silver when it first seized
the property.
There is one popularity about ST.. Pierre
which always strikes an American or European
with surprise-the house doors are seldom lock-
ed during the day, and visitors may enter at will.
Instead OF opening into a hall, as is the case with
American and European dwellings, the street
door opens directly into the parlor or drawing
room. The family usually live on the second
floor, and the servants in a kitchen in the rear
yard. Visitors, therefore, have to make their
presence known by ringing a bell which is plac-
ed for this purpose on a table in the parlor.
From this fact it may be inferred that the
inhabitants of Martinique are singularly honest.
BurglarieS are, in fact, rarely known in the is
land, while such a mean criminal as a"sneak
thief has never yet made his appearance there.
The general tone ~ofsocial life in Martinique
is very high. Great attention is paid to edu-
cation among the whites, the sons and daugh-
ters of the wealthier families being sent to
schools and academies Of France, while others
receive an excellent training in the educational
establishments of the island. Partisan eti-
quette is rigidly enforced. Among the social
customs the breakfast party is a %favorite and
pleasant feature. The guests are required to
come in full. dress. The courses and dishes
present an endless variety, and the entertain
ment is rarely of less duration than three
hours. On the public promenade in the eve
ming the ladies display the most exquisite
taste, and also extravaganza, in dress. Nor
is this exclusively confined to the white pop
%ulation. There are many cOlored ladies who
have received the same advantages of edu-
dation at home and abroad, and who are in
every respect the equals Of their white SIS
tiers in manners, intelligence, and refinement.
There is, however, very little association be-
tween the whites and the blacks. The preju-
dice against " color" though greatly modified
since the emancipation of the slaves, still ex-
lists, especially among white women. While
white men, even among the wealthy and ed
ucated classes, frequently marry colored wo-
men, there is hardly an instance on record
of a white woman of Martinique marrying q
colored man. But while the wealth and ed
ucatiOn are, as a general rule, confined to
the white population of the island, the blacks,
being in the m jority, have taken political
control of affairs, and in most of the towns
they constitute the whole or a majority of the
municipal board.
The prevailing religion of Martinique is, of
course, the Roman Catholic; there are a few Pro-
testauts in the island, but they have no place
of worship. St, Pierre contains a church and
a large cathedral, whose bells almost hourly
summon the populace to their devotions. One
might almost imagine that the people had
nothing to do but attend mass every day of the
week, and almost every hour of the day but a
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