, 1888-03-24

- SAO 'ANft NhiNA thS - y
ever, responsible government is introduce
ed into Jamaica and the other islands, the
negroes will become supreme, and they
will gradually revert to barbarism. In
Haytl this result has been partially accom-"
pllShed, and the NJ grOes have resumed
many OF the practices Of their African
fOTefatherS. 1t would be useless to dis.
Gus the problems which Mr.. Froude
raises. He writes with his usual vigor,
but the most interesting part of the book;
after all, is its descriptions of the social
life and the physical aspects of the differ
ent islands. We give a few extracts =
"In the Antilles generally, Barbados
oelng the only exception, negro families
have each their garden ground, their graz
ing for a COW. They live surrounded by
most of the fruits which grew in Adams
paradise, oranges and plantains, bread
fruit and coconuts, though not apples.
Their vans and cassava grow without
effort, for the soil is easily worked and
lnexhauStibly fertile. The curse is taken
OF from nature. and like Adam, again,
they are under the covenant Of innocence.
Morals i'll the technical sense, they have
nOne, but they cannot be said to sin, be-
cause they have no knowledge of law, and
therefore they can commit no breach Of
the law. They are naked, and not aSham-
ed. They are married, as they call it,
but not 'parSoned." The woman prefers
a lOoser tie, that she may he able to leave
a man if he treats her unkindly. Yet
they are not licentiOus. / never saw an
lmmodeSt look on any of their faces, and
never heard Of any yenal profigacy. The
system is strange, but it answers. A mis-
slOuaTy told me that a connection rare
~ turns out we'll which begins with a lc-
gal marriage. The children scramble uD
any how, and shift for themselves, like
chickens, as soon as they are able to peck.
Many die in this way, by eating unwhOle-
some fruit, but also many live, and those
who do live grow up exactly like their
parents. 1t is Il very peculiar state Of
things, not to be understood, as priest and
missionary agree, without long acquaIn-
lance. There is evil, but there is not the
demOraliZing effect Of evil, They sin, but
they sin only as animals, without shame;
because there is no sense Of doing wrong.
They eat the forbidden fruit, hut it brings
with it no knowledge Of the difference be
tween good and evil. They steal. but If
detected, they fall back upon the Lord.
sit was de will OF de Lord" that they
should do this or that. ode Lord o 1bid''
that they should 90 against his holy plea
sure. H. fact, these poor children Of dark
ness have escaped the consequences Of the
Fall, and must come of anOtttr stock after
all. Meanwhile, they are perfectly happy.
In no part Of the globe is there any pea
santry whose every want is so perfect
satisfied as Her MajeSty's back subjects
i'll these West Indian Islands. They have
no aspirations to make them restless.
They have food for picking mp. Clothes,
they need not, and lodgings in such u eli,
mate need not be elabOrate.'
GRENADA.
"The forts which had been erected by
FrenChmen were deserted and dismantlpd
the castle in which we had seen one flag
flying was a ruin the walls were crum-
bling, and i'll many places had fallen down.
One solitary gun was left but that was
h~Oneycombined, and could be fred with
only half a charge to salute with. 1t was
true chat the forts had ceased to be of use,
but that was because there was nothing
left to defend. The harbour is the best
in the West Indies. There was not a YES.
sci in it, nor so much as a boat yard where
a spar could be replaced, or a broken rivet
mended. Once there had been a line
of W~harveS, but the piles had been eaten
by worms and the platforms had fallen
thrOus h. Round us when We landed were
unswept, warehouses, with choked COURT
yards, doors gone, ard window frames
fallen in or out. Such a scene of deSola-
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