with me testified, he was conscious of some flaw in the honour of his ‘yellow’ complexion.  ‘Who is your mother, Renty?’ said I (I give you our exact dialogue); ‘Betty, head-man Frank’s wife.’  I was rather dismayed at the promptness of this reply, and hesitated a little at my next question, ‘Who is your father?’ My sprightly young friend, however, answered, without an instant’s pause, ‘Mr. K——.’  Here I came to a halt, and, willing to suggest some doubt to the lad, because for many peculiar reasons this statement seemed to me shocking, I said, ’What, old Mr. K——?’ ‘No, massa R——.’  ‘Did your mother tell you so?’ ’No, missis, me ashamed to ask her; Mr. C——­’s children told me so, and I ‘spect they know it.’  Renty, you see, did not take Falconbridge’s view of such matters; and as I was by no means sorry to find that he considered his relation to Mr. K——­ a disgrace to his mother, which is an advance in moral perception not often met with here, I said no more upon the subject.

Tuesday, March 3.—­This morning, old House Molly, coming from Mr. G——­’s upon some errand to me, I asked her if Renty’s statement was true; she confirmed the whole story, and, moreover, added that this connection took place after Betty was married to head-man Frank.  Now, he, you know, E——­, is the chief man at the Rice Island, second in authority to Mr. O——­, and indeed, for a considerable part of the year, absolute master and guardian during the night, of all the people and property at the rice plantation, for, after the early spring, the white overseer himself is obliged to betake himself to the mainland to sleep, out of the influence of the deadly malaria of the rice swamp, and Frank remains sole sovereign of the island, from sunset to sunrise, in short, during the whole period of his absence.  Mr. ——­ bestowed the highest commendations upon his fidelity and intelligence, and, during the visit Mr. R——­ K——­ paid us at the island, he was emphatic in his praise of both Frank and his wife, the latter having, as he declared, by way of climax to his eulogies, quite the principles of a white woman.  Perhaps she imbibed them from his excellent influence over her.  Frank is a serious, sad, sober-looking, very intelligent man; I should think he would not relish having his wife borrowed from him even by the white gentleman, who admired her principles so much; and it is quite clear from poor Renty’s speech about his mother, that by some of these people (and if by any, then very certainly by Frank), the disgrace of such an injury is felt and appreciated much after the fashion of white men.

This old woman Molly is a wonderfully intelligent, active, energetic creature, though considerably over seventy years old; she was talking to me about her former master, Major ——­, and what she was pleased to call the revelation war (i.e. revolution war), during which that gentleman, having embraced the side of the rebellious colonies in their struggle against England, was by no means