manners of the blacks, but a rather courtly and affable condescension which, combined with their affection for, and misapplication of, long words, produces an exceedingly comical effect.  Old-house Molly, after congratulating herself, with many thanks to heaven, for having spared her to see ‘massa’s’ wife and children, drew forward her young companion, and informed me she was one of her numerous grandchildren.  The damsel, ycleped Louisa, made rather a shame-faced obeisance, and her old grandmother went on to inform me that she had only lately been forgiven by the overseer for an attempt to run away from the plantation.  I enquired the cause of her desire to do so—­a ‘thrashing’ she had got for an unfinished task—­’but lor, missis,’ explained the old woman, ’taint no use—­what use nigger run away?—­de swamp all round; dey get in dar, an dey starve to def, or de snakes eat em up—­massa’s nigger, dey don’t neber run away;’ and if the good lady’s account of their prospects in doing so is correct (which, substituting biting for eating, on the part of the snakes, it undoubtedly is), one does not see exactly what particular merit the institution of slavery as practised on Mr. ——­’s plantation derives from the fact that his ’nigger don’t neber run away.’

After dismissing Molly and her grand-daughter, I was about to re-enter the house, when I was stopped by Betty, head-man Frank’s wife, who came with a petition that she might be baptised.  As usual with all requests involving anything more than an immediate physical indulgence, I promised to refer the matter to Mr. ——­, but expressed some surprise that Betty, now by no means a young woman, should have postponed a ceremony which the religious among the slaves are apt to attach much importance to.  She told me she had more than once applied for this permission to Massa K——­ (the former overseer), but had never been able to obtain it, but that now she thought she would ask ’de missis.’[2]

[Footnote 2:  Of this woman’s life on the plantation, I subsequently learned the following circumstances:—­She was the wife of head-man Frank, the most intelligent and trustworthy of Mr. ——­’s slaves; the head driver—­second in command to the overseer, and indeed second to none during the pestilential season, when the rice swamps cannot with impunity be inhabited by any white man, and when, therefore, the whole force employed in its cultivation on the island remains entirely under his authority and control.  His wife—­a tidy, trim, intelligent woman, with a pretty figure, but a decidedly negro face—­was taken from him by the overseer left in charge of the plantation by the Messrs. ——­, the all-efficient and all-satisfactory Mr. K——­, and she had a son by him, whose straight features and diluted colour, no less than his troublesome, discontented and insubmissive disposition, bear witness to his Yankee descent.  I do not know how long Mr. K——­’s occupation of Frank’s wife continued, or how the latter endured the wrong