fat Jewish personage in the snuff-coloured coat, who had offered me the bitters on a previous occasion; “it is a terrible thing to make slaves of poor people, simply because they happen to be black; don’t you think so, sir?” “Think so, sir—­no, sir, I don’t think so—­I glory in being a slave proprietor; have four hundred black niggers on my estate—­own estate, sir, near Charleston—­flog half a dozen of them before breakfast, merely for exercise.  Niggers only made to be flogged, sir:  try to escape sometimes; set the blood-hounds in their trail, catch them in a twinkling; used to hang themselves formerly:  the niggers thought that a sure way to return to their own country and get clear of me:  soon put a stop to that:  told them that if any more hanged themselves I’d hang myself too, follow close behind them, and flog them in their own country ten times worse than in mine.  What do you think of that, friend?” It was easy to perceive that there was more of fun than malice in this eccentric little fellow, for his large grey eyes were sparkling with good humour whilst he poured out these wild things.  He was exceedingly free of his money; and a dirty Irish woman, a soldier’s wife, having entered with a basketful of small boxes and trinkets, made of portions of the rock of Gibraltar, he purchased the greatest part of her ware, giving her for every article the price (by no means inconsiderable) which she demanded.  He had glanced at me several times, and at last I saw him stoop down and whisper something to the Jew, who replied in an undertone, though with considerable earnestness “O dear no, sir; perfectly mistaken, sir:  is no American, sir:- from Salamanca, sir; the gentleman is a Salamancan Spaniard.”  The waiter at length informed us that he had laid the table, and that perhaps it would be agreeable to us to dine together:  we instantly assented.  I found my new acquaintance in many respects a most agreeable companion:  he soon told me his history.  He was a planter, and, from what he hinted, just come to his property.  He was part owner of a large vessel which traded between Charleston and Gibraltar, and the yellow fever having just broken out at the former place, he had determined to take a trip (his first) to Europe in this ship; having, as he said, already visited every state in the Union, and seen all that was to be seen there.  He described to me, in a very naive and original manner, his sensations on passing by Tarifa, which was the first walled town he had ever seen.  I related to him the history of that place, to which he listened with great attention.  He made divers attempts to learn from me who I was; all of which I evaded, though he seemed fully convinced that I was an American; and amongst other things asked me whether my father had not been American consul at Seville.  What, however, most perplexed him was my understanding Moorish and Gaelic, which he had heard me speak respectively to the hamalos and the Irish woman, the latter of whom, as he said, had told