Berbische.
Mynheer Scholten, although not so advanced in life as the fiscal, has
been many years in the colony, busily employed in the practice of
medicine, and acting as chirurgien major to the troops. He has one of
the best houses in the old town, and all about it wears a degree of
order, bespeaking much of ease and independence. Madame Scholten
appeared to be a lively pleasant woman. We took tea with her after
leaving the angry _vieux_-fiscal. She conversed in good French, and
seemed inclined to wit and humour. M. Scholten is about to remove, from
the old town, to New Amsterdam, so that we have a prospect of seeing
this family added to our circle of society near the fort, which, in this
thinly inhabited settlement, will be a great acquisition.
Old Amsterdam, as a town, has little more to recommend it, than New
Amsterdam, which is only now growing into existence; and the latter,
with regard to commerce, has every advantage of situation; while the
former, although many years established, has no superiority to claim
from regular streets, handsome houses, churches or other public
edifices. We were conducted to one large building, but it was more
commodious as a strong-built store-house, than ornamental or splendid.
It was erected at great expense by the Dutch government, as a general
depôt of stores, only a few years before it was determined to abandon
the old town; and by this event is rendered, in a great degree, useless.
In our walk about the streets we met with a house inhabited only by
Indians; also one possessed by a party of manumitted negro women.
Curiosity led us into both: the latter appeared the cleanest and best
ordered abode: in the former, the family were lying or sitting about in
listless indifference, heedless of passing events and occurrences. We
purchased from them some bows and arrows, and other specimens of Indian
workmanship. Among the group we remarked a half-naked female, whose face
and form were very beautiful; and whose fine long jet-black hair
exhibited the interesting peculiarity of gently waving from the lank
unyielding straightness so universally observed in the sable tresses of
the natives of this coast.
On preparing our persons for dinner at the fiscal’s we had an
opportunity of remarking that the old professional association of
surgeon and barber so long practised in England was not grown obsolete
among the Dutch. One of our party, in the indolence of the moment,
wishing to avoid the trouble of smoothing his own chin, sent into the
town for a person to shave him. Quickly appeared the hospital-surgeon,
equipped with a set of chirurgical instruments and tonsoric apparatus.
He bowed most respectfully, and not ungracefully, on entering the room,
demanding in Latin, which of us it was, who required his services.
Struck with his address and the formidable appearance of his case of
instruments, we imagined that the slave who had been sent to fetch _the
barber_ had committed some mistake: but, on asking the question, our
hero of the brush instantly replied, “_Non, domini! Sum
chirurgo-tonsor!_” then, displaying his razor and basin, assured us that
he was more attached to the _operative_, than to the other branches of
his profession. Without further hesitation, therefore, two brave
officers submitted to be taken by the nose, and underwent _the
operation_, with much ease and pleasantness, from the dexterous hand of
Mynheer the _chirurgo-tonsor_; who, during the whole process, conversed
fluently in Latin, upon medical and various other subjects. His
education had been liberal, and he was not devoid of information, either
literary, or professional: yet, from custom, he did not seem to feel any
sense of humiliation in stooping to the menial office of cleaning
another man’s chin! Such is the force of habit! What would our English
knights of the scalpel say were they called upon, in these enlightened
days, to _shave_ even the most dignified of his majesty’s subjects?
It was within our plan as recommended by M. Malsted, after passing the
day at Old Amsterdam, to proceed with the evening tide to the estate
Johanna. We held it a fortunate circumstance, therefore, that we met
with M. Fenner, at M. Scholten’s, who was from that estate, and who very
kindly desired to be our conductor to his home, an offer which we most
gladly accepted. Upon entering the house at Johanna we were presented to
a party of six white females, Mrs. Fenner and five of her friends. Such
an assemblage of _backra_ ladies we had not met since our arrival in
South America: but, unhappily, only the Dutch language was known to
them, which prevented us from the full enjoyment of their society.
Johanna also afforded other marks of European resemblance, which are not
common in the colonies, such as an excellent garden laid out and
cultivated very much à l’Anglaise; and in the fields a numerous herd of
cows and oxen. In the garden we saw asparagus, artichokes, turnips,
cucumbers, carrots, French beans, cabbages, and other European
vegetables growing in all the vigour of a more temperate climate. The
various tropical productions were likewise abundant. Some of the walks
were bordered with the fragrant lime, others were shaded with the
grateful water-lemon, or the grenadillo; and a general neatness with an
unusual freedom from weeds prevailed throughout. This well-managed and
productive spot was cultivated wholly by two hard-working negroes, each
having only one arm, and hence M. Fenner wittily observed that the
labour of one man effected it all. This was an uncommon example of
industry in slaves, for so luxuriant are the weeds and so rapid the
vegetation in this climate, that it is always difficult to maintain the
soil in, even, tolerable neatness of appearance: but, here, two single
arms subdued the obtrusive weeds, and kept the garden in far better
order than many others we had seen, upon which the time and exertions of
three or four robust blacks were constantly expended.
In the course of the evening we were conducted to the logis to see the
slaves who were engaged in the occupation of ginning cotton. The
building was very extensive, and we were led by way of a gloomy
staircase to the upper story, where the blacks were all employed in one
deep room, which ran through the whole length of the logis, and which,
from the scene suddenly breaking upon us, created strong ideas of the
fabled regions of old Pluto. The stairs opened at the end of the long
building, so that on entering the room the eye at once looked down an
immeasurable depth of glimmering light, through which was obscurely seen
a multitude of naked black beings, either at rest or skipping about from
place to place, without our being able to distinguish what was their
employment. As we approached nearer to them, we found them to be a gang
of negroes, old and young, robust and feeble, male and female, all
busily and variously occupied in preparing cotton, by the aid of one
faint light, suspended in the centre of what would otherwise have seemed
an interminable gloom. Some were sitting on the floor; some at the
ginning wheels; some were crouched upon their haunches; others standing,
and many moving about, each according to the varied employment of
ginning, of beating and pulling, of fetching and carrying, or of packing
the cotton. Still we saw none distinctly, not even those immediately
near to us: and the unusual noise, the various movements of the negroes,
and the general confusion of the scene, augmented by the feeble light of
the centre, and the impenetrable darkness at the extremities of the
place, so powerfully called to mind the dismal abode of queen Proserpine
and her grim lord, that we could not divest ourselves of the impression.
At supper-time the usual hospitality of the colony was displayed, and a
generous plenty crowned the board. A party of thirteen took their seats
at table; where a lively festivity prevailed, until a late hour, when
the ladies left us, and we retired to our hammocks.