ich man
in his clumsiness leaves on the earth's surface; and all, though
relapsing into primeval wildness, was green, soft, luxuriant, as if
the hoe had never torn the ground, contrasting strangely with the
water-scene; with the black steamers snorting in their sleep; the
wrecks and condemned hulks, in process of breaking up, strewing the
shores with their timbers; the boatfuls of Negroes gliding to and
fro; and all the signs of our hasty, irreverent, wasteful, semi-
barbarous mercantile system, which we call (for the time being only,
it is to be hoped) civilisation. The engine had hardly stopped,
when we were boarded from a fleet of negro boats, and huge bunches
of plantains, yams, green oranges, junks of sugar-cane, were
displayed upon the deck; and more than one of the ladies went
through the ceremony of initiation into West Indian ways, which
consisted in sucking sugar-cane, first pared for the sake of their
teeth. The Negro's stronger incisors tear it without paring. Two
amusing figures, meanwhile, had taken up their station close to the
companion. Evidently privileged personages, they felt themselves on
their own ground, and looked round patronisingly on the passengers,
as ignorant foreigners who were too certain to be tempted by the
treasures which they displayed to need any solicitations. One went
by the name of Jamaica Joe, a Negro blacker than the night, in smart
white coat and smart black trousers; a tall courtly gentleman, with
the organ of self-interest, to judge from his physiognomy, very
highly developed. But he was thrown into the shade by a stately
brown lady, who was still very handsome--beautiful, if you will--and
knew it, and had put on her gorgeous turban with grace, and plaited
her short locks under it with care, and ignored the very existence
of a mere Negro like Jamaica Joe, as she sat by her cigars, and
slow-match, and eau-de-cologne at four times the right price, and
mats, necklaces, bracelets, made of mimosa-seeds, white negro hats,
nests of Curacoa baskets, and so forth. They drove a thriving trade
among all newcomers: but were somewhat disgusted to find that we,
though new to the West Indies, were by no means new to West Indian
wares, and therefore not of the same mind as a gentleman and lady
who came fresh from the town next day, with nearly a bushel of white
branching madrepores, which they were going to carry as coals to
Newcastle, six hundred m