LETTER LII.
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.