Nor are these hardy daughters of the Torrid Zone less remarkable for propagation. I knew a female servant at Mr. de Graaf’s, called Lesperanza, who actually bore nine children in the course of three years, the first year four, the next two, and the third three. They bring their offspring into the world without pain, and like the Indian women resuming their domestic employments even the same day. During the first week their infants are as fair as any Europeans, except that in the males there is a little appearance of black in a certain part, and the whole body becomes gradually of that colour. Their females arrive early at the age of puberty; but, as in the fruits of this climate, this early maturity is succeeded by a sudden decay. Many of the negroes, however, live to a very considerable age: I have seen one or two that were above one hundred; and the London. Chronicle for October 5, 1780, makes mention of a negro woman, called Louisa Truxo, at Tucomea, in South America, still living, at the surprizing age of one hundred and seventy-five years. In what tables of longevity is there such an European to be found? though most probably [[254]]this venerable person spent her youth in hard labour, like other slaves; which, though a negro can bear much better in a tropical climate than a native of Europe, yet cannot be natural, either on the coast of Guinea or Guiana, where, without toil, the necessaries of life are produced, and vegetation flourishes spontaneously for ever.
In the constitution of the negroes I have still observed this singularity, that while they bear the fatigue of labour in the hottest days, they can also bear the cold and damp better than an European, at least better than I could; sleeping all night on the wet grass, perfectly naked, without any injury to their health, while I have been glad, especially early in the morning, to have a fire lit under my hammock, and while the marines for want of it lay in a shiver. They also bear hunger and thirst, and pain or sickness, with the greatest patience and resolution.
I have formerly mentioned the names of more than a dozen of negro tribes: all these know each other by the different marks and incisions made on their bodies—for instance, the Coromantyn negroes, who are most esteemed, cut three or four long gashes on each of their cheeks, as represented in the face of the armed free negro or ranger, in plate VII.
The Loango negroes, who are reckoned the worst, distinguish themselves by puncturing or marking the skin of their sides, arms, and thighs with square elevated figures, something like dice. (See plate LXVIII.) These [[255]]also cut their fore-teeth to a sharp point, which gives them a frightful appearance, resembling in some degree those of a shark: and all their males are circumcised, after the manner of the Jews.
Among the strange productions of nature, a species of people known by the name of Accorees, deserves to be particularly noticed.—The Accorees, or Two-fingers, live amongst the Seramaca negroes, in the very upper parts of the river of that name. This heterogeneous tribe are so deformed in their hands and feet, that while some have three or four fingers and toes on each hand and foot, others have only two, which resemble the claws of a lobster, or rather limbs that have been cured after mutilation by fire, or some other accident. This deformity in one person would cause but small admiration; but that a whole community should be afflicted with this singularity, is certainly a most wonderful phænomenon. Having seen but two myself, and that at too great a distance to take a drawing of them, I cannot pretend to vouch for the truth of what I have only heard; but an engraving of one of these figures was positively sent to the Society of Arts and Sciences at Haerlem; while I beg leave to introduce, as a further voucher, the following extract from an old book of surgery and anatomy, procured me by the ingenious and learned Owen Cambridge, Esquire, of Twickenham.
“After Michaelmas term, in the year 1629, a body was brought from the place of execution to the College of Physicians, to be cut up for an anatomy; and by chance [[256]]the officer of the college brought the body of a cruel wretch, who had murdered the son of one Master Scot, a surgeon of good note in this city. This wretch was of a very truculent countenance and aspect; his hair was black and curled, not very long, but thick and bushy; his forehead little above an inch high; his brows great and prominent; his eyes set deep in their sockets; his nose crooked, with a round knob or button at the end, which also somewhat turned upwards; on his upper lip he had some quantity of black hair, on his chin very few, straggling, black and stiff; and his nether lip was as big as three lips. Such was his face: but the greatest deformity was his feet, and that almost to admiration; for they were both cloven, but not alike. One foot was equally divided between four and five inches deep into two toes, jointed like other men’s toes, but as large each of them as half the foot could make them, with nails proportionable. The left foot was divided likewise in the middle, but the division was not above three inches deep, or scarce so much; the one half, which was towards the body, made one large toe, with a nail proportionable, like the inward half of the right foot; but the outward half was compounded of two toes, yet growing close and fast together. This monstrous shape of a man I have thought good to give this relation of, from certain knowledge, for there were a thousand witnesses of it present.”
With the languages of the African negroes I am but [[257]]little acquainted; as a specimen, however, I will insert a few sentences of that called the Coromantyn, upon the credit of my boy Quaco, who belonged to that nation, together with a translation in English; and only observe, that they break off their words very short, in a kind of guttural manner, which I cannot easily describe:—For instance—“Co fa ansyo, na baramon bra, Go to the river, and bring me some water.”—“Mee yeree, nacomeda mee, My wife, I want some food.”—So much for the Coromantyn language, as spoken by the negroes on the coast of Guinea.
But as to that spoken by the black people in Surinam, I consider myself a perfect master, it being a compound of Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The latter they like best, and consequently use the most. It has been already observed, that the English were the first Europeans who possessed this colony, hence probably the predilection for that language, which they have still retained. In this mixed dialect, for which I have seen a printed grammar, the words end mostly with a vowel, like the Indian and Italian, and it is so sweet, so sonorous and soft, that the genteelest Europeans in Surinam speak little else; it is also wonderfully expressive and sentimental, such as, “Good eating, sweety-muffo.”—“Gun-powder, man sanny.”—“I will love you, with all my heart, so long as I live, Mee saloby you, langa alla mee hatty, so langa me leeby.”—“A pleasing tale, ananassy [[258]]tory.”—“I am very angry, me hatty brun.”—“Live long, so long until your hair become white as cotton, Lebee langa, tay, tay, ta-y you weeree weeree tan wity likee catoo.”—“Small, peekeen.”—“Very small, peekeeneenee.”—“Farewel! Good-bye! I am dying, and going to my God, Adioso, cerroboay, mee de go dede, me de go na mee Gado.”—In this sample, many corrupt English words are perceptible, which however begin to grow out of use near the capital, but are still retained in the distant plantations; for instance, at the estate Goet-Accoord, in Cottica, I have heard an old negro woman say, “We lobee so lebee togeddere,” by which she meant, we love to live together; and at Paramaribo to express the same sentence, “Wee looko for tanna macandera.”
Their vocal music is like that of the birds, melodious, but without time, and in other respects not unlike that of a clerk performing to the congregation, one person constantly pronouncing a sentence extempore, which he next hums or whistles, and then all the others repeat the same in chorus; another sentence is then spoken, and the chorus is a second time renewed, &c.
This kind of singing is much practised by the barge rowers or boat negroes on the water, especially during the night in a clear moonshine; it is to them peculiarly animating, and may, together with the sound of their oars, be heard at a considerable distance.