[[59]] The first Antiguan theatre was established by a party of amateurs, and opened on 17th Jan. 1788, with Otway’s play of “Venice Preserved.” The orchestra was composed of the band of the 69th regiment, (then stationed upon the island,) conducted by Mr. Green, the late organist of St John’s. The prices of admission were, two dollars to the boxes, and one and a half dollar to the pit; the funds being appropriated to the erection of a Free Mason’s Lodge (never finished), the remains of which are to be seen at this day, at the east of the town.
CHAPTER L.
Zoology—Rabbits—Rats—Horned cattle—Horses—Mules—Asses—Sheep—Goats—Domestic animals—Whales—Thrasher—Grampus—Porpoise—Shark—Anecdote of the Young Creole—Death of the sailor-boy—Remora—Pilot fish—Dolphins—Jew fish—Stingray—Corramou—Beautiful colours displayed in fish—Parrot fish.
In an island like Antigua, destitute of every wild animal of larger growth than a rabbit or a rat, it may be deemed risible to talk about its zoology; but as that word embraces a description of all living creatures, I intend to include under it the several doctrines of ichthyology, entomology, and ornithology.
Having mentioned rabbit and rats, I will reverse the general order pursued in writing upon subjects of natural history, and commence with a slight mention of those animals. The wild rabbit more particularly abounds in Long Island, a pretty and delightful spot, already mentioned as belonging to the Hon. Bertie E. Jarvis. Although rabbits sometimes form a dish at genteel tables, they are not generally esteemed in Antigua as an article of food. Many of the Creole negroes express the greatest antipathy to them, on account of their similitude to a cat; and to offer to them such a repast would, no doubt, be deemed an insult. I remember upon one occasion, hearing a woman inquire of a black carpenter, who was employed about our premises, if he would purchase from her a rabbit which she had in a basket. “Rabbit?” interrogated the artisan, his face wearing a most sardonic grin, “I should jist like to no war you take me for, ma’am? You tink me go buy rabbit? No, ma’am, me no cum to dat yet; for me always did say, an me always will say, dat dem who eat rabbit, eat pussy,[[60]] and dem eat pussy, eat rabbit. Get out wid you and your rabbit!”
The rats are a numerous race in Antigua, and feed most lusciously upon the sugar-cane, to the grief and loss of the planter. The present race are said to have been introduced into the West Indies by Sir Charles Price, in hopes of exterminating the Creole rat. The emigrants’ tribe fulfilled their duty with great fidelity in this respect, and waged a vigorous war with their brothers of the furry coat; but while thus employed, they multiplied so fast themselves, that they overran the whole island, and proved a more troublesome and dangerous foe to the planters, than their predecessors. These quadrupeds are so fat and sleek, from feeding upon the juice of the sugar-cane, that some of the country negroes find them an object of value, and with addition of pepper and similar spiceries, prepare from them a delicate fricassé, not to be surpassed by a dish of French frogs!
The horned cattle of Antigua, as well as beasts of burden, and domestic animals, are all of Lilliputian dimensions. Agricultural labour is generally carried on by help of oxen, and upon this account, each plantation is provided with a large herd of these animals, whose patient drudgery often calls for an expression of sympathy. The horses bred upon the island are, in most instances, but a very sorry race; still there are some handsome Creole ponies to be met with, whose slender limbs and bright wild eye give them the appearance of “sons of the desert.” The donkeys and mules are of diminutive sizes, but retain their asinary qualities in as great a degree as their patient brethren in the other parts of the world.
Sheep, like “Miss Cowslip,” are as tall and slender as a poplar. Their wool falls off as they gain maturity, and is succeeded by short stiff hairs, like a goat. Many of them are so spotted and marked, that they might be taken for spaniel dogs, were it not for their length of legs, and sheepish visage. The sheep, however, at Long Island, are very deservedly admired. Their backs are of a deep warm brown colour, and the underneath part of the body, with the breast, feet, legs, and head, of a glossy coal black. Their eyes are also black, and very piercing, very much like the eyes of the stag; and as they raise their long necks, throw back their well-formed heads, and gaze earnestly at the stranger who intrudes upon their haunts, they display a higher degree of animation in their features than any of their species I ever saw.
Goats are also a numerous race in Antigua, almost every negro possessing one or more of these sure-footed creatures: their milk, as well as that of the sheep, is generally used for domestic purposes. Cats and dogs also degenerate greatly in size, and present as attenuated an appearance as if they had been keeping strict fasts and vigils for a month; the young puppies are sold for two shillings currency, and the cats are sometimes bartered between the negroes for a chicken: this last-named animal often forms an article of food to negro watchmen, who rear them especially for that purpose.
The lordly whale at times frequents the West Indian seas. These huge marine animals generally quit their hyperborean homes in the summer months, to take a trip along the eastern shores of North America, and passing through the West Indian Archipelago, return to their icy regions, where they enjoy, with redoubled pleasure, their unwieldy gambols amid the stupendous icebergs. In their passage between the several islands they often meet with various trials; at times they quit their right course, and flounder about in shallow water, until at length they are perhaps cast ashore, where they suffer an untimely and lingering death. One met this fate at Antigua a few years ago. It was driven upon an unfrequented part of the coast, where it must have remained for a long time, until at length the effluvia became so offensive that it attracted the attention of some negroes, who, going in search of the cause which so tainted the air, discovered the defunct whale. It was a very large one, measuring from sixty to seventy feet in length, and of about thirty feet in circumference; many of its bones were preserved by the curious as commemorative of the event.