A little black boy was playing upon the ground, at the tavern-door with a dog; I pointed to them and said to the landlord, (a very civilized man,) "Do you make christians of these?" "Oh no."—"You name them without the clergyman?" "Oh yes; we sometimes give them one name and then alter it for another:"—"And does not your church find fault with you sometimes for such neglect?"
"No, they never think of such things."
"And when they die you throw them into the ground without further ceremony?"
Answer,—Always let them lie just where it happens—I suppose, you do not do so in your country; do you?
Self,—Certainly not; we think very differently upon the subject; that child would there be free, the moment it set foot upon our shores.
Landlord,—"Oh, you mean the negre; I thought you were speaking of the dog all the time. Yes; we christen them; but we do not let them eat with us, only the Quakers let them eat with them!"
This man's kitchen presented a picture which is general with some exceptions throughout the [72] slave country, a description of it will therefore serve for all the rest. Behold, a dark log building with a floor of mud, upon which a number of little black children are at all times to be seen crawling, while others are perhaps lying without the door sunning themselves; all mostly without any covering whatever: these are the progeny of the cook and other slaves, and are destined for sale or to supply the places of others. A quick lively little black girl, of about nine years of age, waited here with such spirit and so cleverly upon the guests that she attracted our notice; and upon praising her dexterity to her master he told us, that he had more than once refused three hundred dollars which had been offered for her.—The kitchen, besides being made the daily black-nursery, is also their general dormitory: at night, they creep round the warm embers and huddled together sleep in the contaminated atmosphere of this Augean stable, in the midst of the dirt and abominations of which the traveller's meat is prepared, and served more decently than might be expected; after escaping (perhaps) the fingers of the poor little creatures, who, watching their opportunity, rise from under the dressers, pilfer the meat and dip their fingers in gravies.
The ovens are, very conveniently for this warm [73] climate, built apart from the house in the open air. Mine host, notwithstanding the above mistake, was a man of very respectable manners, and his wife, a lady-like woman, presided at the supper which was even elegantly set out to a company most heterogeneous. Opposite to me, a young fellow seated himself, without his coat and in his dirty shirt sleeves of at least seven days' wear, and, not shewing the least of that shyness which such a man would experience in England, played away with his knife and fork perfectly at his ease: indeed, the clumsy gait and bent body of our peasant is hardly ever seen here, every one walks erect and easy; a plainness of dress and coarseness of the texture amounting to vulgarity, blunt discourse, in short, the manners of the herd, are affected by the few, and all mix without any seeming distinction. To have objected to the company of the dirty fellow just mentioned would have probably ended in a "rough and tumble," and the loss of an eye, as it is not an uncommon accomplishment to be a good hand at "gouging." This brings to mind a story of a fellow who had been so terribly mauled at a "rough and tumble" that a man, compassionating his condition, said, "you have come off badly this time I doubt?" "Have I," says he; triumphantly shewing from his pocket [74] at the same time an eye, which he had extracted during the combat, and preserved for a trophy.
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY[30]
The approach to this town is for several miles along good road, and through a country much improving in natural advantages and cultivation. Lexington has been often enough described; thirty-five years ago, it is said to have contained but one hundred houses; it has now several thousands, and many of them very handsome; more to say, it has some good and wide streets, with well-paved broad foot-ways of brick, and a market street, only in part finished, upon the model of that at Philadelphia: its Court-house, a miserable brick building, stands well and airy in a large square which may some time or other be neat: in and near the town is a manufactory or two. The College or public seminary[31] is well situated at the eastern entrance of the town; it is a handsome building but within in a bad state; at present there are about one hundred pupils. The inn, or tavern to which I was recommended, and where I met with much civility and attention; had any thing rather than cleanliness or comfort, [75] but the charges as high as if both had been to the utmost wish;[32] myriads of bugs as usual; we literally found rest in getting up, and much mental relief in quitting the town, though strongly persuaded to stay that we might behold the horsemanship of a Mr. West and his troop from England!