OCR Text |
Show I I 22 ST. THOMAS AND TORTOLA· We were kindly welcomed, on our landing, by some friends of ours who have a temporary residence in the place, and were p~ovided with good accommodation at a large boarding house much frequented by the merchants of the town. The appro~ch of a great ball, about to be given in. the house, soon drove us into a more secluded abode ; but qmet was not then to be found in St. Thomas. It was the negro Saturnalia, the slaves being allowed a perfect liberty, from " Christmas" to New Year's day, to drum, fiddle, dance, and sing, to the utmost extent of their wishes. 'fhe evil genius of slavery seemed now to have assumed the form of a merry-andrew, and we thought that the dissipation could not fail to be as unprofitable to the negroes, as the din was disagreeable to ourselves. However, we dared not judge them-we knew it was their only holyday. This island, is at once picturesque and barren. The few sugar estates which it contains are of an inferior description, and almost the whole population, amounting, as we understood, to about 11 ,000, are concentrated in the town. Populous ~ is the to;vn, it contains only one Protestant place of worship-of very moderate size-used on the First-day of the week, by the Danish Lutheran, and Dutch Reform churches, in succession. By the kind permission of the Dutch Reform pastor, and with the consent of the Governor, Major Oxholm, we held in this building,. our public meeting for worship. The respectability and attention of the congregation, afforded us an evidence, that even in St .. Thomas, there are more than a few persons, who think and feel seriously on matters of the highest importance. But we greatly fear that among the traffickers of many nations, and the confusion of many tongues, in this little Western 'fyre, the pursuits of religion are generally forgotten. Merchandise by day, and gaiety by night, seemed chiefly to engross the attention of the residents. Nor could we hear any favorable accounts of the moral condition of the black and colored population. There are but few married couples among them-loose and low habits appear to, be general. No one can aver that ST. THOMAS AND TORTOLA. 23 slavery, in St. Thomas, is attendee\ by any one advantage, temporal, civil, moral or spi ritual. We called one evening at the Moravian establishment which lies about two miles to the westward of the town, and exchanged lane\ looks WJ th the Germfin brother with whom we were ~n ablc to converse, jn his own language. The religious mfluence of the Moravians, in tile Danish island<, althou"h to a certain ex tent clecic\edly beneficial, is considerably diminished by two Circumstances; first, by their practice of preachino- and teaching in the Negro-Dutch, a barbnrous jargon, now butJittle spoken by the people; and second~y, by their holc\in" slaves as part of the mission properties. It is greatly to be reg;ettec\ that the local Damsh government in both islands, is at present greatly preJuclicec\ agamst the Methodists. To be a Methodist, seems to be tantamount to being absolutely excluded from the Danish colonies. The success which these Chri stians have met with ~oth among the slaves in your southern States, and amon(J' th~ hberated negroes in the British West Indies, affords a ;lain proof, that they might be ac\mittec\ with entire safety to the government, and with the most important benefit to the mass of the populatwn. The. worst char,.,, · which can be m ac 1 e agru· nst St. Thomas, has relatwn to the S,ave Trade. The Spanish and Portuguese slave vessels, frequently come to this port to be fitted up for their nefarious adventures on the coast of Af · . h h . . nca, . ere t ey have free mgress and egress, without the smallest mterruplion from the Danish men -oJ~war on the station . and on some occasions, they have actually receivec\ their supp;ies of gunpowder, from the fort itself. Why shouJd...uDt tb.e treaties between Great Britain and Denmark, on the suljJct of the Slave ;;;ado, b~ followed up by an honest and vigorous co-operation 1 a Chnstam and even Protestant o-overnment (as 1·t r to b ) . . " , pro,esses e such connJvanccs arc extremely discrraceful b t . bel · o' ; UJtmay loped, that the present rulers of Denmark will brin"' them to a speedy termination. ' b It is refreshing to turn from the obliquity and corruption of men, to tfie charms of scenCJy, and the rarities of nature. |