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DOMINICA. ing from a continued system of intermarrying within a very narrow circle. Some of the French creoles in this colony are men of considerable wealth; they live retired on their estates, but are withal hospitable and fond of a good deal of feudal display. The
rations; and if we may credit Maffæus, an inhabitant of Bengala, in the year 1557, made it his boast that he was 335 years of age. So that all this considered it is no incredible thing that our Caribbians should live so long.' To be sure—c'est le premier pas qui coûte. At a burial the men place themselves behind the women, and ever and anon they stroke them with their hands over their arms to incite them to lament and weep. Then singing and weeping, they all say with a pitiful and lamenting v o i c e ; — Alas, why didst thou dye? Thou hadst so much manioc, good potatoes, good bananas, good ananas. Thou wert beloved in thy family, and they had so great care of thy person; why, therefore, wouldst thou dye ? W h y wouldst thou dye ?" If the party were a man, they add, Thou wert so valiant and so generous; thou hast overthrown so many enemies; thou hast behaved thyself gallantly in so many fights; thou hast made us eat so many Arouagues; Alas ! who shall now defend us against the Arouagues ? W h y therefore wouldst thou dye ?" ' —Davies. The Irish say the same w o r d s ; ' Arrah ! Pat, w h y did ye die? Hadn't ye plenty of praturs and good whisky, Pat ? &c. ' The Topinambous,' adds Davies, ' make in a manner the same lamentations over the graves of their dead:— " H e is dead," say they, " that brave huntsman, that excellent fisherman, that valiant warrior, that gallant eater of prisoners, that great destroyer of Portuguese and Margnjats."