deplorable State of Ignorance, and fcarce know, according to our Author, fo much as the name. of Spain, with which they have no manner of Correfpondence. But, with his leave, they cannot but know, that the King of Spain is their Sovereign, and that of him they hold their Governments and Employments. Befides, the City of S. Domingo is the Seat of a fupreme Court of Judicature, whofe Jurifdiction extends to feveral Islands, and a great part of the Spanish Dominions on the Continent of America. As they have mixt their Blood with the antient Inhabitants of the Ifland and Negroes, they are at present of various Colours, according as they partake most of the European, African, or American. They have a great Opinion of themselves, and fhew the utmoft contempt for the French. A Frenchman having one day afked a Spaniard, what was to be found among them, that could infpire them with fuch an Opinion of themselves, and Contempt of other Nations; the Spaniard anfwered, ay Hombres, they are Men. Our Author tells us, that they are given to all manner of Vice; but at the fame time, mighty Devout and Religious. The refpect and veneration they fhew for Priefts, Churches, and other Sacred things, is, fays he, inexpreffible, as well as their blind Submiffion in believing whatever they hear from their Paftors. Tho' they live in poor Cottages, and quite unfurnished, yet their Churches and Oratories are extremely magnificent, and richly adorned. They obferve, with great exactness, all the Feafts and Fafts of the Church; affift every day at Mafs, and never fail faying over, at leaft once a day, their Beads, which they all wear hanging at their Necks. They pass beft

part of the day in Churches, and of the night in Bawdy-houfes, being no lefs given to Lewdnefs than Devotion. As Lewdnefs is their favourite Vice, fo Hofpitality is their favourite Virtue, which they practife to a very great degree, receiving into their Houfes all Strangers, of whatever Nation or Religion they be, with the most fincere and hearty demonstrations of Kindness and Friendship that can be imagined; they even abridge themselves of Neceffaries to entertain a Stranger they never faw before, nor know any thing of; and never fail to regale their Guefts with the beft things their Country can afford. Our Author adds, that they extend this Virtue, even to the French, whom they mortally hate; but, notwithstanding their inveterate hatred against the whole Nation, receive, with unexpreffible kindness, even the French Vagabonds, who, encouraged by the Hofpitality of their Neighbours, daily increase very confiderably, and give them but too frequent occafions of practifing it. But neither is this Virtue peculiar to the Spaniards; it is common with them to the Mulattos, French, Negroes, and all thofe who live in the Island. The antient Inhabitants, before the arrival of the Spaniards, practifed it in a very eminent degree; fo that the Climate of that happy Country feems, in a manner, to infpire Men with the moft noble of all Virtues, and the moft conducive to the welfare of Mankind. The Spaniards furely did not learn it of the Inhabitants, whom they thoroughly defpifed, and looked upon no otherwife than as Brutes. Neither were the French moved to practise it by the Example of the Spaniards; for not to mention the natural Antipathy of the two Nations, the

French

French excelled in the Virtue of Hospitality, before they had any manner of Correfpondence with the Spaniards. Even the Negro Slaves, tho' very sparingly provided with Neceffaries, never grudge to fhare their poor Allowance with any Stranger that feems to be in need. As to the French, our Author tells us, that one may travel all over their Colony without being at an Half-penny charge; for Strangers are every where received kindly, entertained fplendidly, and even fupplied with Money, if they want it, to continue their Journey. If a Perfon well-born, but of no Fortune, happens to come among them, then it is chiefly, that they exert their Good-nature, and ftrive to but-do one another in heaping Favours upon him. If they have before-hand notice of his coming, they go out in Crouds to meet him; every one being ambitious of having him for his Gueft; and happy is he whom he chufes to ftay with. The more free he is in their Houses, the more welcome he is; for whatever they have, is at his command, no otherwife, than if himself were the Mafter of the Houfe. If they fufpect, or can, by any means, find out that he wants Money, he is fure to be foon provided, and not fparingly, without ever knowing the beneficent hand it comes from. On his de

parture, Negoes, Horfes, Carriages, and what ever elfe he can ftand in need of, are employ'd to attend him; nor do they fuffer him to leave them, unless he promises to return, if his Af fairs will allow him. The kindness the Creolians fhew to Orphans, is no less commendable. Thefe unhappy Children are among them of no burden to the Public, being brought up, N⚫XV. 1732. VOL. III.

U

and

and provided for, by private Perfons, with the fame Care, as if they were their own Children. If Orphans have no Relations, or Godfathers, or God-mothers, (who are preferred to all others) the firft who can lay hands on them, (and every one ftrives to be the firft) has the Glory and Merit of fo charitable an Office.

THE French Colony in 1726 confifted, as our Author informs us, of thirty thousand Perfons free-born, and an hundred thoufand Slaves, partly Negroes, and partly Mulattoes. Among the former he counts ten thoufand Men able to bear Arms, and adds, that, if occafion required, the Colony could arm twenty thousand Negroes, without doing any confiderable hurt to their Manufactures. As to the Forces of the Spanish Colony, our Author only fays, that in 1717, they had thirty feven Companies, which amounted to 3705 Men. Few of those, who come from France live to an old Age: but the Creolians become more healthy, robuft, and live longer, according as they are more or less diftant from their European Origin. They are better-livers than the Spaniards, but do not trouble themfelves much about Religion.

OUR Author takes notice of one Inconvenience in the prefent Establishment of the French Colony, which in procefs of time may prove very deftructive, chiefly if the number of Inhabitants fhould encreafe, as it has done thefe thirty Years laft paft. The inconvenience is this, that the Eftates and Lands are equally divided among all the Children, which at length will reduce the Plantations, thus divided and fub-divided, to nothing; and the Planters to great Straits and Poverty. Whereas, if the Plantations remained to the elder Brother, the others

"

others would be under a neceffity of beginning new ones; which would be the most advantageous way, both to themselves and the Public, of laying out the Money left them by their Parents. If this Regulation fhould take place, in a fhort time there would not be seen a spot of Ground untilled in the whole Colony; and many, finding no wafte Ground at home, would feek for new Settlements in the neighbouring Islands, and on the Continent belonging to the French Crown.

OUR Author clofes his Hiftory with a pathetical Account of the Miferies and HardThips the Negroes groan under in the Colonies of America, and a fhort Inftruction to the Mif fionaries, fhewing how they are to proceed with them in converting them to the Chriftian Religion.

ARTICLE XV.

The Prefent State of LEARNING.

MESSINA.

HEY have printed here Annales Hiftó

Angelo, a Dominican, who died here in the Year 1720. It contains the Ecclefiaftical History of Sicily for the five firft Centuries. The Account of each Century is divided into five Articles. 1. Ecclefiafticarum rerum Syntagma. 2. Ecclefice Sicula Perfecutiones. 3. Quinam Sanctitate ac doctrinâ floruerunt. 4. Ecclefiaftica Politiæ ordo. 15. Sæcularis imperii Analecta.