over the story I told with regard to the manner in which people in the Southern States had been deluded into emigrating to Venezuela, and other portions of South America, and promised to use their influence to check the schemes of such men as Johnston and Price.
Having expressed a desire to proceed on my journey northward, the consul introduced me to the captain of a vessel which was shortly to sail for Barbadoes, and I arranged with him for a passage.
While waiting for the vessel to sail, I made a trip into the country, to visit the coffee plantation of Mr. Waite, the husband of my landlady's daughter. When we reached the plantation, we found everybody there in considerable excitement over a murder that had just been committed. A cooly who was jealous, had, it appeared, cut the throat of his wife, her crime being that she had looked at another man. Mr. Waite assured me that there was nothing strange about such an occurrence a this, and that such outrages were happening constantly.
Much Ado about Nothing.
On our return to Georgetown, we found that place in a commotion. The people were rushing about the streets, yelling at the tops of their voices, and making a terrible to do. I supposed, of course, that it was another murder, but was informed that the excitement was caused by the pound-master making a raid on the goats, which were permitted to roam about the streets contrary to law. These goats being the chief means of support of many of the poor people, their arrest by the pound-master was, from a South American point of view, a very much more serious matter than the murder of a cooly woman.
Another sensation was shortly after caused by a fellow from New Jersey absconding with a large sum of money. He had started some kind of speculation, and had induced a number of people to invest their means. Having secured a good round sum, he quietly slipped away, carrying the cash with him. There was, of course, an immense amount of indignation among the sufferers. One of the victims, an old Scotch man, gave me a most pitiful recital of the manner in which he had been swindled. I, however, gave him but little comfort, and told him I thought he deserved to lose his money, for not
