There is scarce a man
of any fashion, especially a woman, will pass the streets but so carried
in a hammock. The chief mechanic traders here are smiths, hatters,
shoemakers, tanners, sawyers, carpenters, coopers, etc. Here are also
tailors, butchers, etc., which last kill the bullocks very dexterously,
sticking them at one blow with a sharp-pointed knife in the nape of the
neck, having first drawn them close to a rail; but they dress them very
slovenly. It being Lent when I came hither there was no buying any flesh
till Easter-eve, when a great number of bullocks were killed at once in
the slaughterhouses within the town, men, women and children flocking
thither with great joy to buy, and a multitude of dogs, almost starved,
following them; for whom the meat seemed fittest, it was so lean. All
these tradesmen buy negroes, and train them up to their several
employments, which is a great help to them; and they having so frequent
trade to Angola, and other parts of Guinea, they have a constant supply
of blacks both for their plantations and town. These slaves are very
useful in this place for carriage, as porters; for as here is a great
trade by sea and the landing-place is at the foot of a hill, too steep
for drawing with carts, so there is great need of slaves to carry goods
up into the town, especially for the inferior sort; but the merchants
have also the convenience of a great crane that goes with ropes or
pulleys, one end of which goes up while the other goes down.
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