Page:The Present State of Peru.djvu/344

296 procession, in which the smallest intrusive object profanes the dignity of the sacred act, and dissipates the devotion of the attendants. May our posterity look to the reform of this and other abuses, the eradication of which is so earnestly to be desired! The supreme authority has already, for wise and prudential reasons, prevented the negroes from carrying and discharging fire-arms in the course of the procession, as has been hitherto their practice.

All the assemblages which have been pointed out have religion for their pretext, but lead to others in which amusement is simply consulted. The negroes who are the object of this relation, have, in different streets of the city, quarters or spittals, denominated by them brotherhoods, which form the centre of their meetings on days of festivity. Each tribe has the separate enjoyment of one of these places for its meetings; and those which are numerous are in possession of two or three of them. These establishments are sixteen in number: by the voluntary offerings of the contributors, the site is purchased on which they are built; and they are holden by a small fine or quit-rent.

The corporal of each nation is the president of the assemblies, in which the strictest etiquette is observed, relatively to the precedence of the seats: they are invariably occupied according to the seniority of the members. These negroes, supporting with the utmost patience their hard agricultural labours; in a manner indifferent about good or bad fare; little sensible to the severity of chastisement; and intrepid in the discharge of all the duties to which they are called;—these very negroes cannot endure an injustice, or a neglect in the line of preferences. To occupy a hand's-breadth of ground higher