The houses of the coloured gentry are neatly and tastefully furnished. The hall contains its complement of dining-tables, side-boards, with their glittering burdens, butler’s trays and stands, chairs, and sofas; wall-shades, hand-shades, suspension-lamps, and china tables—sometimes a book-case and writing-table, and a few prints in gilt frames. The drawing-room has its couches, lounging-chairs, and ottomans; its pianofortes, chiffoniers, and “what-nots;” loo and sofa tables; and all its little fancy embellishments of ornamental china, albums, and or-molu clocks. The floors are generally covered with oil-cloths of various patterns, which are found to answer better in this warm climate than carpeting; but the days when _mahogany floors_ were rubbed with _orange juice_ are long since passed, if they ever existed. I have never seen floors of more costly materials than “pitch pine,” which certainly takes a good polish if rubbed, but which in that case are very disagreeable to walk over. The marriages of the coloured people are more private than they used to be formerly—that is, among the genteel classes; the common people still drive about in borrowed gigs and phaetons, after the fashion already spoken of in the negro chapters. Some years ago, it was customary to marry by special licence, the ceremony being performed in the evening at their own dwellings. This practice has become extinct, and they are now married in their parish church. The favourite wedding-dress is blonde and white satin. A great reformation has also taken place in their funerals. In former days, a wake used to be held by all classes on the night the demise took place; and on the following day, (the day of the funeral,) immense quanties of “dyer bread” and “biscuit cakes” (species of pastry) were made, enveloped in white paper, sealed with black wax, and handed round to the assembled guests, who often amounted to two or three hundred. Mulled wines, Port and Madeira sangaree, “mixed porter,” (specified quantums of porter, water, sugar, and spice,) and different kinds of spirituous liquors, were also provided, sufficient to satisfy the thirst of Baron Munchausen’s whale. If accounts be true, many of these funeral guests paid such particular attention to these several preparations from the vine and the hop, that they became greatly elated thereby, and not unfrequently left the _house of mourning_ in a state of inebriety.