First came a tolerably good band, a little too drummy, but still not amiss--well dressed, only the performers being of all colours, from white, down to jet-black, had a curious hodge-podge, or piebald appearance. Then came a dozen mounted officers at the very least colonels-in-chief, and colonels, and lieutenant-colonels, and majors all very fine, and very bad horsemen. Then the grenadier company, composed of white clerks of the place, very fine-looking young men indeed--another white company followed, not quite so smart looking--then came a century of the children of Israel, not over military in appearance--the days of Joshua, the son of Nun, had passed away, the glory had long departed from their house,--a phalanx of light browns succeeded, then a company of dark browns, or mulattoes; the regular half and--half in this, as well as in grog, is the best mixture after all, then quashie himself, or a company of free blacks, who, with the browns, seemed the best soldiers of the set, excepting the flank companies--and after blackie the battalion again gradually whitened away, until it ended in a very fine light company of buccras, smart young fellows as need be--all the officers were white, and all the soldiers, whatever their caste or colour, free of course. Another battalion succeeded, composed in the same way, and really I was agreeably surprised to find the indigenous force of the colony so efficient. I had never seen any thing more soldier-like amongst our volunteers at home. Presently a halt was called, and a mounted officer, evidently desirous of showing off, galloped up to where we were standing, and began to swear at the drivers of a wagon, with a long team of sixteen bullocks, who had placed their vehicle, whether intentionally or not I could not tell, directly across the street, where being met by another wagon of the same kind, coming through the opposite lane, a regular jam had taken place, as they had contrived, being redolent of new rum, to lock their wheels, and twist their lines of bullocks together in much admired confusion. “Out of the way, sir, out of the way, you black rascals--don’t you see the regiment coming?” The men spanked their long whips, and shouted to the steers by name “Back, back--Caesar--Antony--Crab, back, sir, back;” and they whistled loud and long, but Caesar and the rest only became more and more involved. “Order arms,” roared another officer, fairly beaten by the bullocks and wagons--“Stand at ease.” On this last signal, a whole cloud of spruce-beer sellers started fiercely from under the piazzas.