I drove to church to-day in the wood wagon, with Jack and Aleck, Hector being our charioteer, in a gilt guard-chain and pair of slippers to match as the Sabbatic part of his attire.  The love of dirty finery is not a trait of the Irish in Ireland, but I think it crops out strongly when they come out here; and the proportion of their high wages put upon their backs by the young Irish maid-servants in the north, indicates a strong addiction to the female passion for dress.  Here the tendency seems to exist in men and women alike; but I think all savage men rejoice, even more than their women, in personal ornamentation.  The negroes certainly show the same strong predilection for finery with their womenkind.

I stopped before going into church to look at the new grave that has taken its place among the defaced stones, all overgrown with briers, that lie round it.  Poor young W——! poor widowed mother, of whom he was the only son!  What a savage horror!  And no one seems to think anything of it, more than of a matter of course.  My devotions were anything but satisfactory or refreshing to me.  My mind was dwelling incessantly upon the new grave under the great oaks outside, and the miserable mother in her home.  The air of the church was perfectly thick with sand-flies; and the disgraceful carelessness of the congregation in responding and singing the hymns, and their entire neglect of the prayer-book regulations for kneeling, disturbed and displeased me even more than the last time I was at church; but I think that was because of the total absence of excitement or feeling among the whole population of St. Simon’s upon the subject of the bloody outrage with which my mind was full, which has given me a sensation of horror towards the whole community.  Just imagine—­only it is impossible to imagine—­such a thing taking place in a New England village; the dismay, the grief, the shame, the indignation, that would fill the hearts of the whole population.  I thought we should surely have some reference to the event from the pulpit, some lesson of Christian command over furious passions.  Nothing—­nobody looked or spoke as if anything unusual had occurred; and I left the church, rejoicing to think that I was going away from such a dreadful state of society.  Mr. B——­ remained to preach a second sermon to the negroes—­the duty of submission to masters who intermurder each other.

I had service at home in the afternoon, and my congregation was much more crowded than usual; for I believe there is no doubt at last that we shall leave Georgia this week.  Having given way so much before when I thought I was praying with these poor people for the last time, I suppose I had, so to speak, expended my emotion; and I was much more composed and quiet than when I took leave of them before.  But, to tell you the truth, this dreadful act of slaughter done in our neighbourhood by one man of our acquaintance upon another, impresses me to such a degree that I can hardly turn my mind from it, and Mrs. W——­ and her poor young murdered son have taken almost complete possession of my thoughts.