The New Hampshire Gazette

OF CATCHING YANKEES!

There is an old black woman at the Havana, known to almost every one who frequents that port as a washer of clothes, in which business she employs several slaves, having acquired a handsome property by it. She is partial to the Americans, having made the greater part of her money through them. When some of the British ships stopped there on their way for the coast of Louisiana, she, as usual, boarded the ships in search of business—and having dispatched that, she asked the captain of one of the 74's, "where are you going, massa?" who replied, "we are going to catch some d--d yankees at New-Orleans. We shall stop here as we come back, and I'll sell you a dozen or two very cheap, for washer women." "Ah ha! massa! you better let 'e d---d yankee 'lone." said she—“I tell ye, you better let him 'lone!" When the same ship returned to Havana, after the dreadful defeat of the 8th of January, the old woman again boarded, and observing the captain, said, "well, massa, I come to buy some yankee!" But the joke was stale, and the officer refused a reply—on which she added, archly, "didn't I tell you, massa, you better let 'e yankee lone!"