Female society scarcely can be said to exist here. The ancient habits of the country still confine the women in great measure to their own houses, and equally limit their education to the most trifling and common-place attainments. There are, doubtless, some exceptions to this character, but it is accurate as respects the general population of the island. After all, it may be admitted, that this state of society is not much below that of Sicily, or even of greater communities in the south of Europe; where there are fewer circumstances to explain or excuse it, than in the small provincial population of the Seven Isles.
