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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..98fcf8a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55100 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55100) diff --git a/old/55100-8.txt b/old/55100-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e747611..0000000 --- a/old/55100-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12186 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The West Indies and the Spanish Main, by -Anthony Trollope - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The West Indies and the Spanish Main - - -Author: Anthony Trollope - - - -Release Date: July 15, 2017 [eBook #55100] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH -MAIN*** - - -E-text prepared by Joseph E. Loewenstein, M.D., from page images -generously made available by the Google Books Library Project -(https://books.google.com) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original map. - See 55100-h.htm or 55100-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55100/55100-h/55100-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55100/55100-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - the Google Books Library Project. See - https://books.google.com/books?id=Ir8NAAAAQAAJ&hl=en - - - - - -[Illustration: Map of the Caribbean Sea] - - -THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN. - -by - -ANTHONY TROLLOPE, - -Author of "Barchester Towers," "Doctor Thorne," -"The Bertrams," etc. - - - - - - -London: -Chapman & Hall, 193, Piccadilly. -1859. - -[The right of translation is reserved.] - -London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street - - - - -CONTENTS. - - Chapter - - I.--Introductory - - II.--Jamaica--Town - - III.--Jamaica--Country - - IV.--Jamaica--Black Men - - V.--Jamaica--Coloured Men - - VI.--Jamaica--White Men - - VII.--Jamaica--Sugar - - VIII.--Jamaica--Emperor Soulouque - - IX.--Jamaica--Government - - X.--Cuba - - XI.--The Passage of the Windward Islands - - XII.--British Guiana - - XIII.--Barbados - - XIV.--Trinidad - - XV.--St. Thomas - - XVI.--New Granada, and the Isthmus of Panamá - - XVII.--Central America. Panamá to San José - - XVIII.--Central America. Costa Rica--San José - - XIX.--Central America. Costa Rica--Mount Irazu - - XX.--Central America. San José to Greytown - - XXI.--Central America. Railways, Canals, and Transit - - XXII.--The Bermudas - - XXIII.--Conclusion - - - - -THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -INTRODUCTORY. - - -I am beginning to write this book on board the brig ----, trading -between Kingston, in Jamaica, and Cien Fuegos, on the southern coast -of Cuba. At the present moment there is not a puff of wind, neither -land breeze nor sea breeze; the sails are flapping idly against the -masts; there is not motion enough to give us the command of the -rudder; the tropical sun is shining through upon my head into the -miserable hole which they have deluded me into thinking was a cabin. -The marine people--the captain and his satellites--are bound to -provide me; and all that they have provided is yams, salt pork, -biscuit, and bad coffee. I should be starved but for the small -ham--would that it had been a large one--which I thoughtfully -purchased in Kingston; and had not a kind medical friend, as he -grasped me by the hand at Port Royal, stuffed a box of sardines into -my pocket. He suggested two boxes. Would that I had taken them! - -It is now the 25th January, 1859, and if I do not reach Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, all this misery will have been in vain. I might as -well in such case have gone to St. Thomas, and spared myself these -experiences of the merchant navy. Let it be understood by all men -that in these latitudes the respectable, comfortable, well-to-do -route from every place to every other place is viâ the little Danish -island of St. Thomas. From Demerara to the Isthmus of Panamá, you go -by St. Thomas. From Panamá to Jamaica and Honduras, you go by St. -Thomas. From Honduras and Jamaica to Cuba and Mexico, you go by St. -Thomas. From Cuba to the Bahamas, you go by St. Thomas--or did when -this was written. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company dispense all -their branches from that favoured spot. - -But I was ambitious of a quicker transit and a less beaten path, -and here I am lying under the lee of the land, in a dirty, hot, -motionless tub, expiating my folly. We shall never make Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, and then it will be eight days more before I can reach -the Havana. May God forgive me all my evil thoughts! - -Motionless, I said; I wish she were. Progressless should have been -my word. She rolls about in a nauseous manner, disturbing the two -sardines which I have economically eaten, till I begin to fear that -my friend's generosity will become altogether futile. To which -result greatly tends the stench left behind it by the cargo of salt -fish with which the brig was freighted when she left St. John, New -Brunswick, for these ports. "We brought but a very small quantity," -the skipper says. If so, that very small quantity was stowed -above and below the very bunk which has been given up to me as a -sleeping-place. Ugh! - -"We are very poor," said the blue-nosed skipper when he got me on -board. "Well; poverty is no disgrace," said I, as one does when -cheering a poor man. "We are very poor indeed; I cannot even offer -you a cigar." My cigar-case was immediately out of my pocket. After -all, cigars are but as coals going to Newcastle when one intends to -be in Cuba in four days. - -"We are very poor indeed, sir," said the blue-nosed skipper again -when I brought out my solitary bottle of brandy--for I must -acknowledge to a bottle of brandy as well as to the small ham. "We -have not a drop of spirits of any kind on board." Then I altered my -mind, and began to feel that poverty was a disgrace. What business -had this man to lure me into his stinking boat, telling me that he -would take me to Cien Fuegos, and feed me on the way, when he had not -a mouthful to eat, or a drop to drink, and could not raise a puff of -wind to fill his sails? "Sir," said I, "brandy is dangerous in these -latitudes, unless it be taken medicinally; as for myself, I take -no other kind of physic." I think that poverty on shipboard is a -disgrace, and should not be encouraged. Should I ever be on shore -again, my views may become more charitable. - -Oh, for the good ship 'Atrato,' which I used to abuse with such -objurgations because the steward did not come at my very first call; -because the claret was only half iced; because we were forced to -close our little whist at 11 p.m., the serjeant-at-arms at that -hour inexorably extinguishing all the lights! How rancorous were -our tongues! "This comes of monopoly," said a stern and eloquent -neighbour at the dinner-table, holding up to sight a somewhat -withered apple. "And dis," said a grinning Frenchman from Martinique -with a curse, exhibiting a rotten walnut--"dis, dis! They give me -dis for my moneys--for my thirty-five pounds!" And glancing round -with angry eye, he dropped the walnut on to his plate. - -Apples! and walnuts!! What would I give for the 'Atrato' now; for my -berth, then thought so small; for its awning; for a bottle of its -soda water; for one cut from one of all its legs of mutton; for -two hours of its steam movement! And yet it is only now that I am -learning to forgive that withered apple and that ill-iced claret. - -Having said so much about my present position, I shall be glad to -be allowed to say a few words about my present person. There now -exists an opportunity for doing so, as I have before me the Spanish -passport, for which I paid sixteen shillings in Kingston the day -before I left it. It is simply signed Pedro Badan. But it is headed -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca, which sounds to me very much as -though I were to call myself Mr. Anthony Trollope Ben Jonson. To this -will be answered that such might have been my name. But then I should -not have signed myself Anthony Trollope. The gentleman, however, -has doubtless been right according to his Spanish lights; and the -name sounds very grand, especially as there is added to it two -lines declaring how that Don Pedro Badan is a Caballero. He was as -dignified a personage as a Spanish Don should be, and seemed somewhat -particular about the sixteen shillings, as Spanish and other Dons -generally are. - -He has informed me as to my "Talla," that it is Alta. I rather like -the old man on the whole. Never before this have I obtained in a -passport any more dignified description of my body than robust. I -certainly like the word "Alta." Then my eyes are azure. This he -did not find out by the unassisted guidance of personal inspection. -"Ojos, blue," he suggested to me, trying to look through my -spectacles. Not understanding "Ojos," I said "Yes." My "cejas" are -"castañas," and so is my cabello also. Castañas must be chestnut, -surely--cejas may mean eyebrows--cabello is certainly hair. Now any -but a Spaniard would have declared that as to hair, I was bald; and -as to eyebrows, nothing in particular. My colour is sano. There is -great comfort in that. I like the word sano. "Mens sana in corpore -sano." What has a man to wish for but that? I thank thee once more, -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca. - -But then comes the mystery. If I have any personal vanity, it is -wrapped up in my beard. It is a fine, manly article of dandyism, that -wears well in all climates, and does not cost much, even when new. -Well, what has the Don said of my beard? - -It is poblada. I would give five shillings for the loan of a Spanish -dictionary at this moment. Poblada! Well, my first effort, if ever -I do reach Cuba, shall be made with reference to that word. - -Oh; we are getting into the trade-winds, are we? Let Æolus be thanked -at last. I should be glad to get into a monsoon or a simoom at the -present moment, if there be monsoons and simooms in these parts. Yes; -it comes rippling down upon us with a sweet, cool, airy breeze; the -sails flap rather more loudly, as though they had some life in them, -and then fill themselves with a grateful motion. Our three or four -sailors rise from the deck where they have been snoring, and begin to -stretch themselves. "You may put her about," says the skipper; for -be it known that for some hours past her head has been lying back -towards Port Royal. "We shall make fine track now, sir," he says, -turning to me. "And be at Cien Fuegos on the 28th?" I demanded. -"Perhaps, sir; perhaps. We've lost twenty-four hours, sir, doing -nothing, you know." - -Oh, wretched man that I am! the conveyance from Cien Fuegos to the -Havana is but once a week. - -The sails are still flopping against the yard. It is now noon on -the 29th of January, and neither captain, mate, crew, nor the one -solitary passenger have the least idea when the good brig ---- will -reach the port of Cien Fuegos; not even whether she will reach -it at all. Since that time we have had wind enough in all -conscience--lovely breezes as the mate called them. But we have -oversailed our mark; and by how much no man on board this vessel -can tell. Neither the captain nor the mate were ever in Cien Fuegos -before; and I begin to doubt whether they ever will be there. No one -knows where we are. An old stove has, it seems, been stowed away -right under the compass, giving a false bias to the needle, so that -our only guide guides us wrong. There is not a telescope on board. I -very much doubt the skipper's power of taking an observation, though -he certainly goes through the form of holding a machine like a brazen -spider up to his eye about midday. My brandy and cigars are done; and -altogether we are none of us jolly. - -Flap, flap, flap! roll, roll, roll! The time passes in this way -very tediously. And then there has come upon us all a feeling -not expressed, though seen in the face of all, of utter want of -confidence in our master. There is none of the excitement of danger, -for the land is within a mile of us; none of the exhaustion of work, -for there is nothing to do. Of pork and biscuits and water there is, -I believe, plenty. There is nothing tragic to be made out of it. But -comic misery wears one quite as deeply as that of a sterner sort. - -It is hardly credible that men should be sent about a job for which -they are so little capable, and as to which want of experience must -be so expensive! Here we are, beating up the coast of Cuba against -the prevailing wind, knowing nothing of the points which should guide -us, and looking out for a harbour without a sea-glass to assist our -eyes. When we reach port, be it Cien Fuegos or any other, the first -thing we must do will be to ask the name of it! It is incredible to -myself that I should have found my way into such circumstances. - -I have been unable not to recount my present immediate troubles, they -press with such weight upon my spirits; but I have yet to commence my -journeyings at their beginning. Hitherto I have but told under what -circumstances I began the actual work of writing. - -On the 17th of November, 1858, I left the port of Southampton in -the good ship 'Atrato.' My purposed business, O cherished reader! -was not that of writing these pages for thy delectation; but the -accomplishment of certain affairs of State, of import grave or -trifling as the case may be, with which neither thou nor I shall have -further concern in these pages. So much it may be well that I should -say, in order that my apparently purposeless wanderings may be -understood to have had some method in them. - -And in the good ship 'Atrato' I reached that emporium of travellers, -St. Thomas, on the 2nd of December. We had awfully bad weather, of -course, and the ship did wonders. When men write their travels, the -weather has always been bad, and the ship has always done wonders. -We thought ourselves very uncomfortable--I, for one, now know -better--and abused the company, and the captain, and the purser, and -the purveyor, and the stewards every day at breakfast and dinner; not -always with the eloquence of the Frenchman and his walnut, but very -frequently with quite equal energy. But at the end of our journey we -were all smiles, and so was the captain. He was tender to the ladies -and cordial to the gentlemen; and we, each in our kind, reciprocated -his attention. On the whole, O my readers! if you are going to the -West Indies, you may do worse than go in the 'Atrato.' But do not -think too much of your withered apples. - -I landed at St. Thomas, where we lay for some hours; and as I put -my foot on the tropical soil for the first time, a lady handed me a -rose, saying, "That's for love, dear." I took it, and said that it -should be for love. She was beautifully, nay, elegantly dressed. Her -broad-brimmed hat was as graceful as are those of Ryde or Brighton. -The well-starched skirts of her muslin dress gave to her upright -figure that look of easily compressible bulk, which, let 'Punch' do -what it will, has become so sightly to our eyes. Pink gloves were on -her hands. "That's for love, dear." Yes, it shall be for love; for -thee and thine, if I can find that thou deservest it. What was it to -me that she was as black as my boot, or that she had come to look -after the ship's washing? - -I shall probably have a word or two to say about St. Thomas; but not -now. It is a Niggery-Hispano-Dano-Yankee-Doodle place; in which, -perhaps, the Yankee-Doodle element, declaring itself in nasal twang -and sherry cobblers, seems to be of the strongest flavour; as -undoubtedly will be the case in many of these parts as years go on -revolving. That nasal twang will sound as the Bocca Romana in coming -fashionable western circles; those sherry cobblers will be the -Falernian drink of a people masters of half the world. I dined at the -hotel, but should have got a better dinner on board the 'Atrato,' in -spite of the withered apples. - -From St. Thomas we went to Kingston, Jamaica, in the 'Derwent.' We -were now separated from the large host of Spaniards who had come with -us, going to Peru, the Spanish Main, Mexico, Cuba, or Porto Rico; -and, to tell the truth, we were not broken-hearted on the occasion. -Spaniards are bad fellow-travellers; the Spaniard, at least, of the -Western hemisphere. They seize the meats upon the table somewhat -greedily; their ablutions are not plentiful; and their timidity makes -them cumbersome. That they are very lions when facing an enemy on -terra firma, I do not doubt. History, I believe, tells so much for -them. But half a gale of wind lays them prostrate, at all hours -except feeding-time. - -We had no Spaniards in the 'Derwent,' but a happy jovial little crew -of Englishmen and Englishwomen--or of English subjects rather, for -the majority of them belonged to Jamaica. The bad weather was at an -end, and all our nautical troubles nearly over; so we ate and drank -and smoked and danced, and swore mutual friendship, till the officer -of the Board of Health visited us as we rounded the point at Port -Royal, and again ruffled our tempers by delaying us for some thirty -minutes under a broiling sun. - -Kingston harbour is a large lagune, formed by a long narrow bank of -sand which runs out into the sea, commencing some three or four miles -above the town of Kingston, and continuing parallel with the coast -on which Kingston is built till it reaches a point some five or six -miles below Kingston. This sandbank is called "The Palisades," and -the point or end of it is Port Royal. This is the seat of naval -supremacy for Jamaica, and, as far as England is concerned, for the -surrounding islands and territories. And here lies our flag-ship; -and here we maintain a commodore, a dock-yard, a naval hospital, -a pile of invalided anchors, and all the usual adjuncts of such -an establishment. Some years ago--I am not good at dates, but say -seventy, if you will--Port Royal was destroyed by an earthquake. - -Those who are geographically inclined should be made to understand -that the communication between Port Royal and Kingston, as, indeed, -between Port Royal and any other part of the island, is by water. -It is, I believe, on record that hardy Subs, and hardier Mids, have -ridden along the Palisades, and not died from sun-stroke in the -effort. But the chances are much against them. The ordinary ingress -and egress is by water. The ferry boats usually take about an hour, -and the charge is a shilling. The writer of these pages, however, has -been two hours and a quarter in the transit. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -JAMAICA--TOWN. - - -Were it arranged by Fate that my future residence should be in -Jamaica, I should certainly prefer the life of a country mouse. The -town mice, in my mind, have but a bad time of it. Of all towns that -I ever saw, Kingston is perhaps, on the whole, the least alluring, -and is the more absolutely without any point of attraction for the -stranger than any other. - -It is built down close to the sea--or rather, on the lagune which -forms the harbour, has a southern aspect, and is hot even in winter. -I have seen the thermometer considerably above eighty in the shade in -December, and the mornings are peculiarly hot, so that there is no -time at which exercise can be taken with comfort. At about 10 a.m., -a sea breeze springs up, which makes it somewhat cooler than it is -two hours earlier--that is, cooler in the houses. The sea breeze, -however, is not of a nature to soften the heat of the sun, or to make -it even safe to walk far at that hour. Then, in the evening, there is -no twilight, and when the sun is down it is dark. The stranger will -not find it agreeable to walk much about Kingston in the dark. - -Indeed, the residents in the town, and in the neighbourhood of the -town, never walk. Men, even young men, whose homes are some mile or -half-mile distant from their offices, ride or drive to their work as -systematically as a man who lives at Watford takes the railway. - -Kingston, on a map--for there is a map even of Kingston--looks -admirably well. The streets all run in parallels. There is a fine -large square, plenty of public buildings, and almost a plethora of -places of worship. Everything is named with propriety, and there -could be no nicer town anywhere. But this word of promise to the -ear is strangely broken when the performance is brought to the test. -More than half the streets are not filled with houses. Those which -are so filled, and those which are not, have an equally rugged, -disreputable, and bankrupt appearance. The houses are mostly of wood, -and are unpainted, disjointed, and going to ruin. Those which are -built with brick not unfrequently appear as though the mortar had -been diligently picked out from the interstices. - -But the disgrace of Jamaica is the causeway of the streets -themselves. There never was so odious a place in which to move. -There is no pathway or trottoir to the streets, though there is very -generally some such--I cannot call it accommodation--before each -individual house. But as these are all broken from each other by -steps up and down, as they are of different levels, and sometimes -terminate abruptly without any steps, they cannot be used by the -public. One is driven, therefore, into the middle of the street. But -the street is neither paved nor macadamized, nor prepared for traffic -in any way. In dry weather it is a bed of sand, and in wet weather it -is a watercourse. Down the middle of this the unfortunate pedestrian -has to wade, with a tropical sun on his head; and this he must do in -a town which, from its position, is hotter than almost any other in -the West Indies. It is no wonder that there should be but little -walking. - -But the stranger does not find himself naturally in possession of a -horse and carriage. He may have a saddle-horse for eight shillings; -but that is expensive as well as dilatory if he merely wishes to call -at the post-office, or buy a pair of gloves. There are articles which -they call omnibuses, and which ply cheap enough, and carry men to any -part of the town for sixpence; that is, they will do so if you can -find them. They do not run from any given point to any other, but -meander about through the slush and sand, and are as difficult to -catch as the musquitoes. - -The city of Havana, in Cuba, is lighted at night by oil-lamps. The -little town of Cien Fuegos, in the same island, is lighted by gas. -But Kingston is not lighted at all! - -We all know that Jamaica is not thriving as once it throve, and that -one can hardly expect to find there all the energy of a prosperous -people. But still I think that something might be done to redeem this -town from its utter disgrace. Kingston itself is not without wealth. -If what one hears on such subjects contains any indications towards -the truth, those in trade there are still doing well. There is a -mayor, and there are aldermen. All the paraphernalia for carrying -on municipal improvements are ready. If the inhabitants have about -themselves any pride in their locality, let them, in the name of -common decency, prepare some sort of causeway in the streets; with -some drainage arrangement, by which rain may run off into the sea -without lingering for hours in every corner of the town. Nothing -could be easier, for there is a fall towards the shore through the -whole place. As it is now, Kingston is a disgrace to the country that -owns it. - -One is peculiarly struck also by the ugliness of the buildings--those -buildings, that is, which partake in any degree of a public -character--the churches and places of worship, the public offices, -and such like. We have no right, perhaps, to expect good taste so -far away from any school in which good taste is taught; and it may, -perhaps, be said by some that we have sins enough of our own at home -to induce us to be silent on this head. But it is singular that any -man who could put bricks and stones and timber together should put -them together in such hideous forms as those which are to be seen -here. - -I never met a wider and a kinder hospitality than I did in Jamaica, -but I neither ate nor drank in any house in Kingston except my -hotel, nor, as far as I can remember, did I enter any house except -in the way of business. And yet I was there--necessarily there, -unfortunately--for some considerable time. The fact is, that hardly -any Europeans, or even white Creoles, live in the town. They have -country seats, pens as they call them, at some little distance. They -hate the town, and it is no wonder they should do so. - -That which tends in part to the desolation of Kingston--or rather, -to put the proposition in a juster form, which prevents Kingston -from enjoying those advantages which would naturally attach to the -metropolis of the island--is this: the seat of government is not -there, but at Spanish Town. Then our naval establishment is at Port -Royal. - -When a city is in itself thriving, populous, and of great commercial -importance, it may be very well to make it wholly independent of the -government. New York, probably, might be no whit improved were the -National Congress to be held there; nor Amsterdam, perhaps, if the -Hague were abandoned; but it would be a great thing for Kingston if -Spanish Town were deserted. - -The Governor lives at the latter place, as do also those satellites -or moons who revolve round the larger luminary--the secretaries, -namely, and executive officers. These in Jamaica are now so reduced -in size that they could not perhaps do much for any city; but they -would do a little, and to Kingston any little would be acceptable. -Then the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly sit at Spanish -Town, and the members--at any rate of the latter body--are obliged -to live there during some three months of the year, not generally in -very comfortable lodgings. - -Respectable residents in the island, who would pay some attention to -the Governor if he lived at the principal town, find it impossible -to undergo the nuisance of visiting Spanish Town, and in this way -go neither to the one nor the other, unless when passing through -Kingston on their biennial or triennial visits to the old country. - -And those visits to Spanish Town are indeed a nuisance. In saying -this, I reflect in no way on the Governor or the Governor's people. -Were Gabriel Governor of Jamaica, with only five thousand pounds -a year, and had he a dozen angels with him as secretaries and -aides-de-camp, mortal men would not go to them at Spanish Town after -they had once seen of what feathers their wings were made. - -It is like the city of the dead. There are long streets there in -which no human inhabitant is ever seen. In others a silent old -negro woman may be sitting at an open door, or a child playing, -solitary, in the dust. The Governor's house--King's House as it is -called--stands on one side of a square; opposite is the house of the -Assembly; on the left, as you come out from the Governor's, are the -executive offices and house of the Council, and on the right some -other public buildings. The place would have some pretension about -it did it not seem to be stricken with an eternal death. All the -walls are of a dismal dirty yellow, and a stranger cannot but think -that the colour is owing to the dreadfully prevailing disease of the -country. In this square there are no sounds; men and women never -frequent it; nothing enters it but sunbeams--and such sunbeams! The -glare from those walls seems to forbid that men and women should come -there. - -The parched, dusty, deserted streets are all hot and perfectly -without shade. The crafty Italians have built their narrow streets -so that the sun can hardly enter them, except when he is in the mid -heaven; but there has been no such craft at Spanish Town. The houses -are very low, and when there is any sun in the heavens it can enter -those streets; and in those heavens there is always a burning, -broiling sun. - -But the place is not wholly deserted. There is here the most -frightfully hideous race of pigs that ever made a man ashamed to own -himself a bacon-eating biped. I have never done much in pigs myself, -but I believe that pigly grace consists in plumpness and comparative -shortness--in shortness, above all, of the face and nose. The -Spanish Town pigs are never plump. They are the very ghosts of swine, -consisting entirely of bones and bristles. Their backs are long, -their ribs are long, their legs are long, but, above all, their heads -and noses are hideously long. These brutes prowl about in the sun, -and glare at the unfrequent strangers with their starved eyes, as -though doubting themselves whether, by some little exertion, they -might not become beasts of prey. - -The necessity which exists for white men going to Spanish Town to see -the Governor results, I do not doubt, in some deaths every year. I -will describe the first time I was thus punished. Spanish Town is -thirteen miles from Kingston, and the journey is accomplished by -railway in somewhat under an hour. The trains run about every four -hours. On my arrival a public vehicle took me from the station up -to King's House, and everything seemed to be very convenient. The -streets, certainly, were rather dead, and the place hot; but I was -under cover, and the desolation did not seem to affect me. When I was -landed on the steps of the government-house, the first idea of my -coming sorrows flitted across my mind. "Where shall I call for you?" -said the driver; "the train goes at a quarter past four." It was -then one: and where was he to call for me? and what was I to do with -myself for three hours? "Here," I said; "on these steps." What other -place could I name? I knew no other place in Spanish Town. - -The Governor was all that was obliging--as Governors now-a-days -always are--and made an appointment for me to come again on the -following day, to see some one or say something, who or which could -not be seen or said on that occasion. Thus some twenty minutes were -exhausted, and there remained two hours and fifty minutes more upon -my hands. - -How I wished that the big man's big men had not been so rapidly -courteous--that they had kept me waiting for some hour or so, to -teach me that I was among big people, as used to be done in the good -old times! In such event, I should at any rate have had a seat, -though a hard one, and shelter from the sun. But not a moment's grace -had been afforded me. At the end of twenty minutes I found myself -again standing on those glaring steps. - -What should I do? Where should I go? Looking all around me, I did -not see as much life as would serve to open a door if I asked for -shelter. I stood upon those desolate steps till the perspiration ran -down my face with the labour of standing. Where was I to go? What was -I to do? "Inhospitalem caucasum!" I exclaimed, as I slowly made my -way down into the square. - -When an Englishman has nothing to do, and a certain time to wait, -his one resource is to walk about. A Frenchman sits down and lights -a cigar, an Italian goes to sleep, a German meditates, an American -invents some new position for his limbs as far as possible asunder -from that intended for them by nature, but an Englishman always takes -a walk. I had nothing to do. Even under the full fury of the sun -walking is better than standing still. I would take a walk. - -I moved slowly round the square, and by the time that I had reached -an opposite corner all my clothes were wet through. On I went, -however, down one dead street and up another. I saw no one but the -pigs, and almost envied them their fleshlessness. I turned another -corner, and I came upon the square again. That seemed to me to be the -lowest depth of all that fiery Pandemonium, and with a quickened step -I passed through but a corner of it. But the sun blazed even fiercer -and fiercer. Should I go back and ask for a seat, if it were but on a -bench in the government scullery, among the female negroes? - -Something I must do, or there would soon be an end of me. There -must be some inn in the place, if I could only find it. I was not -absolutely in the midst of the Great Sahara. There were houses on -each side of me, though they were all closed. I looked at my watch, -and found that ten minutes had passed by since I had been on my legs. -I thought I had wandered for an hour. - -And now I saw an old woman--the first human creature I had seen since -I left the light of the Governor's face; the shade I should say, -meaning to speak of it in the most complimentary terms. "Madam," -said I, "is there an inn here; and if so, where may it be?" "Inn!" -repeated the ancient negress, looking at me in a startled way. "Me -know noting, massa;" and so she passed on. Inns in Jamaica are called -lodging-houses, or else taverns; but I did not find this out till -afterwards. - -And then I saw a man walking quickly with a basket across the street, -some way in advance of me. If I did not run I should miss him; so I -did run; and I hallooed also. I shall never forget the exertion. "Is -there a public-house," I exclaimed, feverishly, "in this ---- place?" -I forget the exact word which should fill up the blank, but I think -it was "blessed." - -"Pubberlic-house, massa, in dis d----m place," said the grinning -negro, repeating my words after me, only that I know _he_ used the -offensive phrase which I have designated. "Pubberlic-house! what -dat?" and then he adjusted his basket on his head, and proceeded to -walk on. - -By this time I was half blind, and my head reeled through the effects -of the sun. But I could not allow myself to perish there, in the -middle of Spanish Town, without an effort. It behoved me as a man to -do something to save my life. So I stopped the fellow, and at last -succeeded in making him understand that I would give him sixpence if -he would conduct me to some house of public entertainment. - -"Oh, de Vellington tavern," said he; and taking me to a corner three -yards from where we stood, he showed me the sign-board. "And now de -two quatties," he said. I knew nothing of quatties then, but I gave -him the sixpence, and in a few minutes I found myself within the -"Wellington." - -It was a miserable hole, but it did afford me shelter. Indeed, it -would not have been so miserable had I known at first, as I did some -few minutes before I left, that there was a better room up stairs. -But the people of the house could not suppose but what every one knew -the "Wellington;" and thought, doubtless, that I preferred remaining -below in the dirt. - -I was over two hours in this place, and even that was not pleasant. -When I went up into the fashionable room above, I found there, among -others, a negro of exceeding blackness. I do not know that I ever saw -skin so purely black. He was talking eagerly with his friends, and -after a while I heard him say, in a voice of considerable dignity, "I -shall bring forward a motion on de subject in de house to-morrow." So -that I had not fallen into bad society. - -But even under these circumstances two hours spent in a tavern -without a book, without any necessity for eating or drinking, is not -pleasant; and I trust that when I next visit Jamaica I may find the -seat of government moved to Kingston. The Governor would do Kingston -some good; and it is on the cards that Kingston might return the -compliment. - -The inns in Kingston rejoice in the grand name of halls. Not that you -ask which is the best hall, or inquire at what hall your friend is -staying; but such is the title given to the individual house. One -is the Date-tree Hall, another Blundle's Hall, a third Barkly Hall, -and so on. I took up my abode at Blundle Hall, and found that the -landlady in whose custody I had placed myself was a sister of good -Mrs. Seacole. "My sister wanted to go to India," said my landlady, -"with the army, you know. But Queen Victoria would not let her; her -life was too precious." So that Mrs. Seacole is a prophet, even in -her own country. - -Much cannot be said for the West Indian hotels in general. By far -the best that I met was at Cien Fuegos, in Cuba. This one, kept by -Mrs. Seacole's sister, was not worse, if not much better, than the -average. It was clean, and reasonable as to its charges. I used to -wish that the patriotic lady who kept it could be induced to abandon -the idea that beefsteaks and onions, and bread and cheese and beer -composed the only diet proper for an Englishman. But it is to be -remarked all through the island that the people are fond of English -dishes, and that they despise, or affect to despise, their own -productions. They will give you ox-tail soup when turtle would be -much cheaper. Roast beef and beefsteaks are found at almost every -meal. An immense deal of beer is consumed. When yams, avocado -pears, the mountain cabbage, plaintains, and twenty other delicious -vegetables may be had for the gathering, people will insist on eating -bad English potatoes; and the desire for English pickles is quite -a passion. This is one phase of that love for England which is so -predominant a characteristic of the white inhabitants of the West -Indies. - -At the inns, as at the private houses, the household servants are -almost always black. The manners of these people are to a stranger -very strange. They are not absolutely uncivil, except on occasions; -but they have an easy, free, patronizing air. If you find fault -with them, they insist on having the last word, and are generally -successful. They do not appear to be greedy of money; rarely ask for -it, and express but little thankfulness when they get it. At home, -in England, one is apt to think that an extra shilling will go a -long way with boots and chambermaid, and produce hotter water, more -copious towels, and quicker attendance than is ordinary. But in the -West Indies a similar result does not follow in a similar degree. -And in the West Indies it is absolutely necessary that these people -should be treated with dignity; and it is not always very easy to -reach the proper point of dignity. They like familiarity, but are -singularly averse to ridicule; and though they wish to be on good -terms with you, they do not choose that these shall be reached -without the proper degree of antecedent ceremony. - -"Halloo, old fellow! how about that bath?" I said one morning to -a lad who had been commissioned to see a bath filled for me. He -was cleaning boots at the time, and went on with his employment, -sedulously, as though he had not heard a word. But he was over -sedulous, and I saw that he heard me. - -"I say, how about that bath?" I continued. But he did not move a -muscle. - -"Put down those boots, sir," I said, going up to him; "and go and do -as I bid you." - -"Who you call fellor? You speak to a gen'lman gen'lmanly, and den he -fill de bath." - -"James," said I, "might I trouble you to leave those boots, and see -the bath filled for me?" and I bowed to him. - -"'Es, sir," he answered, returning my bow; "go at once." And so -he did, perfectly satisfied. Had he imagined, however, that I was -quizzing him, in all probability he would not have gone at all. - -There will be those who will say that I had received a good lesson; -and perhaps I had. But it would be rather cumbersome if we were -forced to treat our juvenile servants at home in this manner--or even -those who are not juvenile. - -I must say this for the servants, that I never knew them to steal -anything, or heard of their doing so from any one else. If any one -deserves to be robbed, I deserve it; for I leave my keys and my -money everywhere, and seldom find time to lock my portmanteau. -But my carelessness was not punished in Jamaica. And this I think -is the character of the people as regards absolute personal -property--personal property that has been housed and garnered--that -has, as it were, been made the possessor's very own. There can be no -more diligent thieves than they are in appropriating to themselves -the fruits of the earth while they are still on the trees. They will -not understand that this is stealing. Nor can much be said for their -honesty in dealing. There is a great difference between cheating and -stealing in the minds of many men, whether they be black or white. - -There are good shops in Kingston, and I believe that men in trade -are making money there. I cannot tell on what principle prices -range themselves as compared with those in England. Some things are -considerably cheaper than with us, and some much, very much dearer. A -pair of excellent duck trousers, if I may be excused for alluding to -them, cost me eighteen shillings when made to order. Whereas, a pair -of evening white gloves could not be had under four-and-sixpence. -That, at least, was the price charged, though I am bound to own that -the shop-boy considerately returned me sixpence, discount for ready -money. - -The men in the shops are generally of the coloured race, and they are -also extremely free and easy in their manners. From them this is more -disagreeable than from the negroes. "Four-and-sixpence for white -gloves!" I said; "is not that high?" "Not at all, sir; by no means. -We consider it rather cheap. But in Kingston, sir, you must not think -about little economies." And he leered at me in a very nauseous -manner as he tied his parcel. However, I ought to forgive him, for -did he not return to me sixpence discount, unasked? - -There are various places of worship in Kingston, and the negroes -are fond of attending them. But they love best that class of -religion which allows them to hear the most of their own voices. -They are therefore fond of Baptists; and fonder of the Wesleyans -than of the Church of England. Many also are Roman Catholics. Their -singing-classes are constantly to be heard as one walks through the -streets. No religion is worth anything to them which does not offer -the allurement of some excitement. - -Very little excitement is to be found in the Church-of-England -Kingston parish church. The church itself, with its rickety pews, and -creaking doors, and wretched seats made purposely so as to render -genuflexion impossible, and the sleepy, droning, somnolent service -are exactly what was so common in England twenty years since; but -which are common no longer, thanks to certain much-abused clerical -gentlemen. Not but that it may still be found in England if -diligently sought for. - -But I must not finish my notice on the town of Kingston without -a word of allusion to my enemies, the musquitoes. Let no -European attempt to sleep there at any time of the year without -musquito-curtains. If he do, it will only be an attempt; which will -probably end in madness and fever before morning. - -Nor will musquito-curtains suffice unless they are brushed out -with no ordinary care, and then tucked in; and unless, also, the -would-be-sleeper, after having cunningly crept into his bed at the -smallest available aperture, carefully pins up that aperture. Your -Kingston musquito is the craftiest of insects, and the most deadly. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -JAMAICA--COUNTRY. - - -I have spoken in disparaging terms of the chief town in Jamaica, -but I can atone for this by speaking in very high terms of the -country. In that island one would certainly prefer the life of the -country mouse. There is scenery in Jamaica which almost equals that -of Switzerland and the Tyrol; and there is also, which is more -essential, a temperature among the mountains in which a European can -live comfortably. - -I travelled over the greater part of the island, and was very much -pleased with it. The drawbacks on such a tour are the expensiveness -of locomotion, the want of hotels, and the badness of the roads. As -to cost, the tourist always consoles himself by reflecting that he is -going to take the expensive journey once, and once only. The badness -of the roads forms an additional excitement; and the want of hotels -is cured, as it probably has been caused, by the hospitality of the -gentry. - -And they are very hospitable--and hospitable, too, under adverse -circumstances. In olden times, when nobody anywhere was so rich as a -Jamaica planter, it was not surprising that he should be always glad -to see his own friends and his friends' friends, and their friends. -Such visits dissipated the ennui of his own life, and the expense was -not appreciable--or, at any rate, not undesirable. An open house was -his usual rule of life. But matters are much altered with him now. -If he be a planter of the olden days, he will have passed through -fire and water in his endeavours to maintain his position. If, as is -more frequently the case, he be a man of new date on his estate, he -will probably have established himself with a small capital; and he -also will have to struggle. But, nevertheless, the hospitality is -maintained, perhaps not on the olden scale, yet on a scale that by no -means requires to be enlarged. - -"It is rather hard on us," said a young planter to me, with whom I -was on terms of sufficient intimacy to discuss such matters--"We send -word to the people at home that we are very poor. They won't quite -believe us, so they send out somebody to see. The somebody comes, -a pleasant-mannered fellow, and we kill our little fatted calf for -him; probably it is only a ewe lamb. We bring out our bottle or two -of the best, that has been put by for a gala day, and so we make -his heart glad. He goes home, and what does he say of us? These -Jamaica planters are princes--the best fellows living; I liked them -amazingly. But as for their poverty, don't believe a word of it. -They swim in claret, and usually bathe in champagne. Now that is -hard, seeing that our common fare is salt fish and rum and water." -I advised him in future to receive such inquirers with his ordinary -fare only. "Yes," said he, "and then we should get it on the other -cheek. We should be abused for our stinginess. No Jamaica man could -stand that." - -It is of course known that the sugar-cane is the chief production of -Jamaica; but one may travel for days in the island and only see a -cane piece here and there. By far the greater portion of the island -is covered with wild wood and jungle--what is there called bush. -Through this, on an occasional favourable spot, and very frequently -on the roadsides, one sees the gardens or provision-grounds of the -negroes. These are spots of land cultivated by them, for which they -either pay rent, or on which, as is quite as common, they have -squatted without payment of any rent. - -These provision-grounds are very picturesque. They are not filled, as -a peasant's garden in England or in Ireland is filled, with potatoes -and cabbages, or other vegetables similarly uninteresting in their -growth; but contain cocoa-trees, breadfruit-trees, oranges, mangoes, -limes, plantains, jack fruit, sour-sop, avocado pears, and a score of -others, all of which are luxuriant trees, some of considerable size, -and all of them of great beauty. The breadfruit-tree and the mango -are especially lovely, and I know nothing prettier than a grove of -oranges in Jamaica. In addition to this, they always have the yam, -which is with the negro somewhat as the potato is with the Irishman; -only that the Irishman has nothing else, whereas the negro generally -has either fish or meat, and has also a score of other fruits besides -the yam. - -The yam, too, is picturesque in its growth. As with the potato, the -root alone is eaten, but the upper part is fostered and cared for -as a creeper, so that the ground may be unencumbered by its thick -tendrils. Support is provided for it as for grapes or peas. Then one -sees also in these provision-grounds patches of coffee and arrowroot, -and occasionally also patches of sugar-cane. - -A man wishing to see the main features of the whole island, and -proceeding from Kingston as his head-quarters, must take two distinct -tours, one to the east and the other to the west. The former may be -best done on horseback, as the roads are, one may say, non-existent -for a considerable portion of the way, and sometimes almost worse -than non-existent in other places. - -One of the most remarkable characteristics of Jamaica is the -copiousness of its rivers. It is said that its original name, -Xaymaca, signifies a country of streams; and it certainly is not -undeserved. This copiousness, though it adds to the beauty, as no -doubt it does also to its salubrity and fertility, adds something -too to the difficulty of locomotion. Bridges have not been built, or, -sad to say, have been allowed to go to destruction. One hears that -this river or that river is "down," whereby it is signified that the -waters are swollen; and some of the rivers when so down are certainly -not easy of passage. Such impediments are more frequent in the east -than elsewhere, and on this account travelling on horseback is the -safest as well as the most expeditious means of transit. I found four -horses to be necessary, one for the groom, one for my clothes, and -two for myself. A lighter weight might have done with three. - -An Englishman feels some bashfulness in riding up to a stranger's -door with such a cortége, and bearing as an introduction a message -from somebody else, to say that you are to be entertained. But I -always found that such a message was a sufficient passport. "It is -our way," one gentleman said to me, in answer to my apology. "When -four or five come in for dinner after ten o'clock at night, we do -think it hard, seeing that meat won't keep in this country." - -Hotels, as an institution, are, on the whole, a comfortable -arrangement. One prefers, perhaps, ordering one's dinner to asking -for it; and many men delight in the wide capability of finding fault -which an inn affords. But they are very hostile to the spirit of -hospitality. The time will soon come when the backwoodsman will have -his tariff for public accommodation, and an Arab will charge you a -fixed price for his pipe and cup of coffee in the desert. But that -era has not yet been reached in Jamaica. - -Crossing the same river four-and-twenty times is tedious; especially -if this is done in heavy rain, when the road is a narrow track -through thickly-wooded ravines, and when an open umbrella is -absolutely necessary. But so often had we to cross the Waag-water in -our route from Kingston to the northern shore. - -It was here that I first saw the full effect of tropical vegetation, -and I shall never forget it. Perhaps the most graceful of all the -woodland productions is the bamboo. It grows either in clusters, like -clumps of trees in an English park, or, as is more usual when found -in its indigenous state, in long rows by the riversides. The trunk -of the bamboo is a huge hollow cane, bearing no leaves except at its -head. One such cane alone would be uninteresting enough. But their -great height, the peculiarly graceful curve of their growth, and -the excessive thickness of the drooping foliage of hundreds of them -clustered together produce an effect which nothing can surpass. - -The cotton-tree is almost as beautiful when standing alone. The trunk -of this tree grows to a magnificent height, and with magnificent -proportions: it is frequently straight; and those which are most -beautiful throw out no branches till they have reached a height -greater than that of any ordinary tree with us. Nature, in order -to sustain so large a mass, supplies it with huge spurs at the -foot, which act as buttresses for its support, connecting the roots -immediately with the trunk as much as twenty feet above the ground. -I measured more than one, which, including the buttresses, were over -thirty feet in circumference. Then from its head the branches break -forth in most luxurious profusion, covering an enormous extent of -ground with their shade. - -But the most striking peculiarity of these trees consists in the -parasite plants by which they are enveloped, and which hang from -their branches down to the ground with tendrils of wonderful -strength. These parasites are of various kinds, the fig being the -most obdurate with its embraces. It frequently may be seen that the -original tree has departed wholly from sight, and I should imagine -almost wholly from existence; and then the very name is changed, -and the cotton-tree is called a fig-tree. In others the process of -destruction may be observed, and the interior trunk may be seen to be -stayed in its growth and stunted in its measure by the creepers which -surround it. This pernicious embrace the natives describe as "The -Scotchman hugging the Creole." The metaphor is sufficiently satirical -upon our northern friends, who are supposed not to have thriven badly -in their visits to the Western islands. - -But it often happens that the tree has reached its full growth -before the parasites have fallen on it, and then, in place of being -strangled, it is adorned. Every branch is covered with a wondrous -growth--with plants of a thousand colours and a thousand sorts. Some -droop with long and graceful tendrils from the boughs, and so touch -the ground; while others hang in a ball of leaves and flowers, which -swing for years, apparently without changing their position. - -The growth of these parasite plants must be slow, though it is so -very rich. A gentleman with whom I was staying, and in whose grounds -I saw by far the most lovely tree of this description that met my -sight, assured me that he had watched it closely for more than -twenty years, and that he could trace no difference in the size or -arrangement of the parasite plants by which it was surrounded. - -We went across the island to a little village called Annotta Bay, -traversing the Waag-water twenty-four times, as I have said; and -from thence, through the parishes of Metcalf and St. George, to Port -Antonio. "Fuit ilium et ingens gloria." This may certainly be said -of Port Antonio and the adjacent district. It was once a military -station, and the empty barracks, standing so beautifully over the -sea, on an extreme point of land, are now waiting till time shall -reduce them to ruin. The place is utterly desolate, though not yet -broken up in its desolation, as such buildings quickly become when -left wholly untenanted. A rusty cannon or two still stand at the -embrasures, watching the entrance to the fort; and among the grass -we found a few metal balls, the last remains of the last ordnance -supplies. - -But Port Antonio was once a goodly town, and the country round it, -the parish of Portland, is as fertile as any in the island. But now -there is hardly a sugar estate in the whole parish. It is given -up to the growth of yams, cocoas, and plantains. It has become a -provision-ground for negroes, and the palmy days of the town are of -course gone. - -Nevertheless, there was a decent little inn at Port Antonio, which -will always be memorable to me on account of the love sorrows of a -young maiden whom I chanced to meet there. The meeting was in this -wise:-- - -I was sitting in the parlour of the inn, after dinner, when a young -lady walked in, dressed altogether in white. And she was well -dressed, and not without the ordinary decoration of crinoline and -ribbons. She was of the coloured race; and her jet black, crisp, yet -wavy hair was brushed back in a becoming fashion. Whence she came or -who she was I did not know, and never learnt. That she was familiar -in the house I presumed from her moving the books and little -ornaments on the table, and arranging the cups and shells upon a -shelf. "Heigh-ho!" she ejaculated, when I had watched her for about a -minute. - -I hardly knew how to accost her, for I object to the word Miss, as -standing alone; and yet it was necessary that I should accost her. -"Ah, well: heigh-ho!" she repeated. It was easy to perceive that she -had a grief to tell. - -"Lady," said I--I felt that the address was somewhat stilted, but in -the lack of any introduction I knew not how else to begin--"Lady, I -fear that you are in sorrow?" - -"Sorrow enough!" said she. "I'se in de deepest sorrow. Heigh-ho me! -Well, de world will end some day," and turning her face full upon -me, she crossed her hands. I was seated on a sofa, and she came and -sat beside me, crossing her hands upon her lap, and looking away to -the opposite wall. I am not a very young man; and my friends have -told me that I show strongly that steady married appearance of a -paterfamilias which is so apt to lend assurance to maiden timidity. - -"It will end some day for us all," I replied. "But with you, it has -hardly yet had its beginning." - -"'Tis a very bad world, and sooner over de better. To be treated so's -enough to break any girl's heart; it is! My heart's clean broke, I -know dat." And as she put both her long, thin dark hands to her side, -I saw that she had not forgotten her rings. - -"It is love then that ails you?" - -"No!" She said this very sharply, turning full round upon me, and -fixing her large black eyes upon mine. "No, I don't love him one bit; -not now, and never again. No, not if he were down dere begging." And -she stamped her little foot upon the ground as though she had an -imaginary neck beneath her heel. - -"But you did love him?" - -"Yes." She spoke very softly now, and shook her head gently. "I did -love him--oh, so much! He was so handsome, so nice! I shall never see -such a man again: such eyes; such a mouth! and then his nose! He was -a Jew, you know." - -I had not known it before, and received the information perhaps with -some little start of surprise. - -"Served me right; didn't it? And I'se a Baptist, you know. They'd -have read me out, I know dat. But I didn't seem to mind it den." And -then she gently struck one hand with the other, as she smiled sweetly -in my face. The trick is customary with the coloured women in the -West Indies when they have entered upon a nice familiar, pleasant bit -of chat. At this period I felt myself to be sufficiently intimate -with her to ask her name. - -"Josephine; dat's my name. D'you like dat name?" - -"It's as pretty as its owner--nearly." - -"Pretty! no; I'se not pretty. If I was pretty, he'd not have left me -so. He used to call me Feeny." - -"What! the Jew did." I thought it might be well to detract from the -merit of the lost admirer. "A girl like you should have a Christian -lover." - -"Dat's what dey all says." - -"Of course they do: you ought to be glad it's over." - -"I ain't tho'; not a bit; tho' I do hate him so. Oh, I hate him; I -hate him! I hate him worse dan poison." And again her little foot -went to work. I must confess that it was a pretty foot; and as for -her waist, I never saw one better turned, or more deftly clothed. Her -little foot went to work upon the floor, and then clenching her small -right hand, she held it up before my face as though to show me that -she knew how to menace. - -I took her hand in mine, and told her that those fingers had not -been made for threats. "You are a Christian," said I, "and should -forgive." - -"I'se a Baptist," she replied; "and in course I does forgive him: I -does forgive him; but--! He'll be wretched in this life, I know; and -she--she'll be wretcheder; and when he dies--oh-h-h-h!" - -In that prolonged expression there was a curse as deep as any that -Ernulphus ever gave. Alas! such is the forgiveness of too many a -Christian! - -"As for me, I wouldn't demean myself to touch de hem of her garment! -Poor fellow! What a life he'll have; for she's a virgo with a -vengeance." This at the moment astonished me; but from the whole -tenor of the lady's speech I was at once convinced that no satirical -allusion was intended. In the hurry of her fluttering thoughts she -had merely omitted the letter "a." It was her rival's temper, not her -virtue, that she doubted. - -"The Jew is going to be married then?" - -"He told her so; but p'raps he'll jilt her too, you know." It was -easy to see that the idea was not an unpleasant one. - -"And then he'll come back to you?" - -"Yes, yes; and I'll spit at him;" and in the fury of her mind she -absolutely did perform the operation. "I wish he would; I'd sit so, -and listen to him;" and she crossed her hands and assumed an air of -dignified quiescence which well became her. "I'd listen every word -he say; just so. Every word till he done; and I'd smile"--and she -did smile--"and den when he offer me his hand"--and she put out her -own--"I'd spit at him, and leave him so." And rising majestically -from her seat she stalked out of the room. - -As she fully closed the door behind her, I thought that the interview -was over, and that I should see no more of my fair friend; but in -this I was mistaken. The door was soon reopened, and she again seated -herself on the sofa beside me. - -"Your heart would permit of your doing that?" said I; "and he with -such a beautiful nose?" - -"Yes; it would. I'd 'spise myself to take him now, if he was ever so -beautiful. But I'se sure of this, I'll never love no oder man--never -again. He did dance so genteelly." - -"A Baptist dance!" I exclaimed. - -"Well; it wasn't de ting, was it? And I knew I'd be read out; oh, but -it was so nice! I'll never have no more dancing now. I've just taken -up with a class now, you know, since he's gone." - -"Taken up with a class?" - -"Yes; I teaches the nigger children; and I has a card for the -minister. I got four dollars last week, and you must give me -something." - -Now I hate Baptists--as she did her lover--like poison; and even -under such pressure as this I could not bring myself to aid in their -support. - -"You very stingy man! Caspar Isaacs"--he was her lost lover--"gave me -a dollar." - -"But perhaps you gave him a kiss." - -"Perhaps I did," said she. "But you may be quite sure of this, quite; -I'll never give him anoder," and she again slapped one hand upon the -other, and compressed her lips, and gently shook her head as she made -the declaration, "I'll never give him anoder kiss--dat's sure as -fate." - -I had nothing further to say, and began to feel that I ought not to -detain the lady longer. We sat together, however, silent for a while, -and then she arose and spoke to me standing. "I'se in a reg'lar -difficulty now, however; and it's just about that I am come to ask -you." - -"Well, Josephine, anything that I can do to help you--" - -"'Tain't much; I only want your advice. I'se going to Kingston, you -see." - -"Ah, you'll find another lover there." - -"It's not for dat den, for I don't want none; but I'se going anyways, -'cause I live dere." - -"Oh, you live at Kingston?" - -"Course I does. And I'se no ways to go but just in de droger"--the -West Indian coasting vessels are so called. - -"Don't you like going in the droger?" I asked. - -"Oh, yes; I likes it well enough." - -"Are you sea-sick?" - -"Oh, no." - -"Then what's the harm of the droger?" - -"Why, you see"--and she turned away her face and looked towards the -window--"why you see, Isaacs is the captain of her, and 'twill be so -odd like." - -"You could not possibly have a better opportunity for recovering all -that you have lost." - -"You tink so?" - -"Certainly." - -"Den you know noting about it. I will never recover noting of him, -never. Bah! But I tell you what I'll do. I'll pay him my pound for -my passage; and den it'll be a purely 'mercial transaction." - -On this point I agreed with her, and then she offered me her hand -with the view of bidding me farewell. "Good-bye, Josephine," I said; -"perhaps you would be happier with a Christian husband." - -"P'raps I would; p'raps better with none at all. But I don't tink -I'll ever be happy no more. 'Tis so dull: good-bye." Were I a girl, I -doubt whether I also would not sooner dance with a Jew than pray with -a Baptist. - -"Good-bye, Josephine." I pressed her hand, and so she went, and I -never saw nor heard more of her. - -There was not about my Josephine all the pathos of Maria; nor can -I tell my story as Sterne told his. But Josephine in her sorrow was -I think more true to human nature than Maria. It may perhaps be -possible that Sterne embellished his facts. I, at any rate, have not -done that. - -I had another adventure at Port Antonio. About two o'clock in the -morning there was an earthquake, and we were all nearly shaken out of -our beds. Some one rushed into my room, declaring that not a stone -would be left standing of Port Royal. There were two distinct blows, -separated by some seconds, and a loud noise was heard. I cannot say -that I was frightened, as I had not time to realize the fact of the -earthquake before it was all over. No harm was done, I believe, -anywhere, beyond the disseverance of a little plaster from the walls. - -The largest expanse of unbroken cane-fields in Jamaica is at the -extreme south-east, in the parish of St. George's in the East. Here -I saw a plain of about four thousand acres under canes. It looked to -be prosperous; but I was told by the planter with whom I was staying -that the land had lately been deluged with water; that the canes -were covered with mud; and that the crops would be very short. Poor -Jamaica! It seems as though all the elements are in league against -her. - -I was not sorry to return to Kingston from this trip, for I was -tired of the saddle. In Jamaica everybody rides, but nobody seems to -get much beyond a walk. Now to me there is no pace on horseback so -wearying as an unbroken walk. I did goad my horse into trotting, but -it was clear that the animal was not used to it. - -Shortly afterwards I went to the west. The distances here were -longer, but the journey was made on wheels, and was not so fatiguing. -Moreover, I stayed some little time with a friend in one of the -distant parishes of the island. The scenery during the whole -expedition was very grand. The road goes through Spanish Town, and -then divides itself, one road going westward by the northern coast, -and the other by that to the south. I went by the former, and began -my journey by the bog or bogue walk, a road through a magnificent -ravine, and then over Mount Diabolo. The Devil assumes to himself all -the finest scenery in all countries. Of a delicious mountain tarn he -makes his punch-bowl; he loves to leap from crag to crag over the -wildest ravines; he builds picturesque bridges in most impassable -sites; and makes roads over mountains at gradients not to be -attempted by the wildest engineer. The road over Mount Diabolo is -very fine, and the view back to Kingston very grand. - -From thence I went down into the parish of St. Anns, on the northern -side. They all speak of St. Anns as being the most fertile district -in the island. The inhabitants are addicted to grazing rather than -sugarmaking, and thrive in that pursuit very well. But all Jamaica is -suited for a grazing-ground, and all the West Indies should be the -market for their cattle. - -On the northern coast there are two towns, Falmouth and Montego Bay, -both of which are, at any rate in appearance, more prosperous than -Kingston. I cannot say that the streets are alive with trade; but -they do not appear to be so neglected, desolate, and wretched as the -metropolis or the seat of government. They have jails and hospitals, -mayors and magistrates, and are, except in atmosphere, very like -small country towns in England. - -The two furthermost parishes of Jamaica are Hanover and Westmoreland, -and I stayed for a short time with a gentleman who lives on the -borders of the two. I certainly was never in a more lovely country. -He was a sugar planter; but the canes and sugar, which, after -all, are ugly and by no means savoury appurtenances, were located -somewhere out of sight. As far as I myself might know, from what I -saw, my host's ordinary occupations were exactly those of a country -gentleman in England. He fished and shot, and looked after his -estate, and acted as a magistrate; and over and above this, was -somewhat particular about his dinner, and the ornamentation of the -land immediately round his house. I do not know that Fate can give a -man a pleasanter life. If, however, he did at unseen moments inspect -his cane-holes, and employ himself among the sugar hogsheads and rum -puncheons, it must be acknowledged that he had a serious drawback on -his happiness. - -Country life in Jamaica certainly has its attractions. The day is -generally begun at six o'clock, when a cup of coffee is brought in by -a sable minister. I believe it is customary to take this in bed, or -rather on the bed; for in Jamaica one's connection with one's bed -does not amount to getting into it. One gets within the musquito net, -and then plunges about with a loose sheet, which is sometimes on and -sometimes off. With the cup of coffee comes a small modicum of dry -toast. - -After that the toilet progresses, not at a rapid pace. A tub of cold -water and dilettante dressing will do something more than kill an -hour, so that it is half-past seven or eight before one leaves one's -room. When one first arrives in the West Indies, one hears much of -early morning exercise, especially for ladies; and for ladies, early -morning exercise is the only exercise possible. But it appeared to -me that I heard more of it than I saw. And even as regards early -travelling, the eager promise was generally broken. An assumed start -at five a.m. usually meant seven; and one at six, half-past eight. -This, however, is the time of day at which the sugar grower is -presumed to look at his canes, and the grazier to inspect his kine. -At this hour--eight o'clock, that is--the men ride, and _sometimes_ -also the ladies. And when the latter ceremony does take place, there -is no pleasanter hour in all the four-and-twenty. - -At ten or half-past ten the nation sits down to breakfast; not to a -meal, my dear Mrs. Jones, consisting of tea and bread and butter, -with two eggs for the master of the family and one for the mistress; -but a stout, solid banquet, consisting of fish, beefsteaks--a -breakfast is not a breakfast in the West Indies without beefsteaks -and onions, nor is a dinner so to be called without bread and cheese -and beer--potatoes, yams, plaintains, eggs, and half a dozen "tinned" -productions, namely, meats sent from England in tin cases. Though -they have every delicacy which the world can give them of native -production, all these are as nothing, unless they also have something -from England. Then there are tea and chocolate upon the table, and -on the sideboard beer and wine, rum and brandy. 'Tis so that they -breakfast at rural quarters in Jamaica. - -Then comes the day. Ladies may not subject their fair skin to the -outrages of a tropical sun, and therefore, unless on very special -occasions, they do not go out between breakfast and dinner. That they -occupy themselves well during the while, charity feels convinced. -Sarcasm, however, says that they do not sin from over energy. For -my own part, I do not care a doit for sarcasm. When their lords -reappear, they are always found smiling, well-dressed, and pretty; -and then after dinner they have but one sin--there is but one -drawback--they will go to bed at 9 o'clock. - -But by the men during the day it did not seem to me that the sun -was much regarded, or that it need be much regarded. One cannot and -certainly should not walk much; and no one does walk. A horse is -there as a matter of course, and one walks upon that; not a great -beast sixteen hands high, requiring all manner of levers between its -jaws, capricoling and prancing about, and giving a man a deal of work -merely to keep his seat and look stately; but a canny little quiet -brute, fed chiefly on grass, patient of the sun, and not inclined to -be troublesome. With such legs under him, and at a distance of some -twenty miles from the coast, a man may get about in Jamaica pretty -nearly as well as he can in England. - -I saw various grazing farms--pens they are here called--while I was -in this part of the country; and I could not but fancy that grazing -should in Jamaica be the natural and most beneficial pursuit of the -proprietor, as on the other side of the Atlantic it certainly is in -Ireland. I never saw grass to equal the guinea grass in some of the -parishes; and at Knockalva I looked at Hereford cattle which I have -rarely, if ever, seen beaten at any agricultural show in England. -At present the island does not altogether supply itself with meat; -but it might do so, and supply, moreover, nearly the whole of the -remaining West Indies. Proprietors of land say that the sea transit -is too costly. Of course it is at present; the trade not yet -existing; for indeed, at present there is no means of such transit. -But screw steamers now always appear quickly enough wherever freight -offers itself; and if the cattle were there, they would soon find -their way down to the Windward Islands. - -But I am running away from my day. The inspection of a pen or two, -perhaps occasionally of the sugar works when they are about, soon -wears through the hours, and at five preparations commence for the -six o'clock dinner. The dressing again is a dilettante process, even -for the least dandified of mankind. It is astonishing how much men -think, and must think, of their clothes when within the tropics. -Dressing is necessarily done slowly, or else one gets heated quicker -than one has cooled down. And then one's clothes always want airing, -and the supply of clean linen is necessarily copious, or, at any -rate, should be so. Let no man think that he can dress for dinner in -ten minutes because he is accustomed to do so in England. He cannot -brush his hair, or pull on his boots, or fasten his buttons at the -same pace he does at home. He dries his face very leisurely, and sits -down gravely to rest before he draws on his black pantaloons. - -Dressing for dinner, however, is _de rigeur_ in the West Indies. If -a black coat, &c., could be laid aside anywhere as barbaric, and -light loose clothing adopted, this should be done here. The soldiers, -at least the privates, are already dressed as Zouaves; and children -and negroes are hardly dressed at all. But the visitor, victim of -tropical fashionable society, must appear in black clothing, because -black clothing is the thing in England. "The Governor won't see you -in that coat," was said to me once on my way to Spanish Town, "even -on a morning." The Governor did see me, and as far as I could observe -did not know whether or no I had on any coat. Such, however, is the -feeling of the place. But we shall never get to dinner. - -This again is a matter of considerable importance, as, indeed, -where is it not? While in England we are all writing letters to the -'Times,' to ascertain how closely we can copy the vices of Apicius on -eight hundred pounds a year, and complaining because in our perverse -stupidity we cannot pamper our palates with sufficient variety, it is -not open to us to say a word against the luxuries of a West Indian -table. We have reached the days when a man not only eats his best, -but complains bitterly and publicly because he cannot eat better; -when we sigh out loud because no Horace will teach us where the -sweetest cabbage grows; how best to souse our living poultry, so that -their fibres when cooked may not offend our teeth. These lessons of -Horace are accounted among his Satires. But what of that? That which -was satire to Augustine Rome shall be simple homely teaching to the -subject of Victoria with his thousand a year. - -But the cook in the Jamaica country house is a person of importance, -and I am inclined to think that the lady whom I have accused of -idleness does during those vacant interlunar hours occasionally peer -into her kitchen. The results at any rate are good--sufficiently so -to break the hearts of some of our miserable eight hundred a year men -at home. - -After dinner no wine is taken--none, at least, beyond one glass with -the ladies, and, if you choose it, one after they are gone. Before -dinner, as I should have mentioned before, a glass of bitters is as -much _de rigeur_ as the black coat. I know how this will disgust many -a kindly friend in dear good old thickly-prejudiced native England. -Yes, ma'am, bitters! No, not gin and bitters, such as the cabmen take -at the gin-palaces; not gin and bitters at all, unless you specially -request it; but sherry and bitters; and a very pretty habit it is for -a warm country. If you don't drink your wine after dinner, why not -take it before? I have no doubt that it is the more wholesome habit -of the two. - -Not that I recommend, even in the warmest climate, a second bitter, -or a third. There are spots in the West Indies where men take third -bitters, and long bitters, in which the bitter time begins when the -soda water and brandy time ends--in which the latter commences when -the breakfast beer-bottles disappear. There are such places, but they -must not be named by me in characters plainly legible. To kiss and -tell is very criminal, as the whole world knows. But while on the -subject of bitters, I must say this: Let no man ever allow himself to -take a long bitter such as men make at ----. It is beyond the power -of man to stop at one. A long bitter duly swiggled is your true West -Indian syren. - -And then men and women saunter out on the verandah, or perhaps, if it -be starlight or moonlight, into the garden. Oh, what stars they are, -those in that western tropical world! How beautiful a woman looks by -their light, how sweet the air smells, how gloriously legible are -the constellations of the heavens! And then one sips a cup of coffee, -and there is a little chat, the lightest of the light, and a little -music, light enough also, and at nine one retires to one's light -slumbers. It is a pleasant life for a short time, though the flavour -of the _dolce far niente_ is somewhat too prevalent for Saxon -energies fresh from Europe. - -Such are the ordinary evenings of society; but there are occasions -when no complaint can be made of lack of energy. The soul of a -Jamaica lady revels in a dance. Dancing is popular in England--is -popular almost everywhere, but in Jamaica it is the elixir of life; -the Medea's cauldron, which makes old people young; the cup of Circe, -which neither man nor woman can withstand. Look at that lady who has -been content to sit still and look beautiful for the last two hours; -let but the sound of a polka meet her and she will awake to life as -lively, to motion as energetic, as that of a Scotch sportsman on the -12th of August. It is singular how the most listless girl who seems -to trail through her long days almost without moving her limbs, will -continue to waltz and polk and rush up and down a galopade from ten -till five; and then think the hours all too short! - -And it is not the girls only, and the boys--begging their pardon--who -rave for dancing. Steady matrons of five-and-forty are just as -anxious, and grave senators, whose years are past naming. See that -gentleman with the bald head and grizzled beard, how sedulously he is -making up his card! "Madam, the fourth polka," he says to the stout -lady in the turban and the yellow slip, who could not move yesterday -because of her rheumatism. "I'm full up to the fifth," she replies, -looking at the MS. hanging from her side; "but shall be so happy for -the sixth, or perhaps the second schottische." And then, after a -little grave conference, the matter is settled between them. - -"I hope you dance quick dances," a lady said to me. "Quick!" I -replied in my ignorance; "has not one to go by the music in Jamaica?" -"Oh, you goose! don't you know what quick dances are? I never -dance anything but quick dances, quadrilles are so deadly dull." I -could not but be amused at this new theory as to the quick and the -dead--new at least to me, though, alas! I found myself tabooed from -all the joys of the night by this invidious distinction. - -In the West Indies, polkas and the like are quick dances; quadrilles -and their counterparts are simply dead. A lady shows you no -compliment by giving you her hand for the latter; in that you have -merely to amuse her by conversation. Flirting, as any practitioner -knows, is spoilt by much talking. Many words make the amusement -either absurd or serious, and either alternative is to be avoided. - -And thus I soon became used to quick dances and long drinks--that -is, in my vocabulary. "Will you have a long drink or a short one?" -It sounds odd, but is very expressive. A long drink is taken from -a tumbler, a short one from a wine-glass. The whole extent of the -choice thus becomes intelligible. - -Many things are necessary, and many changes must be made before -Jamaica can again enjoy all her former prosperity. I do not know -whether the total abolition of the growth of sugar be not one of -them. But this I do know, that whatever be their produce, they must -have roads on which to carry it before they can grow rich. The roads -through the greater part of the island are very bad indeed; and those -along the southern coast, through the parishes of St. Elizabeth, -Manchester, and Clarendon, are by no means among the best. I returned -to Kingston by this route, and shall never forget some of my -difficulties. On the whole, the south-western portion of the island -is by no means equal to the northern. - -I took a third expedition up to Newcastle, where are placed the -barracks for our white troops, to the Blue Mountain peak, and to -various gentlemen's houses in these localities. For grandeur of -scenery this is the finest part of the island. The mountains are far -too abrupt, and the land too much broken for those lovely park-like -landscapes of which the parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover are -full, and of which Stuttlestone, the property of Lord Howard de -Walden, is perhaps the most beautiful specimen. But nothing can be -grander, either in colour or grouping, than the ravines of the Blue -Mountain ranges of hills. Perhaps the finest view in the island is -from Raymond Lodge, a house high up among the mountains, in which--so -local rumour says--'Tom Cringle's Log' was written. - -To reach these regions a man must be an equestrian--as must also -a woman. No lady lives there so old but what she is to be seen on -horseback, nor any child so young. Babies are carried up there on -pillows, and whole families on ponies. 'Tis here that bishops and -generals love to dwell, that their daughters may have rosy cheeks, -and their sons stalwart limbs. And they are right. Children that are -brought up among these mountains, though they live but twelve or -eighteen miles from their young friends down at Kingston, cannot be -taken as belonging to the same race. I can imagine no more healthy -climate than the mountains round Newcastle. - -I shall not soon forget my ride to Newcastle. Two ladies accompanied -me and my excellent friend who was pioneering me through the country; -and they were kind enough to show us the way over all the break-neck -passes in the country. To them and to their horses, these were like -easy highroads; but to me,--! It was manifestly a disappointment to -them that my heart did not faint visibly within me. - -I have hunted in Carmarthenshire, and a man who has done that ought -to be able to ride anywhere; but in riding over some of these -razorback crags, my heart, though it did not faint visibly, did -almost do so invisibly. However, we got safely to Newcastle, and -our fair friends returned over the same route with no other escort -than that of a black groom. In spite of the crags the ride was not -unpleasant. - -One would almost enlist as a full private in one of her Majesty's -regiments of the line if one were sure of being quartered for ever at -Newcastle--at Newcastle, Jamaica, I mean. Other Newcastles of which I -wot have by no means equal attraction. This place also is accessible -only by foot or on horseback; and is therefore singularly situated -for a barrack. But yet it consists now of a goodly village, in -which live colonels, and majors, and chaplains, and surgeons, and -purveyors, all in a state of bliss--as it were in a second Eden. It -is a military paradise, in which war is spoken of, and dinners and -dancing abound. If good air and fine scenery be dear to the heart of -the British soldier, he ought to be happy at Newcastle. Nevertheless, -I prefer the views from Raymond Lodge to any that Newcastle can -afford. - -And now I have a mournful story to tell. Did any man ever know of any -good befalling him from going up a mountain; always excepting Albert -Smith, who, we are told, has realized half a million by going up -Mont Blanc? If a man can go up his mountains in Piccadilly, it may -be all very well; in so doing he perhaps may see the sun rise, and -be able to watch nature in her wildest vagaries. But as for the -true ascent--the nasty, damp, dirty, slippery, boot-destroying, -shin-breaking, veritable mountain! Let me recommend my friends to -let it alone, unless they have a gift for making half a million in -Piccadilly. I have tried many a mountain in a small way, and never -found one to answer. I hereby protest that I will never try another. - -However, I did go up the Blue Mountain Peak, which ascends--so I was -told--to the respectable height of 8,000 feet above the sea level. -To enable me to do this, I provided myself with a companion, and he -provided me with five negroes, a supply of beef, bread, and water, -some wine and brandy, and what appeared to me to be about ten gallons -of rum; for we were to spend the night on the Blue Mountain Peak, in -order that the rising sun might be rightly worshipped. - -For some considerable distance we rode, till we came indeed to the -highest inhabited house in the island. This is the property of a -coffee-planter who lives there, and who divides his time and energies -between the growth of coffee and the entertainment of visitors to the -mountain. So hospitable an old gentleman, or one so droll in speech, -or singular in his mode of living, I shall probably never meet again. -His tales as to the fate of other travellers made me tremble for what -might some day be told of my own adventures. He feeds you gallantly, -sends you on your way with a God-speed, and then hands you down to -derision with the wickedest mockery. He is the gibing spirit of -the mountain, and I would at any rate recommend no ladies to trust -themselves to his courtesies. - -Here we entered and called for the best of everything--beer, brandy, -coffee, ringtailed doves, salt fish, fat fowls, English potatoes, -hot pickles, and Worcester sauce. "What, C----, no Worcester sauce! -Gammon; make the fellow go and look for it." 'Tis thus hospitality -is claimed in Jamaica; and in process of time the Worcester sauce -was forthcoming. It must be remembered that every article of food -has to be carried up to this place on mules' backs, over the tops of -mountains for twenty or thirty miles. - -When we had breakfasted and drunk and smoked, and promised our host -that he should have the pleasure of feeding us again on the morrow, -we proceeded on our way. The five negroes each had loads on their -heads and cutlasses in their hands. We ourselves travelled without -other burdens than our own big sticks. - -I have nothing remarkable to tell of the ascent. We soon got into -a cloud, and never got out of it. But that is a matter of course. -We were soon wet through up to our middles, but that is a matter -of course also. We came to various dreadful passages, which broke -our toes and our nails and our hats, the worst of which was called -Jacob's ladder--also a matter of course. Every now and then we -regaled the negroes with rum, and the more rum we gave them the more -they wanted. And every now and then we regaled ourselves with brandy -and water, and the oftener we regaled ourselves the more we required -to be regaled. All which things are matters of course. And so we -arrived at the Blue Mountain Peak. - -Our first two objects were to construct a hut and collect wood for -firing. As for any enjoyment from the position, that, for that -evening, was quite out of the question. We were wet through and -through, and could hardly see twenty yards before us on any side. -So we set the men to work to produce such mitigation of our evil -position as was possible. - -We did build a hut, and we did make a fire; and we did administer -more rum to the negroes, without which they refused to work at all. -When a black man knows that you want him, he is apt to become very -impudent, especially when backed by rum; and at such times they -altogether forget, or at any rate disregard, the punishment that may -follow in the shape of curtailed gratuities. - -Slowly and mournfully we dried ourselves at the fire; or rather did -not dry ourselves, but scorched our clothes and burnt our boots in -a vain endeavour to do so. It is a singular fact, but one which -experience has fully taught me, that when a man is thoroughly wet he -may burn his trousers off his legs and his shoes off his feet, and -yet they will not be dry--nor will he. Mournfully we turned ourselves -before the fire--slowly, like badly-roasted joints of meat; and the -result was exactly that: we were badly roasted--roasted and raw at -the same time. - -And then we crept into our hut, and made one of these wretched -repasts in which the collops of food slip down and get sat upon; in -which the salt is blown away and the bread saturated in beer; in -which one gnaws one's food as Adam probably did, but as men need -not do now, far removed as they are from Adam's discomforts. A man -may cheerfully go without his dinner and feed like a beast when he -gains anything by it; but when he gains nothing, and has his boots -scorched off his feet into the bargain, it is hard then for him to -be cheerful. I was bound to be jolly, as my companion had come there -merely for my sake; but how it came to pass that he did not become -sulky, that was the miracle. As it was, I know full well that he -wished me--safe in England. - -Having looked to our fire and smoked a sad cigar, we put ourselves -to bed in our hut. The operation consisted in huddling on all the -clothes we had. But even with this the cold prevented us from -sleeping. The chill damp air penetrated through two shirts, two -coats, two pairs of trousers. It was impossible to believe that we -were in the tropics. - -And then the men got drunk and refused to cut more firewood, and -disputes began which lasted all night; and all was cold, damp, -comfortless, wretched, and endless. And so the morning came. - -That it was morning our watches told us, and also a dull dawning of -muddy light through the constant mist; but as for sunrise--! The sun -may rise for those who get up decently from their beds in the plains -below, but there is no sunrising on Helvellyn, or Righi, or the Blue -Mountain Peak. Nothing rises there; but mists and clouds are for ever -falling. - -And then we packed up our wretched traps, and again descended. While -coming up some quips and cranks had passed between us and our sable -followers; but now all was silent as grim death. We were thinking -of our sore hands and bruised feet; were mindful of the dirt which -clogged us, and the damp which enveloped us; were mindful also a -little of our spoilt raiment, and ill-requited labours. Our wit did -not flow freely as we descended. - -A second breakfast with the man of the mountain, and a glorious bath -in a huge tank somewhat restored us, and as we regained our horses -the miseries of our expedition were over. My friend fervently and -loudly declared that no spirit of hospitality, no courtesy to a -stranger, no human eloquence should again tempt him to ascend the -Blue Mountains; and I cordially advised him to keep his resolution. -I made no vows aloud, but I may here protest that any such vows were -unnecessary. - -I afterwards visited another seat, Flamstead, which, as regards -scenery, has rival claims to those of Raymond Lodge. The views from -Flamstead were certainly very beautiful; but on the whole I preferred -my first love. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -JAMAICA--BLACK MEN. - - -To an Englishman who has never lived in a slave country, or in a -country in which slavery once prevailed, the negro population is of -course the most striking feature of the West Indies. But the eye soon -becomes accustomed to the black skin and the thick lip, and the ear -to the broken patois which is the nearest approach to English which -the ordinary negro ever makes. When one has been a week among them, -the novelty is all gone. It is only by an exercise of memory and -intellect that one is enabled to think of them as a strange race. - -But how strange is the race of Creole negroes--of negroes, that is, -born out of Africa! They have no country of their own, yet have they -not hitherto any country of their adoption; for, whether as slaves -in Cuba, or as free labourers in the British isles, they are in each -case a servile people in a foreign land. They have no language of -their own, nor have they as yet any language of their adoption; for -they speak their broken English as uneducated foreigners always speak -a foreign language. They have no idea of country, and no pride of -race; for even among themselves, the word "nigger" conveys their -worst term of reproach. They have no religion of their own, and can -hardly as yet be said to have, as a people, a religion by adoption; -and yet there is no race which has more strongly developed its own -physical aptitudes and inaptitudes, its own habits, its own tastes, -and its own faults. - -The West Indian negro knows nothing of Africa except that it is a -term of reproach. If African immigrants are put to work on the same -estate with him, he will not eat with them, or drink with them, -or walk with them. He will hardly work beside them, and regards -himself as a creature immeasurably the superior of the new comer. -But yet he has made no approach to the civilization of his white -fellow-creature, whom he imitates as a monkey does a man. - -Physically he is capable of the hardest bodily work, and that -probably with less bodily pain than men of any other race; but he -is idle, unambitious as to worldly position, sensual, and content -with little. Intellectually, he is apparently capable of but little -sustained effort; but, singularly enough, here he is ambitious. He -burns to be regarded as a scholar, puzzles himself with fine words, -addicts himself to religion for the sake of appearance, and delights -in aping the little graces of civilization. He despises himself -thoroughly, and would probably be content to starve for a month if he -could appear as a white man for a day; but yet he delights in signs -of respect paid to him, black man as he is, and is always thinking of -his own dignity. If you want to win his heart for an hour, call him -a gentleman; but if you want to reduce him to a despairing obedience, -tell him that he is a filthy nigger, assure him that his father -and mother had tails like monkeys, and forbid him to think that -he can have a soul like a white man. Among the West Indies one -may frequently see either course adopted towards them by their -unreasoning ascendant masters. - -I do not think that education has as yet done much for the black man -in the Western world. He can always observe, and often read; but he -can seldom reason. I do not mean to assert that he is absolutely -without mental power, as a calf is. He does draw conclusions, but he -carries them only a short way. I think that he seldom understands the -purpose of industry, the object of truth, or the results of honesty. -He is not always idle, perhaps not always false, certainly not always -a thief; but his motives are the fear of immediate punishment, or -hopes of immediate reward. He fears that and hopes that only. Certain -virtues he copies, because they are the virtues of a white man. -The white man is the god present to his eye, and he believes in -him--believes in him with a qualified faith, and imitates him with a -qualified constancy. - -And thus I am led to say, and I say it with sorrow enough, that -I distrust the negro's religion. What I mean is this: that in my -opinion they rarely take in and digest the great and simple doctrines -of Christianity, that they should love and fear the Lord their God, -and love their neighbours as themselves. - -Those who differ from me--and the number will comprise the whole -clergy of these western realms, and very many beside the clergy--will -ask, among other questions, whether these simple doctrines are obeyed -in England much better than they are in Jamaica. I would reply that -I am not speaking of obedience. The opinion which I venture to give -is, that the very first meaning of the terms does not often reach -the negro's mind, not even the minds of those among them who are -enthusiastically religious. To them religious exercises are in -themselves the good thing desirable. They sing their psalms, and -believe, probably, that good will result; but they do not connect -their psalms with the practice of any virtue. They say their prayers; -but, having said them, have no idea that they should therefore -forgive offences. They hear the commandments and delight in the -responses; but those commandments are not in their hearts connected -with abstinence from adultery or calumny. They delight to go to -church or meeting; they are energetic in singing psalms; they are -constant in the responses; and, which is saying much more for them, -they are wonderfully expert at Scripture texts; but--and I say it -with grief of heart, and with much trembling also at the reproaches -which I shall have to endure--I doubt whether religion does often -reach their minds. - -As I greatly fear being misunderstood on this subject, I must explain -that I by no means think that religious teaching has been inoperative -for good among the negroes. Were I to express such an opinion, I -should be putting them on the same footing with the slaves in Cuba, -who are left wholly without such teaching, and who, in consequence, -are much nearer the brute creation than their more fortunate -brethren. To have learnt the precepts of Christianity--even though -they be not learnt faithfully--softens the heart and expels its -ferocity. That theft is esteemed a sin; that men and women should -live together under certain laws; that blood should not be shed in -anger; that an oath should be true; that there is one God the Father -who made us, and one Redeemer who would willingly save us--these -doctrines the negro in a general way has learnt, and in them he has -a sort of belief. He has so far progressed that by them he judges of -the conduct of others. What he lacks is a connecting link between -these doctrines and himself--an appreciation of the fact that these -doctrines are intended for his own guidance. - -But, though he himself wants the link, circumstances have in some -measure produced it As he judges others, so he fears the judgment of -others; and in this manner Christianity has prevailed with him. - -In many respects the negro's phase of humanity differs much from that -which is common to us, and which has been produced by our admixture -of blood and our present extent of civilization. They are more -passionate than the white men, but rarely vindictive, as we are. The -smallest injury excites their eager wrath, but no injury produces -sustained hatred. In the same way, they are seldom grateful, though -often very thankful. They are covetous of notice as is a child or a -dog; but they have little idea of earning continual respect. They -best love him who is most unlike themselves, and they despise the -coloured man who approaches them in breed. When they have once -recognized a man as their master, they will be faithful to him; but -the more they fear that master, the more they will respect him. They -have no care for to-morrow, but they delight in being gaudy for -to-day. Their crimes are those of momentary impulse, as are also -their virtues. They fear death; but if they can lie in the sun -without pain for the hour they will hardly drag themselves to the -hospital, though their disease be mortal. They love their offspring, -but in their rage will ill use them fearfully. They are proud of -them when they are praised, but will sell their daughter's virtue -for a dollar. They are greedy of food, but generally indifferent -as to its quality. They rejoice in finery, and have in many cases -begun to understand the benefit of comparative cleanliness; but they -are rarely tidy. A little makes them happy, and nothing makes them -permanently wretched. On the whole, they laugh and sing and sleep -through life; and if life were all, they would not have so bad a time -of it. - -These, I think, are the qualities of the negro. Many of them are in -their way good; but are they not such as we have generally seen in -the lower spheres of life? - -Much of this is strongly opposed to the idea of the Creole negro -which has lately become prevalent in England. He has been praised for -his piety, and especially praised for his consistent gratitude to his -benefactors and faithful adherence to his master's interests. - -On such subjects our greatest difficulty is perhaps that of avoiding -an opinion formed by exceptional cases. That there are and have been -pious negroes I do not doubt. That many are strongly tinctured with -the language and outward bearing of piety I am well aware. I know -that they love the Bible--love it as the Roman Catholic girl loves -the doll of a Madonna which she dresses with muslin and ribbons. In -a certain sense this is piety, and such piety they often possess. - -And I do not deny their family attachments; but it is the attachment -of a dog. We have all had dogs whom we have well used, and have -prided ourselves on their fidelity. We have seen them to be wretched -when they lose us for a moment, and have smiled at their joy when -they again discover us. We have noted their patience as they wait -for food from the hand they know will feed them. We have seen with -delight how their love for us glistens in their eyes. We trust them -with our children as the safest playmates, and teach them in mocking -sport the tricks of humanity. In return for this, the dear brutes -give us all their hearts, but it is not given in gratitude; and they -abstain with all their power from injury and offence, but they do -not abstain from judgment. Let his master ill use his dog ever so -cruelly, yet the animal has no anger against him when the pain is -over. Let a stranger save him from such ill usage, and he has no -thankfulness after the moment. Affection and fidelity are things of -custom with him. - -I know how deep will be the indignation I shall draw upon my head -by this picture of a fellow-creature and a fellow-Christian. Man's -philanthropy would wish to look on all men as walking in a quick path -towards the perfection of civilization. And men are not happy in -their good efforts unless they themselves can see their effects. They -are not content to fight for the well-being of a race, and to think -that the victory shall not come till the victors shall for centuries -have been mingled with the dust. The friend of the negro, when he -puts his shoulder to the wheel, and tries to rescue his black brother -from the degradation of an inferior species, hopes to see his client -rise up at once with all the glories of civilization round his head. -"There; behold my work; how good it is!" That is the reward to -which he looks. But what if the work be not as yet good? What if -it be God's pleasure that more time be required before the work be -good--good in our finite sense of the word--in our sense, which -requires the show of an immediate effect? - -After all, what we should desire first, and chiefly--is it not the -truth? It will avail nothing to humanity to call a man a civilized -Christian if the name be not deserved. Philanthropy will gain little -but self-flattery and gratification of its vanity by applying to -those whom it would serve a euphemistic but false nomenclature. God, -for his own purposes--purposes which are already becoming more and -more intelligible to his creatures--has created men of inferior and -superior race. Individually, the state of an Esquimaux is grievous -to an educated mind: but the educated man, taking the world -collectively, knows that it is good that the Esquimaux should be, -should have been made such as he is; knows also, that that state -admits of improvement; but should know also that such cannot be done -by the stroke of a wand--by a speech in Exeter Hall--by the mere -sounds of Gospel truth, beautiful as those sounds are. - -We are always in such a hurry; although, as regards the progress of -races, history so plainly tells us how vain such hurry is! At thirty, -a man devotes himself to proselytizing a people; and if the people be -not proselytized when he has reached forty, he retires in disgust. In -early life we have aspirations for the freedom of an ill-used nation; -but in middle life we abandon our protégé to tyranny and the infernal -gods. The process has been too long. The nation should have arisen -free, at once, upon the instant. It is hard for man to work without -hope of seeing that for which he labours. - -But to return to our sable friends. The first desire of a man in a -state of civilization is for property. Greed and covetousness are no -doubt vices; but they are the vices which have grown from cognate -virtues. Without a desire for property, man could make no progress. -But the negro has no such desire; no desire strong enough to induce -him to labour for that which he wants. In order that he may eat -to-day and be clothed to-morrow, he will work a little; as for -anything beyond that, he is content to lie in the sun. - -Emancipation and the last change in the sugar duties have made land -only too plentiful in Jamaica, and enormous tracts have been thrown -out of cultivation as unprofitable. And it is also only too fertile. -The negro, consequently, has had unbounded facility of squatting, -and has availed himself of it freely. To recede from civilization -and become again savage--as savage as the laws of the community will -permit--has been to his taste. I believe that he would altogether -retrograde if left to himself. - -I shall now be asked, having said so much, whether I think that -emancipation was wrong. By no means. I think that emancipation was -clearly right; but I think that we expected far too great and far too -quick a result from emancipation. - -These people are a servile race, fitted by nature for the hardest -physical work, and apparently at present fitted for little else. Some -thirty years since they were in a state when such work was their lot; -but their tasks were exacted from them in a condition of bondage -abhorrent to the feelings of the age, and opposed to the religion -which we practised. For us, thinking as we did, slavery was a sin. -From that sin we have cleansed ourselves. But the mere fact of -doing so has not freed us from our difficulties. Nor was it to be -expected that it should. The discontinuance of a sin is always the -commencement of a struggle. Few, probably, will think that Providence -has permitted so great an exodus as that which has taken place from -Africa to the West without having wise results in view. We may fairly -believe that it has been a part of the Creator's scheme for the -population and cultivation of the earth; a part of that scheme which -sent Asiatic hordes into Europe, and formed, by the admixture of -nations, that race to which it is our pride to belong. But that -admixture of blood has taken tens of centuries. Why should we think -that Providence should work more rapidly now in these latter ages? - -No Englishman, no Anglo-Saxon, could be what he now is but for that -portion of wild and savage energy which has come to him from his -Vandal forefathers. May it not then be fair to suppose that a time -shall come when a race will inhabit those lovely islands, fitted by -nature for their burning sun, in whose blood shall be mixed some -portion of northern energy, and which shall owe its physical powers -to African progenitors,--a race that shall be no more ashamed of the -name of negro than we are of the name of Saxon? - -But, in the mean time, what are we to do with our friend, lying as he -now is at his ease under the cotton-tree, and declining to work after -ten o'clock in the morning? "No, tankee, massa, me tired now; me no -want more money." Or perhaps it is, "No; workee no more; money no -'nuff; workee no pay." These are the answers which the suppliant -planter receives when at ten o'clock he begs his negro neighbours to -go a second time into the cane-fields and earn a second shilling, or -implores them to work for him more than four days a week, or solicits -them at Christmas-time to put up with a short ten days' holiday. -His canes are ripe, and his mill should be about; or else they are -foul with weeds, and the hogsheads will be very short if they be not -cleansed. He is anxious enough, for all his world depends upon it. -But what does the negro care? "No; me no more workee now." - -The busher (overseer; elide the o and change v into b, and the word -will gradually explain itself)--The busher, who remembers slavery -and former happy days, d----s him for a lazy nigger, and threatens -him with coming starvation, and perhaps with returning monkeydom. -"No, massa; no starve now; God send plenty yam. No more monkey now, -massa." The black man is not in the least angry, though the busher -is. And as for the canes, they remain covered with dirt, and the -return of the estate is but one hundred and thirty hogsheads instead -of one hundred and ninety. Let the English farmer think of that; and -in realizing the full story, he must imagine that the plenteous food -alluded to has been grown on his own ground, and probably planted at -his own expense. The busher was wrong to curse the man, and wrong to -threaten him with the monkey's tail; but it must be admitted that the -position is trying to the temper. - -And who can blame the black man? He is free to work, or free to let -it alone. He can live without work and roll in the sun, and suck -oranges and eat bread-fruit; ay, and ride a horse perhaps, and wear a -white waistcoat and plaited shirt on Sundays. Why should he care for -the busher? I will not dig cane-holes for half a crown a day; and why -should I expect him to do so? I can live without it; so can he. - -But, nevertheless, it would be very well if we could so contrive that -he should not live without work. It is clearly not Nature's intention -that he should be exempted from the general lot of Adam's children. -We would not have our friend a slave; but we would fain force him to -give the world a fair day's work for his fair day's provender if we -knew how to do so without making him a slave. The fact I take it is, -that there are too many good things in Jamaica for the number who -have to enjoy them. If the competitors were more in number, more -trouble would be necessary in their acquirement. - -And now, just at this moment, philanthropy is again busy in England -protecting the Jamaica negro. He is a man and a brother, and shall -we not regard him? Certainly, my philanthropic friend, let us regard -him well. He _is_ a man; and, if you will, a brother; but he is -the very idlest brother with which a hardworking workman was ever -cursed, intent only on getting his mess of pottage without giving -anything in return. His petitions about the labour market, my -excellently-soft-hearted friend, and his desire to be protected from -undue competition are--. Oh, my friend, I cannot tell you how utterly -they are--gammon. He is now eating his yam without work, and in that -privilege he is anxious to be maintained. And you, are you willing to -assist him in his views? - -The negro slave was ill treated--ill treated, at any rate, in that he -was a slave; and therefore, by that reaction which prevails in all -human matters, it is now thought necessary to wrap him up in cotton -and put him under a glass case. The wind must not blow on him too -roughly, and the rose-leaves on which he sleeps should not be -ruffled. He has been a slave; therefore now let him be a Sybarite. -His father did an ample share of work; therefore let the son be made -free from his portion in the primeval curse. The friends of the -negro, if they do not actually use such arguments, endeavour to carry -out such a theory. - -But one feels that the joke has almost been carried too far when one -is told that it is necessary to protect the labour market in Jamaica, -and save the negro from the dangers of competition. No immigration of -labourers into that happy country should be allowed, lest the rate of -wages be lowered, and the unfortunate labourer be made more dependent -on his master! But if the unfortunate labourers could be made to -work, say four days a week, and on an average eight hours a day, -would not that in itself be an advantage? In our happy England, men -are not slaves; but the competition of the labour market forces upon -them long days of continual labour. In our own country, ten hours of -toil, repeated six days a week, for the majority of us will barely -produce the necessaries of life. It is quite right that we should -love the negroes; but I cannot understand that we ought to love them -better than ourselves. - -But with the most sensible of those who are now endeavouring to -prevent immigration into Jamaica the argument has been, not the -protection of the Jamaica negro, but the probability of ill usage to -the immigrating African. In the first place, it is impossible not -to observe the absurdity of acting on petitions from the negroes of -Jamaica on such a pretence as this. Does any one truly imagine that -the black men in Jamaica are so anxious for the welfare of their -cousins in Africa, that they feel themselves bound to come forward -and express their anxiety to the English Houses of Parliament? Of -course nobody believes it. Of course it is perfectly understood that -those petitions are got up by far other persons, and with by far -other views; and that not one negro in fifty of those who sign them -understands anything whatever about the matter, or has any wish or -any solicitude on such a subject. - -Lord Brougham mentions it as a matter of congratulation, that so -large a proportion of the signatures should be written by the -subscribers themselves--that there should be so few marksmen; but is -it a matter of congratulation that this power of signing their names -should be used for so false a purpose? - -And then comes the question as to these immigrants themselves. Though -it is not natural to suppose that their future fellow-labourers in -Jamaica should be very anxious about them, such anxiety on the part -of others is natural. In the first place, it is for the government to -look to them; and then, lest the government should neglect its duty, -it is for such men as Lord Brougham to look to the government. That -Lord Brougham should to the last be anxious for the welfare of the -African is what all men would expect and all desire; but we would -not wish to confide even to him the power of absolutely consummating -the ruin of the Jamaica planter. Is it the fact that labourers -immigrating to the West Indies have been ill treated, whether they be -Portuguese from Madeira, Coolies from India, Africans from the -Western Coast, or Chinese? In Jamaica, unfortunately, their number is -as yet but scanty, but in British Guiana they are numerous. I think I -may venture to say that no labourers in any country are so cared for, -so closely protected, so certainly saved from the usual wants and -sorrows incident to the labouring classes. And this is equally so in -Jamaica as far as the system has gone. What would be the usage of -the African introduced by voluntary contribution may be seen in the -usage of him who has been brought into the country from captured -slave-ships. Their clothing, their food, their house accommodation, -their hospital treatment, their amount of work and obligatory period -of working with one master--all these matters are under government -surveillance; and the planter who has allotted to him the privilege -of employing such labour becomes almost as much subject to government -inspection as though his estate were government property. - -It is said that an obligatory period of labour amounts to slavery, -even though the contract shall have been entered into by the labourer -of his own free will. I will not take on myself to deny this, as I -might find it difficult to define the term slavery; but if this be -so, English apprentices are slaves, and so are indentured clerks; so -are hired agricultural servants in many parts of England and Wales; -and so, certainly, are all our soldiers and sailors. - -But in the ordinary acceptation of the word slavery, that acceptation -which comes home to us all, whether we can define it or no, men -subject to such contracts are not slaves. - -There is much that is prepossessing in the ordinary good humour of -the negro; and much also that is picturesque in his tastes. I soon -learned to think the women pretty, in spite of their twisted locks -of wool; and to like the ring of their laughter, though it is not -exactly silver-sounding. They are very rarely surly when spoken to; -and their replies, though they seldom are absolutely witty, contain, -either in the sound or in the sense, something that amounts to -drollery. The unpractised ear has great difficulty in understanding -them, and I have sometimes thought that this indistinctness has -created the fun which I have seemed to relish. The tone and look -are humorous; and the words, which are hardly heard, and are not -understood, get credit for humour also. - -Nothing about them is more astonishing than the dress of the women. -It is impossible to deny to them considerable taste and great power -of adaptation. In England, among our housemaids and even haymakers, -crinoline, false flowers, long waists, and flowing sleeves have -become common; but they do not wear their finery as though they were -at home in it. There is generally with them, when in their Sunday -best, something of the hog in armour. With the negro woman there is -nothing of this. In the first place she is never shame-faced. Then -she has very frequently a good figure, and having it, she knows how -to make the best of it. She has a natural skill in dress, and will -be seen with a boddice fitted to her as though it had been made and -laced in Paris. - -Their costumes on fête days and Sundays are perfectly marvellous. -They are by no means contented with coloured calicoes; but shine in -muslin and light silks at heaven only knows how much a yard. They -wear their dresses of an enormous fulness. One may see of a Sunday -evening three ladies occupying a whole street by the breadth of -their garments, who on the preceding day were scrubbing pots and -carrying weights about the town on their heads. And they will walk -in full-dress too as though they had been used to go in such attire -from their youth up. They rejoice most in white--in white muslin -with coloured sashes; in light-brown boots, pink gloves, parasols, -and broad-brimmed straw hats with deep veils and glittering bugles. -The hat and the veil, however, are mistakes. If the negro woman -thoroughly understood effect, she would wear no head-dress but the -coloured handkerchief, which is hers by right of national custom. - -Some of their efforts after dignity of costume are ineffably -ludicrous. One Sunday evening, far away in the country, as I was -riding with a gentleman, the proprietor of the estate around us, I -saw a young girl walking home from church. She was arrayed from head -to foot in virgin white. Her gloves were on, and her parasol was up. -Her hat also was white, and so was the lace, and so were the bugles -which adorned it. She walked with a stately dignity that was worthy -of such a costume, and worthy also of higher grandeur; for behind her -walked an attendant nymph, carrying the beauty's prayer-book--on her -head. A negro woman carries every burden on her head, from a tub of -water weighing a hundredweight down to a bottle of physic. - -When we came up to her, she turned towards us and curtsied. She -curtsied, for she recognized her 'massa;' but she curtsied with great -dignity, for she recognized also her own finery. The girl behind with -the prayer-book made the ordinary obeisance, crooking her leg up at -the knee, and then standing upright quicker than thought. - -"Who on earth is that princess?" said I. - -"They are two sisters who both work at my mill," said my friend. -"Next Sunday they will change places. Polly will have the parasol -and the hat, and Jenny will carry the prayer-book on her head behind -her." - -I was in a shoemaker's shop at St. Thomas, buying a pair of boots, -when a negro entered quickly and in a loud voice said he wanted a -pair of pumps. He was a labouring man fresh from his labour. He had -on an old hat--what in Ireland men would call a caubeen; he was -in his shirt-sleeves, and was barefooted. As the only shopman was -looking for my boots, he was not attended to at the moment. - -"Want a pair of pumps--directerly," he roared out in a very -dictatorial voice. - -"Sit down for a moment," said the shopman, "and I will attend to -you." - -He did sit down, but did so in the oddest fashion. He dropped himself -suddenly into a chair, and at the same moment rapidly raised his legs -from the ground; and as he did so fastened his hands across them just -below his knees, so as to keep his feet suspended from his arms. This -he contrived to do in such a manner that the moment his body reached -the chair his feet left the ground. I looked on in amazement, -thinking he was mad. - -"Give I a bit of carpet," he screamed out; still holding up his feet, -but with much difficulty. - -"Yes, yes," said the shopman, still searching for the boots. - -"Give I a bit of carpet directerly," he again exclaimed. The seat -of the chair was very narrow, and the back was straight, and the -position was not easy, as my reader will ascertain if he attempt it. -He was half-choked with anger and discomfort. - -The shopman gave him the bit of carpet. Most men and women will -remember that such bits of carpet are common in shoemakers' shops. -They are supplied, I believe, in order that they who are delicate -should not soil their stockings on the floor. - -The gentleman in search of the pumps had seen that people of dignity -were supplied with such luxuries, and resolved to have his value for -his money; but as he had on neither shoes nor stockings, the little -bit of carpet was hardly necessary for his material comfort. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -JAMAICA--COLOURED MEN. - - -If in speaking of the negroes I have been in danger of offending -my friends at home, I shall be certain in speaking of the coloured -men to offend my friends in Jamaica. On this subject, though I have -sympathy with them, I have no agreement. They look on themselves as -the ascendant race. I look upon those of colour as being so, or at -any rate as about to become so. - -In speaking of my friends in Jamaica, it is not unnatural that I -should allude to the pure-blooded Europeans, or European Creoles--to -those in whose veins there is no admixture of African blood. "Similia -similibus." A man from choice will live with those who are of his own -habits and his own way of thinking. But as regards Jamaica, I believe -that the light of their star is waning, that their ascendency is -over--in short, that their work, if not done, is on the decline. - -Ascendency is a disagreeable word to apply to any two different -races whose fate it may be to live together in the same land. It -has been felt to be so in Ireland, when used either with reference -to the Saxon Protestant or Celtic Roman Catholic; and it is so -with reference to those of various shades of colour in Jamaica. But -nevertheless it is the true word. When two rivers come together, the -waters of which do not mix, the one stream will be the stronger--will -over-power the other--will become ascendant And so it is with people -and nations. It may not be pretty-spoken to talk about ascendency; -but sometimes pretty speaking will not answer a man's purpose. - -It is almost unnecessary to explain that by coloured men I mean those -who are of a mixed race--of a breed mixed, be it in what proportion -it may, between the white European and the black African. Speaking of -Jamaica, I might almost say between the Anglo-Saxon and the African; -for there remains, I take it, but a small tinge of Spanish blood. Of -the old Indian blood there is, I imagine, hardly a vestige. - -Both the white men and the black dislike their coloured neighbours. -It is useless to deny that as a rule such is the case. The white men -now, at this very day, dislike them more in Jamaica than they do in -other parts of the West Indies, because they are constantly driven to -meet them, and are more afraid of them. - -In Jamaica one does come in contact with coloured men. They are to -be met at the Governor's table; they sit in the House of Assembly; -they cannot be refused admittance to state parties, or even to -large assemblies; they have forced themselves forward, and must be -recognized as being in the van. Individuals decry them--will not have -them within their doors--affect to despise them. But in effect the -coloured men of Jamaica cannot be despised much longer. - -It will be said that we have been wrong if we have ever despised -these coloured people, or indeed, if we have ever despised the -negroes, or any other race. I can hardly think that anything so -natural can be very wrong. Those who are educated and civilized and -powerful will always, in one sense, despise those who are not; and -the most educated and civilized and most powerful will despise those -who are less so. Euphuists may proclaim against such a doctrine; but -experience, I think, teaches us that it is true. If the coloured -people in the West Indies can overtop contempt, it is because they -are acquiring education, civilization, and power. In Jamaica they -are, I hope, in a way to do this. - -My theory--for I acknowledge to a theory--is this: that Providence -has sent white men and black men to these regions in order that from -them may spring a race fitted by intellect for civilization; and -fitted also by physical organization for tropical labour. The negro -in his primitive state is not, I think, fitted for the former; and -the European white Creole is certainly not fitted for the latter. - -To all such rules there are of course exceptions. In Porto Rico, -for instance, one of the two remaining Spanish colonies in the West -Indies, the Peons, or free peasant labourers, are of mixed Spanish -and Indian blood, without, I believe, any negro element. And there -are occasional negroes whose mental condition would certainly tend to -disprove the former of the two foregoing propositions, were it not -that in such matters exceptional cases prove and disprove nothing. -Englishmen as a rule are stouter than Frenchmen. Were a French -Falstaff and an English Slender brought into a room together, the -above position would be not a whit disproved. - -It is probable also that the future race who shall inhabit these -islands may have other elements than the two already named. There -will soon be here--in the teeth of our friends of the Anti-Slavery -Society--thousands from China and Hindostan. The Chinese and the -Coolies--immigrants from India are always called Coolies--greatly -excel the negro in intelligence, and partake, though in a limited -degree, of the negro's physical abilities in a hot climate. And -thus the blood of Asia will be mixed with that of Africa; and the -necessary compound will, by God's infinite wisdom and power, be -formed for these latitudes, as it has been formed for the colder -regions in which the Anglo-Saxon preserves his energy, and works. - -I know it will be said that there have been no signs of a mixture -of breed between the negro and the Coolie, and the negro and the -Chinese. The instances hitherto are, I am aware, but rare; but then -the immigration of these classes is as yet but recent; and custom -is necessary, and a language commonly understood, and habits, which -the similitude of position will also make common, before such races -will amalgamate. That they will amalgamate if brought together, all -history teaches us. The Anglo-Saxon and the negro have done so, and -in two hundred years have produced a population which is said to -amount to a fifth of that of the whole island of Jamaica, and which -probably amounts to much more. Two hundred years with us is a long -time; but it is not so in the world's history. From 1660 to 1860 A.D. -is a vast lapse of years; but how little is the lapse from the year -1660 to the year 1860, dating from the creation of the world; or -rather, how small appears such lapse to us! In how many pages is its -history written? and yet God's races were spreading themselves over -the earth then as now. - -Men are in such a hurry. They can hardly believe that that will come -to pass of which they have evidence that it will not come to pass in -their own days. - -But then comes the question, whether the mulatto is more capable of -being educated than the negro, and more able to work under a hot sun -than the Englishman; whether he does not rather lose the physical -power of the one, and the intellectual power of the other. There are -those in Jamaica who have known them long, and who think that as a -race they have deteriorated both in mind and body. I am not prepared -to deny this. They probably have deteriorated in mind and body; and -nevertheless my theory may be right. Nay, I will go further and say -that such deterioration on both sides is necessary to the correctness -of my theory. - -In what compound are we to look for the full strength of each -component part? Should punch be as strong as brandy, or as sweet as -sugar? Neither the one nor the other. But in order to be good and -efficient punch, it should partake duly of the strength of the spirit -and of the sweetness of the saccharine--according to the skill and -will of the gnostic fabricator, who in mixing knows his own purposes. -So has it even been also in the admixture of races. The same amount -of physical power is not required for all climates, nor the same -amount of mental energy. - -But the mulatto, though he has deteriorated from the black man in one -respect, and from the white in another, does also excel the black man -in one respect, and also excel the white in another. As a rule, he -cannot work as a negro can. He could not probably endure to labour in -the cane-fields for sixteen hours out of the twenty-four, as is done -by the Cuban slave; but he can work safely under a tropical sun, and -can in the day go through a fair day's work. He is not liable to -yellow fever, as is the white man, and enjoys as valid a protection -from the effects of heat as the heat of these regions requires. - -Nor, as far as we yet know, have Galileos, Shakespeares, or Napoleons -been produced among the mulattos. Few may probably have been produced -who are able even to form an accurate judgment as to the genius of -such men as these. But that the mulatto race partakes largely of the -intelligence and ambition of their white forefathers, it is I think -useless, and moreover wicked, to deny; wicked, because the denial -arises from an unjust desire to close against them the door of -promotion. - -Let any stranger go through the shops and stores of Kingston, and -see how many of them are either owned or worked by men of colour; -let him go into the House of Assembly, and see how large a proportion -of their debates is carried on by men of colour. I don't think much -of the parliamentary excellence of these debates, as I shall have to -explain by-and-by; but the coloured men at any rate hold their own -against their white colleagues. How large a portion of the public -service is carried on by them; how well they thrive, though the -prejudices of both white and black are so strong against them! - -I just now spoke of these coloured men as mulattos. I did so because -I was then anxious to refer to the exact and equal division of -black and white blood. Of course it is understood that the mulatto, -technically so called, is the child of parents one of whom is all -white and the other all black; and to judge exactly of the mixed -race, one should judge, probably, from such an equal division. But -no such distinction can be effectually maintained in speaking, or -even in thinking of these people. The various gradations of coloured -blood range from all but perfect white to all but perfect black; and -the dispositions and capabilities are equally various. In the lower -orders, among those who are nearest to the African stock, no attempts -I imagine are made to preserve an exact line. One is at first -inclined to think that the slightest infusion of white blood may -be traced in the complexion and hair, and heard in the voice; but -when the matter is closely regarded one often finds it difficult to -express an opinion even to oneself. Colour is frequently not the -safest guide. To an inquirer really endeavouring to separate the -races--should so thankless a task ever be attempted--the speech, I -think, and the intelligence would afford the sources of information -on which most reliance could be placed. - -But the distinction between the white and the coloured men is much -more closely looked into. And those are the unfortunate among the -latter who are tempted, by the closeness of their relationship to -Europe, to deny their African parentage. Many do, if not by lip, -at any rate by deed, stoutly make such denial; not by lip, for the -subject is much too sore for speech, but by every wile by which a -white quadroon can seek to deny his ancestry! Such denial is never -allowed. The crisp hair, the sallow skin, the known family history, -the thick lip of the old remembered granddam, a certain languor in -the eye; all or some, or perhaps but one of these tells the tale. But -the tale is told, and the life-struggle is made always, and always in -vain. - -This evil--for it is an evil--arises mainly from the white man's -jealousy. He who seeks to pass for other than he is makes a low -attempt; all attempts at falsehood must of necessity be low. But -I doubt whether such energy of repudiation be not equally low. Why -not allow the claim; or seem to allow it, if practicable? "White -art thou, my friend? Be a white man if thou wilt, or rather if -thou canst. All we require of thee is that there remains no negro -ignorance, no negro cunning, no negro apathy of brain. Forbear those -vain attempts to wash out that hair of thine, and make it lank and -damp. We will not regard at all, that little wave in thy locks; not -even that lisp in thy tongue. But struggle, my friend, to be open -in thy speech. Any wave there we cannot but regard. Speak out the -thought that is in thee; for if thy thoughts lisp negrowards, our -verdict must be against thee." Is it not thus that we should accept -their little efforts? - -But we do not accept them so. In lieu thereof, we admit no claim that -can by any evidence be rejected; and, worse than that, we impute -the stigma of black blood where there is no evidence to support -such imputation. "A nice fellow, Jones; eh? very intelligent, and -well mannered," some stranger says, who knows nothing of Jones's -antecedents. "Yes, indeed," answers Smith, of Jamaica; "a very decent -sort of fellow. They do say that he's coloured; of course you know -that." The next time you see Jones, you observe him closely, and -can find no trace of the Ethiop. But should he presently descant on -purity of blood, and the insupportable impudence of the coloured -people, then, and not till then, you would begin to doubt. - -But these are evils which beset merely the point of juncture between -the two races. With nine-tenths of those of mixed breed no attempts -at concealment are by any means possible; and by them, of course, -no such attempts are made. They take their lot as it is, and I think -that on the whole they make the most of it. They of course are -jealous of the assumed ascendency of the white men, and affect to -show, sometimes not in the most efficacious manner, that they are -his equal in external graces as in internal capacities. They are -imperious to the black men, and determined on that side to exhibit -and use their superiority. At this we can hardly be surprised. If we -cannot set them a better lesson than we do, we can hardly expect the -benefit which should arise from better teaching. - -But the great point to be settled is this: whether this race of -mulattos, quadroons, mustes, and what not, are capable of managing -matters for themselves; of undertaking the higher walks of life; of -living, in short, as an independent people with a proper share of -masterdom; and not necessarily as a servile people, as hewers of wood -and drawers of water? If not, it will fare badly for Jamaica, and -will probably also fare badly in coming years for the rest of the -West Indies. Whether other immigration be allowed or no, of one kind -of immigration the supply into Jamaica is becoming less and less. -Few European white men now turn thither in quest of fortune. Few -Anglo-Saxon adventurers now seek her shores as the future home of -their adoption. The white man has been there, and has left his mark. -The Creole children of these Europeans of course remain, but their -numbers are no longer increased by new comers. - -But I think there is no doubt that they are fit--these coloured -people, to undertake the higher as well as lower paths of human -labour. Indeed, they do undertake them, and thrive well in them now, -much to the disgust of the so-esteemed ascendant class. They do make -money, and enjoy it. They practise as statesmen, as lawyers, and -as doctors in the colony; and, though they have not as yet shone -brightly as divines in our English Church, such deficiency may be -attributed more to the jealousy of the parsons of that Church than to -their own incapacity. - -There are, they say, seventy thousand coloured people in the island, -and not more than fifteen thousand white people. As the former -increase in intelligence, it is not to be supposed that they will -submit to the latter. Nor are they at all inclined to submission. - -But they have still an up-hill battle before them. They are by no -means humble in their gait, and their want of meekness sets their -white neighbours against them. They are always proclaiming by their -voice and look that they are as good as the white man; but they are -always showing by their voice and look, also, that they know that -this is a false boast. - -And then they are by no means popular with the negro. A negro, as -a rule, will not serve a mulatto when he can serve a European or -a white Creole. He thinks that the mulatto is too near akin to -himself to be worthy of any respect. In his passion he calls him a -nigger--and protests that he is not, and never will be like buckra -man. - -The negroes complain that the coloured men are sly and cunning; that -they cannot be trusted as masters; that they tyrannize, bully, and -deceive; in short, that they have their own negro faults. There may, -doubtless, be some truth in this. They have still a portion of their -lesson to learn; perhaps the greater portion. I affirm merely that -the lesson is being learned. A race of people with its good and ill -qualities is not formed in a couple of centuries. - -And if it be fated that the Anglo-Saxon race in these islands is to -yield place to another people, and to abandon its ground, having -done its appointed work, surely such a decree should be no cause of -sorrow. To have done their appointed work, and done it well,--should -not this be enough for any men? - -But there are they who protest that such ideas as these with -reference to this semi-African people are unpatriotic; are unworthy -of an Englishman, who should foster the ascendency of his own race -and his own country. Such men will have it as an axiom, that when an -Englishman has been master once, he should be master always: that -his dominion should not give way to strange hands, or his ascendency -yield itself to strange races. It is unpatriotic, forsooth, to -suggest that these tawny children of the sun should get the better of -their British lords, and rule the roast themselves! - -Even were it so--should it even be granted that such an idea is -unpatriotic, one would then be driven back to ask whether patriotism -be a virtue. It is at any rate a virtue in consequence only of the -finite aspirations of mankind. To love the universe which God has -made, were man capable of such love, would be a loftier attribute -than any feeling for one's own country. The Gentile was as dear as -the Jew; the Samaritans as much prized as they of Galilee, or as the -children of Judah. - -The present position and prospects of the children of Great Britain -are sufficiently noble, and sufficiently extended. One need not -begrudge to others their limited share in the population and -government of the world's welfare. While so large a part of North -America and Australia remain still savage--waiting the white man's -foot--waiting, in fact, for the foot of the Englishman, there can -be no reason why we should doom our children to swelter and grow -pale within the tropics. A certain work has been ours to do there, -a certain amount of remaining work it is still probably our lot to -complete. But when that is done; when civilization, commerce, and -education shall have been spread; when sufficient of our blood shall -have been infused into the veins of those children of the sun; then, -I think, we may be ready, without stain to our patriotism, to take -off our hats and bid farewell to the West Indies. - -And be it remembered that I am here speaking of the general -ascendancy, not of the political power of these coloured races. -It may be that after all we shall still have to send out some -white Governor with a white aide-de-camp and a white private -secretary--some three or four unfortunate white men to support -the dignity of the throne of Queen Victoria's great-grandchild's -grandchild. Such may be, or may not be. To my thinking, it would be -more for our honour that it should not be so. If the honour, glory, -and well-being of the child be dear to the parents, Great Britain -should surely be more proud of the United States than of any of her -colonies. We Britishers have a noble mission. The word I know is -unpopular, for it has been foully misused; but it is in itself a good -word, and none other will supply its place. We have a noble mission, -but we are never content with it. It is not enough for us to beget -nations, civilize countries, and instruct in truth and knowledge the -dominant races of the coming ages. All this will not suffice unless -also we can maintain a king over them! What is it to us, or even to -them, who may be their king or ruler--or, to speak with a nearer -approach to sense, from what source they be governed--so long as they -be happy, prosperous, and good? And yet there are men mad enough to -regret the United States! Many men are mad enough to look forward -with anything but composure to the inevitable, happily inevitable -day, when Australia shall follow in the same path. - -We have risen so high that we may almost boast to have placed -ourselves above national glory. The welfare of the coming world is -now the proper care of the Anglo-Saxon race. - -The coloured people, I have said, have made their way into society in -Jamaica. That is, they have made a certain degree of impression on -the millstone; which will therefore soon be perforated through and -through, and then crumble to pieces like pumice-stone. Nay, they have -been or are judges, attorneys-general, prime ministers, leaders of -the opposition, and what not. The men have so far made their way. The -difficulty now is with the women. - -And in high questions of society here is always the stumbling-block. -All manners of men can get themselves into a room together without -difficulty, and can behave themselves with moderate forbearance to -each other when in it. But there are points on which ladies are -harder than steel, stiffer than their brocaded silks, more obdurate -than whalebone. - -"He wishes me to meet Mrs. So-and-So," a lady said to me, speaking of -her husband, "because Mr. So-and-So is a very respectable good sort -of man. I have no objection whatever to Mr. So-and-So; but if I begin -with her, I know there will be no end." - -"Probably not," I said; "when you once commence, you will doubtless -have to go on--in the good path." I confess that the last words were -said _sotto voce_. On that occasion the courage was wanting in me to -speak out my mind. The lady was very pretty, and I could not endure -to be among the unfavoured ones. - -"That is just what I have said to Mr. ----; but he never thinks about -such things; he is so very imprudent. If I ask Mrs. So-and-So here, -how can I keep out Mrs. Such-a-One? They are both very respectable, -no doubt; but what were their grandmothers?" - -Ah! if we were to think of their grandmothers, it would doubtless be -a dark subject. But what, O lady, of their grandchildren? That may -be the most important, and also most interesting side from whence to -view the family. - -"These people marry now," another lady said to me--a lady not old -exactly, but old enough to allude to such a subject; and in the tone -of her voice I thought I could catch an idea that she conceived them -in doing so to be trenching on the privileges of their superiors. -"But their mothers and grandmothers never thought of looking to that -at all. Are we to associate with the children of such women, and -teach our daughters that vice is not to be shunned?" - -Ah! dear lady--not old, but sufficiently old--this statement of yours -is only too true. Their mothers and grandmothers did not think much -of matrimony--had but little opportunity of thinking much of it. -But with whom did the fault chiefly lie? These very people of whom -we are speaking, would they not be your cousins but for the lack of -matrimony? Your uncle, your father, your cousins, your grandfather, -nay, your very brother, are they not the true criminals in this -matter--they who have lived in this unhallowed state with women of a -lower race? For the sinners themselves of either sex I would not ask -_your_ pardon; but you might forgive the children's children. - -The life of coloured women in Jamaica some years since was certainly -too often immoral. They themselves were frequently illegitimate, -and they were not unwilling that their children should be so also. -To such a one it was preferable to be a white man's mistress than -the wife of such as herself; and it did not bring on them the same -disgrace, this kind of life, as it does on women in England, or even, -I may say, on women in Europe, nor the same bitter punishment. Their -master, though he might be stern enough and a tyrant, as the owner of -slaves living on his own little principality might probably be, was -kinder to her than to the other females around her, and in a rough -sort of way was true to her. He did not turn her out of the house, -and she found it to be promotion to be the mother of his children -and the upper servant in his establishment. And in those days, -days still so near to us, the coloured woman was a slave herself, -unless specially manumitted either in her own generation or in that -immediately above her. It is from such alliances as these that the -coloured race of Jamaica has sprung. - -But all this, if one cannot already boast that it is changed, is -quickly changing. Matrimony is in vogue, and the coloured women know -their rights, and are inclined to claim them. - -Of course among them, as among us at home, and among all people, -there are various ranks. There are but few white labourers in -Jamaica, and but few negroes who are not labourers. But the coloured -people are to be found in all ranks, from that of the Prime -Minister--for they have a Prime Minister in Jamaica--down to the -worker in the cane-fields. Among their women many are now highly -educated, for they send their children to English schools. Perhaps if -I were to say fashionably educated, I might be more strictly correct -They love dearly to shine; to run over the piano with quick and loud -fingers; to dance with skill, which they all do, for they have good -figures and correct ears; to know and display the little tricks and -graces of English ladies--such tricks and graces as are to be learned -between fifteen and seventeen at Ealing, Clapham, and Homsey. - -But the coloured girls of a class below these--perhaps I should say -two classes below them--are the most amusing specimens of Jamaica -ladies. I endeavoured to introduce my readers to one at Port Antonio. -They cannot be called pretty, for the upper part of the face almost -always recedes; but they have good figures and well-turned limbs. -They are singularly free from _mauvaise honte_, and yet they are not -impertinent or ill-mannered. They are gracious enough with the pale -faces when treated graciously, but they can show a very high spirit -if they fancy that any slight is shown to them. They delight to talk -contemptuously of niggers. Those people are dirty niggers, and nasty -niggers, and mere niggers. I have heard this done by one whom I had -absolutely taken for a negro, and who was not using loud abusive -language, but gently speaking of an inferior class. - -With these, as indeed with coloured people of a higher grade, the -great difficulty is with their language. They cannot acquire the -natural English pronunciation. As far as I remember, I have never -heard but two negroes who spoke unbroken English; and the lower -classes of the coloured people, though they are not equally -deficient, are still very incapable of plain English articulation. -The "th" is to them, as to foreigners, an insuperable difficulty. -Even Josephine, it may be remembered, was hardly perfect in this -respect. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -JAMAICA--WHITE MEN. - - -It seems to us natural that white men should hold ascendency over -those who are black or coloured. Although we have emancipated our own -slaves, and done so much to abolish slavery elsewhere, nevertheless -we regard the negro as born to be a servant. We do not realize it -to ourselves that it is his right to share with us the high places -of the world, and that it should be an affair of individual merit -whether we wait on his beck or he on ours. We have never yet brought -ourselves so to think, and probably never shall. They still are to us -a servile race. Philanthropical abolitionists will no doubt deny the -truth of this; but I have no doubt that the conviction is strong with -them--could they analyze their own convictions--as it is with others. - -Where white men and black men are together, the white will order -and the black will obey, with an obedience more or less implicit -according to the terms on which they stand. When those terms are -slavery, the white men order with austerity, and the black obey with -alacrity. But such terms have been found to be prejudicial to both. -Each is brutalized by the contact. The black man becomes brutal -and passive as a beast of burden; the white man becomes brutal and -ferocious as a beast of prey. - -But there are various other terms on which they may stand as servants -and masters. There are those well-understood terms which regulate -employment in England and elsewhere, under which the poor man's -time is his money, and the rich man's capital his certain means of -obtaining labour. As far as we can see, these terms, if properly -carried out, are the best which human wisdom can devise for the -employment and maintenance of mankind. Here in England they are not -always properly carried out. At an occasional spot or two things will -run rusty for a while. There are strikes, and there are occasional -gluts of labour, very distressing to the poor man; and occasional -gluts of the thing laboured, very embarrassing to the rich man. But -on the whole, seeing that after all the arrangement is only human, -here in England it does work pretty well. We intended, no doubt, when -we emancipated our slaves in Jamaica, that the affair should work in -the same way there. - -But the terms there at present are as far removed from the English -system as they are from the Cuban, and are almost as abhorrent to -justice as slavery itself--as abhorrent to justice, though certainly -not so abhorrent to mercy and humanity. - -What would a farmer say in England if his ploughman declined to work, -and protested that he preferred going to his master's granary and -feeding himself and his children on his master's corn? "Measter, noa; -I beez a-tired thick day, and dunna mind to do no wark!" Then the -poorhouse, my friend, the poorhouse! And hardly that; starvation -first, and nakedness, and all manner of misery. In point of fact, our -friend the ploughman must go and work, even though his o'erlaboured -bones be tired, as no doubt they often are. He knows it, and does it, -and in his way is not discontented. And is not this God's ordinance? - -His ordinance in England and elsewhere, but not so, apparently, in -Jamaica. There we had a devil's ordinance in those days of slavery; -and having rid ourselves of that, we have still a devil's ordinance -of another sort. It is not perhaps very easy for men to change -devil's work into heavenly work at once. The ordinance that at -present we have existing there is that _far niente_ one of lying in -the sun and eating yams--"of eating, not your own yams, you lazy, -do-nothing, thieving darkee; but my yams; mine, who am being ruined, -root and branch, stock and barrel, house and homestead, wife and -bairns, because you won't come and work for me when I offer you due -wages; you thieving, do-nothing, lazy nigger." - -"Hush!" will say my angry philanthropist. "For the sake of humanity, -hush! Will coarse abuse and the calling of names avail anything? -Is he not a man and a brother?" No, my angry philanthropist; while -he will not work and will only steal, he is neither the one nor the -other, in my estimation. As for his being a brother, that we may say -is--fudge; and I will call no professional idler a man. - -But the abuse above given is not intended to be looked on as coming -out of my own mouth, and I am not, therefore, to be held responsible -for the wording of it. It is inserted there--with small inverted -commas, as you see--to show the language with which our angry white -friends in Jamaica speak of the extraordinary condition in which they -have found themselves placed. - -Slowly--with delay that has been awfully ruinous--they now bethink -themselves of immigration--immigration from the coast of Africa, -immigration from China, Coolie immigrants from Hindostan. When -Trinidad and Guiana have helped themselves, then Jamaica bestirs -itself. And what then? Then the negroes bestir themselves. "For -heaven's sake let us be looked to! Are we not to be protected from -competition? If labourers be brought here, will not these white -people again cultivate their grounds? Shall we not be driven from our -squatting patches? Shall we not starve; or, almost worse than that, -shall we not again fall under Adam's curse? Shall we not again be -slaves, in reality, if not in name? Shall we not have to work?" - -The negro's idea of emancipation was and is emancipation not from -slavery but from work. To lie in the sun and eat breadfruit and yams -is his idea of being free. Such freedom as that has not been intended -for man in this world; and I say that Jamaica, as it now exists, is -still under a devil's ordinance. - -One cannot wonder that the white man here should be vituperative in -his wrath. First came emancipation. He bore that with manful courage; -for it must be remembered that even in that he had much to bear. The -price he got for his slave was nothing as compared with that slave's -actual value. And slavery to him was not repugnant as it is to you -and me. One's trade is never repugnant to one's feelings. But so much -he did bear with manly courage. He could no longer make slave-grown -sugar, but he would not at any rate be compelled to compete with -those who could. The protective duties would save him there. - -Then free trade became the fashion, and protective duties on sugar -were abolished. I beg it may not be thought that I am an advocate -for such protection. The West Indians were, I think, thrown over in -a scurvy manner, because they were thrown over by their professed -friends. But that was, we all know, the way with Sir Robert Peel. -Well, free trade in sugar became the law of the land, and then the -Jamaica planter found the burden too heavy for his back. The money -which had flown in so freely came in such small driblets that he could -make no improvement. Portions of his estate went out of cultivation, -and then the negro who should have tilled the remainder squatted on -it, and said, "No, massa, me no workee to-day." - -And now, to complete the business, now that Jamaica is at length -looking in earnest for immigration--for it has long been looking for -immigration with listless dis-earnest--the planter is told that the -labour of the black man must be protected. If he be vituperative, who -can wonder at it? To speak the truth, he is somewhat vituperative. - -The white planter of Jamaica is sore and vituperative and -unconvinced. He feels that he has been ill used, and forced to go to -the wall; and that now he is there, he is meanly spoken of, as though -he were a bore and a nuisance--as one of whom the Colonial Office -would gladly rid itself if it knew how. In his heart of hearts -there dwells a feeling that after all slavery was not so vile an -institution--that that devil as well as some others has been painted -too black. In those old days the work was done, the sugar was made, -the workmen were comfortably housed and fed, and perhaps on his -father's estate were kindly treated. At any rate, such is his present -memory. The money came in, things went on pleasantly, and he cannot -remember that anybody was unhappy. But now--! Can it be wondered at -that in his heart of hearts he should still have a sort of yearning -after slavery? - -In one sense, at any rate, he has been ill used. The turn in the -wheel of Fortune has gone against him, as it went against the -hand-loom weavers when machinery became the fashion. Circumstances -rather than his own fault have brought him low. Well-disciplined -energy in all the periods of his adversity might perhaps have saved -him, as it has saved others; but there has been more against him than -against others. As regards him himself, the old-fashioned Jamaica -planter, the pure blooded white owner of the soil, I think that his -day in Jamaica is done. The glory, I fear, has departed from his -house. The hand-loom weavers have been swept into infinite space, and -their children now poke the engine fires, or piece threads standing -in a factory. The children of the old Jamaica planter must also push -their fortunes elsewhere. - -It is a thousand pities, for he was, I may still say is, the -prince of planters--the true aristocrat of the West Indies. He -is essentially different as a man from the somewhat purse-proud -Barbadian, whose estate of two hundred acres has perhaps changed -hands half a dozen times in the last fifty years, or the thoroughly -mercantile sugar manufacturer of Guiana. He has so many of the -characteristics of an English country gentleman that he does not -strike an Englishman as a strange being. He has his pedigree, and -his family house, and his domain around him. He shoots and fishes, -and some few years since, in the good days, he even kept a pack of -hounds. He is in the commission of the peace, and as such has much to -do. A planter in Demerara may also be a magistrate,--probably is so; -but the fact does not come forward as a prominent part of his life's -history. - -In Jamaica too there is scope for a country gentleman. They have -their counties and their parishes; in Barbados they have nothing but -their sugar estates. They have county society, local balls, and local -race-meetings. They have local politics, local quarrels, and strong -old-fashioned local friendships. In all these things one feels -oneself to be much nearer to England in Jamaica than in any other of -the West Indian islands. - -All this is beyond measure pleasant, and it is a thousand pities that -it should not last. I fear, however, that it will not last--that, -indeed, it is not now lasting. That dear lady's unwillingness to obey -her lord's behests, when he asked her to call on her brown neighbour, -nay, the very fact of that lord's request, both go to prove that this -is so. The lady felt that her neighbour was cutting the very ground -from under her feet. The lord knew "that old times were changed, old -manners gone." The game was almost up when he found himself compelled -to make such a request. - -At present, when the old planter sits on the magisterial bench, a -coloured man sits beside him; one probably on each side of him. At -road sessions he cannot carry out his little project because the -coloured men out-vote him. There is a vacancy for his parish in the -House of Assembly. The old planter scorns the House of Assembly, and -will have nothing to do with it. A coloured man is therefore chosen, -and votes away the white man's taxes; and then things worse and worse -arise. Not only coloured men get into office, but black men also. -What is our old aristocratic planter to do with a negro churchwarden -on one side, and a negro coroner on another? "Fancy what our state -is," a young planter said to me; "I dare not die, for fear I should -be sat upon by a black man!" - -I know that it will be thought by many, and probably said by some, -that these are distinctions to which we ought not to allude. But -without alluding to them in one's own mind it is impossible to -understand the state of the country; and without alluding to them in -speech it is impossible to explain the state of the country. The fact -is, that in Jamaica, at the present day, the coloured people do stand -on strong ground, and that they do not so stand with the goodwill -of the old aristocracy of the country. They have forced their way -up, and now loudly protest that they intend to keep it. I think that -they will keep it, and that on the whole it will be well for us -Anglo-Saxons to have created a race capable of living and working in -the climate without inconvenience. - -It is singular, however, how little all this is understood in -England. There it is conceived that white men and coloured men, white -ladies and coloured ladies, meet together and amalgamate without -any difference. The Duchess of This and Lord That are very happy -to have at their tables some intelligent dark gentleman, or even a -well-dressed negro, though he may not perhaps be very intelligent. -There is some little excitement in it, some change from the common; -and perhaps also an easy opportunity of practising on a small scale -those philanthropic views which they preach with so much eloquence. -When one hobnobs over a glass of champagne with a dark gentleman, he -is in some sort a man and a brother. But the duchess and the lord -think that because the dark gentleman is to their taste, he must -necessarily be as much to the taste of the neighbours among whom he -has been born and bred; of those who have been accustomed to see him -from his childhood. - -There never was a greater mistake. A coloured man may be a fine -prophet in London; but he will be no prophet in Jamaica, which is his -own country; no prophet at any rate among his white neighbours. - -I knew a case in which a very intelligent--nay, I believe, a -highly-educated young coloured gentleman, was sent out by certain -excellent philanthropic big-wigs to fill an official situation in -Jamaica. He was a stranger to Jamaica, never having been there -before. Now, when he was so sent out, the home big-wigs alluded -to, intimated to certain other big-wigs in Jamaica that their dark -protégé would be a great acquisition to the society of the place. -I mention this to show the ignorance of those London big-wigs, not -as to the capability of the young gentleman, which probably was not -over-rated, but as to the manners and life of the place. I imagine -that the gentleman has hardly once found himself in that society -which it was supposed he would adorn. The time, however, will -probably come when he and others of the same class will have -sufficient society of their own. - -I have said elsewhere that the coloured people in Jamaica have -made their way into society; and in what I now say I may seem to -contradict myself. Into what may perhaps be termed public society -they have made their way. Those who have seen the details of colonial -life will know that there is a public society to which people are -admitted or not admitted, according to their acknowledged rights. -Governor's parties, public balls, and certain meetings which are -semi-official and semi-social, are of this nature. A Governor in -Jamaica would, I imagine, not conceive himself to have the power of -excluding coloured people from his table, even if he wished it. But -in Barbados I doubt whether a Governor could, if he wished it, do the -reverse. - -So far coloured people in Jamaica have made their footing good; and -they are gradually advancing beyond this. But not the less as a rule -are they disliked by the old white aristocracy of the country; in a -strong degree by the planters themselves, but in a much stronger by -the planters' wives. - -So much for my theory as to the races of men in Jamaica, and as to -the social condition of the white and coloured people with reference -to each other. Now I would say a word or two respecting the white man -as he himself is, without reference either to his neighbour or to his -prospects. - -A better fellow cannot be found anywhere than a gentleman of Jamaica, -or one with whom it is easier to live on pleasant terms. He is -generally hospitable, affable, and generous; easy to know, and -pleasant when known; not given perhaps to much deep erudition, but -capable of talking with ease on most subjects of conversation; fond -of society, and of pleasure, if you choose to call it so; but not -generally addicted to low pleasures. He is often witty, and has a -sharp side to his tongue if occasion be given him to use it. He is -not generally, I think, a hard-working man. Had he been so, the -country perhaps would not have been in its present condition. But he -is bright and clever, and in spite of all that he has gone through, -he is at all times good-humoured. - -No men are fonder of the country to which they belong, or prouder -of the name of Great Britain than these Jamaicans. It has been our -policy--and, as regards our larger colonies, the policy I have no -doubt has been beneficial--to leave our dependencies very much to -themselves; to interfere in the way of governing as little as might -be; and to withdraw as much as possible from any participation in -their internal concerns. This policy is anything but popular with -the white aristocracy of Jamaica. They would fain, if it were -possible, dispense altogether with their legislature, and be governed -altogether from home. In spite of what they have suffered, they -are still willing to trust the statesmen of England, but are most -unwilling to trust the statesmen of Jamaica. - -Nothing is more peculiar than the way in which the word "home" is -used in Jamaica, and indeed all through the West Indies, With the -white people, it always signifies England, even though the person -using the word has never been there. I could never trace the use of -the word in Jamaica as applied by white men or white women to the -home in which they lived, not even though that home had been the -dwelling of their fathers as well as of themselves. The word "home" -with them is sacred, and means something holier than a habitation in -the tropics. It refers always to the old country. - -In this respect, as in so many others, an Englishman differs greatly -from a Frenchman. Though our English, as a rule, are much more given -to colonize than they are; though we spread ourselves over the face -of the globe, while they have established comparatively but few -settlements in the outer world; nevertheless, when we leave our -country, we almost always do so with some idea, be it ever so vague, -that we shall return to it again, and again make it our home. But the -Frenchman divests himself of any such idea. He also loves France, or -at any rate loves Paris; but his object is to carry his Paris with -him; to make a Paris for himself, whether it be in a sugar island -among the Antilles, or in a trading town upon the Levant. - -And in some respects the Frenchman is the wiser man. He never looks -behind him with regret. He does his best to make his new house -comfortable. The spot on which he fixes is his home, and so he -calls it, and so regards it. But with an Englishman in the West -Indies--even with an English Creole--England is always his home. - -If the people in Jamaica have any prejudice, it is on the subject of -heat. I suppose they have a general idea that their island is hotter -than England; but they never reduce this to an individual idea -respecting their own habitation. - -"Come and dine with me," a man says to you; "I can give you a cool -bed." The invitation at first sounded strange to me, but I soon got -used to it; I soon even liked it, though I found too often that the -promise was not kept. How could it be kept while the quicksilver was -standing at eighty-five in the shade? - -And each man boasts that his house is ten degrees cooler than that of -his neighbours; and each man, if you contest the point, has a reason -to prove why it must be so. - -But a stranger, at any rate round Kingston, is apt to put the matter -in a different light. One place may be hotter than another, but cool -is a word which he never uses. On the whole, I think that the heat of -Kingston, Jamaica, is more oppressive than that of any other place -among the British West Indies. When one gets down to the Spanish -coast, then, indeed, one can look back even to Kingston with regret. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -JAMAICA--SUGAR. - - -That Jamaica was a land of wealth, rivalling the East in its means -of riches, nay, excelling it as a market for capital, as a place in -which money might be turned; and that it now is a spot on the earth -almost more poverty-stricken than any other--so much is known almost -to all men. That this change was brought about by the manumission of -the slaves, which was completed in 1838, of that also the English -world is generally aware. And there probably the usual knowledge -about Jamaica ends. And we may also say that the solicitude of -Englishmen at large goes no further. The families who are connected -with Jamaica by ties of interest are becoming fewer and fewer. -Property has been abandoned as good for nothing, and nearly -forgotten; or has been sold for what wretched trifle it would -fetch; or left to an overseer, who is hardly expected to send home -proceeds--is merely ordered imperatively to apply for no subsidies. -Fathers no longer send their younger sons to make their fortunes -there. Young English girls no longer come out as brides. Dukes and -earls do not now govern the rich gem of the west, spending their -tens of thousands in royal magnificence, and laying by other tens of -thousands for home consumption. In lieu of this, some governor by -profession, unfortunate for the moment, takes Jamaica with a groan, -as a stepping-stone to some better Barataria--New Zealand perhaps, or -Frazer River; and by strict economy tries to save the price of his -silver forks. Equerries, aides-de-camp, and private secretaries no -longer flaunt it about Spanish Town. The flaunting about Spanish Town -is now of a dull sort. Ichabod! The glory of that house is gone. The -palmy days of that island are over. - -Those who are failing and falling in the world excite but little -interest; and so it is at present with Jamaica. From time to time we -hear that properties which used to bring five thousand pounds a year -are not now worth five hundred pounds in fee simple. We hear it, -thank our stars that we have not been brought up in the Jamaica line, -and there's an end of it. If we have young friends whom we wish -to send forth into the world, we search the maps with them at our -elbows; but we put our hands over the West Indies--over the first -fruits of the courage and skill of Columbus--as a spot tabooed -by Providence. Nay, if we could, we would fain forget Jamaica -altogether. - -But there it is; a spot on the earth not to be lost sight of or -forgotten altogether, let us wish it ever so much. It belongs to us, -and must be in some sort thought of and managed, and, if possible, -governed. Though the utter sinking of Jamaica under the sea might -not be regarded as a misfortune, it is not to be thought of that -it should belong to others than Britain. How should we look at the -English politician who would propose to sell it to the United States; -or beg Spain to take it as an appendage to Cuba? It is one of the -few sores in our huge and healthy carcase; and the sore has been now -running so long, that we have almost given over asking whether it be -curable. - -This at any rate is certain--it will not sink into the sea, but will -remain there, inhabited, if not by white men, then by coloured men or -black; and must unfortunately be governed by us English. - -We have indulged our antipathy to cruelty by abolishing slavery. -We have made the peculiar institution an impossibility under the -British crown. But in doing so we overthrew one particular interest; -and, alas! we overthrew also, and necessarily so, the holders of -that interest. As for the twenty millions which we gave to the -slave-owners, it was at best but as though we had put down awls and -lasts by Act of Parliament, and, giving the shoemakers the price -of their tools, told them they might make shoes as they best could -without them; failing any such possibility, that they might live on -the price of their lost articles. Well; the shoemakers did their -best, and continued their trade in shoes under much difficulty. - -But then we have had another antipathy to indulge, and have indulged -it--our antipathy to protection. We have abolished the duty on -slave-grown sugar; and the shoemakers who have no awls and lasts have -to compete sadly with their happy neighbours, possessed of these -useful shoemaking utensils. - -Make no more shoes, but make something in lieu of shoes, we say to -them. The world wants not shoes only--make hats. Give up your sugar, -and bring forth produce that does not require slave labour. Could -the men of Jamaica with one voice speak out such words as the -experience of the world might teach them, they would probably answer -thus:--"Yes; in two hundred years or so we will do so. So long it -will take to alter the settled trade and habit of a community. In -the mean time, for ourselves, our living selves, our late luxurious -homes, our idle, softly-nurtured Creole wives, our children coming -and to come--for ourselves--what immediate compensation do you intend -to offer us, Mr. Bull?" - -Mr. Bull, with sufficient anger at such importunity; with sufficient -remembrance of his late twenty millions of pounds sterling; with some -plain allusions to that payment, buttons up his breeches-pocket and -growls angrily. - -Abolition of slavery is good, and free trade is good. Such little -insight as a plain man may have into the affairs around him seems to -me to suffice for the expression of such opinion. Nor will I presume -to say that those who proposed either the one law or the other -were premature. To get a good law passed and out of hand is always -desirable. There are from day to day so many new impediments! But the -law having been passed, we should think somewhat of the sufferers. - -Planters in Jamaica assert that when the abolition of slavery was -hurried on by the termination of the apprentice system before the -time first stipulated, they were promised by the government at -home that their interests should be protected by high duties on -slave-grown sugar. That such pledge was ever absolutely made, I do -not credit. But that, if made, it could be worth anything, no man -looking to the history of England could imagine. What minister can -pledge his successors? In Jamaica it is said that the pledge was -given and broken by the same man--by Sir Robert Peel. But when did -Sir Robert Peel's pledge in one year bind even his own conduct in the -next? - -The fact perhaps is this, that no one interest can ever be allowed to -stand in the way of national progress. We could not stop machinery -for the sake of the hand-loom weavers. The poor hand-loom weavers -felt themselves aggrieved; knew that the very bread was taken from -their mouths, their hard-earned cup from their lips. They felt, poor -weavers! that they could not take themselves in middle life to poking -fires and greasing wheels. Time, the eater of things, has now pretty -well eaten the hand-loom weavers--them and their miseries. Must it -not be so also with the Jamaica planters? - -In the mean time the sight, as regards the white man, is a sad one to -see; and almost the sadder in that the last three or four years have -been in a slight degree prosperous to the Jamaica sugar-grower; so -that this question of producing sugar in that island at a rate that -will pay for itself is not quite answered. The drowning man still -clings by a rope's end, though it be but by half an inch, and that -held between his teeth. Let go, thou unhappy one, and drown thyself -out of the way! Is it not thus that Great Britain, speaking to him -from the high places in Exeter Hall, shouts to him in his death -struggles? - -Are Englishmen in general aware that half the sugar estates in -Jamaica, and I believe more than half the coffee plantations, have -gone back into a state of bush?--that all this land, rich with the -richest produce only some thirty years since, has now fallen back -into wilderness?--that the world has hereabouts so retrograded?--that -chaos and darkness have reswallowed so vast an extent of the most -bountiful land that civilization had ever mastered, and that too -beneath the British government? - -And of those who are now growing canes in Jamaica a great portion are -gentlemen who have lately bought their estates for the value of the -copper in the sugar-boilers, and of the metal in the rum-stills. If -to this has been added anything like a fair value for wheels in the -machinery, the estate has not been badly sold. - -Some estates there are, and they are not many, which are still worked -by the agents--attorneys is the proper word--of rich proprietors -in England; of men so rich that they have been able to bear the -continual drain of properties that for years have been always -losing--of men who have had wealth and spirit to endure this. It is -hardly necessary to say that they are few; and that many whose spirit -has been high, but wealth insufficient, have gone grievously to the -wall in the attempt. - -And there are still some who, living on the spot, have hitherto -pulled through it all; who have watched houses falling and the -wilderness progressing, and have still stuck to their homes and -their work; men whose properties for ten years, counting from the -discontinuance of protection, have gradually grown less and less -beneath their eyes, till utter want has been close to them. And yet -they have held on. In the good times they may have made five hundred -hogsheads of sugar every year. It has come to that with them that in -some years they have made but thirty. But they have made that thirty -and still held on. All honour at least to them! For their sake, if -for that of no others, we would be tempted to pray that these few -years of their prosperity may be prolonged and grow somewhat fatter. - -The exported produce of Jamaica consists chiefly of sugar and rum. -The article next in importance is coffee. Then they export also -logwood, arrowroot, pimento, and ginger; but not in quantities to -make them of much national value. Mahogany is also cut here, and -fustic. But sugar and rum are still the staples of the island. Now -all the world knows that rum and sugar are made from the same plant. - -And yet every one will tell you that the cane can hardly be got to -thrive in Jamaica without slave labour; will tell you, also, that the -land of Jamaica is so generous that it will give forth many of the -most wonderful fruits of the world, almost without labour. Putting -these two things together, would not any simple man advise them to -abandon sugar? Ah! he would be very simple if he were to do so with a -voice that could make itself well heard, and should dare to do so in -Jamaica. - -Men there are generally tolerant of opinion on most matters, and -submit to be talked to on their own shortcomings and colonial -mismanagement with a decent grace. You may advise them to do this, -and counsel them to do that, referring to their own immediate -concerns, without receiving that rebuke which your interference might -probably deserve. But do not try their complaisance too far. Do not -advise them to give over making sugar. If you give such advice in a -voice loud enough to be heard, the island will soon be too hot to -hold you. Sugar is loved there, whether wisely loved or not. If not -wisely, then too well. - -When I hear a Jamaica planter talking of sugar, I cannot but think -of Burns, and his muse that had made him poor and kept him so. And -the planter is just as ready to give up his canes as the poet was to -abandon his song. - -The production of sugar and the necessary concomitant production of -rum--for in Jamaica the two do necessarily go together--is not, one -would say, an alluring occupation. I do not here intend to indulge my -readers with a detailed description of the whole progress, from the -planting or ratooning of the cane till the sugar and the rum are -shipped. Books there are, no doubt, much wiser than mine in which -the whole process is developed. But I would wish this much to be -understood, that the sugar planter, as things at present are, must -attend to and be master of, and practically carry out three several -trades. He must be an agriculturist, and grow his cane; and like all -agriculturists must take his crop from the ground and have it ready -for use; as the wheat grower does in England, and the cotton grower -in America. But then he must also be a manufacturer, and that in a -branch of manufacture which requires complicated machinery. The wheat -grower does not grind his wheat and make it into bread. Nor does the -cotton grower fabricate calico. But the grower of canes must make -sugar. He must have his boiling-houses and trash-houses; his water -power and his steam power; he must dabble in machinery, and, in fact, -be a Manchester manufacturer as well as a Kent farmer. And then, over -and beyond this, he must be a distiller. The sugar leaves him fit -for your puddings, and the rum fit for your punch--always excepting -the slight article of adulteration which you are good enough to add -afterwards yourselves. Such a complication of trades would not be -thought very alluring to a gentleman farmer in England. - -And yet the Jamaica proprietor holds faithfully by his sugar-canes. - -It has been said that sugar is an article which for its proper -production requires slave labour. That this is absolutely so is -certainly not the fact, for very good sugar is made in Jamaica -without it. That thousands of pounds could be made with slaves where -only hundreds are made--or, as the case may be, are lost--without it, -I do not doubt. The complaint generally resolves itself to this, that -free labour in Jamaica cannot be commanded; that it cannot be had -always, and up to a certain given quantity at a certain moment; that -labour is scarce, and therefore high priced, and that labour being -high priced, a negro can live on half a day's wages, and will not -therefore work the whole day--will not always work any part of the -day at all, seeing that his yams, his breadfruit, and his plantains -are ready to his hands. But the slaves!--Oh! those were the good -times! - -I have in another chapter said a few words about the negroes as at -present existing in Jamaica, I also shall say a few words as to -slavery elsewhere; and I will endeavour not to repeat myself. This -much, however, is at least clear to all men, that you cannot eat your -cake and have it. You cannot abolish slavery to the infinite good -of your souls, your minds, and intellects, and yet retain it for -the good of your pockets. Seeing that these men are free, it is -worse than useless to begrudge them the use of their freedom. If -I have means to lie in the sun and meditate idle, why, O my worthy -taskmaster! should you expect me to pull out at thy behest long -reels of cotton, long reels of law jargon, long reels of official -verbosity, long reels of gossamer literature--Why, indeed? Not having -means so to lie, I do pull out the reels, taking such wages as I -can get, and am thankful. But my friend and brother over there, my -skin-polished, shining, oil-fat negro, is a richer man than I. He -lies under his mango-tree, and eats the luscious fruit in the sun; -he sends his black urchin up for a breadfruit, and behold the family -table is spread. He pierces a cocoa-nut, and, lo! there is his -beverage. He lies on the grass surrounded by oranges, bananas, and -pine-apples. Oh, my hard taskmaster of the sugar-mill, is he not -better off than thou? why should he work at thy order? "No, massa, me -weak in me belly; me no workee to-day; me no like workee just 'em -little moment." Yes, Sambo has learned to have his own way; though -hardly learned to claim his right without lying. - -That this is all bad--bad nearly as bad can be--bad perhaps as -anything short of slavery, all men will allow. It will be quite -as bad in the long run for the negro as for the white man--worse, -indeed; for the white man will by degrees wash his hands of the whole -concern. But as matters are, one cannot wonder that the black man -will not work. The question stands thus: cannot he be made to do -so? Can it not be contrived that he shall be free, free as is the -Englishman, and yet compelled, as is the Englishman, to eat his bread -in the sweat of his brow? - -I utterly disbelieve in statistics as a science, and am never myself -guided by any long-winded statement of figures from a Chancellor -of the Exchequer or such like big-wig. To my mind it is an -hallucination. Such statements are "ignes fatui." Figures, when they -go beyond six in number, represent to me not facts, but dreams, or -sometimes worse than dreams. I have therefore no right myself to -offer statistics to the reader. But it was stated in the census taken -in 1844 that there were sixteen thousand white people in the island, -and about three hundred thousand blacks. There were also about -seventy thousand coloured people. Putting aside for the moment -the latter as a middle class, and regarding the black as the free -servants of the white, one would say that labour should not be so -deficient But what, if your free servants don't work; unfortunately -know how to live without working? - -The political question that presses upon me in viewing Jamaica, is -certainly this--Will the growth of sugar pay in Jamaica, or will it -not? I have already stated my conviction that a change is now taking -place in the very blood and nature of the men who are destined to be -the dominant classes in these western tropical latitudes. That the -white man, the white Englishman, or white English Creole, will ever -again be a thoroughly successful sugar grower in Jamaica I do not -believe. That the brown man may be so is very probable; but great -changes must first be made in the countries around him. - -While the "peculiar institution" exists in Cuba, Brazil, Porto -Rico, and the Southern States, it cannot, I think, come to pass. A -plentiful crop in Cuba may in any year bring sugar to a price which -will give no return whatever to the Jamaica grower. A spare crop in -Jamaica itself will have the same result; and there are many causes -for spare crops; drought, for instance, and floods, and abounding -rats, and want of capital to renew and manure the plants. At present -the trade will only give in good years a fair profit to those who -have purchased their land almost for nothing. A trade that cannot -stand many misfortunes can hardly exist prosperously. This trade has -stood very many; but I doubt whether it can stand more. - -The "peculiar institution," however, will not live for ever. The time -must come when abolition will be popular even in Louisiana. And when -it is law there, it will be the law in Cuba also. If that day shall -have arrived before the last sugar-mill in the island shall have been -stopped, Jamaica may then compete with other free countries. The -world will not do without sugar, let it be produced by slaves or free -men. - -But though a man may venture to foretell the abolition of slavery in -the States, and yet call himself no prophet, he must be a wiser man -than I who can foretell the time. It will hardly be to-morrow; nor -yet the next day. It will scarcely come so that we may see it. Before -it does come it may easily be that the last sugar-mill in poor -Jamaica will in truth have stopped. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -JAMAICA--EMPEROR SOULOUQUE. - - -We all remember the day when Mr. Smith landed at Newhaven and took up -his abode quietly at the inn there. Poor Mr. Smith! In the ripeness -of time he has betaken himself a stage further on his long journey, -travelling now probably without disguise, either that of a citizen -King or of a citizen Smith. - -And now, following his illustrious example, the ex-Emperor Soulouque -has sought the safety always to be found on English territories by -sovereigns out of place. In January, 1859, his Highness landed at -Kingston, Jamaica, having made his town of Port au Prince and his -kingdom of Hayti somewhat too hot to hold him. - -All the world probably knows that King Soulouque is a black man. One -blacker never endured the meridian heat of a tropical sun. - -The island, which was christened Hispaniola by Columbus, has -resumed its ancient name of Hayti. It is, however, divided into -two kingdoms--two republics one may now say. That to the east is -generally called St. Domingo, having borrowed the name given by -Columbus to a town. This is by far the larger, but at the same -time the poorer division of the island. That to the west is now -called Hayti, and over this territory Soulouque reigned as emperor. -He reigned as emperor, and was so styled, having been elected as -President; in which little change in his state he has been imitated -by a neighbour of ours with a success almost equal to his own. - -For some dozen years the success of Soulouque was very considerable. -He has had a dominion which has been almost despotic; and has, so -rumour says, invested some three or four hundred thousand pounds in -European funds. In this latter point his imitator has, I fear, hardly -equalled him. - -But a higher ambition fired the bosom of Soulouque, and he sighed -after the territories of his neighbours--not generously to bestow -them on other kings, but that he might keep them on his own behoof. -Soulouque desired to be emperor of the whole island, and he sounded -his trumpet and prepared his arms. He called together his army, and -put on the boots of Bombastes. He put on the boots of Bombastes and -bade his men meet him--at the Barleymow or elsewhere. - -But it seems that his men were slow in coming to the rendezvous. -Nothing that Soulouque could say, nothing that he could do, no -admonitions through his sternest government ministers, no reading -of the mutiny act by his commanders and generals, would induce them -actually to make an assault at arms. Then Soulouque was angry, and in -his anger he maltreated his army. He put his men into pits, and kept -them there without food; left them to be eaten by vermin--to be fed -upon while they could not feed; and played, upon the whole, such -a melodrama of autocratic tricks and fantasies as might have done -honour to a white Nero. Then at last black human nature could endure -no more, and Soulouque, dreading a pit for his own majesty, was -forced to run. - -In one respect he was more fortunate than Mr. Smith. In his dire -necessity an English troop-ship was found to be at hand. The -'Melbourne' was steaming home from Jamaica, and the officer in -command having been appealed to for assistance, consented to return -to Kingston with the royal suite. This she did, and on the 22nd of -January, Soulouque, with his wife and daughter, his prime minister, -and certain coal-black maids of honour, was landed at the quays. - -When under the ægis of British protection, the ex-emperor was of -course safe. But he had not exactly chosen a bed of roses for himself -in coming to Jamaica. It might be probable that a bed of roses -was not easily to be found at the moment. At Kingston there were -collected many Haytians, who had either been banished by Soulouque in -the plenitude of his power, or had run from him as he was now running -from his subjects. There were many whose brothers and fathers had -been destroyed in Hayti, whose friends had perished under the hands -of the tyrant's executioner, for whom pits would have been prepared -had they not vanished speedily. These refugees had sought safety also -in Jamaica, and for them a day of triumph had now arrived. They were -not the men to allow an opportunity for triumph to pass without -enjoying it. - -These were mostly brown men--men of a mixed race; men, and indeed -women also. With Soulouque and his government such had found no -favour. He had been glad to welcome white residents in his kingdom, -and of course had rejoiced in having black men as his subjects. -But of the coloured people he had endeavoured in every way to rid -himself. He had done so to a great extent, and many of them were now -ready to welcome him at Kingston. - -Kingston does not rejoice in public equipages of much pretensions; -nor are there to be hired many carriages fit for the conveyance of -royalty, even in its decadence. Two small, wretched vehicles were -however procured, such as ply in the streets there, and carry -passengers to the Spanish Town railway at sixpence a head. In one -of these sat Soulouque and his wife, with a British officer on the -box beside the driver, and with two black policemen hanging behind. -In another, similarly guarded, were packed the Countess Olive--that -being the name of the ex-emperor's daughter--and her attendants. And -thus travelling by different streets they made their way to their -hotel. - -One would certainly have wished, in despite of those wretched pits, -that they had been allowed to do so without annoyance; but such was -not the case. The banished Haytians had it not in their philosophy -to abstain from triumphing on a fallen enemy. They surrounded the -carriages with a dusky cloud, and received the fugitives with howls -of self-congratulation at their abasement. Nor was this all. When the -royal party was duly lodged at the Date-Tree tavern, the ex-Haytians -lodged themselves opposite. There they held a dignity ball in token -of their joy; and for three days maintained their position in order -that poor Soulouque might witness their rejoicings. - -"They have said a mass over him, the wretched being!" said the -landlady of my hotel to me, triumphantly. - -"Said a mass over him?" - -"Yes, the black nigger--king, indeed! said a mass over him 'cause -he's down. Thank God for that! And pray God keep him so. Him king -indeed, the black nigger!" All which could not have been comfortable -for poor Soulouque. - -The royal party had endeavoured in the first instance to take up -their quarters at this lady's hotel, or lodging-house, as they are -usually called. But the patriotic sister of Mrs. Seacole would listen -to no such proposition. "I won't keep a house for black men," she -said to me. "As for kings, I would despise myself to have a black -king. As for that black beast and his black women--Bah!" Now this -was certainly magnanimous, for Soulouque would have been prepared -to pay well for his accommodation. But the ordinary contempt which -the coloured people have for negroes was heightened in this case by -the presumption of black royalty--perhaps also by loyalty. "Queen -Victoria is my king," said Mrs. Seacole's sister. - -I must confess that I endeavoured to excite her loyalty rather than -her compassion. A few friends were to dine with me that day; and -where would have been my turtle soup had Soulouque and his suite -taken possession of the house? - -The deposed tyrant, when he left Hayti, published a short manifesto, -in which he set forth that he, Faustin the First, having been elected -by the free suffrages of his fellow countrymen, had endeavoured to -govern them well, actuated by a pure love of his country; that he had -remained at his post as long as his doing so had been pleasing to his -countrymen; but that now, having discovered by sure symptoms that his -countrymen desired to see him no longer on the throne, he voluntarily -and immediately abdicated his seat. From henceforth he could only -wish well to the prosperity of Hayti. - -Free suffrages of his people! Ah, me! Such farces strike us but as -farces when Hayti and such like lands are concerned. But when they -come nearer to us they are very sad. - -Soulouque is a stout, hale man, apparently of sixty-five or -sixty-eight years of age. It is difficult to judge of the expression -of a black man's face unless it be very plainly seen; but it appeared -to me to be by no means repulsive. He has been, I believe, some -twelve years Emperor of Hayti, and as he has escaped with wealth he -cannot be said to have been unfortunate. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -JAMAICA--THE GOVERNMENT. - - -Queen, Lords, and Commons, with the full paraphernalia of triple -readings, adjournments of the house, and counting out, prevails in -Jamaica as it does in Great Britain. - -By this it will be understood that there is a Governor, representing -the Crown, whose sanction or veto is of course given, as regards -important measures, in accordance with instructions from the Colonial -Office. The Governor has an Executive Committee, which tallies with -our Cabinet. It consists at present of three members, one of whom -belongs to the upper House and two to the lower. The Governor may -appoint a fourth member if it so please him. These gentlemen are paid -for their services, and preside over different departments, as do -our Secretaries of State, &c. And there is a Most Honourable Privy -Council, just as we have at home. Of this latter, the members may or -may not support the Governor, seeing that they are elected for life. - -The House of Lords is represented by the Legislative Council. This -quasi-peerage is of course not hereditary, but the members sit for -life, and are nominated by the Governor. They are seventeen in -number. The Legislative Council can of course put a veto on any bill. - -The House of Assembly stands in the place of the House of Commons. -It consists of forty-seven members, two being elected by nineteen -parishes, and three each by three other parishes, those, namely, -which contain the towns of Kingston, Spanish Town, and Port Royal. - -In one respect this House of Commons falls short of the privileges -and powers of our House at home. It cannot suggest money bills. No -honourable member can make a proposition that so much a year shall be -paid for such a purpose. The government did not wish to be driven to -exercise the invidious power of putting repeated vetos on repeated -suggestions for semi-public expenditure; and therefore this power has -been taken away. But any honourable member can bring before the House -a motion to the effect that the Governor be recommended himself to -propose, by one of the Executive Committee, such or such a money -bill; and then if the Governor decline, the House can refuse to pass -his supplies, and can play the "red devil" with his Excellency. So -that it seems to come pretty nearly to the same thing. - -At home in England, Crown, Lords, and Commons really seem to do very -well. Some may think that the system wants a little shove this way, -some the other. Reform may, or may not be, more or less needed. But -on the whole we are governed honestly, liberally, and successfully; -with at least a greater share of honesty, liberality, and success -than has fallen to the lot of most other people. Each of the three -estates enjoys the respect of the people at large, and a seat, either -among the Lords or the Commons, is an object of high ambition. The -system may therefore be said to be successful. - -But it does not follow that because it answers in England it should -answer in Jamaica; that institutions which suit the country which -is perhaps in the whole world the furthest advanced in civilization, -wealth, and public honesty, should suit equally well an island -which is unfortunately very far from being advanced in those good -qualities; whose civilization, as regards the bulk of the population, -is hardly above that of savages, whose wealth has vanished, and of -whose public honesty--I will say nothing. Of that I myself will -say nothing, but the Jamaicans speak of it in terms which are not -flattering to their own land. - -I do not think that the system does answer in Jamaica. In the first -place, it must be remembered that it is carried on there in a manner -very different from that exercised in our other West-Indian colonies. -In Jamaica any man may vote who pays either tax or rent; but by a -late law he must put in his claim to vote on a ten shilling stamp. -There are in round numbers three hundred thousand blacks, seventy -thousand coloured people, and fifteen thousand white; it may -therefore easily be seen in what hands the power of electing must -rest. Now in Barbados no coloured man votes at all. A coloured man or -negro is doubtless qualified to vote if he own a freehold; but then, -care is taken that such shall not own freeholds. In Trinidad, the -legislative power is almost entirely in the hands of the Crown. In -Guiana, which I look upon as the best governed of them all, this is -very much the case. - -It is not that I would begrudge the black man the right of voting -because he is black, or that I would say that he is and must be -unfit to vote, or unfit even to sit in a house of assembly; but the -amalgamation as at present existing is bad. The objects sought after -by a free and open representation of the people are not gained -unless those men are as a rule returned who are most respected in -the commonwealth, so that the body of which they are the units may -be respected also. This object is not achieved in Jamaica, and -consequently the House of Assembly is not respected. It does not -contain the men of most weight and condition in the island, and is -contemptuously spoken of even in Jamaica itself, and even by its own -members. - -Some there are, some few, who have gotten themselves to be elected, -in order that things which are already bad may not, if such can be -avoided, become worse. They, no doubt, are they who best do their -duty by the country in which their lot lies. But, for the most part, -those who should represent Jamaica will not condescend to take part -in the debates, nor will they solicit the votes of the negroes. - -It would appear from these observations as though I thought that the -absolute ascendency of the white man should still be maintained in -Jamaica. By no means. Let him be ascendant who can--in Jamaica or -elsewhere--who honestly can. I doubt whether such ascendency, the -ascendency of Europeans and white Creoles, can be longer maintained -in this island. It is not even now maintained; and for that reason -chiefly I hold that this system of Lords and Commons is not -compatible with the present genius of the place. Let coloured men -fill the public offices, and enjoy the sweets of official pickings. -I would by no means wish to interfere with any good things which -fortune may be giving them in this respect. But I think there would -be greater probability of their advancing in their new profession -honestly and usefully, if they could be made to look more to the -Colonial Office at home, and less to the native legislature. - -At home, no member of the House of Commons can hold a government -contract. The members of the House of Assembly in Jamaica have no -such prejudicial embargo attached to the honour of their seats. They -can hold the government contracts; and it is astonishing how many of -them are in their hands. - -The great point which strikes a stranger is this, that the House of -Assembly is not respected in the island. Jamaicans themselves have no -confidence in it. If the white men could be polled, the majority I -think would prefer to be rid of it altogether, and to be governed, as -Trinidad is governed, by a Governor with a council; of course with -due power of reference to the Colonial Office. - -Let any man fancy what England would be if the House of Commons were -ludicrous in the eyes of Englishmen; if men ridiculed or were ashamed -of all their debates. Such is the case as regards the Jamaica House -of Commons. - -In truth, there is not room for a machinery so complicated in this -island. The handful of white men can no longer have it all their own -way; and as for the negroes--let any warmest advocate of the "man and -brother" position say whether he has come across three or four of -the class who are fit to enact laws for their own guidance and the -guidance of others. - -It pains me to write words which may seem to be opposed to humanity -and a wide philanthropy; but a spade is a spade, and it is worse than -useless to say that it is something else. - -The proof of the truth of what I say with reference to this system -of Lords and Commons is to be found in the eating of the pudding. -It may not perhaps be fair to adduce the prosperity of Barbados, -and to compare it with the adversity of Jamaica, seeing that -local circumstances were advantageous to Barbados at the times of -emancipation and equalization of the sugar duties. Barbados was -always able to command a plentiful supply of labour. But it is quite -fair to compare Jamaica with Guiana or Trinidad. In both these -colonies the negro was as well able to shirk his work as in Jamaica. - -And in these two colonies the negro did shirk his work, just as he -did in Jamaica; and does still to a great extent. The limits of these -colonies are as extensive as Jamaica is, and the negro can squat. -They are as fertile as Jamaica is, and the negro can procure his -food almost without trouble. But not the less is it a fact that the -exportation of sugar from Guiana and Trinidad now exceeds the amount -exported in the time of slavery, while the exportation from Jamaica -is almost as nothing. - -But in Trinidad and Guiana they have no House of Commons, with Mr. -Speaker, three readings, motions for adjournment, and unlimited -powers of speech. In those colonies the governments--acting with -such assistance as was necessary--have succeeded in getting foreign -labour. In Jamaica they have as yet but succeeded in talking about -it. In Guiana and Trinidad they make much sugar, and boast loudly -of making more. In Jamaica they make but very little, and have not -self-confidence enough left with them to make any boast whatsoever. - -With all the love that an Englishman should have for a popular -parliamentary representation, I cannot think it adapted to a small -colony, even were that colony not from circumstances so peculiarly -ill fitted for it as is Jamaica. In Canada and Australia it is -no doubt very well; the spirit of a fresh and energetic people -struggling on into the world's eminence will produce men fit for -debating, men who can stand on their legs without making a house of -legislature ridiculous. But what could Lords and Commons do in Malta, -or in Jersey? What would they do in the Scilly Islands? What have -they been doing in the Ionian Islands? And, alas! what have they done -in Jamaica? - -Her roads are almost impassable, her bridges are broken down, her -coffee plantations have gone back to bush, her sugar estates have -been sold for the value of the sugar-boilers. Kingston as a town is -the most deplorable that man ever visited, unless it be that Spanish -Town is worse. And yet they have Lords and Commons with all but -unlimited powers of making motions! It has availed them nothing, and -I fear will avail them nothing. - -This I know may be said, that be the Lords and Commons there for -good or evil, they are to be moved neither by men nor gods. It is I -imagine true, that no power known to the British empire could deprive -Jamaica of her constitution. It has had some kind of a house of -assembly since the time of Charles II.; nay, I believe, since the -days of Cromwell; which by successive doctoring has grown to be such -a parody, as it now is, on our home mode of doing business. How all -this may now be altered and brought back to reason, perhaps no man -can say. Probably it cannot be altered till some further smash shall -come; but it is not on that account the less objectionable. - -The House of Assembly and the Chamber of the Legislative Council -are both situated in the same square with the Governor's mansion -in Spanish Town. The desolateness of this place I have attempted -to describe elsewhere, and yet, when I was there, Parliament -was sitting! What must the place be during the nine months when -Parliament does not sit? They are yellow buildings, erected -at considerable expense, and not without some pretence. But -nevertheless, they are ugly--ugly from their colour, ugly from the -heat, and ugly from a certain heaviness which seems natural to them -and to the place. - -The house itself in which the forty-seven members sit is comfortable -enough, and not badly adapted for its purposes. The Speaker sits at -one end all in full fig, with a clerk at the table below; opposite to -him, two-thirds down the room, a low bar, about four feet high, runs -across it. As far as this the public are always admitted; and when -any subject of special interest is under discussion twelve or fifteen -persons may be seen there assembled. Then there is a side room -opening from the house, into which members take their friends. Indeed -it is, I believe, generally open to any one wearing a decent coat. -There is the Bellamy of the establishment, in which honourable -members take such refreshment as the warmth of the debate may render -necessary. Their tastes seemed to me to be simple, and to addict -themselves chiefly to rum and water. - -I was throwing away my cigar as I entered the precincts of the house. -"Oh, you can smoke," said my friend to me; "only, when you stand -at the doorway, don't let the Speaker's eye catch the light; but -it won't much matter." So I walked on, and stood at the side door, -smoking my cigar indeed, but conscious that I was desecrating the -place. - -I saw five or six coloured gentlemen in the house, and two -negroes--sitting in the house as members. As far as the two latter -men were concerned, I could not but be gratified to see them in the -fair enjoyment of the objects of a fair ambition. Had they not by -efforts of their own made themselves greatly superior to others of -their race, they would not have been there. I say this, fearing that -it may be thought that I begrudge a black man such a position. I -begrudge the black men nothing that they can honestly lay hands on; -but I think that we shall benefit neither them nor ourselves by -attempting with a false philanthropy to make them out to be other -than they are. - -The subject under debate was a railway bill. The railway system is -not very extended in the island; but there is a railway, and the -talk was of prolonging it. Indeed, the house I believe had on some -previous occasion decided that it should be prolonged, and the -present fight was as to some particular detail. What that detail was -I did not learn, for the business being performed was a continual -series of motions for adjournment carried on by a victorious minority -of three. - -It was clear that the conquered majority of--say thirty--was very -angry. For some reason, appertaining probably to the tactics of the -house, these thirty were exceedingly anxious to have some special -point carried and put out of the way that night, but the three were -inexorable. Two of the three spoke continually, and ended every -speech with a motion for adjournment. - -And then there was a disagreement among the thirty. Some declared -all this to be "bosh," proposed to leave the house without any -adjournment, play whist, and let the three victors enjoy their barren -triumph. Others, made of sterner stuff, would not thus give way. One -after another they made impetuous little speeches, then two at a -time, and at last three. They thumped the table, and called each -other pretty names, walked about furiously, and devoted the three -victors to the infernal gods. - -And then one of the black gentlemen arose, and made a calm, -deliberate little oration. The words he spoke were about the wisest -which were spoken that night, and yet they were not very wise. He -offered to the house a few platitudes on the general benefit of -railways, which would have applied to any railway under the sun, -saying that eggs and fowls would be taken to market; and then he sat -down. On his behalf I must declare that there were no other words of -such wisdom spoken that night. But this relief lasted only for three -minutes. - -After a while two members coming to the door declared that it was -becoming unbearable, and carried me away to play whist. "My place is -close by," said one, "and if the row becomes hot we shall hear it. It -is dreadful to stay there with such an object, and with the certainty -of missing one's object after all." As I was inclined to agree with -him, I went away and played whist. - -But soon a storm of voices reached our ears round the card-table. -"They are hard at it now," said one honourable member. "That's -So-and-So, by the screech." The yell might have been heard at -Kingston, and no doubt was. - -"By heavens they are at it," said another. "Ha, ha, ha! A nice house -of assembly, isn't it?" - -"Will they pitch into one another?" I asked, thinking of scenes of -which I had read of in another country; and thinking also, I must -confess, that an absolute bodily scrimmage on the floor of the house -might be worth seeing. - -"They don't often do that," said my friend. "They trust chiefly to -their voices; but there's no knowing." - -The temptation was too much for me, so I threw down my cards and -rushed back to the Assembly. When I arrived the louder portion of -the noise was being made by one gentleman who was walking round and -round the chamber, swearing in a loud voice that he would resign the -very moment the Speaker was seated in the chair; for at that time -the house was in committee. The louder portion of the noise, I say, -for two other honourable members were speaking, and the rest were -discussing the matter in small parties. - -"Shameful, abominable, scandalous, rascally!" shouted the angry -gentleman over and over again, as he paced round and round the -chamber. "I'll not sit in such a house; no man should sit in such a -house. By G----, I'll resign as soon as I see the Speaker in that -chair. Sir, come and have a drink of rum and water." - -In his angry wanderings his steps had brought him to the door at -which I was standing, and these last words were addressed to me. -"Come and have a drink of rum and water," and he seized me with a -hospitable violence by the arm. I did not dare to deny so angry a -legislator, and I drank the rum and water. Then I returned to my -cards. - -It may be said that nearly the same thing does sometimes occur in our -own House of Commons--always omitting the threats of resignation and -the drink. With us at home a small minority may impede the business -of the house by adjournments, and members sometimes become loud and -angry. But in Jamaica the storm raged in so small a teapot! The -railway extension was to be but for a mile or two, and I fear would -hardly benefit more than the eggs and fowls for which the dark -gentleman pleaded. - -In heading this chapter I have spoken of the government, and it may -be objected to me that in writing it I have written only of the -legislature, and not at all of the mode of governing. But in truth -the mode of government depends entirely on the mode of legislature. - -As regards the Governor himself and his ministers, I do not doubt -that they do their best; but I think that their best might be much -better if their hands were not so closely tied by this teapot system -of Queen, Lords, and Commons. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -CUBA. - - -Cuba is the largest and the most westerly of the West Indian islands. -It is in the shape of a half-moon, and with one of its horns nearly -lies across the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. It belongs to the -Spanish crown, of which it is by far the most splendid appendage. So -much for facts--geographical and historical. - -The journey from Kingston to Cien Fuegos, of which I have said -somewhat in my first chapter, was not completed under better auspices -than those which witnessed its commencement. That perfidious bark, -built in the eclipse, was bad to the last, and my voyage took nine -days instead of three. My humble stock of provisions had long been -all gone, and my patience was nearly at as low an ebb. Then, as a -finale, the Cuban pilot who took us in hand as we entered the port, -ran us on shore just under the Spanish fort, and there left us. From -this position it was impossible to escape, though the shore lay close -to us, inasmuch as it is an offence of the gravest nature to land in -those ports without the ceremony of a visit from the medical officer; -and no medical officer would come to us there. And then two of our -small crew had been taken sick, and we had before us in our mind's -eye all the pleasures of quarantine. - -A man, and especially an author, is thankful for calamities if they -be of a tragic dye. It would be as good as a small fortune to be -left for three days without food or water, or to run for one's life -before a black storm on unknown seas in a small boat. But we had no -such luck as this. There was plenty of food, though it was not very -palatable; and the peril of our position cannot be insisted on, as -we might have thrown a baby on shore from the vessel, let alone a -biscuit. We did what we could to get up a catastrophe among the -sharks, by bathing off the ship's sides. But even this was in vain. -One small shark we did see. But in lieu of it eating us, we ate it. -In spite of the popular prejudice, I have to declare that it was -delicious. - -But at last I did find myself in the hotel at Cien Fuegos. And here I -must say a word in praise of the civility of the Spanish authorities -of that town--and, indeed, of those gentlemen generally wherever I -chanced to meet them. They welcome you with easy courtesy; offer you -coffee or beer; assure you at parting that their whole house is at -your disposal; and then load you--at least they so loaded me--with -cigars. - -"My friend," said the captain of the port, holding in his hand a huge -parcel of these articles, each about seven inches long--"I wish I -could do you a service. It would make me happy for ever if I could -truly serve you." - -"Señor, the service you have done me is inestimable in allowing me to -make the acquaintance of Don ----." - -"But at least accept these few cigars;" and then he pressed the -bundle into my hand, and pressed his own hand over mine. "Smoke one -daily after dinner; and when you procure any that are better, do a -fastidious old smoker the great kindness to inform him where they are -to be found." - -This treasure to which his fancy alluded, but in the existence of -which he will never believe, I have not yet discovered. - -Cien Fuegos is a small new town on the southern coast of Cuba, -created by the sugar trade, and devoted, of course, to commerce. It -is clean, prosperous, and quickly increasing. Its streets are lighted -with gas, while those in the Havana still depend upon oil-lamps. It -has its opera, its governor's house, its alaméda, its military and -public hospital, its market-place, and railway station; and unless -the engineers deceive themselves, it will in time have its well. It -has also that institution which in the eyes of travellers ranks so -much above all others, a good and clean inn. - -My first object after landing was to see a slave sugar estate. I -had been told in Jamaica that to effect this required some little -management; that the owners of the slaves were not usually willing -to allow strangers to see them at work; and that the manufacture of -sugar in Cuba was as a rule kept sacred from profane eyes. But I -found no such difficulty. I made my request to an English merchant -at Cien Fuegos, and he gave me a letter of introduction to the -proprietor of an estate some fifteen miles from the town; and by -their joint courtesy I saw all that I wished. - -On this property, which consisted altogether of eighteen -hundred acres--the greater portion of which was not yet under -cultivation--there were six hundred acres of cane pieces. The average -year's produce was eighteen hundred hogsheads, or three hogsheads to -the acre. The hogshead was intended to represent a ton of sugar when -it reached the market, but judging from all that I could learn it -usually fell short of it by more than a hundredweight. The value of -such a hogshead at Cien Fuegos was about twenty-five pounds. There -were one hundred and fifty negro men on the estate, the average cash -value of each man being three hundred and fifty pounds; most of -the men had their wives. In stating this it must not be supposed -that either I or my informant insist much on the validity of their -marriage ceremony; any such ceremony was probably of rare occurrence. -During the crop time, at which period my visit was made, and which -lasts generally from November till May, the negroes sleep during six -hours out of the twenty-four, have two for their meals, and work -for sixteen! No difference is made on Sunday. Their food is very -plentiful, and of a good and strong description. They are sleek -and fat and large, like well-preserved brewers' horses; and with -reference to them, as also with reference to the brewers' horses, it -has probably been ascertained what amount of work may be exacted so -as to give the greatest profit. During the remainder of the year the -labour of the negroes averages twelve hours a day, and one day of -rest in the week is usually allowed to them. - -I was of course anxious to see what was the nature of the coercive -measures used with them. But in this respect my curiosity was not -indulged. I can only say that I saw none, and saw the mark and signs -of none. No doubt the whip is in use, but I did not see it. The -gentleman whose estate I visited had no notice of our coming, and -there was no appearance of anything being hidden from us. I could -not, however, bring myself to inquire of him as to their punishment. - -The slaves throughout the island are always as a rule baptized. Those -who are employed in the town and as household servants appear to -be educated in compliance with, at any rate the outward doctrines -of, the Roman Catholic church. But with the great mass of the -negroes--those who work on the sugar-canes--all attention to religion -ends with their baptism. They have the advantage, whatever it may -be, of that ceremony in infancy; and from that time forth they are -treated as the beasts of the stall. - -From all that I could hear, as well as from what I could see, I -have reason to think that, regarding them as beasts, they are well -treated. Their hours of labour are certainly very long--so long as to -appear almost impossible to a European workman. But under the system, -such as it is, the men do not apparently lose their health, though, -no doubt, they become prematurely old, and as a rule die early. The -property is too valuable to be neglected or ill used. The object of -course is to make that property pay; and therefore a present healthy -condition is cared for, but long life is not regarded. It is exactly -the same with horses in this country. - -When all has been said that can be said in favour of the slave-owner -in Cuba, it comes to this--that he treats his slaves as beasts of -burden, and so treating them, does it skilfully and with prudence. -The point which most shocks an Englishman is the absence of all -religion, the ignoring of the black man's soul. But this, perhaps, -may be taken as an excuse, that the white men here ignore their own -souls also. The Roman Catholic worship seems to be at a lower ebb in -Cuba than almost any country in which I have seen it. - -It is singular that no priest should even make any effort on the -subject with regard to the negroes; but I am assured that such is -the fact. They do not wish to do so; nor will they allow of any one -asking them to make the experiment. One would think that had there -been any truth or any courage in them, they would have declared the -inutility of baptism, and have proclaimed that negroes have no souls. -But there is no truth in them; neither is there any courage. - -The works at the Cuban sugar estate were very different from those I -had seen at Jamaica. They were on a much larger scale, in much better -order, overlooked by a larger proportion of white men, with a greater -amount of skilled labour. The evidences of capital were very plain in -Cuba; whereas, the want of it was frequently equally plain in our own -island. - -Not that the planters in Cuba are as a rule themselves very rich -men. The estates are deeply mortgaged to the different merchants -at the different ports, as are those in Jamaica to the merchants -of Kingston. These merchants in Cuba are generally Americans, -Englishmen, Germans, Spaniards from the American republics--anything -but Cubans; and the slave-owners are but the go-betweens, who secure -the profits of the slave-trade for the merchants. - -My friend at the estate invited us to a late breakfast after having -shown me what I came to see. "You have taken me so unawares," said -he, "that we cannot offer you much except a welcome." Well, it -was not much--for Cuba perhaps. A delicious soup, made partly of -eggs, a bottle of excellent claret, a paté de foie gras, some game -deliciously dressed, and half a dozen kinds of vegetables; that was -all. I had seen nothing among the slaves which in any way interfered -with my appetite, or with the cup of coffee and cigar which came -after the little nothings above mentioned. - -We then went down to the railway station. It was a peculiar station I -was told, and the tickets could not be paid for till we reached Cien -Fuegos. But, lo! on arriving at Cien Fuegos there was nothing more to -pay. "It has all been done," said some one to me. - -If one was but convinced that those sleek, fat, smiling bipeds were -but two legged beasts of burden, and nothing more, all would have -been well at the estate which we visited. - -All Cuba was of course full of the late message from the President of -the United States, which at the time of my visit was some two months -old there. The purport of what Mr. Buchanan said regarding Cuba -may perhaps be expressed as follows:--"Circumstances and destiny -absolutely require that the United States should be the masters of -that island. That we should take it by filibustering or violence -is not in accordance with our national genius. It will suit our -character and honesty much better that we should obtain it by -purchase. Let us therefore offer a fair price for it. If a fair price -be refused, that of course will be a casus belli. Spain will then -have injured us, and we may declare war. Under these circumstances we -should probably obtain the place without purchase; but let us hope -better things." This is what the President has said, either in plain -words or by inference equally plain. - -It may easily be conceived with what feeling such an announcement -has been received by Spain and those who hold Spanish authority in -Cuba. There is an outspoken insolence in the threat, which, by a -first-class power, would itself have been considered a cause for war. -But Spain is not a first-class power, and like the other weak ones of -the earth must either perish or live by adhering to and obeying those -who will protect her. Though too ignoble to be strong, she has been -too proud to be obedient. And as a matter of course she will go to -the wall. - -A scrupulous man who feels that he would fain regulate his course in -politics by the same line as that used for his ordinary life, cannot -but feel angry at the loud tone of America's audacious threat. But -even such a one knows that that threat will sooner or later be -carried out, and that humanity will benefit by its accomplishment. -Perhaps it may be said that scrupulous men should have but little -dealing in state policy. - -The plea under which Mr. Buchanan proposes to quarrel with Spain, if -she will not sell that which America wishes to buy, is the plea under -which Ahab quarrelled with Naboth. A man is, individually, disgusted -that a President of the United States should have made such an -utterance. But looking at the question in a broader point of view, in -one which regards future ages rather than the present time, one can -hardly refrain from rejoicing at any event which will tend to bring -about that which in itself is so desirable. - -We reprobate the name of filibuster, and have a holy horror of the -trade. And it is perhaps fortunate that with us the age of individual -filibustering is well-nigh gone by. But it may be fair for us to -consider whether we have not in our younger days done as much in this -line as have the Americans--whether Clive, for instance, was not a -filibuster--or Warren Hastings. Have we not annexed, and maintained, -and encroached; protected, and assumed, and taken possession in the -East--doing it all of course for the good of humanity? And why should -we begrudge the same career to America? - -That we do begrudge it is certain. That she purchased California and -took Texas went at first against the grain with us; and Englishmen, -as a rule, would wish to maintain Cuba in the possession of Spain. -But what Englishman who thinks about it will doubt that California -and Texas have thriven since they were annexed, as they never could -have thriven while forming part of the Mexican empire--or can doubt -that Cuba, if delivered up to the States, would gain infinitely by -such a change of masters? - -Filibustering, called by that or some other name, is the destiny of -a great portion of that race to which we Englishmen and Americans -belong. It would be a bad profession probably for a scrupulous man. -With the unscrupulous man, what stumbling-blocks there may be between -his deeds and his conscience is for his consideration and for God's -judgment. But it will hardly suit us as a nation to be loud against -it. By what other process have poor and weak races been compelled to -give way to those who have power and energy? And who have displaced -so many of the poor and weak, and spread abroad so vast an energy, -such an extent of power as we of England? - -The truth may perhaps be this:--that a filibuster needs expect no -good word from his fellow-mortals till he has proved his claim to it -by success. - -From such information as I could obtain, I am of opinion that the -Cubans themselves would be glad enough to see the transfer well -effected. How, indeed, can it be otherwise? At present they have no -national privilege except that of undergoing taxation. Every office -is held by a Spaniard. Every soldier in the island--and they say that -there are twenty-five thousand--must be a Spaniard. The ships of -war are commanded and manned by Spaniards. All that is shown before -their eyes of brilliancy and power and high place is purely Spanish. -No Cuban has any voice in his own country. He can never have the -consolation of thinking that his tyrant is his countryman, or reflect -that under altered circumstances it might possibly have been his -fortune to tyrannize. What love can he have for Spain? He cannot even -have the poor pride of being slave to a great lord. He is the lacquey -of a reduced gentleman, and lives on the vails of those who despise -his master. Of course the transfer would be grateful to him. - -But no Cuban will himself do anything to bring it about. To wish is -one thing; to act is another. A man standing behind his counter may -feel that his hand is restricted on every side, and his taxes alone -unrestricted; but he must have other than Hispano-Creole blood in -his veins if he do more than stand and feel. Indeed, wishing is too -strong a word to be fairly applicable to his state of mind. He would -be glad that Cuba should be American; but he would prefer that he -himself should lie in a dormant state while the dangerous transfer is -going on. - -I have ventured to say that humanity would certainly be benefited -by such a transfer. We, when we think of Cuba, think of it almost -entirely as a slave country. And, indeed, in this light, and in -this light only, is it peculiar, being the solitary land into which -slaves are now systematically imported out of Africa. Into that great -question of guarding the slave coast it would be futile here to -enter; but this I believe is acknowledged, that if the Cuban market -be closed against the trade, the trade must perish of exhaustion. At -present slaves are brought into Cuba in spite of us; and as we all -know, can be brought in under the American stars and stripes. But no -one accuses the American Government of systematically favouring an -importation of Africans into their own States. When Cuba becomes one -of them the trade will cease. The obstacle to that trade which is -created by our vessels of war on the coast of Africa may, or may not, -be worth the cost. But no man who looks into the subject will presume -to say that we can be as efficacious there as the Americans would be -if they were the owners of the present slave-market. - -I do not know whether it be sufficiently understood in England, -that though slavery is an institution of the United States, the -slave-trade, as commonly understood under that denomination, is as -illegal there as in England. That slavery itself would be continued -in Cuba under the Americans--continued for a while--is of course -certain. So is it in Louisiana and the Carolinas. But the horrors of -the middle passage, the kidnapping of negroes, the African wars which -are waged for the sake of prisoners, would of necessity come to an -end. - -But this slave-trade is as opposed to the laws of Spain and its -colonies as it is to those of the United States or of Great Britain. -This is true; and were the law carried out in Cuba as well as it is -in the United States, an Englishman would feel disinclined to look on -with calmness at the violent dismemberment of the Spanish empire. But -in Cuba the law is broken systematically. The Captain-General in Cuba -will allow no African to be imported into the island--except for a -consideration. It is said that the present Captain-General receives -only a gold doubloon, or about three pounds twelve shillings, on -every head of wool so brought in; and he has therefore the reputation -of being a very moderate man. O'Donnel required twice as large a -bribe. Valdez would take nothing, and he is spoken of as the foolish -Governor. Even he, though he would take no bribe, was not allowed -to throw obstacles in the way of the slave-trade. That such a bribe -is usually demanded, and as a matter of course paid, is as well -known--ay, much better known, than any other of the island port -duties. The fact is so notorious to all men, that it is almost as -absurd to insist on it as it would be to urge that the income of the -Queen of England is paid from the taxes. It is known to every one, -and among others is known to the government of Spain. Under these -circumstances, who can feel sympathy with her, or wish that she -should retain her colony? Does she not daily show that she is unfit -to hold it? - -There must be some stage in misgovernment which will justify the -interference of bystanding nations, in the name of humanity. That -rule in life which forbids a man to come between a husband and his -wife is a good rule. But nevertheless, who can stand by quiescent -and see a brute half murder the poor woman whom he should protect? - -And in other ways, and through causes also, humanity would be -benefited by such a transfer. We in England are not very fond of -a republic. We would hardly exchange our throne for a president's -chair, or even dispense at present with our House of Peers or our -Bench of Bishops. But we can see that men thrive under the stars -and stripes; whereas they pine beneath the red and yellow flag of -Spain. This, it may be said, is attributable to the race of the men -rather than to the government. But the race will be improved by the -infusion of new blood. Let the world say what chance there is of such -improvement in the Spanish government. - -The trade of the country is falling into the hands of -foreigners--into those principally of Americans from the States. The -Havana will soon become as much American as New Orleans. It requires -but little of the spirit of prophecy to foretell that the Spanish -rule will not be long obeyed by such people. - -On the whole I cannot see how Englishmen can refrain from -sympathizing with the desire of the United States to become possessed -of this fertile island. As far as we ourselves are concerned, it -would be infinitely for our benefit. We can trade with the United -States when we can hardly do so with Spain. Moreover, if Jamaica, -and the smaller British islands can ever again hold up their heads -against Cuba as sugar-producing colonies, it will be when the -slave-trade has been abolished. Till such time it can never be. - -And then where are our professions for the amelioration, and -especially for the Christianity of the human race? I have said what -is the religious education of the slaves in Cuba. I may also say that -in this island no place of Protestant worship exists, or is possible. -The Roman Catholic religion is alone allowed, and that is at its very -lowest point. "The old women of both sexes go to mass," a Spaniard -told me; "and the girls when their clothes are new." - -But above all things it behoves us to rid ourselves of the jealousy -which I fear we too often feel towards American pretension. "Jonathan -is getting bumptious," we are apt to say; "he ought to have--" this -and that other punishment, according to the taste of the offended -Englishman. - -Jonathan is becoming bumptious, no doubt. Young men of genius, when -they succeed in life at comparatively early years, are generally -afflicted more or less with this disease. But one is not inclined to -throw aside as useless, the intellect, energy, and genius of youth -because it is not accompanied by modesty, grace, and self-denial. Do -we not, in regard to all our friends, take the good that we find in -them, aware that in the very best there will be some deficiency to -forgive? That young barrister who is so bright, so energetic, so -useful, is perhaps _soi-disant_ more than a little. One cannot deny -it. But age will cure that. Have we a right to expect that he should -be perfect? - -And are the Americans the first bumptious people on record? Has no -other nation assumed itself to be in advance of the world; to be the -apostle of progress, the fountain of liberty, the rock-spring of -manly work? If the Americans were not bumptious, how unlike would -they be to the parent that bore them! - -The world is wide enough for us and for our offspring, and we may be -well content that we have it nearly all between us. Let them fulfil -their destiny in the West, while we do so in the East. It may be that -there also we may establish another child who in due time shall also -run alone, shall also boast somewhat loudly of its own doings. It is -a proud reflection that we alone, of all people, have such children; -a proud reflection, and a joyous one; though the weaning of the baby -will always be in some respects painful to the mother. - -Nowhere have I met a kinder hospitality than I did at Cien Fuegos, -whether from Spaniards, Frenchmen, Americans, or Englishmen; for at -Cien Fuegos there are men of all these countries. But I must specify -my friend Mr. —---. Why should such a man be shut up for life at such -an outlandish place? Full of wit, singing an excellent song, telling -a story better, I think, than any other man to whom I have ever -listened, speaking four or five languages fluently, pleasant in -manner, hospitable in heart, a thorough good fellow at all points, -why should he bury himself at Cien Fuegos? "Auri sacra fames." It is -the presumable reason for all such burials. English reader, shouldst -thou find thyself at Cien Fuegos in thy travels, it will not take -thee long to discover my friend —---. He is there known to every -one. It will only concern thee to see that thou art worthy of his -acquaintance. - -From Cien Fuegos I went to the Havana, the metropolis, as all the -world knows, of Cuba. Our route lay by steamer to Batavano, and -thence by railway. The communication round Cuba--that is from port to -port--is not ill arranged or ill conducted. The boats are American -built, and engineered by Englishmen or Americans. Breakfast and -dinner are given on board, and the cost is included in the sum paid -for the fare. The provisions are plentiful, and not bad, if oil can -be avoided. As everything is done to foster Spain, Spanish wine is -always used, and Spanish ware, and, above all things, Spanish oil. -Now Spain does not send her best oil to her colonies. I heard great -complaint made of the fares charged on board these boats. The fares -when compared with those charged in America doubtless are high; but -I do not know that any one has a right to expect that he shall travel -as cheaply in Cuba as in the States. - -I had heard much of the extravagant charges made for all kinds of -accommodation in Cuba; at hotels, in the shops, for travelling, for -chance work, and the general wants of a stranger. I found these -statements to be much exaggerated. Railway travelling by the first -class is about 3½_d._ a mile, which is about 1_d._ a mile more than -in England. At hotels the charge is two and a half or three dollars -a day. The former sum is the more general. This includes a cup of -coffee in the morning, a very serious meal at nine o'clock together -with fairly good Catalan wine, dinner at four with another cup of -coffee and more wine _ad libitum_, bed, and attendance. Indeed, a man -may go out of his hotel, without inconvenience, paying nothing beyond -the regular daily charge. Extras are dear. I, for instance, having in -my ignorance asked for a bottle of champagne, paid for it seventeen -shillings. A friend dining with one also, or breakfasting, is an -expensive affair. The two together cost considerably more than one's -own total daily payment. Thus, as one pays at an hotel whether one's -dinner be eaten or no, it becomes almost an insane expense for -friends at different hotels to invite each other. - -But let it not be supposed that I speak in praise of the hotels at -the Havana. Far be it from me to do so. I only say that they are not -dear. I found it impossible to command the luxury of a bedroom to -myself. It was not the custom of the country they told me. If I chose -to pay five dollars a day, just double the usual price, I could be -indulged as soon--as circumstances would admit of it; which was -intended to signify that they would be happy to charge me for the -second bed as soon as the time should come that they had no one else -on whom to levy the rate. And the dirt of that bedroom! - -I had been unable to get into either of the hotels at the Havana -to which I had been recommended, every corner in each having been -appropriated. In my grief at the dirt of my abode, and at the too -near vicinity of my Spanish neighbour--the fellow-occupant of my -chamber was from Spain--I complained somewhat bitterly to an American -acquaintance, who had as I thought been more lucky in his inn. - -"One companion!" said he; "why, I have three; one walks about all -night in a bed-gown, a second snores, and the other is dying!" - -A friend of mine, an English officer, was at another house. He also -was one of four; and it so occurred that he lost thirty pounds out -of his sac de nuit. On the whole I may consider myself to have been -lucky. - -Labour generally is dear, a workman getting a dollar or four -shillings and twopence, where in England a man might earn perhaps -half a crown. A porter therefore for whom sixpence might suffice in -England will require a shilling. A volante--I shall have a word to -say about volantes by-and-by--for any distance within the walls costs -eightpence. Outside the walls the price seems to be unconscionably -higher. Omnibuses which run over two miles charge some fraction -over sixpence for each journey. I find that a pair of boots cost me -twenty-five shillings. In London they would cost about the same. -Those procured in Cuba, however, were worth nothing, which certainly -makes a difference. Meat is eightpence the English pound. Bread is -somewhat dearer than in England, but not much. - -House rent may be taken as being nearly four times as high as it is -in any decent but not fashionable part of London, and the wages of -house servants are twice as high as they are with us. The high prices -in the Havana are such therefore as to affect the resident rather -than the stranger. One article, however, is very costly; but as it -concerns a luxury not much in general use among the inhabitants this -is not surprising. If a man will have his linen washed he will be -made to pay for it. - -There is nothing attractive about the town of Havana; nothing -whatever to my mind, if we except the harbour. The streets are -narrow, dirty, and foul. In this respect there is certainly much -difference between those within and without the wall. The latter are -wider, more airy, and less vile. But even in them there is nothing -to justify the praises with which the Havana is generally mentioned -in the West Indies. It excels in population, size, and no doubt -in wealth any other city there; but this does not imply a great -eulogium. The three principal public buildings are the Opera House, -the Cathedral, and the palace of the Captain-General. The former has -been nearly knocked down by an explosion of gas, and is now closed. -I believe it to be an admirable model for a second-rate house. The -cathedral is as devoid of beauty, both externally and internally, as -such an edifice can be made. To describe such a building would be an -absurd waste of time and patience. We all know what is a large Roman -Catholic church, built in the worst taste, and by a combination of -the lowest attributes of Gothic and Latin architecture. The palace, -having been built for a residence, does not appear so utterly vile, -though it is the child of some similar father. It occupies one -side of a public square or pláza, and from its position has a -moderately-imposing effect. Of pictures in the Havana there are none -of which mention should be made. - -But the glory of the Havana is the Paseo--the glory so called. This -is the public drive and fashionable lounge of the town--the Hyde -Park, the Bois de Boulogne, the Cascine, the Corso, the Alaméda. It -is for their hour on the Paseo that the ladies dress themselves, and -the gentlemen prepare their jewelry. It consists of a road running -outside a portion of the wall, of the extent perhaps of half a mile, -and ornamented with seats and avenues of trees, as are the boulevards -at Paris. If it is to be compared with any other resort of the kind -in the West Indies, it certainly must be owned there is nothing like -it; but a European on first seeing it cannot understand why it is -so eulogized. Indeed, it is probable that if he first goes thither -alone, as was the case with me, he will pass over it, seeking for -some other Paseo. - -But then the glory of the Paseo consists in its volantes. As one -boasts that one has swum in a gondola, so will one boast of having -sat in a volante. It is the pride of Cuban girls to appear on the -Paseo in these carriages on the afternoons of holidays and Sundays; -and there is certainly enough of the picturesque about the vehicle -to make it worthy of some description. It is the most singular -of carriages, and its construction is such as to give a flat -contradiction to all an Englishman's preconceived notions respecting -the power of horses. - -The volante is made to hold two sitters, though there is sometimes a -low middle seat which affords accommodation to a third lady. We will -commence the description from behind. There are two very huge wheels, -rough, strong, high, thick, and of considerable weight. The axles -generally are not capped, but the nave shines with coarse polished -metal. Supported on the axletree, and swinging forward from it on -springs, is the body of a cabriolet such as ordinary cabriolets used -to be, with the seat, however, somewhat lower, and with much more -room for the feet. The back of this is open, and generally a curtain -hangs down over the open space. A metal bar, which is polished so -as to look like silver, runs across the footboard and supports the -feet. The body, it must be understood, swings forward from these high -wheels, so that the whole of the weight, instead of being supported, -hangs from it. Then there are a pair of shafts, which, counting from -the back of the carriage to the front where they touch the horse at -the saddle, are about fourteen feet in length. They do not go beyond -the saddle, or the tug depending from the saddle in which they hang. -From this immense length it comes to pass that there is a wide -interval, exceeding six feet, between the carriage and the horse's -tail; and it follows also, from the construction of the machine, that -a large portion of the weight must rest on the horse's back. - -In addition to this, the unfortunate horse has ordinarily to bear -the weight of a rider. For with a volante your servant rides, and -does not drive you. With the fashionable world on the Paseo a second -horse is used--what we should call an outrider--and the servant -sits on this. But as regards those which ply in the town, there is -but one horse. How animals can work beneath such a yoke was to me -unintelligible. - -The great point in the volante of fashion is the servant's dress. -He is always a negro, and generally a large negro. He wears a huge -pair--not of boots, for they have no feet to them--of galligaskins I -may call them, made of thick stiff leather, but so as to fit the leg -exactly. The top of them comes some nine inches above the knee, so -that when one of these men is seen seated at his ease, the point of -his boot nearly touches his chin. They are fastened down the sides -with metal fastenings, and at the bottom there is a huge spur. The -usual dress of these men, over and above their boots, consists -of white breeches, red jackets ornamented with gold lace, and -broad-brimmed straw hats. Nothing can be more awkward, and nothing -more barbaric than the whole affair; but nevertheless there is about -it a barbaric splendour, which has its effect. The great length of -the equipage, and the distance of the horse from his work, is what -chiefly strikes an Englishman. - -The carriage usually holds, when on the Paseo, two or three ladies. -Their great object evidently has been to expand their dresses, so -that they may group well together, and with a good result as regards -colour. It must be confessed that in this respect they are generally -successful. They wear no head-dress when in their carriages, and -indeed may generally be seen out of doors with their hair uncovered. -Though they are of Spanish descent, the mantilla is unknown here. Nor -could I trace much similarity to Spanish manner in other particulars. -The ladies do not walk like Spanish women--at least not like the -women of Andalusia, with whom one would presume them to have had -the nearest connection. The walk of the Andalusian women surpasses -that of any other, while the Cuban lady is not graceful in her gait. -Neither can they boast the brilliantly dangerous beauty of Seville. -In Cuba they have good eyes, but rarely good faces. The forehead and -the chin too generally recede, leaving the nose with a prominence -that is not agreeable. But as my gallantry has not prevented me from -speaking in this uncourteous manner of their appearance, my honesty -bids me add, that what they lack in beauty they make up in morals, -as compared with their cousins in Europe. For travelling _en garçon_ -I should probably prefer the south of Spain. But were I doomed to -look for domesticity in either clime--and God forbid that such a -doom should be mine!--I might perhaps prefer a Cuban mother for my -children. - -But the volante is held as very precious by the Cuban ladies. The -volante itself I mean--the actual vehicle. It is not intrusted, as -coaches are with us, to the dusty mercies of a coach-house. It is -ordinarily kept in the hall, and you pass it by as you enter the -house; but it is by no means uncommon to see it in the dining-room. -As the rooms are large and usually not full of furniture, it does -not look amiss there. - -The amusements of the Cubans are not very varied, and are innocent in -their nature; for the gambling as carried on there I regard rather -as a business than an amusement They greatly love dancing, and have -dances of their own and music of their own, which are peculiar, and -difficult to a stranger. Their tunes are striking, and very pretty. -They are fond of music generally, and maintain a fairly good opera -company at the Havana. In the pláza there--the square, namely, in -front of the Captain-General's house--a military band plays from -eight to nine every evening. The place is then thronged with people, -but by far the majority of them are men. - -It is the custom at all the towns in Cuba for the family, when at -home, to pass their evening seated near the large low open window of -their drawing-rooms; and as these windows almost always look into -the streets, the whole internal arrangement is seen by every one who -passes. These windows are always protected by iron bars, as though -they were the windows of a prison; in other respects they are -completely open. - -Four chairs are to be seen ranged in a row, and four more opposite -to them, running from the window into the room, and placed close -together. Between these is generally laid a small piece of carpet. -The majority of these chairs are made to rock; for the Creole -lady always rocks herself. I have watched them going through the -accustomed motion with their bodies, even when seated on chairs with -stern immovable legs. This is the usual evening living-place of the -family; and I never yet saw an occupant of one of these chairs with a -book in her hand, or in his. I asked an Englishman, a resident in the -Havana, whether he had ever done so. "A book!" he answered; "why, the -girls can't read, in your sense of the word reading." - -The young men, and many of those who are no longer young, spend their -evenings, and apparently a large portion of their days, in eating -ices and playing billiards. The accommodation in the Havana for these -amusements is on a very large scale. - -The harbour at the Havana is an interesting sight. It is in the first -place very picturesque, which to the ordinary visitor is the most -important feature. But it is also commodious, large, and safe. It -is approached between two forts. That to the westward, which is -the principal defence, is called the Morro. Here also stands the -lighthouse. No Englishman omits to hear, as he enters the harbour, -that these forts were taken by the English in Albemarle's time. Now, -it seems to me, they might very easily be taken by any one who chose -to spend on them the necessary amount of gunpowder. But then I know -nothing about forts. - -This special one of the Morro I did take; not by gunpowder, but by -stratagem. I was informed that no one was allowed to see it since -the open defiance of the island contained in the last message of the -United States' President. But I was also informed--whisperingly, in -the ear — that a request to see the lighthouse would be granted, and -that as I was not an American the fort should follow. It resulted -in a little black boy taking me over the whole edifice--an impudent -little black boy, who filled his pockets with stones and pelted the -sentries. The view of the harbour from the lighthouse is very good, -quite worth the trouble of the visit. The fort itself I did not -understand, but a young English officer, who was with me, pooh-poohed -it as a thing of nothing. But then young English officers pooh-pooh -everything. Here again I must add that nothing can exceed the -courtesy of all Spanish officials. If they could only possess honesty -and energy as well as courtesy! - -By far the most interesting spot in the Havana is the Quay, to which -the vessels are fastened end-ways, the bow usually lying against the -Quay. In other places the side of the vessel is, I believe, brought -to the wharf. Here there are signs of true life. One cannot but think -how those quays would be extended, and that life increased, if the -place were in the hands of other people. - -I have said that I regarded gambling in Cuba, not as an amusement, -but an occupation. The public lotteries offer the daily means to -every one for gratifying this passion. They are maintained by the -government, and afford a profit, I am told, of something over a -million dollars per annum. In all public places tickets are hawked -about. One may buy a whole ticket, half, a quarter, an eighth, or -a sixteenth. It is done without any disguise or shame, and the -institution seemed, I must say, to be as popular with the Europeans -living there as with the natives. In the eyes of an Englishman new -from Great Britain, with his prejudices still thick upon him, this -great national feature loses some of its nobility and grandeur. - -This, together with the bribery, which is so universal, shows what is -the spirit of the country. For a government supported by the profits -of a gambling-hell, and for a Governor enriched by bribes on slaves -illegally imported, what Englishman can feel sympathy? I would fain -hope that there is no such sympathy felt in England. - -I have been answered, when expressing indignation at the system, by -a request that I would first look at home; and have been so answered -by Englishmen. "How can you blame the Captain-General," they have -said, "when the same thing is done by the French and English consuls -through the islands?" That the French and English consuls do take -bribes to wink at the importation of slaves, I cannot and do not -believe. But Cæsar's wife should not even be suspected. - -I found it difficult to learn what is exactly the present population -of Cuba. I believe it to be about 1,300,000, and of this number -about 600,000 are slaves. There are many Chinese now in the island, -employed as household servants, or on railways, or about the -sugar-works. Many are also kept at work on the cane-pieces, though -it seems that for this labour they have hardly sufficient strength. -These unfortunate deluded creatures receive, I fear, very little -better treatment than the slaves. - -My best wish for the island is that it may speedily be reckoned among -the annexations of the United States. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE PASSAGE OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. - - -In the good old days, when men called things by their proper names, -those islands which run down in a string from north to south, from -the Virgin Islands to the mouth of the Orinoco River, were called the -Windward Islands--the Windward or Caribbean Islands. They were also -called the Lesser Antilles. The Leeward Islands were, and properly -speaking are, another cluster lying across the coast of Venezuela, of -which Curaçoa is the chief. Oruba and Margarita also belong to this -lot, among which, England, I believe, never owned any.* - - [*The greater Antilles are Cuba, Jamaica, Hayti, and Porto Rico, - though I am not quite sure whether Porto Rico does not more - properly belong to the Virgin Islands. The scattered assemblage - to the north of the greater Antilles are the Bahamas, at one of - the least considerable of which, San Salvador, Columbus first - landed. Those now named, I believe, comprise all the West India - Islands.] - -But now-a-days we Britishers are not content to let the Dutch and -others keep a separate name for themselves; we have, therefore, -divided the Lesser Antilles, of which the greater number belong -to ourselves, and call the northern portion of these the Leeward -Islands. Among them Antigua is the chief, and is the residence of -a governor supreme in this division. - -After leaving St. Thomas the first island seen of any note is St. -Christopher, commonly known as St. Kitts, and Nevis is close to it. -Both these colonies are prospering fairly. Sugar is exported, now I -am told in increasing, though still not in great quantities, and the -appearance of the cultivation is good. Looking up the side of the -hills one sees the sugar-canes apparently in cleanly order, and -they have an air of substantial comfort. Of course the times are -not so bright as in the fine old days previous to emancipation; -but nevertheless matters have been on the mend, and people are -again beginning to get along. On the journey from Nevis to Antigua, -Montserrat is sighted, and a singular island-rock called the Redonda -is seen very plainly. Montserrat, I am told, is not prospering so -well as St. Kitts or Nevis. - -These islands are not so beautiful, not so greenly beautiful, as are -those further south to which we shall soon come. The mountains of -Nevis are certainly fine as they are seen from the sea, but they are -not, or do not seem to be covered with that delicious tropical growth -which is so lovely in Jamaica and Trinidad, and, indeed, in many of -the smaller islands. - -Antigua is the next, going southward. This was, and perhaps is, an -island of some importance. It is said to have been the first of the -West Indian colonies which itself advocated the abolition of slavery, -and to have been the only one which adopted complete emancipation -at once, without any intermediate system of apprenticeship. Antigua -has its own bishop, whose diocese includes also such of the Virgin -Islands as belong to us, and the adjacent islands of St. Kitts, -Nevis, and Montserrat. - -Neither is Antigua remarkable for its beauty. It is approached, -however, by an excellent and picturesque harbour, called English -Harbour, which in former days was much used by the British navy; -indeed, I believe it was at one time the head-quarters of a naval -station. Premising, in the first place, that I know very little about -harbours, I would say that nothing could be more secure than that. -Whether or no it may be easy for sailing vessels to get in and out -with certain winds, that, indeed, may be doubtful. - -St. John's, the capital of Antigua, is twelve miles from English -Harbour. I was in the island only three or four hours, and did not -visit it. I am told that it is a good town--or city, I should rather -say, now that it has its own bishop. - -In all these islands they have Queen, Lords, and Commons in one shape -or another. It may, however, be hoped, and I believe trusted, that, -for the benefit of the communities, matters chiefly rest in the -hands of the first of the three powers. The other members of the -legislature, if they have in them anything of wisdom to say, have -doubtless an opportunity of saying it--perhaps also an opportunity -when they have nothing of wisdom. Let us trust, however, that such -opportunities are limited. - -After leaving Antigua we come to the French island of Guadaloupe, -and then passing Dominica, of which I will say a word just now, to -Martinique, which is also French. And here we are among the rich -green wild beauties of these thrice beautiful Caribbean islands. The -mountain grouping of both these islands is very fine, and the hills -are covered up to their summits with growth of the greenest. At both -these islands one is struck with the great superiority of the French -West Indian towns to those which belong to us. That in Guadaloupe -is called Basseterre, and the capital of Martinique is St. Pierre. -These towns offer remarkable contrasts to Roseau and Port Castries, -the chief towns in the adjacent English islands of Dominica and St. -Lucia. At the French ports one is landed at excellently contrived -little piers, with proper apparatus for lighting, and well-kept -steps. The quays are shaded by trees, the streets are neat and in -good order, and the shops show that ordinary trade is thriving. There -are water conduits with clear streams through the towns, and every -thing is ship-shape. I must tell a very different tale when I come to -speak of Dominica and St. Lucia. - -The reason for this is, I think, well given in a useful guide to -the West Indies, published some years since, under the direction -of the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. Speaking of St. Pierre, in -Martinique, the author says: "The streets are neat, regular, and -cleanly. The houses are high, and have more the air of European -houses than those of the English colonies. Some of the streets have -an avenue of trees, which overshadow the footpath, and on either -side are deep gutters, down which the water flows. There are five -booksellers houses, and the fashions are well displayed in other -shops. The French colonists, whether Creoles* or French, consider -the West Indies as their country. They cast no wistful looks towards -France. They marry, educate, and build in and for the West Indies, -and for the West Indies alone. In our colonies it is different. They -are considered more as temporary lodging-places, to be deserted as -soon as the occupiers have made money enough by molasses and sugar to -return _home_." - - [*It should be understood that a Creole is a person born in the - West Indies, of a race not indigenous to the islands. There may - be white Creoles, coloured Creoles, or black Creoles. People - talk of Creole horses and Creole poultry; those namely which - have not been themselves imported, but which have been bred - from imported stock. The meaning of the word Creole is, I think, - sometimes misunderstood.] - -All this is quite true. There is something very cheering to an -English heart in that sound, and reference to the word home--in -that great disinclination to the idea of life-long banishment. -But nevertheless, the effect as shown in these islands is not -satisfactory to the _amour propre_ of an Englishman. And it is not -only in the outward appearance of things that the French islands -excel those belonging to England which I have specially named. -Dominica and St. Lucia export annually about 6,000 hogsheads of -sugar each. Martinique exports about 60,000 hogsheads. Martinique -is certainly rather larger than either of the other two, but size -has little or nothing to do with it. It is anything rather than want -of fitting soil which makes the produce of sugar so inconsiderable -in Dominica and St. Lucia. - -These French islands were first discovered by the Spaniards; but -since that time they, as well as the two English islands above named, -have passed backwards and forwards between the English and French, -till it was settled in 1814 that Martinique and Guadaloupe should -belong to France, and Dominica and St. Lucia, with some others, to -England. It certainly seems that France knew how to take care of -herself in the arrangement. - -There is another little island belonging to France, at the back of -Guadaloupe to the westward, called Marie-Galante; but I believe it is -but of little value. - -To my mind, Dominica, as seen from the sea, is by far the most -picturesque of all these islands. Indeed, it would be difficult to -beat it either in colour or grouping. It fills one with an ardent -desire to be off and rambling among those green mountains--as if -one could ramble through such wild, bush country, or ramble at all -with the thermometer at 85. But when one has only to think of such -things without any idea of doing them, neither the bushes nor the -thermometer are considered. - -One is landed at Dominica on a beach. If the water be quiet, one gets -out dryshod by means of a strong jump; if the surf be high, one wades -through it; if it be very high, one is of course upset. The same -things happen at Jacmel, in Hayti; but then Englishmen look on the -Haytians as an uncivilized, barbarous race. Seeing that Dominica lies -just between Martinique and Guadaloupe, the difference between the -English beach and surf and the French piers is the more remarkable. - -And then, the perils of the surf being passed, one walks into the -town of Roseau. It is impossible to conceive a more distressing -sight. Every house is in a state of decadence. There are no shops -that can properly be so called; the people wander about chattering, -idle and listless; the streets are covered with thick, rank grass; -there is no sign either of money made or of money making. Everything -seems to speak of desolation, apathy, and ruin. There is nothing, -even in Jamaica, so sad to look at as the town of Roseau. - -The greater part of the population are French in manner, religion, -and language, and one would be so glad to attribute to that fact this -wretched look of apathetic poverty--if it were only possible. But we -cannot do that after visiting Martinique and Guadaloupe. It might be -said that a French people will not thrive under British rule. But -if so, what of Trinidad? This look of misery has been attributed -to a great fire which occurred some eighty years since; but when -due industry has been at work great fires have usually produced -improved towns. Now eighty years have afforded ample time for such -improvement if it were forthcoming. Alas! it would seem that it is -not forthcoming. - -It must, however, be stated in fairness that Dominica produces more -coffee than sugar, and that the coffee estates have latterly been -the most thriving. Singularly enough, her best customer has been the -neighbouring French island of Martinique, in which some disease has -latterly attacked the coffee plants. - -We then reach St. Lucia, which is also very lovely as seen from the -sea. This, too, is an island French in its language, manners, and -religion; perhaps more entirely so than any other of the islands -belonging to ourselves. The laws even are still French, and the -people are, I believe, blessed (?) with no Lords and Commons. If -I understand the matter rightly, St. Lucia is held as a colony or -possession conquered from the French, and is governed, therefore, by -a quasi-military governor, with the aid of a council. It is, however, -in some measure dependent on the Governor of Barbados, who is again -one of your supreme governors. There has, I believe, been some recent -change which I do not pretend to understand. If these changes be -not completed, and if it would not be presumptuous in me to offer a -word of advice, I would say that in the present state of the island, -with a Negro-Gallic population who do little or nothing, it might be -as well to have as much as possible of the Queen, and as little as -possible of the Lords and Commons. - -To the outward physical eye, St. Lucia is not so triste as Dominica. -There is good landing there, and the little town of Castries, though -anything but prosperous in itself, is prosperous in appearance as -compared with Roseau. - -St. Lucia is peculiarly celebrated for its snakes. One cannot walk -ten yards off the road--so one is told--without being bitten. And if -one be bitten, death is certain--except by the interposition of a -single individual of the island, who will cure the sufferer--for a -consideration. Such, at least, is the report made on this matter. The -first question one should ask on going there is as to the whereabouts -and usual terms of that worthy and useful practitioner. There is, I -believe, a great deal that is remarkable to attract the visitor among -the mountains and valleys of St. Lucia. - -And then in the usual course, running down the island, one goes to -that British advanced post, Barbados--Barbados, that lies out to -windward, guarding the other islands as it were! Barbados, that is -and ever was entirely British! Barbados, that makes money, and is in -all respects so respectable a little island! King George need not -have feared at all; nor yet need Queen Victoria. If anything goes -wrong in England--Napoleon coming there, not to kiss Her Majesty -this time, but to make himself less agreeable--let Her Majesty -come to Barbados, and she will be safe! I have said that Jamaica -never boasts, and have on that account complained of her. Let -such complaint be far from me when I speak of Barbados. But shall -I not write a distinct chapter as to this most respectable little -island--an island that pays its way? - -St. Vincent is the next in our course, and this, too, is green and -pretty, and tempting to look at. Here also the French have been in -possession but comparatively for a short time. In settling this -island, the chief difficulty the English had was with the old native -Indians, who more than once endeavoured to turn out their British -masters. The contest ended in their being effectually turned out by -those British masters, who expelled them all bodily to the island -of Ruatan, in the Bay of Honduras; where their descendants are now -giving the Anglo-American diplomatists so much trouble in deciding -whose subjects they truly are. May we not say that, having got rid of -them out of St. Vincent, we can afford to get rid of them altogether? - -Kingston is the capital here. It looks much better than either Roseau -or Castries, though by no means equal to Basseterre or St. Pierre. - -This island is said to be healthy, having in this respect a much -better reputation than its neighbour St. Lucia, and as far as I could -learn it is progressing--progressing slowly, but progressing--in -spite even of the burden of Queens, Lords, and Commons. The Lords and -Commons are no doubt considerably modified by official influence. - -And then the traveller runs down the Grenadines, a petty cluster of -islands lying between St. Vincent and Grenada, of which Becquia and -Cariacou are the chief. They have no direct connection with the mail -steamers, but are, I believe, under the Governor of Barbados. They -are very pretty, though not, as a rule, very productive. Of one of -them I was told that the population were all females. What a Paradise -of Houris, if it were but possible to find a good Mahommedan in these -degenerate days! - -Grenada will be the last upon the list; for I did not visit or even -see Tobago, and of Trinidad I have ventured to write a separate -chapter, in spite of the shortness of my visit. Grenada is also very -lovely, and is, I think, the head-quarters of the world for fruit. -The finest mangoes I ever ate I found there; and I think the finest -oranges and pine apples. - -The town of St. Georges, the capital, must at one time have been -a place of considerable importance, and even now it has a very -different appearance from those that I have just mentioned. It is -more like a goodly English town than any other that I saw in any of -the smaller British islands. It is well built, though built up and -down steep hills, and contains large and comfortable houses. The -market-place also looks like a market-place, and there are shops in -it, in which trade is apparently carried on and money made. - -Indeed, Grenada was once a prince among these smaller islands, -having other islands under it, with a Governor supreme, instead of -tributary. It was fertile also, and productive--in every way of -importance. - -But now here, as in so many other spots among the West Indies, we are -driven to exclaim, Ichabod! The glory of our Grenada has departed, -as has the glory of its great namesake in the old world. The houses, -though so goodly, are but as so many Alhambras, whose tenants now are -by no means great in the world's esteem. - -All the hotels in the West Indies are, as I have said, or shall say -in some other place, kept by ladies of colour; in the most part -by ladies who are no longer very young. They are generally called -familiarly by their double name. Betsy Austen, for instance; and -Caroline Lee. I went to the house of some such lady in St. Georges, -and she told me a woful tale of her miseries. She was Kitty -something, I think--soon, apparently, to become Kitty of another -world. "An hotel," she said. "No; she kept no hotel now-a-days--what -use was there for an hotel in St. Georges? She kept a lodging-house; -though, for the matter of that, no lodgers ever came nigh her. That -little granddaughter of hers sometimes sold a bottle of ginger beer; -that was all." It must be hard for living eyes to see one's trade die -off in that way. - -There is a feminine accomplishment so much in vogue among the ladies -of the West Indies, one practised there with a success so specially -brilliant, as to make it deserving of special notice. This art is one -not wholly confined to ladies, although, as in the case with music, -dancing, and cookery, it is to be looked for chiefly among the female -sex. Men, indeed, do practise it in England, the West Indies, and -elsewhere; and as Thalberg and Soyer are greatest among pianists and -cooks, so perhaps are the greatest adepts in this art to be found -among the male practitioners;--elsewhere, that is, than in the West -Indies. There are to be found ladies never equalled in this art by -any effort of manhood. I speak of the science of flirting. - -And be it understood that here among these happy islands no idea of -impropriety--perhaps remembering some of our starched people at home, -I should say criminality--is attached to the pursuit. Young ladies -flirt, as they dance and play, or eat and drink, quite as a matter -of course. There is no undutiful, unfilial idea of waiting till -mamma's back be turned; no uncomfortable fear of papa; no longing -for secluded corners, so that the world should not see. The doing -of anything that one is ashamed of is bad. But as regards flirting, -there is no such doing in the West Indies. Girls flirt not only with -the utmost skill, but with the utmost innocence also. Fanny Grey, -with her twelve admirers, required no retired corners, no place apart -from father, mother, brothers, or sisters. She would perform with all -the world around her as some other girl would sing, conscious that in -singing she would neither disgrace herself nor her masters. - -It may be said that the practice of this accomplishment will often -interfere with the course of true love. Perhaps so, but I doubt -whether it does not as often assist it. It seemed to me that young -ladies do not hang on hand in the West Indies. Marriages are made -up there with apparently great satisfaction on both sides; and then -the flirting is laid aside--put by, at any rate, till the days of -widowhood, should such evil days come. The flirting is as innocent -as it is open, and is confined to ladies without husbands. - -It is confined to ladies without husbands, but the victims are not -bachelors alone. No position, or age, or state of health secures -a man from being drawn, now into one and now into another Circean -circle, in which he is whirled about, sometimes in a most ridiculous -manner, jostled amongst a dozen neighbours, left without power to get -out or to plunge further in, pulled back by a skirt at any attempt to -escape, repulsed in the front at every struggle made to fight his way -through. - -Rolling about in these Charybdis pools are, perhaps, oftenest to be -seen certain wearers of red coats; wretches girt with tight sashes, -and with gilding on their legs and backs. To and fro they go, bumping -against each other without serious injury, but apparently in great -discomfort. And then there are black-coated strugglers, with white -neck-ties, very valiant in their first efforts, but often to be seen -in deep grief, with heads thoroughly submersed. And you may see -gray-haired sufferers with short necks, making little useless puffs, -puffs which would be so impotent were not Circe merciful to those -short-necked gray-haired sufferers. - -If there were, as perhaps there should be, a college in the West -Indies, with fellowships and professorships,--established with the -view of rewarding proficiency in this science--Fanny Grey should -certainly be elected warden, or principal, or provost of that -college. Her wondrous skill deserves more than mere praise, more -than such slight glory as my ephemeral pages can give her. Pretty, -laughing, brilliant, clever Fanny Grey! Whose cheeks ever were so -pink, whose teeth so white, whose eyes so bright, whose curling locks -so raven black! And then who ever smiled as she smiled? or frowned as -she can frown? Sharply go those brows together, and down beneath the -gurgling pool sinks the head of the red-coated wretch, while with -momentary joy up pops the head of another, who is received with a -momentary smile. - -Yes; oh my reader! it is too true, I also have been in that pool, -making, indeed, no wilful struggles, attempting no Leander feat of -swimming, sucked in as my steps unconsciously strayed too near the -dangerous margin; sucked in and then buffeted about, not altogether -unmercifully when my inaptitude for such struggling was discovered. -Yes; I have found myself choking in those Charybdis waters, have -glanced into the Circe cave. I have been seen in my insane struggles. -But what shame of that? All around me, from the old patriarch dean of -the island to the last subaltern fresh from Chatham, were there as -well as I. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -BRITISH GUIANA. - - -When I settle out of England, and take to the colonies for good -and all, British Guiana shall be the land of my adoption. If I -call it Demerara perhaps I shall be better understood. At home -there are prejudices against it I know. They say that it is a low, -swampy, muddy strip of alluvial soil, infested with rattlesnakes, -gallinippers, and musquitoes as big as turkey-cocks; that yellow -fever rages there perennially; that the heat is unendurable; that -society there is as stagnant as its waters; that men always die as -soon as they reach it; and when they live are such wretched creatures -that life is a misfortune. Calumny reports it to have been ruined -by the abolition of slavery; milk of human kindness would forbid -the further exportation of Europeans to this white man's grave; and -philanthropy, for the good of mankind, would wish to have it drowned -beneath its own rivers. There never was a land so ill spoken of--and -never one that deserved it so little. All the above calumnies I -contradict; and as I lived there for a fortnight--would it could have -been a month!--I expect to be believed. - -If there were but a snug secretaryship vacant there--and these -things in Demerara are very snug--how I would invoke the goddess of -patronage; how I would nibble round the officials of the Colonial -Office; how I would stir up my friends' friends to write little notes -to their friends! For Demerara is the Elysium of the tropics--the -West Indian happy valley of Rasselas--the one true and actual Utopia -of the Caribbean Seas--the Transatlantic Eden. - -The men in Demerara are never angry, and the women are never cross. -Life flows along on a perpetual stream of love, smiles, champagne, -and small-talk. Everybody has enough of everything. The only persons -who do not thrive are the doctors; and for them, as the country -affords them so little to do, the local government no doubt provides -liberal pensions. - -The form of government is a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. The -Governor is the father of his people, and the Governor's wife the -mother. The colony forms itself into a large family, which gathers -itself together peaceably under parental wings. They have no noisy -sessions of Parliament as in Jamaica, no money squabbles as in -Barbados. A clean bill of health, a surplus in the colonial treasury, -a rich soil, a thriving trade, and a happy people--these are the -blessings which attend the fortunate man who has cast his lot on -this prosperous shore. Such is Demerara as it is made to appear to -a stranger. - -That custom which prevails there, of sending to all new comers a -deputation with invitations to dinner for the period of his sojourn, -is an excellent institution. It saves a deal of trouble in letters -of introduction, economizes one's time, and puts one at once on the -most-favoured-nation footing. Some may fancy that they could do -better as to the bestowal of their evenings by individual diplomacy; -but the matter is so well arranged in Demerara that such people would -certainly find themselves in the wrong. - -If there be a deficiency in Georgetown--it is hardly necessary to -explain that Georgetown is the capital of the province of Demerara, -and that Demerara is the centre province in the colony of British -Guiana; or that there are three provinces, Berbice, Demerara, and -Essequibo, so called from the names of the three great rivers of the -country--But if there be a deficiency in Georgetown, it is in respect -to cabs. The town is extensive, as will by-and-by be explained; and -though I would not so far militate against the feelings of the people -as to say that the weather is ever hot--I should be ungrateful as -well as incredulous were I to do so--nevertheless, about noonday -one's inclination for walking becomes subdued. Cabs would certainly -be an addition to the luxuries of the place. But even these are not -so essential as might at the first sight appear, for an invitation -to dinner always includes an offer of the host's carriage. Without -a carriage no one dreams of dragging on existence in British Guiana. -In England one would as soon think of living in a house without a -fireplace, or sleeping in a bed without a blanket. - -For those who wander abroad in quest of mountain scenery it must -be admitted that this colony has not much attraction. The country -certainly is flat. By this I mean to intimate, that go where you -will, travel thereabouts as far as you may, the eye meets no rising -ground. Everything stands on the same level. But then, what is the -use of mountains? You can grow no sugar on them, even with ever so -many Coolies. They are big, brown, valueless things, cumbering the -face of the creation; very well for autumn idlers when they get to -Switzerland, but utterly useless in a colony which has to count its -prosperity by the number of its hogsheads. Jamaica has mountains, -and look at Jamaica! - -Yes; Demerara is flat; and Berbice is flat; and so is Essequibo. -The whole of this land is formed by the mud which has been brought -down by these great rivers and by others. The Corentyne is the most -easterly, separating our colony from Dutch Guiana, or Surinam. Then -comes the Berbice. The next, counting only the larger rivers, is the -Demerara. Then, more to the west, the Essequibo, and running into -that the Mazarony and the Cuyuni; and then, north-west along the -coast, the Pomeroon; and lastly of our own rivers, the Guiana, though -I doubt whether for absolute purposes of colonization we have ever -gone so far as this. And beyond that are rolled in slow but turbid -volume the huge waters of the Orinoco. On its shores we make no -claim. Though the delta of the Orinoco is still called Guiana, it -belongs to the republic of Venezuela. - -These are our boundaries along the South American shore, which -hereabouts, as all men know, looks northward, with an easterly slant -towards the Atlantic. Between us and our Dutch friends on the right -hand the limits are clear enough. On the left hand, matters are not -quite so clear with the Venezuelians. But to the rear! To the rear -there is an eternity of sugar capability in mud running back to -unknown mountains, the wildernesses of Brazil, the river Negro, and -the tributaries of the Amazon--an eternity of sugar capability, to -which England's colony can lay claim if only she could manage so -much as the surveying of it. "Sugar!" said an enterprising Demerara -planter to me. "Are you talking of sugar? Give me my heart's desire -in Coolies, and I will make you a million of hogsheads of sugar -without stirring from the colony!" Now, the world's supply, some -twelve years ago, was about a million hogsheads. It has since -increased maybe by a tenth. What a land, then, is this of British -Guiana, flowing with milk and honey--with sugar and rum! A million -hogsheads can be made there, if we only had the Coolies. I state -this on the credit of my excellent enterprising friend. But then the -Coolies! - -Guiana is an enormous extent of flat mud, the alluvial deposit of -those mighty rivers which for so many years have been scraping -together earth in those wild unknown upland countries, and bringing -it down conveniently to the sea-board, so that the world might have -sugar to its tea. I really think my friend was right. There is no -limit to the fertility and extent of this region. The only limit is -in labour. The present culture only skirts the sea-board and the -riversides. You will hardly find an estate--I do not think that you -can find one--that has not a water frontage. This land formerly -belonged to the Dutch, and by them was divided out into portions -which on a map have about them a Euclidical appearance. Let A B C D -be a right-angled parallelogram, of which the sides A B and C D are -three times the length of the other sides A C and B D. 'Tis thus -you would describe a Demerara property, and the Q. E. D. would have -reference to the relative quantities of sugar, molasses, and rum -producible therefrom. - -But these strips of land, though they are thus marked out on the maps -with four exact lines, are presumed to run back to any extent that -the owner may choose to occupy. He starts from the water, and is -bounded on each side; but backwards! Backwards he may cultivate -canes up to the very Andes, if only he could get Coolies. Oh, ye -soft-hearted, philanthropic gentry of the Anti-Slavery Society, only -think of that; a million hogsheads of sugar--and you like cheap sugar -yourselves--if you will only be quiet, or talk on subjects that you -understand! - -The whole of this extent of mud, beyond the present very limited -sugar-growing limits, is covered by timber. One is apt to think of an -American forest as being as magnificent in its individual trees as it -is huge in its extent of surface. But I doubt much whether this is -generally the case. There are forest giants no doubt; but indigenous -primeval wood is, I take it, for the most part a disagreeable, -scrubby, bushy, sloppy, unequal, inconvenient sort of affair, to walk -through which a man should be either an alligator or a monkey, and -to make much way he should have a touch of both. There be no forest -glades there in which uncivilized Indian lovers walk at ease, with -their arms round each other's naked waists; no soft grass beneath -the well-trimmed trunk on which to lie and meditate poetical. But -musquitoes abound there; and grass flies, which locate themselves -beneath the toe-nails; and marabunters, a villanous species of wasp; -and gallinippers, the grandfathers of musquitoes; and from thence up -to the xagua and the boa constrictor all nature is against a cool -comfortable ramble in the woods. - -But I must say a word about Georgetown, and a word also about New -Amsterdam, before I describe the peculiarities of a sugar estate in -Guiana. A traveller's first thought is about his hotel; and I must -confess, much as I love Georgetown--and I do love Georgetown--that -I ought to have coupled the hotel with the cabs, and complained of a -joint deficiency. The Clarendon--the name at any rate is good--is a -poor affair; but poor as it is, it is the best. - -It is a ricket, ruined, tumble-down, wooden house, into which at -first one absolutely dreads to enter, lest the steps should fail -and let one through into unutterable abysses below. All the houses -in Georgetown are made of wood, and therefore require a good deal -of repair and paint. And all the houses seem to receive this care -except the hotel. Ah, Mrs. Lenny, Mrs. Lenny! before long you and -your guests will fall prostrate, and be found buried beneath a pile -of dust and a colony of cockroaches! - -And yet it goes against my heart to abuse the inn, for the people -were so very civil. I shall never forget that big black chambermaid; -how she used to curtsy to me when she came into my room in the -morning with a huge tub of water on her head! That such a weight -should be put on her poor black skull--a weight which I could not -lift--used to rend my heart with anguish. But that, so weighted, -she should think that manners demanded a curtsy! Poor, courteous, -overburdened maiden! - -"Don't, Sally; don't. Don't curtsy," I would cry. "Yes, massa," she -would reply, and curtsy again, oh, so painfully! The tub of water was -of such vast proportions! It was big enough--big enough for me to -wash in! - -This house, as I have said, was all in ruins, and among other ruined -things was my bedroom-door lock. The door could not be closed within, -except by the use of a bolt; and without the bolt would swing wide -open to the winds, exposing my arrangements to the public, and -disturbing the neighbourhood by its jarring. In spite of the -inconvenient difficulty of ingress I was forced to bolt it. - -At six every morning came Sally with the tub, knocking gently at the -door--knocking gently at the door with that ponderous tub upon her -skull! What could a man do when so appealed to but rush quickly from -beneath his musquito curtains to her rescue? So it was always with -me. But having loosed the bolt, time did not suffice to enable me -to take my position again beneath the curtain. A jump into bed -I might have managed--but then, the musquito curtain! So, under -those circumstances, finding myself at the door in my deshabille, -I could only open it, and then stand sheltered behind it, as behind -a bulwark, while Sally deposited her burden. - -But, no. She curtsied, first at the bed; and seeing that I was not -there, turned her head and tub slowly round the room, till she -perceived my whereabouts. Then gently, but firmly, drawing away the -door till I stood before her plainly discovered in my night-dress, -she curtsied again. She knew better than to enter a room without due -salutation to the guest--even with a tub of water on her head. Poor -Sally! Was I not dressed from my chin downwards, and was not that -enough for her? "Honi soit qui mal y pense." - -After that, how can I say ought against the hotel? And when I -complained loudly of the holes in the curtain, the musquitoes having -driven me to very madness, did not they set to work, Sunday as it -was, and make me a new curtain? Certainly without avail--for they -so hung it that the musquitoes entered worse than ever. But the -intention was no less good. - -And that waiter, David; was he not for good-nature the pink of -waiters? "David, this house will tumble down! I know it will--before -I leave it. The stairs shook terribly as I came up." "Oh no, massa," -and David laughed benignly. "It no tumble down last week, and -derefore it no tumble down next." It did last my time, and therefore -I will say no more. - -Georgetown to my eyes is a prepossessing city, flat as the country -round it is, and deficient as it is--as are all the West Indies--in -anything like architectural pretension. The streets are wide and -airy. The houses, all built of wood, stand separately, each a little -off the road; and though much has not been done in the way of their -gardens--for till the great coming influx of Coolies all labour is -engaged in making sugar--yet there is generally something green -attached to each of them. Down the centre of every street runs a -wide dyke. Of these dykes I must say something further when I come -to speak again of the sugar doings; for their importance in these -provinces cannot well be overrated. - -The houses themselves are generally without a hall. By that I mean -that you walk directly into some sitting-room. This, indeed, is -general through the West Indies; and now that I bethink me of the -fact, I may mention that a friend of mine in Jamaica has no door -whatsoever to his house. All ingress and egress is by the windows. -My bedroom had no door, only a window that opened. The sitting-rooms -in Georgetown open through to each other, so that the wind, let -it come which way it will, may blow through the whole house. For -though it is never absolutely hot in Guiana--as I have before -mentioned--nevertheless, a current of air is comfortable. One soon -learns to know the difference of windward and leeward when living in -British Guiana. - -The houses are generally of three stories; but the two upper only are -used by the family. Outer steps lead up from the little front garden, -generally into a verandah, and in this verandah a great portion of -their life is led. It is cooler than the inner rooms. Not that I mean -to say that any rooms in Demerara are ever hot. We all know the fine -burst with which Scott opens a certain canto in one of his poems:-- - - Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, - Who never to himself hath said, - This is my own, my native land? - * * * - If such there breathe, go, mark him well. - -At any rate, there breathes no such man in this pleasant colony. -A people so happily satisfied with their own position I never -saw elsewhere, except at Barbados. And how could they fail to be -satisfied, looking at their advantages? A million hogsheads of sugar -to be made when the Coolies come! - -They do not, the most of them, appeal to the land as being that of -their nativity, but they love it no less as that of their adoption. -"Look at me," says one; "I have been thirty years without leaving it, -and have never had a headache." I look and see a remarkably hale man, -of forty I should say, but he says fifty. "That's nothing," says -another, who certainly may be somewhat stricken in years: "I have -been here five-and-fifty years, and was never ill but once, when I -was foolish enough to go to England. Ugh! I shall never forget it. -Why, sir, there was frost in October!" "Yes," I said, "and snow in -May sometimes. It is not all sunshine with us, whatever it may be -with you." - -"Not that we have too much sunshine," interposed a lady. "You don't -think we have, do you?" - -"Not in the least. Who could ask more, madam, than to bask in such -sunshine as yours from year's end to year's end?" - -"And is commerce tolerably flourishing?" I asked of a gentleman in -trade. - -"Flourishing, sir! If you want to make money, here's your ground. -Why, sir, here, in this wretched little street, there has been -more money turned in the last ten years than--than--than--" And he -rummaged among the half-crowns in his breeches-pocket for a simile, -as though not a few of the profits spoken of had found their way -thither. - -"Do you ever find it dull here?" I asked of a lady--perhaps not with -very good taste--for we Englishmen have sometimes an idea that there -is perhaps a little sameness about life in a small colony. - -"Dull! no. What should make us dull? We have a great deal more to -amuse us than most of you have at home." This perhaps might be true -of many of us. "We have dances, and dinner-parties, and private -theatricals. And then Mrs. ----!" Now Mrs. ---- was the Governor' -wife, and all eulogiums on society in Georgetown always ended with -a eulogium upon her. - -I went over the hospital with the doctor there; for even in Demerara -they require a hospital for the negroes. "And what is the prevailing -disease of the colony?" I asked him. "Dropsy with the black men," he -answered; "and brandy with the white." - -"You don't think much of yellow fever?" I asked him. - -"No; very little. It comes once in six or seven years; and like -influenza or cholera at home, it requires its victims. What is that -to consumption, whose visits with you are constant, who daily demands -its hecatombs? We don't like yellow fever, certainly; but yellow -fever is not half so bad a fellow as the brandy bottle." - -Should this meet the eye of any reader in this colony who needs -medical advice, he may thus get it, of a very good quality, and -without fee. On the subject of brandy I say nothing myself, seeing -how wrong it is to kiss and tell. - -Excepting as regards yellow fever, I do not imagine that Demerara is -peculiarly unhealthy. And as regards yellow fever, I am inclined to -think that his Satanic majesty has in this instance been painted too -black. There are many at home--in England--who believe that yellow -fever rages every year in some of these colonies, and that half the -white population of the towns is swept off by it every August. As far -as I can learn it is hardly more fatal at one time of the year than -at another. It returns at intervals, but by no means regularly or -annually. Sometimes it will hang on for sixteen or eighteen months at -a time, and then it will disappear for five or six years. Those seem -to be most subject to it who have been out in the West Indies for -a year or so: after that, persons are not so liable to it. Sailors, -and men whose work keeps them about the sea-board and wharves, seem -to be in the greatest danger. White soldiers also, when quartered -in unhealthy places, have suffered greatly. They who are thoroughly -acclimatized are seldom attacked; and there seems to be an idea that -the white Creoles are nearly safe. I believe that there are instances -in which coloured people and even negroes have been attacked by -yellow fever. But such cases are very rare. Cholera is the negroes' -scourge. - -Nor do I think that this fever rages more furiously in Demerara than -among the islands. It has been very bad in its bad times at Kingston, -Jamaica, at Trinidad, at Barbados, among the shipping at St. Thomas, -and nowhere worse than at the Havana. The true secret of its fatality -I take to be this:--that the medical world has not yet settled what -is the proper mode of medical treatment. There are, I believe, still -two systems, each directly opposite to the other; but in the West -Indies they call them the French system and the English. In a few -years, no doubt, the matter will be better understood. - -From Georgetown, Demerara, to New Amsterdam, Berbice, men travel -either by steamer along the coast, or by a mail phaeton. The former -goes once a week to Berbice and back, and the latter three times. -I went by the mail phaeton and returned by the steamer. And here, -considering the prosperity of the colony, the well-being and comfort -of all men and women in it, the go-ahead principles of the place, -and the coming million hogsheads of sugar--the millennium of a West -Indian colony--considering all these great existing characteristics -of Guiana, I must say that I think the Governor ought to look to the -mail phaeton. It was a woful affair, crumbling to pieces along the -road in the saddest manner; very heart-rending to the poor fellow who -had to drive it, and body-rending to some of the five passengers who -were tossed to and fro as every fresh fragment deserted the parent -vehicle with a jerk. And then, when we had to send the axle to be -mended, that staying in the road for two hours and a half among the -musquitoes! Ohe! ohe! Ugh! ugh! - -It grieves me to mention this, seeing that rose colour was so clearly -the prevailing tint in all matters belonging to Guiana. And I would -have forgiven it had the phaeton simply broken down on the road. All -sublunar phaetons are subject to such accidents. Why else should they -have been named after him of the heavens who first suffered from such -mishaps? But this phaeton had broken down before it commenced its -journey. It started on a system of ropes, bandages, and patches which -were disgraceful to such a colony and such a Governor; and I should -intromit a clear duty, were I to allow it to escape the gibbet. - -But we did reach New Amsterdam not more than five hours after time. -I have but very little to say of the road, except this: that there -is ample scope for sugar and ample room for Coolies. - -Every now and then we came upon negro villages. All villages in this -country must be negro villages, one would say, except the few poor -remaining huts of the Indians, which are not encountered on the white -man's path. True; but by a negro village I mean a site which is now -the freehold possession of negroes, having been purchased by them -since the days of emancipation, with their own money, and for their -own purposes; so that they might be in all respects free; free to -live in idleness, or to do such work as an estated man may choose to -do for himself, his wife, his children, and his property. - -There are many such villages in Guiana, and I was told that when the -arrangements for the purchases were made the dollars were subscribed -by the negroes so quickly and in such quantities that they were taken -to the banks in wheelbarrows. At any rate, the result has been that -tracts of ground have been bought by these people and are now owned -by them in fee simple. - -It is grievous to me to find myself driven to differ on such points -as these from men with whose views I have up to this period generally -agreed. But I feel myself bound to say that the freeholding negroes -in Guiana do not appear to me to answer. In the first place it -seems that they have found great difficulty in dividing the land -among themselves. In all such combined actions some persons must be -selected as trustworthy; and those who have been so selected have not -been worthy of the trust. And then the combined action has ceased -with the purchase of the land, whereas, to have produced good it -should have gone much further. Combined draining would have been -essential; combined working has been all but necessary; combined -building should have been adopted. But the negroes, the purchase once -made, would combine no further. They could not understand that unless -they worked together at draining, each man's own spot of ground would -be a swamp. Each would work a little for himself; but none would work -for the community. A negro village therefore is not a picturesque -object. - -They are very easily known. The cottages, or houses--for some of them -have aspired to strong, stable, two-storied slated houses--stand in -extreme disorder, one here and another there, just as individual -caprice may have placed them. There seems to have been no attempt -at streets or lines of buildings, and certainly not at regularity -in building. Then there are no roads, and hardly a path to each -habitation. As the ground is not drained, in wet weather the whole -place is half drowned. Most of the inhabitants will probably have -made some sort of dyke for the immediate preservation of their own -dwellings; but as those dykes are not cut with any common purpose, -they become little more than overflowing ponds, among which the negro -children crawl and scrape in the mud; and are either drowned, or -escape drowning, as Providence may direct. The spaces between the -buildings are covered with no verdure; they are mere mud patches, and -are cracked in dry weather, wet, slippery, and filthy in the rainy -seasons. - -The plantation grounds of these people are outside the village, and -afford, I am told, cause for constant quarrelling. They do, however, -also afford means of support for the greater part of the year, so -that the negroes can live, some without work and some by working one -or two days in the week. - -It may perhaps be difficult to explain why a man should be expected -to work if he can live on his own property without working, and -enjoy such comforts as he desires. And it may be equally difficult -to explain why complaint should be made as to the wretchedness of -any men who do not themselves feel that their own state is wretched. -But, nevertheless, on seeing what there is here to be seen, it is -impossible to withstand the instinctive conviction that a village of -freeholding negroes is a failure; and that the community has not been -served by the process, either as regards themselves or as regards the -country. - -Late at night we did reach New Amsterdam, and crossed the broad -Berbice after dark in a little ferryboat which seemed to be -perilously near the water. At ten o'clock I found myself at the -hotel, and pronounce it to be, without hesitation, the best inn, not -only in that colony, but in any of these Western colonies belonging -to Great Britain. It is kept by a negro, one Mr. Paris Brittain, of -whom I was informed that he was once a slave. "O, si sic omnes!" But -as regards my experience, he is merely the exception which proves the -rule. I am glad, however, to say a good word for the energies and -ambition of one of the race, and shall be glad if I can obtain for -Mr. Paris Brittain an innkeeper's immortality. - -His deserts are so much the greater in that his scope for displaying -them is so very limited. No man can walk along the broad strand -street of New Amsterdam, and then up into its parallel street, so -back towards the starting-point, and down again to the sea, without -thinking of Knickerbocker and Rip van Winkle. The Dutchman who -built New Amsterdam and made it once a thriving town must be still -sleeping, as the New York Dutchman once slept, waiting the time when -an irruption from Paramaribo and Surinam shall again restore the -place to its old possessors. - -At present life certainly stagnates at New Amsterdam. Three persons -in the street constitute a crowd, and five collected for any purpose -would form a goodly club. But the place is clean and orderly, and the -houses are good and in good repair. They stand, as do the houses in -Georgetown, separately, each surrounded by its own garden or yard, -and are built with reference to the wished-for breeze from the -windows. - -The estates up the Berbice river, and the Canje creek which runs into -it, are, I believe, as productive as those on the coast, or on the -Demerara or Essequibo rivers, and are as well cultivated; but their -owners no longer ship their sugars from New Amsterdam. The bar across -the Berbice river is objectionable, and the trade of Georgetown has -absorbed the business of the colony. In olden times Berbice and -Demerara were blessed each with its own Governor, and the two towns -stood each on its own bottom as two capitals. But those halcyon -days--halcyon for Berbice--are gone; and Rip van Winkle, with all his -brethren, is asleep. - -I should have said, in speaking of my journey from Demerara to -Berbice, that the first fifteen miles were performed by railway. The -colony would have fair ground of complaint against me were I to omit -to notice that it has so far progressed in civilization as to own a -railway. As far as I could learn, the shares do not at present stand -at a high premium. From Berbice I returned in a coasting steamer. It -was a sleepy, dull, hot journey, without subject of deep interest. I -can only remember of it that they gave us an excellent luncheon on -board, and luncheons at such times are very valuable in breaking the -tedium of the day. - -And now a word as to the million hogsheads of sugar and as to the -necessary Coolies. Guiana has some reason to be proud, seeing that -at present it beats all the neighbouring British colonies in the -quantity of sugar produced. I believe that it also beats them all -as to the quantity of rum, though Jamaica still stands first as to -the quality. In round numbers the sugar exported from Guiana may be -stated at seventy thousand hogsheads. - -Barbados exports about fifty thousand, Trinidad and Jamaica under -forty thousand. No other British West Indian colony gives fifteen -thousand; but Guadaloupe and Martinique, two French islands, produce, -one over fifty thousand and the other nearly seventy thousand -hogsheads. In order to make this measurement intelligible, I may -explain that a hogshead is generally said to contain a ton weight of -sugar, but that, when reaching the market, it very rarely does come -up to that weight. I do not give this information as statistically -correct, but as being sufficiently so to guide the ideas of a man -only ordinarily anxious to be acquainted in an ordinary manner -with what is going on in the West Indies. I would not, therefore, -recommend any Member of Parliament to quote the above figures in the -House. - -Some twelve years ago the whole produce of sugar in the West Indies, -including Guiana and excluding the Spanish islands, was 275,000 -hogsheads. The amount which I have above recapitulated, in which the -smaller islands have been altogether omitted, exceeds 310,000. It may -therefore be taken as a fact that, on the whole, the evil days have -come to their worst, and that the tables are turned. It must however -be admitted that the above figures tell more for French than for -English prosperity. - -In these countries sugar and labour are almost synonymous; at any -rate, they are convertible substances. In none of the colonies named, -except Barbados, is the amount of sugar produced limited by any other -law than the amount of labour to be obtained, and in none of them, -with that one exception, can any prosperity be hoped for, excepting -by means of immigrating labour. What I mean to state is this: that -the extent of native work which can be obtained by the planters and -land-owners at terms which would enable them to grow their produce -and bring it to the market does not in any of these colonies suffice -for success. It can be worth no man's while to lay out his capital -in Jamaica, in Trinidad, or in Guiana, unless he has reasonable hope -that labouring men will be brought into those countries. The great -West Indian question is now this: Is there reasonable ground for such -hope? - -The Anti-Slavery Society tells us that we ought to have no such -hope--that it is simply hoping for a return of slavery; that black or -coloured labourers brought from other lands to the West Indies cannot -be regarded as free men; that labourers so brought will surely be -ill-used; and that the native negro labourer requires protection. As -to that question of the return to slavery I have already said what -few words I have to offer. In one sense, no dependent man working -for wages can be free. He must abide by the terms of his contract. -But in the usually accepted sense of the word freedom, the Coolie or -Chinaman immigrating to the West Indies is free. - -As to the charge of ill usage, it appears to me that these men could -not be treated with more tenderness, unless they were put separately, -each under his own glass case, with a piece of velvet on which to -lie. In England we know of no such treatment for field labourers. On -their arrival in Demerara they are distributed among the planters by -the Governor, to each planter according to his application, his means -of providing for them, and his willingness and ability to pay the -cost of the immigration by yearly instalments. They are sent to no -estate till a government officer shall have reported that there are -houses for them to occupy. There must be a hospital for them on the -estate, and a regular doctor with a sufficient salary. The rate of -their wages is stipulated, and their hours of work. Though the -contract is for five years, they can leave the estate at the end of -the first three, transferring their services to any other master, and -at the end of the five years they are entitled to a free passage -home. - -If there be no hardship in all this to the immigrating Coolie, it -may, perhaps, be thought that there is hardship to the planter who -receives him. He is placed very much at the mercy of the Governor, -who, having the power of giving or refusing Coolies, becomes -despotic. And then, when this stranger from Hindostan has been taught -something of his work, he can himself select another master, so that -one planter may bribe away the labourers of another. This, however, -is checked to a certain degree by a regulation which requires the -bribing interloper to pay a portion of the expense of immigration. - -As to the native negro requiring protection--protection, that is, -against competitive labour--the idea is too absurd to require any -argument to refute it. As it at present is, the competition having -been established, and being now in existence to a certain small -extent, these happy negro gentlemen will not work on an average more -than three days a week, nor for above six hours a day. I saw a gang -of ten or twelve negro girls in a cane-piece, lying idle on the -ground, waiting to commence their week's labour. It was Tuesday -morning. On the Monday they had of course not come near the field. -On the morning of my visit they were lying with their hoes beside -them, meditating whether or no they would measure out their work. The -planter was with me, and they instantly attacked him. "No, massa; we -no workey; money no nuff," said one. "Four bits no pay! no pay at -all!" said another. "Five bits, massa, and we gin morrow 'arly." It -is hardly necessary to say that the gentleman refused to bargain with -them. "They'll measure their work to-morrow," said he; "on Thursday -they will begin, and on Friday they will finish for the week." "But -will they not look elsewhere for other work?" I asked. "Of course -they will," he said; "occupy a whole day in looking for it; but -others cannot pay better than I do, and the end will be as I tell -you." Poor young ladies! It will certainly be cruel to subject them -to the evil of competition in their labour. - -In Guiana the bull has been taken by the horns, as in Jamaica it -unfortunately has not; and the first main difficulties of immigration -have, I think, been overcome. For some years past, both from India -and from China, labourers have been brought in freely, and during the -last twelve months the number has been very considerable. The women -also are coming now as well as the men, and they have learned to -husband their means and put money together. - -Such an affair as this--the regular exodus, that is, of a people to -another land--has always progressed with great rapidity when it has -been once established. The difficulty is to make a beginning. It is -natural enough that men should hesitate to trust themselves to a -future of which they know nothing; and as natural that they should -hasten to do so when they have heard of the good things which -Providence has in store for them. It required that some few should -come out and prosper, and return with signs of prosperity. This has -now been done, and as regards Guiana it will not, I imagine, be -long before negro labour is, if not displaced, made, at any rate, -of secondary consequence in the colony. As far as the workmen are -concerned, the million hogsheads will, I think, become a possibility, -though not perhaps in the days of my energetic hopeful friend. - -Both the Coolies and the Chinamen have aptitude in putting money -together; and when a man has this aptitude he will work as long as -good wages are to be earned. "Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa, &c." -We teach our children this lesson, intending them to understand that -it is pretty nearly the worst of all "amors," and we go on with the -"irritamenta malorum" till we come to the "Spernere fortior." It is -all, however, of no use. "Naturam expellas furcâ;" but the result is -still the same. Nature knows what she is about. The love of money is -a good and useful love. What would the world now be without it? Or -is it even possible to conceive of a world progressing without such -a love? Show me ten men without it, and I will show you nine who -lack zeal for improvement. Money, like other loved objects--women, -for instance--should be sought for with honour, won with a clean -conscience, and used with a free hand. Provided it be so guided, the -love of money is no ignoble passion. - -The negroes, as a class, have not this aptitude, consequently they -lie in the sun and eat yams, and give no profitable assistance -towards that saccharine millennium. "Spernere fortior!" That big -black woman would so say, she who is not contented with four bits, -if her education had progressed so far. And as she said it, how she -would turn up her African nose, and what contempt she would express -with her broad eyes! Doubtless she does so express herself among her -negro friends in some nigger patois--"Pernere forshaw." If so, her -philosophy does but little to assist the world, or herself. - -There is another race of men, and of women too, who have been and -now are of the greatest benefit to this colony, and with them the -"Spernere fortior" is by no means a favourite doctrine. There are the -Portuguese who have come to Demerara from Madeira. I believe that -they are not to be found in any of the islands; but here, in Guiana, -they are in great numbers, and thrive wonderfully. At almost every -corner of two streets in Georgetown is to be seen a small shop; and -those shops are, I think without exception, kept by Portuguese. -Nevertheless they all reached the Demerara river in absolute poverty, -intending to live on the wages of field labour, and certainly -prepared to do their work like men. As a rule, they are a steady, -industrious class, and have proved themselves to be good citizens. -In the future amalgamation of races, which will take place here as -elsewhere in the tropics, the Portugee-Madeira element will not be -the least efficient. - -I saw the works on three or four sugar estates in Demerara, and -though I am neither a sugar grower nor a mechanic, I am able to say -that the machinery and material of this colony much exceed anything I -have seen in any of our own West Indian islands; and in the point of -machinery, equals what I saw in Cuba. Everything is done on a much -larger scale, and in a more proficient manner than at--Barbados, -we will say. I instance Barbados because the planters there play -so excellent a melody on their own trumpets. In that island not -one planter in five, not one I believe in fifteen, has any steam -appliance on his estate. They trust to the wind for their motive -power, as did their great-great-grandfather. But there is steam on -every estate in Guiana. The vacuum pan and the centrifugal machine -for extracting the molasses are known only by name in Barbados, -whereas they are common appliances in Demerara. There two hundred -hogsheads is a considerable produce for one planter. Here they make -eight hundred hogsheads, a thousand, and twelve hundred. A Barbados -man will reply to this that the thing to be looked to is the -profit, or what he will call the clearance. The sugar-consuming -world, however, will know nothing about this, will hear nothing of -individual profits. But it will recognize the fact that the Demerara -sugar is of a better quality than that which comes from Barbados, and -will believe that the merchant or planter who does not use the latest -appliances of science, whether it be in manufacture or agriculture, -will before long go to the wall. Looking over a sugar estate and -sugar works is an exciting amusement certainly, but nevertheless it -palls upon one at last. I got quite into the way of doing it; and -used to taste the sugars and examine the crystals; make comparisons -and pronounce, I must confess as regards Barbados, a good deal of -adverse criticism. But this was merely to elicit the true tone of -Barbadian eloquence, the long-drawn nasal fecundity of speech which -comes forth so fluently when their old windmills are attacked. - -But the amusement, as I have said, does pall upon one. In spite of -the difference of the machinery, the filtering-bags and centrifugals -in one, the Gadsden pans in another, and the simple oscillators in a -third--(the Barbados estate stands for the third)--one does get weary -of walking up to a sugar battery, and looking at the various heated -caldrons, watching till even the inexperienced eye perceives that the -dirty liquor has become brown sugar, as it runs down from a dipper -into a cooling vat. - -I wonder whether I could make the process in any simple way -intelligible; or whether in doing so I should afford gratification to -a single individual? Were I myself reading such a book of travels, I -should certainly skip such description. Reader, do thou do likewise. -Nevertheless, it shall not exceed three or four pages. - -The cane must first be cut. As regards a planted cane, that is the -first crop from the plant--(for there are such things as ratoons, of -which a word or two will be found elsewhere)--as regards the planted -cane, the cutting, I believe, takes place after about fourteen -months' growth. The next process is that of the mill; the juice, that -is, has to be squeezed out of it. The cane should not lie above two -days before it is squeezed. It is better to send it to the mill the -day after it is cut, or the hour after; in fact, as soon indeed as -may be. In Demerara they are brought to the mill by water always; in -Barbados, by carts and mules; in Jamaica, by waggons and oxen; so -also in Cuba. The mill consists of three rollers, which act upon each -other like cogwheels. The canes are passed between two, an outside -one, say, and a centre one; and the refuse stalk, or trash (so called -in Jamaica), or magass (so called in Barbados and Demerara), comes -out between the same centre one and the other outside roller. The -juice meanwhile is strained down to a cistern or receptacle below. -These rollers are quite close, so that it would seem to be impossible -that the cane should go through; but it does go through with great -ease, if the mill be good and powerful; but frequently with great -difficulty, if the mill be bad and not powerful; for which latter -alternative vide Barbados. The canes give from sixty to seventy per -cent. of juice. Sometimes less than sixty, not often over seventy. - -The juice, which is then of a dirty-yellow colour, and apparently -about the substance of milk, is brought from the mill through a pipe -into the first vat, in which it is tempered. This is done with lime, -and the object is to remedy the natural acidity of the juice. In this -first vat it is warmed, but not more than warmed. It then runs from -these vats into boilers, or at any rate into receptacles in which it -is boiled. These in Barbados are called taches. At each of these a -man stands with a long skimmer, skimmering the juice as it were, and -scraping off certain skum which comes to the top. There are from -three to seven of these taches, and below them, last of all, is the -boiler, the veritable receptacle in which the juice becomes sugar. -In the taches, especially the first of them, the liquor becomes dark -green in colour. As it gets nearer the boiler it is thicker and more -clouded, and begins to assume its well-known tawny hue. - -Over the last boiler stands the man who makes the sugar. It is for -him to know what heat to apply and how long to apply it. The liquor -now ceases to be juice and becomes sugar. This is evident to the -eye and nose, for though the stuff in the boiler is of course still -liquid, it looks like boiled melted sugar, and the savour is the -savour of sugar. When the time has come, and the boiling is boiled, a -machine suspended from on high, and called a dipper, is let down into -the caldron. It nearly fits the caldron, being, as it were, in itself -a smaller caldron going into the other. The sugar naturally runs over -the side of this and fills it, some little ingenuity being exercised -in the arrangement. The dipper, full of sugar, is then drawn up on -high. At the bottom of it is a valve, so that on the pulling of a -rope, the hot liquid runs out. This dipper is worked like a crane, -and is made to swing itself from over the boiler to a position in -which the sugar runs from it through a wooden trough to the flat -open vats in which it is cooled. - -But at this part of the manufacture there are various different -methods. According to that which is least advanced the sugar is -simply cooled in the vat, then put into buckets in a half-solid -state, and thrown out of the buckets into the hogsheads. - -According to the more advanced method it runs from the dipper down -through filtering bags, is then pumped into a huge vacuum pan, a -utensil like a kettle-drum turned topsy-turvy, a kettle-drum that is -large enough to hold six tons of sugar. Then it is reheated, and then -put into open round boxes called centrifugals, the sides of which -are made of metal pierced like gauze. These are whisked round and -round by steam-power at an enormous rate, and the molasses flies out -through the gauze, leaving the sugar dry and nearly white. It is then -fit to go into the hogshead, and fit also to be shipped away. - -But in the simpler process, the molasses drains from the sugar in -the hogshead. To facilitate this, as the sugar is put into the cask, -reeds are stuck through it, which communicate with holes at the -bottom, so that there may be channels through which the molasses may -run. The hogsheads stand upon beams lying a foot apart from each -other, and below is a dark abyss into which the molasses falls. -I never could divest myself of the idea that the negro children -occasionally fall through also, and are then smothered and so -distilled into rum. - -There are various other processes, intermediate between the -highly-civilized vacuum pan and the simple cooling, with which I will -not trouble my reader. Nor will I go into the further mystery of -rum-making. That the rum is made from the molasses every one knows; -and from the negro children, as I suspect. - -The process of sugar-making is very rapid if the appliances be good. -A planter in Demerara assured me that he had cut his canes in the -morning, and had the sugar in Georgetown in the afternoon. Fudge! -however, was the remark made by another planter to whom I repeated -this. Whether it was fudge or not I do not know; but it was clearly -possible that such should be the case. The manufacture is one which -does not require any delay. - -In Demerara an acre of canes will on an average give over a ton and -a half of sugar. But an acre of cane ground will not give a crop -once in twelve months. Two crops in three years may perhaps be the -average. So much for the manufacture of sugar. I hope my account may -not be criticised by those who are learned in the art, as it is only -intended for those who are utterly unlearned. - -But if looking over sugar-works be at last fatiguing, what shall I -say to that labour of "going aback," which Guiana planters exact from -their visitors. Going aback in Guiana means walking from the house -and manufactory back to the fields where the canes grow. I have -described the shape of a Demerara estate. The house generally stands -not far from the water frontage, so that the main growth of the sugar -is behind. This going aback generally takes place before breakfast. -But the breakfast is taken at eleven; and a Demerara sun is in all -its glory for three hours before that. Remember, also, that there are -no trees in these fields, no grass, no wild flowers, no meandering -paths. Everything is straight, and open, and ugly; and everything has -a tendency to sugar, and no other tendency whatever, unless it be to -rum. Sugar-canes is the only growth. So that a walk aback, except -to a very close inquirer, is not delightful. It must however be -confessed that the subsequent breakfast makes up for a deal of -misery. There is no such breakfast going as that of a Guiana planter. -Talk of Scotland! Pooh! But one has to think of that doctor's -dictum--"The prevalent disease, sir? Brandy!" It seems, however, to -me to show itself more generally in the shape of champagne. - -There is one other peculiar characteristic of landed property in this -colony which I must mention. All the carriage is by water, not only -from the works to the town, but from the fields to the works, and -even from field to field. The whole country is intersected by drains, -which are necessary to carry off the surface waters; there is no -natural fall of water, or next to none, and but for its drains and -sluices the land would be flooded in wet weather. Parallel to these -drains are canals; there being, as nearly as I could learn, one canal -between each two drains. These different dykes are to a stranger -similar in appearance, but their uses are always kept distinct. - -Nor do these canals run only between wide fields, or at a -considerable distance from each other. They pierce every portion of -land, so that the canes when cut have never to be carried above a few -yards. The expense of keeping them in order is very great, but the -labour of making them must have been immense. It was done by the -Dutch. One may almost question whether any other race would have had -the patience necessary for such a work. - -I was told on one estate that there were no less than sixty-three -miles of these cuttings to be kept in order. But the gentleman who -told me was he to whom the other gentleman alluded, when he used our -old friend, Mr. Burchell's exclamation. There can be no doubt but -that these Guiana planters know each other. - -On the whole, I must express my conviction that this is a fine -colony, and will become of very great importance. - -Our great Thunderer the other day spoke of the governance of a sugar -island as a duty below a man's notice; as being almost worthy of -contempt. We cannot all be gods and forge thunderbolts. But we all -wish to consume sugar; and if we can do in one of our colonies -without slaves what Cuba is doing with slaves, the work I think will -not be contemptible, nor the land contemptible in which it is done. -I do look to see our free Cuba in Guiana, and even have my hopes as -to that million of hogsheads. - -I have said, in speaking of Jamaica, that I thought the negro had -hardly yet shown himself capable of understanding the teaching of the -Christian religion. As regards Guiana, what I heard on this matter -I heard chiefly from clergymen of the Church of England; and though -they would of course not agree with me--for it is not natural that a -man should doubt the efficacy of his own teaching--nevertheless, what -I gathered from them strengthens my former opinions. - -I do think that the Guiana negro is in this respect somewhat superior -to his brother in Jamaica. He is more intelligent, and comes nearer -to our idea of a thoughtful being. But still even here it seems to -me that he never connects his religion with his life; never reflects -that his religion should bear upon his conduct. - -Here, as in the islands, the negroes much prefer to belong to -a Baptist congregation, or to a so-called Wesleyan body. That -excitement is there allowed to them which is denied in our Church. -They sing and halloa and scream, and have revivals. They talk of -their "dear brothers" and "dear sisters," and in their ecstatic -howlings get some fun for their money. I doubt also whether those -disagreeable questions as to conduct are put by the Baptists -which they usually have to undergo from our clergymen. "So-called -Wesleyans," I say, because the practice of their worship here is -widely removed from the sober gravity of the Wesleyan churches in -England. - -I have said that the form of government in Guiana was a mild -despotism, tempered by sugar. The Governor, it must be understood, -has not absolute authority. There is a combined house, with a power -of voting, by whom he is controlled--at any rate in financial -matters. But of those votes he commands many as Governor, and as long -as he will supply Coolies quick enough--and Coolies mean sugar--he -may command them all. - -"We are not particular to a shade," the planters wisely say to him, -"in what way we are governed. If you have any fads of your own about -this or about that, by all means indulge them. Even if you want a -little more money, in God's name take it. But the business of a man's -life is sugar: there's the land; the capital shall be forthcoming, -whether begged, borrowed, or stolen;--do you supply the labour. Give -us Coolies enough, and we will stick at nothing. We are an ambitious -colony. There looms before us a great future--a million hogsheads of -sugar!" - -The form of government here is somewhat singular. There are two -Houses--Lords and Commons--but not acting separately as ours do. The -upper House is the Court of Policy. This consists of five official -members, whose votes may therefore be presumed to be at the service -of the Governor, and of five elected members. The Governor himself, -sitting in this court, has the casting vote. But he also has -something to say to the election of the other five. They are chosen -by a body of men called Kiezers--probably Dutch for choosers. There -is a college of Kiezers, elected for life by the tax-payers, whose -main privilege appears to be that of electing these members of the -Court of Policy. But on every occasion they send up two names, and -the Governor selects one; so that he can always keep out any one man -who may be peculiarly disagreeable to him. This Court of Policy -acts, I think, when acting by itself, more as a privy council to the -Governor than as a legislative body. - -Then there are six Financial Representatives; two from Berbice, one -from town and one from country; two from Demerara, one from town -and one from country; and two from Essequibo, both from the country, -there being no town. These are elected by the tax-payers. They are -assembled for purposes of taxation only, as far as I understood; and -even as regards this they are joined with the Court of Policy, and -thus form what is called the Combined Court. The Crown, therefore, -has very little to tie its hands; and I think that I am justified in -describing the government as a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. - -So much for British Guiana. I cannot end this crude epitome of -crude views respecting the colony without saying that I never met a -pleasanter set of people than I found there, or ever passed my hours -much more joyously. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -BARBADOS. - - -Barbados is a very respectable little island, and it makes a great -deal of sugar. It is not picturesquely beautiful, as are almost -all the other Antilles, and therefore has but few attractions for -strangers. - -But this very absence of scenic beauty has saved it from the fate of -its neighbours. A country that is broken into landscapes, that boasts -of its mountains, woods, and waterfalls, that is regarded for its -wild loveliness, is seldom propitious to agriculture. A portion of -the surface in all such regions defies the improving farmer. But, -beyond this, such ground under the tropics offers every inducement to -the negro squatter. In Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada, the -negro, when emancipated, could squat and make himself happy; but in -Barbados there was not an inch for him. - -When emancipation came there was no squatting ground for the poor -Barbadian. He had still to work and make sugar--work quite as hard -as he had done while yet a slave. He had to do that or to starve. -Consequently, labour has been abundant in this island, and in this -island only; and in all the West Indian troubles it has kept its -head above water, and made sugar respectably--not, indeed, showing -much sugar genius, or going ahead in the way of improvements, but -paying twenty shillings in the pound, supporting itself, and earning -its bread decently by the sweat of its brow. The pity is that the -Barbadians themselves should think so much of their own achievements. - -The story runs, that when Europe was convulsed by revolutions and -wars--when continental sovereigns were flying hither and thither, and -there was so strong a rumour that Napoleon was going to eat us--the -great Napoleon I mean--that then, I say, the Barbadians sent word -over to poor King George the Third, bidding him fear nothing. If -England could not protect him, Barbados would. Let him come to them, -if things looked really blue on his side of the channel It was a -fine, spirited message, but perhaps a little self glorious. That, -I should say, is the character of the island in general. - -As to its appearance, it is, as I have said, totally different from -any of the other islands, and to an English eye much less attractive -in its character. But for the heat its appearance would not strike -with any surprise an Englishman accustomed to an ordinary but ugly -agricultural country. It has not the thick tropical foliage which is -so abundant in the other islands, nor the wild, grassy dells. Happily -for the Barbadians every inch of it will produce canes; and, to the -credit of the Barbadians, every inch of it does so. A Barbadian -has a right to be proud of this, but it does not make the island -interesting. It is the waste land of the world that makes it -picturesque. But there is not a rood of waste land in Barbados. It -certainly is not the country for a gipsy immigration. Indeed, I doubt -whether there is even room for a picnic. - -The island is something over twenty miles long, and something over -twelve broad. The roads are excellent, but so white that they sadly -hurt the eye of a stranger. The authorities have been very particular -about their milestones, and the inhabitants talk much about their -journeys. I found myself constantly being impressed with ideas of -distance, till I was impelled to suggest a rather extended system of -railroads--a proposition which was taken in very good part. I was -informed that the population was larger than that of China, but my -informant of course meant by the square foot. He could hardly have -counted by the square mile in Barbados. - -And thus I was irresistibly made to think of the frog that would blow -itself out and look as large as an ox. - -Bridgetown, the metropolis of the island, is much like a second or -third rate English town. It has none of the general peculiarities of -the West Indies, except the heat. The streets are narrow, irregular, -and crooked, so that at first a stranger is apt to miss his way. -They all, however, converge at Trafalgar Square, a spot which, in -Barbados, is presumed to compete with the open space at Charing Cross -bearing the same name. They have this resemblance, that each contains -a statue of Nelson. The Barbadian Trafalgar Square contains also a -tree, which is more than can be said for its namesake. It can make -also this boast, that no attempt has been made within it which has -failed so grievously as our picture gallery. In saying this, however, -I speak of the building only--by no means of the pictures. - -There are good shops in Bridgetown--good, respectable, well-to-do -shops, that sell everything, from a candle down to a coffin, -including wedding-rings, corals, and widows' caps. But they are hot, -fusty, crowded places, as are such places in third-rate English -towns. But then the question of heat here is of such vital moment! A -purchase of a pair of gloves in Barbados drives one at once into the -ice-house. - -And here it may be well to explain this very peculiar, delightful, -but too dangerous West Indian institution. By-the-by, I do not know -that there was any ice-house in Kingston, Jamaica. If there be one -there, my friends were peculiarly backward, for I certainly was not -made acquainted with it. But everywhere else--at Demerara, Trinidad, -Barbados, and St. Thomas--I was duly introduced to the ice-house. - -There is something cool and mild in the name, which makes one fancy -that ladies would delight to frequent it. But, alas! a West Indian -ice house is but a drinking-shop--a place where one goes to liquor, -as the Americans call it, without the knowledge of the feminine -creation. It is a drinking-shop, at which the draughts are all cool, -are all iced, but at which, alas! they are also all strong. The -brandy, I fear, is as essential as the ice. A man may, it is true, -drink iced soda-water without any concomitant, or he may simply -have a few drops of raspberry vinegar to flavour it. No doubt many -an easy-tempered wife so imagines. But if so, I fear that they -are deceived. Now the ice-house in Bridgetown seemed to me to be -peculiarly well attended. I look upon this as the effect of the white -streets and the fusty shops. - -Barbados claims, I believe--but then it claims everything--to have a -lower thermometer than any other West Indian island--to be, in fact, -cooler than any of her sisters. As far as the thermometer goes, it -may be possible; but as regards the human body, it is not the fact. -Let any man walk from his hotel to morning church and back, and then -judge. - -There is a mystery about hotels in the British West Indies. They -are always kept by fat, middle-aged coloured ladies, who have no -husbands. I never found an exception except at Berbice, where my -friend Paris Brittain keeps open doors in the city of the sleepers. -These ladies are generally called Miss So-and-So; Miss Jenny This, -or Miss Jessy That; but they invariably seemed to have a knowledge -of the world, especially of the male hotel-frequenting world, hardly -compatible with a retiring maiden state of life. I only mention this. -I cannot solve the riddle. "Davus sum, non Oedipus." But it did -strike me as singular that the profession should always be in the -hands of these ladies, and that they should never get husbands. - -As a rule, there is not much to be said against these hotels, though -they will not come up to the ideas of a traveller who has been used -to the inns of Switzerland. The table is always plentifully supplied, -and the viands generally good. Of that at Barbados I can make no -complaint, except this; that the people over the way kept a gray -parrot which never ceased screaming day or night. I was deep in my -Jamaica theory of races, and this wretched bird nearly drove me wild. - -"Can anything be done to stop it, James?" - -"No, massa." - -"Nothing? Wouldn't they hang a cloth over it for a shilling?" - -"No, massa; him only make him scream de more to speak to him." - -I took this as final, though whether the "him" was the man or the -parrot, I did not know. But such a bird I never heard before, and -the street was no more than twelve feet broad. He was, in fact, -just under my window. Thrice had I to put aside my theory of races. -Otherwise than on this score, Miss Caroline Lee's hotel at Barbados -is very fair. And as for hot pickles--she is the very queen of them. - -Whether or no my informant was right in saying that the population -of Barbados is more dense than that of China, I cannot say; but -undoubtedly it is very great; and hence, as the negroes cannot get -their living without working, has come the prosperity of the island. -The inhabitants are, I believe, very nearly 150,000 in number. -This is a greater population than that of the whole of Guiana. The -consequence is, that the cane-pieces are cultivated very closely, and -that all is done that manual labour can do. - -The negroes here differ much, I think, from those in the other -islands, not only in manner, but even in form and physiognomy. -They are of heavier build, broader in the face, and higher in the -forehead. They are also certainly less good-humoured, and more -inclined to insolence; so that if anything be gained in intelligence -it is lost in conduct. On the whole, I do think that the Barbados -negroes are more intelligent than others that I have met. It is -probable that this may come from more continual occupation. - -But if the black people differ from their brethren of the other -islands, so certainly do the white people. One soon learns to know -a--Bim. That is the name in which they themselves delight, and -therefore, though there is a sound of slang about it, I give it -here. One certainly soon learns to know a Bim. The most peculiar -distinction is in his voice. There is always a nasal twang about it, -but quite distinct from the nasality of a Yankee. The Yankee's word -rings sharp through his nose; not so that of the first-class Bim. -There is a soft drawl about it, and the sound is seldom completely -formed. The effect on the ear is the same as that on the hand when a -man gives you his to shake, and instead of shaking yours, holds his -own still. When a man does so to me I always wish to kick him. - -I had never any wish to kick the Barbadian, more especially as they -are all stout men; but I cannot but think that if he were well shaken -a more perfect ring would come out of him. - -The Bims, as I have said, are generally stout fellows. As a rule they -are larger and fairer than other West Indian Creoles, less delicate -in their limbs, and more clumsy in their gait. The male graces are -not much studied in Barbados. But it is not only by their form or -voice that you may know them--not only by the voice, but by the -words. No people ever praised themselves so constantly; no set of -men were ever so assured that they and their occupations are the -main pegs on which the world hangs. Their general law to men would -be this: "Thou shalt make sugar in the sweat of thy brow, and make -it as it is made in Barbados." Any deviation from that law would be -a deviation from the highest duty of man. - -Of many of his sister colonies a Barbadian can speak with temper. -When Jamaica is mentioned philanthropic compassion lights up his -face, and he tells you how much he feels for the poor wretches there -who call themselves planters. St. Lucia also he pities, and Grenada; -and of St. Vincent he has some hope. Their little efforts he says are -praiseworthy; only, alas! they are so little! He does not think much -of Antigua; and turns up his nose at Nevis and St. Kitts, which in a -small way are doing a fair stroke of business. The French islands he -does not love, but that is probably patriotism: as the French islands -are successful sugar growers such patriotism is natural. But do not -speak to him of Trinadad; that subject is very sore. And as for -Guiana--! One knows what to expect if one holds a red rag up to a -bull. Praise Guiana sugar-making in Bridgetown, and you will be -holding up a red rag to a dozen bulls, no one of which will refuse -the challenge. And thus you may always know a Bim. - -When I have met four or five together, I have not dared to try this -experiment, for they are wrathy men, and have rough sides to their -tongues; but I have so encountered two at a time. - -"Yes," I have said; "the superiority of Barbados cannot be doubted. -We all grant that. But which colony is second in the race?" - -"It is impossible to say," said A. "They are none of them well -circumstanced." - -"None of them have got any labour," said B. - -"They can't make returns," said A. - -"Just look at their clearances," said B; "and then look at ours." - -"Jamaica sugar is paying now," I remarked. - -"Jamaica, sir, has been destroyed root and branch," said A, well -pleased; for they delight to talk of Jamaica. "And no one can lament -it more than I do," said B. "Jamaica is a fine island, only utterly -ruined." - -"Magnificent! such scenery!" I replied. - -"But it can't make sugar," said B. - -"What of Trinidad?" I asked. - -"Trinidad, sir, is a fine wild island; and perhaps some day we may -get our coal there." - -"But Demerara makes a little sugar," I ventured to remark. - -"It makes deuced little money, I know," said A. - -"Every inch of it is mortgaged," said B. - -"But their steam-engines," said I. - -"Look at their clearances," said A. - -"They have none," said B. - -"At any rate, they have got beyond windmills," I remarked, with -considerable courage. - -"Because they have got no wind," said A. - -"A low bank of mud below the sea-level," said B. - -"But a fine country for sugar," said I. - -"They don't know what sugar is," said A. - -"Look at their vacuum pans," said I. - -"All my eye," said B. - -"And their filtering-bags," said I. - -"Filtering-bags be d----," said A. - -"Centrifugal machines," said I, now nearly exhausted. - -"We've tried them, and abandoned them long ago," said B, only now -coming well on to the fight. - -"Their sugar is nearly white," said I; "and yours is a dirty brown." - -"Their sugar don't pay," said A, "and ours does." - -"Look at the price of our land," said B. - -"Yes, and the extent of it," said I. - -"Our clearances, sir! The clearances, sir, are the thing," said A. - -"The year's income," said B. - -"A hogshead to the acre," said I; "and that only got from guano." - -This was my last shot at them. They both came at me open-mouthed -together, and I confess that I retired, vanquished, from the field. - -It is certainly the fact that they do make their sugar in a very -old-fashioned way in Barbados, using wind-mills instead of steam, and -that you see less here of the improved machinery for the manufacture -than in Demerara, or Cuba, or Trinidad, or even in Jamaica. The great -answer given to objections is that the old system pays best. It may -perhaps do so for the present moment, though I should doubt even -that. But I am certain that it cannot continue to do so. No trade, -and no agriculture can afford to dispense with the improvements of -science. - -I found some here who acknowledged that the mere produce of the cane -from the land had been pressed too far by means of guano. A great -crop is thus procured, but it appears that the soil is injured, and -that the sugar is injured also. The canes, moreover, will not ratoon -as they used to do, and as they still do in other parts of the West -Indies. The cane is planted, and when ripe is cut. If allowed, -another cane will grow from the same plant, and that is a ratoon; and -again a third will grow, giving a third crop from the same plant; and -in many soils a fourth; and in some few many more; and one hears of -canes ratooning for twenty years. - -If the same amount and quality of sugar be produced, of course the -system of ratooning must be by far the cheapest and most profitable. -In I believe most of our colonies the second crop is as good as the -first, and I understand that it used to be so in Barbados. But it -is not so now. The ratoon almost always looks poor, and the second -ratoons appear to be hardly worth cutting. I believe that this is so -much the case that many Barbados planters now look to get but one -crop only from each planting. This falling off in the real fertility -of the soil is I think owing to the use of artificial manure, such as -guano. - -There is a system all through these sugar-growing countries of -burning the magass, or trash; this is the stalk of the cane, or -remnant of the stalk after it comes through the mill. What would be -said of an English agriculturist who burnt his straw? It is I believe -one of the soundest laws of agriculture that the refuse of the crop -should return to the ground which gave it. - -To this it will be answered that the English agriculturist is not -called on by the necessity of his position to burn his straw. He -has not to boil his wheat, nor yet his beef and mutton; whereas the -Barbados farmer is obliged to boil his crop. At the present moment -the Barbados farmer is under this obligation; but he is not obliged -to do it with the refuse produce of his fields. He cannot perhaps use -coals immediately under his boilers, but he can heat them with steam -which comes pretty much to the same thing. - -All this applies not to Barbados only, but to Guiana, Jamaica, and -the other islands also. At all of them the magass or trash is burnt. -But at none of them is manure so much needed as at Barbados. They -cannot there take into cultivation new fresh virgin soil when they -wish it, as they can in Guiana. - -And then one is tempted to ask the question, whether every owner of -land is obliged to undertake all the complete duties which now are -joined together at a sugar estate? It certainly is the case, that no -single individual could successfully set himself against the system. -But I do not see why a collection of individuals should not do so. - -A farmer in England does not grow the wheat, then grind it, and then -make the bread. The growing is enough for him. Then comes the miller, -and the baker. But on a sugar estate, one and the same man grows the -cane, makes the sugar, and distils the rum; thus altogether opposing -the salutary principle of the division of labour. I cannot see why -the grower should not sell his canes to a sugar manufacturer. There -can, I believe, be no doubt of this, that sugar can be made better -and cheaper in large quantities than in small. - -But the clearance, sir; that is the question. How would this affect -the clearance? The sugar manufacturer would want his profit. Of -course he would, as do the miller and the baker. - -They complain greatly at Barbados, as they do indeed elsewhere, that -they are compelled to make bad sugar by the differential duty. The -duty on good sugar is so much higher than that on bad sugar, that the -bad or coarse sugar pays them best. This is the excuse they give for -not making a finer article, and I believe that the excuse is true. - -I made one or two excursions in the island, and was allowed the -privilege of attending an agricultural breakfast, at which there were -some twenty or thirty planters. It seems that a certain number of -gentlemen living in the same locality had formed themselves into -a society, with the object of inspecting each other's estates. A -committee of three was named in each case by the president; and this -committee, after surveying the estate in question, and looking at the -works and stock, drew up a paper, either laudatory or the reverse, -which paper was afterwards read to the society. These readings took -place after the breakfast, and the breakfast was held monthly. To the -planter probably the reading of the documents was the main object. It -may not be surprising that I gave the preference to the breakfast, -which of its kind was good. - -But this was not the only breakfast of the sort at which I was -allowed to be a guest. The society has always its one great monthly -breakfast; but the absolute inspection gives occasions for further -breakfasts. I was also at one of these, and assisted in inspecting -the estate. There were, however, too many Barbadians present to -permit of my producing my individual views respecting the Guiana -improvements. - -The report is made at the time of the inspection, but it is read in -public at the monthly meeting. The effect no doubt is good, and the -publicity of the approval or disapproval stimulates the planter. -But I was amused with the true Barbadian firmness with which the -gentlemen criticised declared that they would not the less take -their own way, and declined to follow the advice offered to them in -the report. I heard two such reports read, and in both cases this -occurred. - -All this took place at Hookleton cliff, which the Barbadians regard -as the finest point for scenery in the island. The breakfast I own -was good, and the discourse useful and argumentative. But as regards -the scenery, there is little to be said for it, considering that I -had seen Jamaica, and was going to see Trinidad. - -Even in Barbados, numerous as are the negroes, they certainly live an -easier life than that of an English labourer, earn their money with -more facility, and are more independent of their masters. A gentleman -having one hundred and fifty families living on his property would -not expect to obtain from them the labour of above ninety men at -the usual rate of pay, and that for not more than five days a week. -They live in great comfort, and in some things are beyond measure -extravagant. - -"Do you observe," said a lady to me, "that the women when they walk -never hold up their dresses?" - -"I certainly have," I answered. "Probably they are but ill shod, and -do not care to show their feet." - -"Not at all. Their feet have nothing to do with it. But they think it -economical to hold up their petticoats. It betokens a stingy, saving -disposition, and they prefer to show that they do not regard a few -yards of muslin more or less." - -This is perfectly true of them. As the shopman in Jamaica said -to me--In this part of the world we must never think of little -economies. The very negroes are ashamed to do so. - -Of the coloured people I saw nothing, except that the shops are -generally attended by them. They seemed not to be so numerous as they -are elsewhere, and are, I think, never met with in the society of -white people. In no instance did I meet one, and I am told that in -Barbados there is a very rigid adherence to this rule. Indeed, one -never seems to have the alternative of seeing them; whereas in -Jamaica one has not the alternative of avoiding them. As regards -myself, I would much rather have been thrown among them. - -I think that in all probability the white settlers in Barbados have -kept themselves more distinct from the negro race, and have not at -any time been themselves so burdened with coloured children as is -the case elsewhere. If this be so, they certainly deserve credit for -their prudence. - -Here also there is a King, Lords, and Commons, or a governor, a -council, and an assembly. The council consists of twelve, and are -either chosen by the Crown, or enjoy their seat by virtue of office -held by appointment from the Crown. The Governor in person sits in -the council. The assembly consists of twenty-two, who are annually -elected by the parishes. None but white men do vote at these -elections, though no doubt a black man could vote, if a black man -were allowed to obtain a freehold. Of course, therefore, none but -white men can be elected. How it is decided whether a man be white -or not, that I did not hear. The greater part of the legislative -business of the island is done by committees, who are chosen from -these bodies. - -Here, as elsewhere through the West Indies, one meets with unbounded -hospitality. A man who dines out on Monday will receive probably -three invitations for Tuesday, and six for Wednesday. And they -entertain very well. That haunch of mutton and turkey which are now -the bugbear of the English dinner-giver do not seem to trouble the -minds or haunt the tables of West Indian hosts. - -And after all, Barbados--little England as it delights to call -itself--is and should be respected among islands. It owes no man -anything, pays its own way, and never makes a poor mouth. Let us say -what we will, self-respect is a fine quality, and the Barbadians -certainly enjoy that. It is a very fine quality, and generally leads -to respect from others. They who have nothing to say for themselves -will seldom find others to say much for them. I therefore repeat what -I said at first. Barbados is a very respectable little island, and -considering the limited extent of its acreage, it does make a great -deal of sugar. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -TRINIDAD. - - -No scenery can be more picturesque than that afforded by the entrance -to Port of Spain, the chief town in the island of Trinidad. Trinidad, -as all men doubtless know, is the southernmost of the West Indian -islands, and lies across the delta of the Orinoco river. The western -portion of the island is so placed that it nearly reaches with two -horns two different parts of the mainland of Venezuela, one of the -South American republics. And thus a bay is formed closed in between -the island and the mainland, somewhat as is the Gulf of Mexico by the -island of Cuba; only that the proportions here are much less in size. -This enclosed sea is called the Gulf of Paria. - -The two chief towns, I believe I may say the two only towns in -Trinidad are situated in this bay. That which is the larger, and the -seat of government, is called the Port of Spain, and lies near to the -northern horn. San Fernando, the other, which is surrounded by the -finest sugar districts of the island, and which therefore devotes its -best energies to the export of that article, is on the other side of -the bay and near the other horn. - -The passages into the enclosed sea on either side are called the -Bocas, or mouths. Those nearest to the delta of the Orinoco are the -Serpent's mouths. The ordinary approach from England or the other -islands is by the more northern entrance. Here there are three -passages, of which the middle is the largest one, the Boca Grande. -That between the mainland and a small island is used by the steamers -in fine weather, and is by far the prettiest. Through this, the -Boca di Mona, or monkey's mouth, we approached Port of Spain. These -northern entrances are called the Dragon's mouths. What may be the -nautical difference between the mouth of a dragon and that of a -serpent I did not learn. - -On the mainland, that is the land of the main island, the coast is -precipitous, but clothed to the very top with the thickest and most -magnificent foliage. With an opera-glass one can distinctly see the -trees coming forth from the sides of the rocks as though no soil -were necessary for them, and not even a shelf of stone needed for -their support And these are not shrubs, but forest trees, with grand -spreading branches, huge trunks, and brilliant coloured foliage. The -small island on the other side is almost equally wooded, but is -less precipitous. Here, however, there are open glades, and grassy -enclosures, which tempt one to wish that it was one's lot to lie -there in the green shade and eat bananas and mangoes. This little -island in the good old days, regretted by not a few, when planters -were planters, and slaves were slaves, produced cotton up to its very -hill-tops. Now I believe it yields nothing but the grass for a few -cattle. - -Our steamer as she got well into the boca drew near to the shore -of the large island, and as we passed along we had a succession of -lovely scenes. Soft-green smiling nooks made themselves visible below -the rocks, the very spots for picnics. One could not but long to -be there with straw hats and crinoline, pigeon pies and champagne -baskets. There was one narrow shady valley, into which a creek of the -sea ran up, that must have been made for such purposes, either for -that, or for the less noisy joys of some Paul of Trinidad with his -Creole Virginia. - -As we steamed on a little further we came to a whaling establishment. -Ideas of whaling establishments naturally connect themselves with -icebergs and the North Pole. But it seems that there are races of -whales as there are of men, proper to the tropics as well as to the -poles; and some of the former here render up their oily tributes. -From the look of the place I should not say that the trade was -flourishing. The whaling huts are very picturesque, but do not say -much for the commercial enterprise of the proprietors. - -From them we went on through many smaller islands to Port of Spain. -This is a large town, excellently well laid out, with the streets -running all at right angles to each other, as is now so common in new -towns. The spaces have been prepared for a much larger population -than that now existing, so that it is at present straggling, -unfilled, and full of gaps. But the time will come, and that before -long, when it will be the best town in the British West Indies. There -is at present in Port of Spain a degree of commercial enterprise -quite unlike the sleepiness of Jamaica or the apathy of the smaller -islands. - -I have now before me at the present moment of writing a debate which -took place in the House of Commons the other day--it is only the -other day as I now write--on a motion made by Mr. Buxton for a -committee to inquire into the British West Indies; and though -somewhat afraid of being tedious on the subject of immigration to -these parts, I will say a few words as to this motion in as far as it -affects not only Trinidad, but all those colonies. Of all subjects -this is the one that is of real importance to the West Indies; and it -may be expected that the sugar colonies will or will not prosper, as -that subject is or is not understood by its rulers. - -I think I may assume that the intended purport of Mr. Buxton's -motion was to throw impediments in the way of the immigration of -Coolies into Jamaica; and that in making it he was acting as the -parliamentary mouthpiece of the Anti-Slavery Society. The legislature -of Jamaica has at length passed a law with the object of promoting -this immigration, as it has been promoted at the Mauritius and in a -lesser degree in British Guiana and Trinidad; but the Anti-Slavery -Society have wished to induce the Crown to use its authority and -abstain from sanctioning this law, urging that it will be injurious -to the interests of the negro labourers. - -The "peculiar institution" of slavery is, I imagine, quite as little -likely to find friends in England now as it was when the question of -its abolition was so hotly pressed some thirty years since. And God -forbid that I should use either the strength or the weakness of my -pen in saying a word in favour of a system so abhorrent to the -feelings of a Christian Englishman. But may we not say that that -giant has been killed? Is it not the case that the Anti-Slavery -Society has done its work?--has done its work at any rate as -regards the British West Indies? What should we have said of the -Anti-Corn-Law League, had it chosen to sit in permanence after the -repeal of the obnoxious tax, with the view of regulating the fixed -price of bread? - -Such is the attempt now being made by the Anti-Slavery Society with -reference to the West Indian negroes. If any men are free, these men -are so. They have been left without the slightest constraint or bond -over them. In the sense in which they are free, no English labourer -is free. In England a man cannot select whether he will work or -whether he will let it alone. He, the poor Englishman, has that -freedom which God seems to have intended as good for man; but work -he must. If he do not do so willingly, compulsion is in some sort -brought to bear upon him. He is not free to be idle; and I presume -that no English philanthropists will go so far as to wish to endow -him with that freedom. - -But that is the freedom which the negro has in Jamaica, which he -still has in many parts of Trinidad, and which the Anti-Slavery -Society is so anxious to secure for him. It--but no; I will give the -Society no monopoly of such honour. We, we Englishmen, have made our -negroes free. If by further efforts we can do anything towards making -other black men free--if we can assist in driving slavery from the -earth, in God's name let us still be doing. Here may be scope enough -for an Anti-Slavery Society. But I maintain that these men are -going beyond their mark--that they are minding other than their own -business, in attempting to interfere with the labour of the West -Indian colonies. Gentlemen in the West Indies see at once that the -Society is discussing matters which it has not studied, and that -interests of the utmost importance to them are being played with in -the dark. - -Mr. Buxton grounded his motion on these two pleas:--Firstly, That -the distress of the West Indian planters had been brought about by -their own apathy and indiscretion. And secondly, That that distress -was in course of relief, would quickly be relieved, without any -further special measures for its mitigation. I think that he was -substantially wrong in both these allegations. - -That there were apathetic and indiscreet planters--that there were -absentees whose property was not sufficient to entitle them to the -luxury of living away from it, may doubtless have been true. But the -tremendous distress which came upon these colonies fell on them in -too sure a manner, with too sudden a blow, to leave any doubt as to -its cause. Slavery was first abolished, and the protective duty on -slave-grown sugar was then withdrawn. The second measure brought down -almost to nothing the property of the most industrious as well as -that of the most idle of the planters. Except in Barbados, where the -nature of the soil made labour compulsory, where the negro could no -more be idle and exist than the poor man can do in England, it became -impossible to produce sugar with a profit on which the grower could -live. It was not only the small men who fell, or they who may be -supposed to have been hitherto living on an income raised to an -unjustly high pitch. Ask the Gladstone family what proceeds have come -from their Jamaica property since the protective duty was abolished. -Let Lord Howard de Walden say how he has fared. - -Mr. Buxton has drawn a parallel between the state of Ireland at and -after the famine and that of the West Indies at and after the fall -in the price of sugar, of which I can by no means admit the truth. -In the one case, that of Ireland, the blow instantly effected the -remedy. A tribe of pauper landlords had grown up by slow degrees who, -by their poverty, their numbers, their rapacity, and their idleness, -had eaten up and laid waste the fairest parts of the country. Then -came the potato rot, bringing after it pestilence, famine, and the -Encumbered Estates Court; and lo! in three years the air was cleared, -the cloud had passed away, and Ireland was again prosperous. Land -bought at fifteen pounds the acre was worth thirty before three crops -had been taken from it. The absentees to whom Mr. Buxton alludes were -comparatively little affected. They were rich men whose backs were -broad enough to bear the burden for a while, and they stood their -ground. It is not their property which as a rule has changed hands, -but that of the small, grasping, profit-rent landlords whose lives -had been passed in exacting the last farthing of rent from the -cottiers. When no farthing of rent could any longer be exacted, they -went to the wall at once. - -There was nothing like this in the case of the West Indies. -Indiscretion and extravagance there may have been. These are vices -which will always be more or less found among men living with the -thermometer at eighty in the shade. But in these colonies, long and -painful efforts were made, year after year, to bear against the -weight which had fallen on them. In the West Indies the blow came -from man, and it was withstood on the whole manfully. In Ireland the -blow came from God, and submission to it was instantaneous. - -Mr. Buxton then argues that everything in the West Indies is already -righting itself, and that therefore nothing further need be done. The -facts of the case exactly refute this allegation. The four chief of -these colonies are Barbados, British Guiana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. -In Barbados, as has been explained, there was no distress, and of -course no relief has been necessary. In British Guiana and Trinidad -very special measures have been taken. Immigration of Coolies to a -great extent has been brought about--to so great an extent that the -tide of human beings across the two oceans will now run on in an -increasing current. But in Jamaica little or nothing has yet been -done. And in Jamaica, the fairest, the most extensive, the most -attractive of them all; in Jamaica, of all the islands on God's earth -the one most favoured by beauty, fertility, and natural gifts; in -Jamaica the earth can hardly be made to yield its natural produce. - -All this was excellently answered by Sir Edward Lytton, who, whatever -may have been his general merits as a Secretary of State, seems at -any rate to have understood this matter. He disposed altogether of -the absurdly erroneous allegations which had been made as to the -mortality of these immigrants on their passage. As is too usual -in such cases arguments had been drawn from one or two specially -unhealthy trips. Ninety-nine ships ride safe to port, while the -hundredth unfortunately comes to grief. But we cannot on that account -afford to dispense with the navigation of the seas. Sir Edward showed -that the Coolies themselves--for the Anti-Slavery Society is as -anxious to prevent this immigration on behalf of the Coolies, who in -their own country can hardly earn twopence a day, as it is on the -part of the negroes, who could with ease, though they won't, earn two -shillings a day--he showed that these Coolies, after having lived for -a few years on plenty in these colonies, return to their own country -with that which is for them great wealth. And he showed also that the -present system--present as regards Trinidad, and proposed as regards -Jamaica--of indenturing the immigrant on his first arrival is the -only one to which we can safely trust for the good usage of the -labourer. For the present this is clearly the case. When the Coolies -are as numerous in these islands as the negroes--and that time will -come--such rules and restrictions will no doubt be withdrawn. And -when these different people have learned to mix their blood--which -in time will also come--then mankind will hear no more of a lack of -labour, and the fertility of these islands will cease to be their -greatest curse. - -I feel that I owe an apology to my reader for introducing him to an -old, forgotten, and perhaps dull debate. In England the question is -one not generally of great interest. But here, in the West Indies, it -is vital. The negro will never work unless compelled to do so; that -is, the negro who can boast of pure unmixed African blood. He is as -strong as a bull, hardy as a mule, docile as a dog when conscious of -a master--a salamander as regards heat. He can work without pain and -without annoyance. But he will never work as long as he can eat and -sleep without it. Place the Coolie or Chinaman alongside of him, and -he must work in his own defence. If he do not, he will gradually -cease to have an existence. - -We are now speaking more especially of Trinidad. It is a large -island, great portions of which are but very imperfectly known; of -which but comparatively a very small part has been cultivated. During -the last eight or ten years, ten or twelve thousand immigrants, -chiefly Coolies from Madras and Calcutta, have been brought into -Trinidad, forming now above an eighth part of its entire population; -and the consequence has been that in two years, from 1855, namely, -to 1857, its imports were increased by one-third, and its exports -by two-thirds! In other words, it produced, with its Coolies, three -hogsheads of sugar, where without them it only produced one. The -difference is of course that between absolute distress and absolute -prosperity. Such having hitherto been the result of immigration into -Trinidad, such also having been the result in British Guiana, it does -appear singular that men should congregate in Exeter Hall with the -view of preventing similar immigration into Jamaica! - -This would be altogether unintelligible were it not that similar -causes have produced similar effects in so many other cases. Men -cannot have enough of a good thing. - -Exactly the same process has taken place with reference to criminals -in England. Some few years since we ill used them, stowed them away -in unwholesome holes, gave them bad food for their bodies and none -for their minds, and did our best to send them devilwards rather than -Godwards. Philanthropists have now remedied this, and we are very -much obliged to them. But the philanthropists will not be content -unless they be allowed to pack all their criminals up in lavender. -They must be treated not only as men, but much better than men of -their own class who are not criminal. - -In this matter of the negroes, the good thing is negro-protection, -and our friends cannot have enough of that. The negroes in being -slaves were ill used; and now it is not enough that they should all -be made free, but each should be put upon his own soft couch, with -rose-leaves on which to lie. Now your Sybarite negro, when closely -looked at, is not a pleasing object. Distance may doubtless lend -enchantment to the view. - -As my sojourn in Trinidad did not amount to two entire days, I do not -feel myself qualified to give a detailed description of the whole -island. Very few, I imagine, are so qualified, for much of it is -unknown; there is a great want of roads, and a large proportion of it -has, I believe, never been properly surveyed. - -Immediately round Port of Spain the country is magnificent, and the -views from the town itself are very lovely. Exactly behind the town, -presuming the sea to be the front, is the Savanah, a large enclosed, -park-like piece of common, the race-course and Hyde Park of Trinidad. -I was told that the drive round it was three English miles in length; -but if it be so much, the little pony which took me that drive in a -hired buggy must have been a fast trotter. - -On the further side of this lives the Governor of the island, -immediately under the hills. When I was there the Governor's real -house was being repaired, and the great man was living in a cottage -hard by. Were I that great man I should be tempted to wish that -my great house might always be under repair, for I never saw a -more perfect specimen of a pretty spacious cottage, opening as a -cottage should do on all sides and in every direction, with a great -complexity as to doors and windows, and a delicious facility of -losing one's way. And then the necessary freedom from boredom, -etiquette, and Governor's grandeur, so hated by Governors themselves, -which must necessarily be brought about by such a residence! I could -almost wish to be a Governor myself, if I might be allowed to live in -such a cottage. - -On the other side of the Savanah nearest to the town, and directly -opposite to those lovely hills, are a lot of villa residences, and it -would be impossible, I imagine, to find a more lovely site in which -to fix one's house. With the Savanah for a foreground, the rising -gardens behind the Governor's house in the middle distance, and a -panorama of magnificent hills in the back of the picture, it is -hardly within the compass of a man's eye and imagination to add -anything to the scene. I had promised to call on Major ----, who was -then, and perhaps is still, in command of the detachment of white -troops in Trinidad, and I found him and his young wife living in this -spot. - -"And yet you abuse Trinidad," I said, pointing to the view. - -"Oh! people can't live altogether upon views," she answered; "and -besides, we have to go back to the barracks. The yellow fever is over -now." - -The only place at which I came across any vestiges of the yellow -fever was at Trinidad. There it had been making dreadful havoc, and -chiefly among the white soldiers. My visit was in March, and the -virulence of the disease was then just over. It had been raging, -therefore, not in the summer but during the winter months. Indeed, -as far as I could learn, summer and winter had very little to do -with the matter. The yellow fever pays its visit in some sort -periodically, though its periods are by no means understood. But it -pays them at any time of the year that may suit itself. - -At this time a part of the Savanah was covered with tents, to which -the soldiers had been moved out of their barracks. The barracks are -lower down, near the shore, at a place called St. James, and the -locality is said to be wretchedly unhealthy. At any rate, the men -were stricken with fever there, and the proportion of them that died -was very great. I believe, indeed, that hardly any recovered of those -on whom the fever fell with any violence. They were then removed into -these tents, and matters began to mend. They were now about to return -to their barracks, and were, I was told, as unwilling to do so as my -fair friend was to leave her pretty house. - -If it be necessary to send white troops to the West Indies--and I -take it for granted that it is necessary--care at any rate should -be taken to select for their barracks sites as healthy as may be -found. It certainly seems that this has not been done at Trinidad. -They are placed very low, and with hills immediately around them. -The good effect produced by removing them to the Savanah--a -very inconsiderable distance; not, as I think, much exceeding a -mile--proves what may be done by choosing a healthy situation. But -why should not the men be taken up to the mountains, as has been done -with the white soldiers in Jamaica? There they are placed in barracks -some three or four thousand feet above the sea, and are perfectly -healthy. This cannot be done in Barbados, for there are no mountains -to which to take them. But in Trinidad it may be done, quite as -easily, and indeed at a lesser distance, and therefore with less cost -for conveyance, than in Jamaica. - -At the first glance one would be inclined to say that white troops -would not be necessary in the West Indies, as we have regiments of -black soldiers, negroes dressed in Zouave costume, specially trained -for the service; but it seems that there is great difficulty in -getting these regiments filled. Why should a negro enlist any more -than work? Are there not white men enough--men and brothers--to do -the somewhat disagreeable work of soldiering for him? Consequently, -except in Barbados, it is difficult to get recruits. Some men have -been procured from the coast of Africa, but our philanthropy is -interfering even with this supply. Then the recruiting officers -enlisted Coolies, and these men made excellent soldiers; but when -interfered with or punished, they had a nasty habit of committing -suicide, a habit which it was quite possible the negro soldier might -himself assume; and therefore no more Coolies are to be enlisted. - -Under such circumstances white men must, I presume, do the work. A -shilling a day is an object to them, and they are slow to blow out -their own brains; but they should not be barracked in swamps, or made -to live in an air more pestilential than necessary. - -My hostess, the lady to whom I have alluded, had been attacked most -virulently by the yellow fever, and I had heard in the other islands -that she was dead. Her case had indeed been given up as hopeless. - -On the morning after my arrival I took a ride of some sixteen miles -through the country before breakfast, and the same lady accompanied -me. "We must start very early," she said; "so as to avoid the heat. -I will have coffee at half-past four, and we will be on horseback at -five." - -I have had something to say as to early hours in the West Indies -before, and hardly credited this. A morning start at five usually -means half-past seven, and six o'clock is a generic term for moving -before nine. So I meekly asked whether half-past four meant half-past -four. "No," said the husband. "Yes," said the wife. So I went away -declaring that I would present myself at the house at any rate not -after five. - -And so I did, according to my own very excellent watch, which had -been set the day before by the ship's chronometer. I rode up to -the door two minutes before five, perfectly certain that I should -have the pleasure of watching the sun's early manoeuvres for at -least an hour. But, alas! my friend had been waiting for me in her -riding-habit for more than that time. Our watches were frightfully at -variance. It was perfectly clear to me that the Trinidadians do not -take the sun for their guide as to time. But in such a plight as was -then mine, a man cannot go into his evidence and his justification. -My only plea was for mercy; and I hereby take it on myself to say -that I do not know that I ever kept any lady waiting before--except -my wife. - -At five to the moment--by my watch--we started, and I certainly never -rode for three hours through more lovely scenery. At first, also, it -was deliciously cool, and as our road lay entirely through woods, -it was in every way delightful. We went back into the hills, and -returned again towards the sea-shore over a break in one of the spurs -of the mountain called the Saddle; from whence we had a distant view -into the island, as fine as any view I ever saw without the adjunct -of water. - -I should imagine that a tour through the whole of Trinidad would -richly repay the trouble, though, indeed, it would be troublesome. -The tourist must take his own provisions, unless, indeed, he provided -himself by means of his gun, and must take also his bed. The -musquitoes, too, are very vexatious in Trinidad, though I hardly -think that they come up in venom to their brethren in British Guiana. - -The first portion of our ride was delightful; but on our return we -came down upon a hot, dusty road, and then the loss of that hour -in the morning was deeply felt. I think that up to that time I had -never encountered such heat, and certainly had never met with a more -disagreeable, troublesome amount of dust, all which would have been -avoided had I inquired over-night into the circumstances of the -Trinidad watches. But the lady said never a word, and so heaped -coals of fire on my head in addition to the consuming flames of that -ever-to-be-remembered sun. - -As Trinidad is an English colony, one's first idea is that the people -speak English; and one's second idea, when that other one as to the -English has fallen to the ground, is that they should speak Spanish, -seeing that the name of the place is Spanish. But the fact is that -they all speak French; and, out of the town, but few of the natives -speak anything else. Whether a Parisian would admit this may be -doubted; but he would have to acknowledge that it was a French -patois. - -And the religion is Roman Catholic. The island of course did belong -to France, and in manners, habits, language, and religion is still -French. There is a Roman Catholic archbishop resident in Trinidad, -who is, I believe, at present an Italian. We pay him, I have been -told, some salary, which he declines to take for his own use, but -applies to purposes of charity. There is a Roman Catholic cathedral -in Port of Spain, and a very ugly building it is. - -The form of government also is different from that, or rather those, -which have been adopted in the other West Indian colonies, such -as Jamaica, Barbados, and British Guiana. As this was a conquered -colony, the people of the island are not allowed to have so potent -a voice in their own management. They have no House of Commons or -Legislative Assembly, but take such rules or laws as may be necessary -for their guidance direct from the Crown. The Governor, however, is -assisted by a council, in which sit the chief executive officers in -the island. That the fact of the colony having been conquered need -preclude it from the benefit (?) of self-government, one does not -clearly see. But one does see clearly enough, that as they are French -in language and habits, and Roman Catholic in religion, they would -make even a worse hash of it than the Jamaicans do in Jamaica. - -And it is devoutly to be hoped, for the island's sake, that it may be -long before it is endowed with a constitution. It would be impossible -now-a-days to commence a legislature in the system of electing which -all but white men should be excluded from voting. Nor would there be -white men enough to carry on an election. And may Providence defend -my friends there from such an assembly as would be returned by French -negroes and hybrid mulattoes! - -A scientific survey has just been completed of this island, with -reference to its mineral productions, and the result has been to -show that it contains a very large quantity of coal. I was fortunate -enough to meet one of the gentlemen by whom this was done, and he was -kind enough to put into my hand a paper showing the exact result of -their investigation. But, unfortunately, the paper was so learned, -and I was so ignorant, that I could not understand one word of it. -The whole matter also was explained to me verbally, but not in -language adapted to my child-like simplicity. So I am not able to say -whether the coal be good or bad--whether it would make a nice, hot, -crackling, Christmas fire, or fly away in slaty flakes and dirty -dust. It is a pity that science cannot be made to recognize the depth -of unscientific ignorance. - -There is also here in Trinidad a great pitch lake, of which all the -world has heard, and out of which that indefatigable old hero, Lord -Dundonald, tried hard to make wax candles and oil for burning. The -oil and candles, indeed, he did make, but not, I fear, the money -which should have been consequent upon their fabrication. I have no -doubt, however, that in time we shall all have our wax candles from -thence; for Lord Dundonald is one of those men who are born to do -great deeds of which others shall reap the advantages. One of these -days his name will be duly honoured, for his conquests as well as for -his candles. - -And so I speedily took my departure, and threaded my way back again -through the Bocas, in that most horrid of all steam-vessels, the -'Prince.' - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -ST. THOMAS. - - -All persons travelling in the West Indies have so much to do with the -island of St. Thomas, that I must devote a short chapter to it. My -circumstances with reference to it were such that I was compelled to -remain there a longer time, putting all my visits together, than in -any other of the islands except Jamaica. - -The place belongs to the Danes, who possess also the larger and much -more valuable island of Santa Cruz, as they do also the small island -of St. Martin. These all lie among the Virgin Islands, and are -considered as belonging to that thick cluster. As St. Thomas at -present exists, it is of considerable importance. It is an emporium, -not only for many of the islands, but for many also of the places on -the coast of South and Central America. Guiana, Venezuela, and New -Granada, deal there largely. It is a depôt for cigars, light dresses, -brandy, boots, and Eau de Cologne. Many men therefore of many nations -go thither to make money, and they do make it. These are men, -generally not of the tenderest class, or who have probably been -nursed in much early refinement. Few men will select St. Thomas as a -place of residence from mere unbiassed choice and love of the locale. -A wine merchant in London, doing a good trade there, would hardly -give up that business with the object of personally opening an -establishment in this island: nor would a well-to-do milliner leave -Paris with the same object. Men who settle at St. Thomas have most -probably roughed it elsewhere unsuccessfully. - -These St. Thomas tradesmen do make money I believe, and it is -certainly due to them that they should do so. Things ought not, if -possible, to be all bad with any man; and I cannot imagine what good -can accrue to a man at St. Thomas if it be not the good of amassing -money. It is one of the hottest and one of the most unhealthy spots -among all these hot and unhealthy regions. I do not know whether I -should not be justified in saying that of all such spots it is the -most hot and the most unhealthy. - -I have said in a previous chapter that the people one meets there may -be described as an Hispano-Dano-Niggery-Yankee-doodle population. In -this I referred not only to the settlers, but to those also who are -constantly passing through it. In the shops and stores, and at the -hotels, one meets the same mixture. The Spanish element is of course -strong, for Venezuela, New Granada, Central America, and Mexico -are all Spanish, as also is Cuba. The people of these lands speak -Spanish, and hereabouts are called Spaniards. To the Danes the island -belongs. The soldiers, officials, and custom-house people are Danes. -They do not, however, mix much with their customers. They affect, -I believe, to say that the island is overrun and destroyed by these -strange comers, and that they would as lief be without such visitors. -If they are altogether indifferent to money making, such may be the -case. The labouring people are all black--if these blacks can be -called a labouring people. They do coal the vessels at about a dollar -a day each--that is, when they are so circumstanced as to require a -dollar. As to the American element, that is by no means the slightest -or most retiring. Dollars are going there, and therefore it is of -course natural that Americans should be going also. I saw the other -day a map, "The United States as they now are, and in prospective;" -and it included all these places--Mexico, Central America, Cuba, St. -Domingo, and even poor Jamaica. It may be that the man who made the -map understood the destiny of his country; at any rate, he understood -the tastes of his countrymen. - -All these people are assembled together at St. Thomas, because St. -Thomas is the meeting-place and central depôt of the West Indian -steam-packets. That reason can be given easily enough; but why St. -Thomas should be the meeting-place of these packets,--I do not know -who can give me the reason for that arrangement. Tortola and Virgin -Gorda, two of the Virgin islands, both belong to ourselves, and are -situated equally well for the required purpose as is St. Thomas. I -am told also, that at any rate one, probably at both, good harbour -accommodation is to be found. It is certain that in other respects -they are preferable. They are not unhealthy, as is St. Thomas; and, -as I have said above, they belong to ourselves. My own opinion is -that Jamaica should be the head-quarters of these packets; but the -question is one which will not probably be interesting to the reader -of these pages. - -"They cannot understand at home why we dislike the inter-colonial -work so much," said the captain of one of the steam-ships to me. By -inter-colonial work he meant the different branch services from St. -Thomas. "They do not comprehend at home what it is for a man to be -burying one young officer after another; to have them sent out, and -then to see them mown down in that accursed hole of a harbour by -yellow fever. Such a work is not a very pleasant one." - -Indeed this was true. The life cannot be a very pleasant one. -These captains themselves and their senior officers are doubtless -acclimated. The yellow fever may reach them, but their chance of -escape is tolerably good; but the young lads who join the service, -and who do so at an early age, have at the first commencement of -their career to make St. Thomas their residence, as far as they have -any residence. They live of course on board their ships; but the -peculiarity of St. Thomas is this; that the harbour is ten times -more fatal than the town. It is that hole, up by the coaling wharves, -which sends so many English lads to the grave. If this be so, this -alone, I think, constitutes a strong reason why St. Thomas should not -be so favoured. These vessels now form a considerable fleet, and some -of them spend nearly a third of their time at this place. The number -of Englishmen so collected and endangered is sufficient to warrant us -in regarding this as a great drawback on any utility which the island -may have--if such utility there be. - -But we must give even the devil his due. Seen from the water St. -Thomas is very pretty. It is not so much the scenery of the island -that pleases as the aspect of the town itself. It stands on three -hills or mounts, with higher hills, green to their summit, rising -behind them. Each mount is topped by a pleasant, cleanly edifice, and -pretty-looking houses stretch down the sides to the water's edge. The -buildings do look pretty and nice, and as though chance had arranged -them for a picture. Indeed, as seen from the harbour, the town looks -like a panorama exquisitely painted. The air is thin and transparent, -and every line shows itself clearly. As so seen the town of St. -Thomas is certainly attractive. But it is like the Dead Sea fruit; -all the charm is gone when it is tasted. Land there, and the beauty -vanishes. - -The hotel at St. Thomas is quite a thing of itself. There is no fair -ground for complaint as regards the accommodation, considering where -one is, and that people do not visit St. Thomas for pleasure; but -the people that one meets there form as strange a collection as may -perhaps be found anywhere. In the first place, all languages seem -alike to them. One hears English, French, German, and Spanish spoken -all around one, and apparently it is indifferent which. The waiters -seem to speak them all. - -The most of these guests I take it--certainly a large proportion of -them--are residents of the place, who board at the inn. I have been -there for a week at a time, and it seemed that all then around me -were so. There were ladies among them, who always came punctually to -their meals, and went through the long course of breakfast and long -course of dinner with admirable perseverance. I never saw eating to -equal that eating. When I was there the house was always full; but -the landlord told me that he found it very hard to make money, and -I can believe it. - -A hot climate, it is generally thought, interferes with the appetite, -affects the gastric juices with lassitude, gives to the stomach some -of the apathy of the body, and lessens at any rate the consumption -of animal food. That charge cannot be made against the air of St. -Thomas. To whatever sudden changes the health may be subject, no -lingering disinclination for food affects it. Men eat there as though -it were the only solace of their life, and women also. Probably it is -so. - -They never talk at meals. A man and his wife may interchange a word -or two as to the dishes; or men coming from the same store may -whisper a syllable as to their culinary desires; but in an ordinary -way there is no talking. I myself generally am not a mute person at -my meals; and having dined at sundry tables d'hôte, have got over in -a great degree that disinclination to speak to my neighbour which is -attributed--I believe wrongly--to Englishmen. But at St. Thomas I -took it into my head to wait till I was spoken to, and for a week -I sat, twice daily, between the same persons without receiving or -speaking a single word. - -I shall not soon forget the stout lady who sat opposite to me, and -who was married to a little hooked-nosed Jew, who always accompanied -her. Soup, fish, and then meat is the ordinary rule at such banquets; -but here the fashion is for the guests, having curried favour with -the waiters, to get their plates of food brought in and put round -before them in little circles; so that a man while taking his soup -may contemplate his fish and his roast beef, his wing of fowl, his -allotment of salad, his peas and potatoes, his pudding, pie, and -custard, and whatever other good things a benevolent and well-fee'd -waiter may be able to collect for him. This somewhat crowds the -table, and occasionally it becomes necessary for the guest to guard -his treasures with an eagle's eye;--hers also with an eagle's eye, -and sometimes with an eagle's talon. - -This stout lady was great on such occasions. "A bit of that," she -would exclaim, with head half turned round, as a man would pass -behind her with a dish, while she was in the very act of unloading -within her throat a whole knifeful charged to the hilt. The efforts -which at first affected me as almost ridiculous advanced to the -sublime as dinner went on. There was no shirking, no half measures, -no slackened pace as the breath became short. The work was daily done -to the final half-pound of cheese. - -Cheese and jelly, guava jelly, were always eaten together. This I -found to be the general fashion of St. Thomas. Some men dipped their -cheese in jelly; some ate a bit of jelly and then a bit of cheese; -some topped up with jelly and some topped up with cheese, all having -it on their plates together. But this lady--she must have spent years -in acquiring the exercise--had a knack of involving her cheese in -jelly, covering up by a rapid twirl of her knife a bit about an inch -thick, so that no cheesy surface should touch her palate, and then -depositing the parcel, oh, ever so far down, without dropping above a -globule or two of the covering on her bosom. - -Her lord, the Israelite, used to fight hard too; but the battle was -always over with him long before the lady showed even a sign of -distress. He was one of those flashy weedy animals that make good -running for a few yards and are then choked off. She was game up to -the winning-post. There were many animals running at those races, -but she might have given all the others the odds of a pound of solid -food, and yet have beaten them. - -But then, to see her rise from the table! Well; pace and extra weight -together will distress the best horse that ever was shod! - -Over and above this I found nothing of any general interest at St. -Thomas. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -NEW GRANADA, AND THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMÁ. - - -It is probably known to all that New Granada is the most northern of -the republics of South America; or it should rather be said that it -is the state nearest to the isthmus, of which indeed it comprehends -a considerable portion; the territory of the Gulf of Darien and the -district of Panamá all being within the limits of New Granada. - -It was, however, but the other day that New Granada formed only a -part of the republic of Columbia, the republic of which Bolivar was -the hero. As the inhabitants of Central America found it necessary to -break up their state into different republics, so also did the people -of Columbia. The heroes and patriots of Caracas and Quito could not -consent to be governed from Bogotá; and therefore three states were -formed out of one. They are New Granada, with its capital of Bogotá; -Venezuela, with its capital of Caracas, lying exactly to the east of -New Granada; and Ecuador--the state, that is, of Equator--lying to -the south of New Granada, having its seaport at Guayaquil on the -Pacific, with Quito, its chief city, exactly on the line. - -The district of Columbia was one of the grandest appanages of the -Spanish throne when the appanages of the Spanish throne were grand -indeed. The town and port of Cartagena, on the Atlantic, were -admirably fortified, as was also Panamá on the Pacific. Its interior -cities were populous, flourishing, and, for that age, fairly -civilized. Now the whole country has received the boon of Utopian -freedom; and the mind loses itself in contemplating to what lowest -pitch of human degradation the people will gradually fall. - -Civilization here is retrograding. Men are becoming more ignorant -than their fathers, are learning to read less, to know less, to -have fewer aspirations of a high order; to care less for truth and -justice, to have more and more of the contentment of a brute,--that -contentment which comes from a full belly and untaxed sinews; or even -from an empty belly, so long as the sinews be left idle. - -To what this will tend a prophet in these days can hardly see; or -rather none less than a prophet can pretend to see. That those -lands which the Spaniards have occupied, and to a great extent made -Spanish, should have no higher destiny than that which they have -already accomplished, I can hardly bring myself to think. That their -unlimited fertility and magnificent rivers should be given for -nothing; that their power of producing all that man wants should be -intended for no use, I cannot believe. At present, however, it would -seem that Providence has abandoned it. It is making no progress. Land -that was cultivated is receding from cultivation; cities that were -populous are falling into ruins; and men are going back into animals, -under the influence of unlimited liberty and universal suffrage. - -In 1851 emancipation from slavery was finally established in New -Granada; and so far, doubtless, a good deed was done. But it was -established at the same time that every man, emancipated slave or -other, let him be an industrial occupier of land, or idle occupier of -nothing, should have an equal vote in electing presidents and members -of the Federal Congress, and members of the Congress of the different -states; that, in short, all men should be equal for all state -purposes. And the result, as may be supposed, is not gratifying. -As far as I am able to judge, a negro has not generally those -gifts of God which enable one man to exercise rule and masterdom -over his fellow-men. I myself should object strongly to be -represented, say in the city of London, by any black man that I -ever saw. "The unfortunate nigger gone masterless," whom Carlyle so -tenderly commiserates, has not strong ideas of the duties even of -self-government, much less of the government of others. Universal -suffrage in such hands can hardly lead to good results. Let him at -any rate have first saved some sixty pounds in a savings-bank, or -made himself undoubted owner--an easy thing in New Granada--of a -forty-shilling freehold! - -Not that pure-blooded negroes are common through the whole of New -Granada. At Panamá and the adjacent districts they are so; but in the -other parts of the republic they are, I believe, few in number. At -Santa Martha, where I first landed, I saw few, if any. And yet the -trace of the negroes, the woolly hair and flat nose, were common -enough, mixed always with Indian blood, and of course to a great -extent with Spanish blood also. - -This Santa Martha is a wretched village--a city it is there -called--at which we, with intense cruelty, maintain a British Consul, -and a British post-office. There is a cathedral there of the old -Spanish order, with the choir removed from the altar down towards the -western door; and there is, I was informed, a bishop. But neither -bishop nor cathedral were in any way remarkable. There is there -a governor of the province, some small tradesman, who seemed to -exercise very few governing functions. It may almost be said that no -trade exists in the place, which seemed indeed to be nearly dead. A -few black or nearly black children run about the streets in a state -almost of nudity; and there are shops, from the extremities of which, -as I was told, crinoline and hats laden with bugles may be extracted. - -"Every one of my predecessors here died of fever," said the Consul to -me, in a tone of triumph. What could a man say to him on so terribly -mortal a subject? "And my wife has been down in fever thirteen -times!" Heavens, what a life! That is, as long as it is life. - -I rode some four or five miles into the country to visit the house in -which Bolivar died. It is a deserted little country villa or chateau, -called San Pedro, standing in a farm-yard, and now containing no -other furniture than a marble bust of the Dictator, with a few -wretchedly coloured French prints with cracked glass plates. The bust -is not a bad one, and seems to have a solemn and sad meaning in its -melancholy face, standing there in its solitary niche in the very -room in which the would-be liberator died. - -For Bolivar had grand ideas of freedom, though doubtless he had -grand ideas also of personal power and pre-eminence; as has been the -case with most of those who have moved or professed to move in the -vanguard of liberty. To free mankind from all injurious thraldom is -the aspiration of such men; but who ever thought that obedience to -himself was a thraldom that could be injurious? - -And here in this house, on the 17th December, 1830, Bolivar died, -broken-hearted, owing his shelter to charity, and relieved in his -last wants by the hands of strangers to his country. When the breath -was out of him and he was well dead, so that on such a matter he -himself could probably have no strong wish in any direction, they -took away his body, of course with all honour, to the district that -gave him birth, and that could afford to be proud of him now that -he was dead;--into Venezuela and reburied him at Caracas. But dying -poverty and funeral honours have been the fate of great men in other -countries besides Columbia. - -"And why did you come to visit such a region as this?" asked Bolivar, -when dying, of a Frenchman to whom in his last days he was indebted -for much. "For freedom," said the Frenchman. "For freedom!" said -Bolivar. "Then let me tell you that you have missed your mark -altogether; you could hardly have turned in a worse direction." - -Our ride from Santa Martha to the house had been altogether between -bushes, among which we saw but small signs of cultivation. Round -the house I saw none. On my return I learnt that the place was the -property of a rich man who possessed a large estate in its vicinity. -"But will nothing grow there?" I asked. "Grow there! yes; anything -would grow there. Some years since the whole district was covered -with sugar-canes." But since the emancipation in 1851 it had become -impossible to procure labour; men could not be got to work; and so -bush had grown up, and the earth gave none of her increase; except -indeed where half-caste Indians squatted here and there, and made -provision grounds. - -I then went on to Cartagena. This is a much better town than -Santa Martha, though even this is in its decadence. It was once a -flourishing city, great in commerce and strong in war. It was taken -by the English, not however without signal reverses on our part, and -by the special valour--so the story goes--of certain sailors who -dragged a single gun to the summit of a high abrupt hill called the -"Papa," which commands the town. If the thermometer stood in those -days as high at Cartagena as it does now, pretty nearly through the -whole of the year, those sailors ought to have had the Victoria -cross. But these deeds were done long years ago, in the time of Drake -and his followers; and Victoria crosses were then chiefly kept for -the officers. - -The harbour at Cartagena is singularly circumstanced. There are two -entrances to it, one some ten miles from the city and the other close -to it. This nearer aperture was blocked up by the Spaniards, who sank -ships across the mouth; and it has never been used or usable since. -The present entrance is very strongly fortified. The fortifications -are still there, bristling down to the water's edge; or they would -bristle, were it not that all the guns have been sold for the value -of the brass metal. - -Cartagena was hotter even than Santa Martha; but the place is by no -means so desolate and death-like. The shops there are open to the -streets, as shops are in other towns. Men and women may occasionally -be seen about the square; and there is a trade,--in poultry if in -nothing else. - -There is a cathedral here also, and I presume a bishop. The former -is built after the Spanish fashion, and boasts a so-called handsome, -large, marble pulpit. That it is large and marble, I confess; but -I venture to question its claims to the other epithet. There are -pictures also in the cathedral; of spirits in a state of torture -certainly; and if I rightly remember of beatified spirits also. -But in such pictures the agonies of the damned always excite more -attention and a keener remembrance than the ecstasies of the blest. -I cannot say that the artist had come up either to the spirit of Fra -Angelico, or to the strength of Orcagna. - -At Cartagena I encountered a family of native ladies and gentlemen, -who were journeying from Bogotá to Peru. Looking at the map, one -would say that the route from Bogotá to Buena-ventura on the Pacific -was both easy and short. The distance as the crow flies--the condor I -should perhaps more properly say--would not be much over two hundred -miles. And yet this family, of whom one was an old woman, had come -down to Cartagena, having been twenty days on the road, having from -thence a long sea journey to the isthmus, thence the passage over -it to Panamá, and then the journey down the Pacific! The fact of -course is that there are no means of transit in the country except on -certain tracks, very few in number; and that even on these all motion -is very difficult. Bogotá is about three hundred and seventy miles -from Cartagena, and the journey can hardly be made in less than -fourteen days. - -From Cartagena I went on to the isthmus; the Isthmus of Panamá, as -it is called by all the world, though the American town of Aspinwall -will gradually become the name best known in connexion with the -passage between the two oceans. - -This passage is now made by a railway which has been opened by an -American company between the town of Aspinwall, or Colon, as it is -called in England, and the city of Panamá. Colon is the local name -for this place, which also bears the denomination of Navy Bay in -the language of sailors. But our friends from Yankee-land like to -carry things with a high hand, and to have a nomenclature of their -own. Here, as their energy and their money and their habits are -undoubtedly in the ascendant, they will probably be successful; and -the place will be called Aspinwall in spite of the disgust of the New -Granadians, and the propriety of the English, who choose to adhere to -the names of the existing government of the country. - -A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and Colon or Aspinwall -will be equally vile however you may call it. It is a wretched, -unhealthy, miserably situated but thriving little American town, -created by and for the railway and the passenger traffic which comes -here both from Southampton and New York. That from New York is of -course immensely the greatest, for this is at present the main route -to San Francisco and California. - -I visited the place three times, for I passed over the isthmus on my -way to Costa Rica, and on my return from that country I went again to -Panamá, and of course back to Colon. I can say nothing in its favour. -My only dealing there was with a washerwoman, and I wish I could -place before my readers a picture of my linen in the condition in -which it came back from that artist's hands. I confess that I sat -down and shed bitter tears. In these localities there are but two -luxuries of life, iced soda-water and clean shirts. And now I was -debarred from any true enjoyment of the latter for more than a -fortnight. - -The Panamá railway is certainly a great fact, as men now-a-days say -when anything of importance is accomplished. The necessity of some -means of passing the isthmus, and the question as to the best means, -has been debated since, I may say, the days of Cortes. Men have -foreseen that it would become a necessity to the world that there -should be some such transit, and every conceivable point of the -isthmus has, at some period or by some nation, been selected as the -best for the purpose. This railway is certainly the first that can -be regarded as a properly organized means of travelling; and it may -be doubted whether it will not remain as the best, if not the only -permanent mode of transit. - -Very great difficulty was experienced in erecting this line. In the -first place, it was necessary that terms should be made with the -government of the country through which the line should pass, and to -effect this it was expedient to hold out great inducements. Among -the chief of these is an understanding that the whole line shall -become the absolute property of the New Granadian government when it -shall have been opened for forty-nine years. But who can tell what -government will prevail in New Granada in forty-nine years? It is not -impossible that the whole district may then be an outlying territory -belonging to the United States. At any rate, I should imagine that -it is very far from the intention of the American company to adhere -with rigid strictness to this part of the bargain. Who knows what may -occur between this and the end of the century? - -And when these terms were made there was great difficulty in -obtaining labour. The road had to be cut through one continuous -forest, and for the greater part of the way along the course of the -Chagres river. Nothing could be more unhealthy than such work, and in -consequence the men died very rapidly. The high rate of wages enticed -many Irishmen here, but most of them found their graves amidst the -works. Chinese were tried, but they were quite inefficacious for such -labour, and when distressed had a habit of hanging themselves. The -most useful men were to be got from the coast round Cartagena, but -they were enticed thither only by very high pay. - -The whole road lies through trees and bushes of thick tropical -growth, and is in this way pretty and interesting. But there is -nothing wonderful in the scenery, unless to one who has never before -witnessed tropical forest scenery. The growth here is so quick that -the strip of ground closely adjacent to the line, some twenty yards -perhaps on each side, has to be cleared of timber and foliage every -six months. If left for twelve months the whole would be covered with -thick bushes, twelve feet high. At intervals of four and a half miles -there are large wooden houses--pretty-looking houses they are, built -with much taste,--in each of which a superintendent with a certain -number of labourers resides. These men are supplied with provisions -and all necessaries by the company. For there are no villages -here in which workmen can live, no shops from which they can supply -themselves, no labour which can be hired as it may be wanted. - -From this it may be imagined that the line is maintained at a great -cost. But, nevertheless, it already pays a dividend of twelve and -a half per cent. So much at least is acknowledged; but those who -pretend to understand the matter declare that the real profit -accruing to the shareholders is hardly less than five-and-twenty -per cent. The sum charged for the passage is extremely high, being -twenty-five dollars, or five pounds for a single ticket. The distance -is under fifty miles. And there is no class but the one. Everybody -passing over the isthmus, if he pay his fare, must pay twenty-five -dollars. Steerage passengers from New York to San Francisco are at -present booked through for fifty dollars. This includes their food -on the two sea voyages, which are on an average of about eleven days -each. And yet out of this fifty dollars twenty-five are paid to the -railway for this conveyance over fifty miles! The charge for luggage, -too, is commensurately high. The ordinary kit of a travelling -Englishman--a portmanteau, bag, desk, and hat-box--would cost two -pounds ten shillings over and above his own fare. - -But at the same time, nothing can be more liberal than the general -management of the line. On passengers journeying from New York to -California, or from Southampton to Chili and Peru, their demand no -doubt is very high. But to men of all classes, merely travelling from -Aspinwall to Panamá for pleasure--or, apparently, on business, if -travelling only between those two places,--free tickets are given -almost without restriction. One train goes each way daily, and as a -rule most of the passengers are carried free, except on those days -when packets have arrived at either terminus. On my first passage -over I paid my fare, for I went across with other passengers out of -the mail packet. But on my return the superintendent not only gave me -a ticket, but asked me whether I wanted others for any friends. The -line is a single line throughout. - -Panamá has doubtless become a place of importance to Englishmen -and Americans, and its name is very familiar to our ears. But -nevertheless it is a place whose glory has passed away. It was a -large Spanish town, strongly fortified, with some thirty thousand -inhabitants. Now its fortifications are mostly gone, its churches -are tumbling to the ground, its old houses have so tumbled, and its -old Spanish population has vanished. It is still the chief city of -a State, and a congress sits there. There is a governor and a judge, -and there are elections; but were it not for the passengers of the -isthmus there would soon be but little left of the city of Panamá. - -Here the negro race abounds, and among the common people the negro -traits are stronger and more marked than those either of the Indians -or Spaniards. Of Spanish blood among the natives of the surrounding -country there seems to be but little. The negroes here are of course -free, free to vote for their own governors, and make their own laws; -and consequently they are often very troublesome, the country people -attacking those in the town, and so on. "And is justice ultimately -done on the offenders?" I asked. "Well, sir; perhaps not justice. But -some notice is taken; and the matter is smoothed over." Such was the -answer. - -There is a Spanish cathedral here also, in which I heard a very -sweet-toned organ, and one magnificent tenor voice. The old church -buildings still standing here are not without pretence, and are -interesting from the dark tawny colour of the stone, if from no -other cause. I should guess them to be some two centuries old. Their -style in many respects resembles that which is so generally odious to -an Englishman's eye and ear, under the title of Renaissance. It is -probably an offshoot of that which is called Plateresque in the south -of Spain. - -During the whole time that I was at Panamá the thermometer stood at -something above ninety. In Calcutta I believe it is often as high as -one hundred and ten, so that I have no right to speak of the extreme -heat. But, nevertheless, Panamá is supposed to be one of the hottest -places in the western world; and I was assured, while there, that -weather so continuously hot for the twenty-four hours had not been -known during the last nine years. The rainy season should have -commenced by this time--the early part of May. But it had not done -so; and it appeared that when the rain is late, that is the hottest -period of the whole year. - -The heat made me uncomfortable, but never made me ill. I lost all -pleasure in eating, and indeed in everything else. I used to feel a -craving for my food, but no appetite when it came. I was lethargic, -as though from repletion, when I did eat, and was always glad when my -watch would allow me to go to bed. But yet I was never ill. - -The country round the town is pretty, and very well adapted for -riding. There are large open savanahs which stretch away for miles -and miles, and which are kept as grazing-farms for cattle. These are -not flat and plain, but are broken into undulations, and covered here -and there with forest bushes. The horses here are taught to pace, -that is, move with the two off legs together and then with the two -near legs. The motion is exceedingly gentle, and well fitted for this -hot climate, in which the rougher work of trotting would be almost -too much for the energies of debilitated mankind. The same pace is -common in Cuba, Costa Rica, and other Spanish countries in the west. - -Off from Panamá, a few miles distant in the western ocean, there are -various picturesque islands. On two of these are the depôts of two -great steam-packet companies, that belonging to the Americans which -carries on the trade to California, and an English company whose -vessels run down the Pacific to Peru and Chili. I visited Toboga, -in which are the head-quarters of the latter. Here I found a small -English maritime colony, with a little town of their own, composed -of captains, doctors, engineers, officers, artificers, and sailors, -living together on the company's wages, and as regards the upper -classes, at tables provided by the company. But I saw there no -women of any description. I beg therefore to suggest to the company -that their servants would probably be much more comfortable if the -institution partook less of the monastic order. - -If, as is probable, this becomes one of the high-roads to Australia, -then another large ship company will have to fix its quarters here. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--PANAMÁ TO SAN JOSÉ. - - -I had intended to embark at Panamá in the American steam-ship -'Columbus' for the coast of Central America. In that case I should -have gone to San Juan del Sur, a port in Nicaragua, and made my way -from thence across the lake, down the river San Juan to San Juan del -Norte, now called Greytown, on the Atlantic. But I learnt that the -means of transit through Nicaragua had been so utterly destroyed--as -I shall by-and-by explain--that I should encounter great delay in -getting across the lake; and as I found that one of our men-of-war -steamers, the 'Vixen,' was immediately about to start from Panamá -to Punta-arenas, on the coast of Costa Rica, I changed my mind, and -resolved on riding through Costa Rica to Greytown. And accordingly -I did ride through Costa Rica. - -My first work was to make petition for a passage in the 'Vixen,' -which was accorded to me without difficulty. But even had I failed -here, I should have adhered to the same plan. The more I heard of -Costa Rica, the more I was convinced that that republic was better -worth a visit than Nicaragua. At this time I had in my hands a -pamphlet written by M. Belly, a Frenchman, who is, or says that he -is, going to make a ship canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. -According to him the only Paradise now left on earth is in this -republic of Costa Rica. So I shipped myself on board the 'Vixen.' - -I had never before been on the waters of the Pacific. Now when one -premeditates one's travels, sitting by the domestic fireside, one -is apt to think that all those advancing steps into new worlds will -be taken with some little awe, some feeling of amazement at finding -oneself in very truth so far distant from Hyde Park Corner. The -Pacific! I was absolutely there, on the ocean in which lie the -Sandwich Islands, Queen Pomare, and the Cannibals! But no; I had no -such feeling. My only solicitude was whether my clean shirts would -last me on to the capital of Costa Rica. - -And in travelling these are the things which really occupy the mind. -Where shall I sleep? Is there anything to eat? Can I have my clothes -washed? At Panamá I did have my clothes washed in a very short space -of time; but I had to pay a shilling apiece for them all round. In -all these ports, in New Granada, Central America, and even throughout -the West Indies, the luxury which is the most expensive in proportion -to its cost in Europe is the washing of clothes--the most expensive, -as it is also the most essential. - -But I must not omit to say that before shipping myself in the -'Vixen' I called on the officers on board the United States frigate -'Merrimac,' and was shown over that vessel. I am not a very good -judge of ships, and can only say that the officers were extremely -civil, the sherry very good, and the guns very large. They were -coaling, the captain told me, and he professed to be very much -ashamed of the dirt. Had I not been told so I should not have known -that the ship was dirty. - -The 'Merrimac,' though rated only as a frigate, having guns on one -covered deck only, is one of their largest men-of-war, and has been -regarded by them, and by us, as a show vessel. But according to their -own account, she fails altogether as a steamer. The greatest pace her -engines will give is seven knots an hour; and this is felt to be so -insufficient for the wants of the present time, that it is intended -to take them out of her and replace them by a new set as soon as an -opportunity will allow. This will be done, although the vessel and -the engines are new. I mention this, not as reflecting in any way -disgracefully on the dockyard from whence she came; but to show that -our Admiralty is not the only one which may have to chop and change -its vessels after they are built. We hear much--too much perhaps--of -the misfortunes which attend our own navy; but of the misfortunes of -other navies we hear very little. It is a pity that we cannot have -some record of all the blunders committed at Cherbourg. - -The 'Merrimac' carries the flag of Flag-officer Long, on whom also -we called. He is a fine old gentleman, with a magnificent head and -forehead, looking I should say much more like an English nobleman -than a Yankee sailor. Flag-officer Long! Who will explain to us why -the Americans of the United States should persist in calling their -senior naval officers by so awkward an appellation, seeing that the -well-known and well-sounding title of admiral is very much at their -disposal? - -When I returned to the shore from the 'Merrimac' I had half an hour -to pack before I again started for the 'Vixen.' As it would be -necessary that I should return to Panamá, and as whatever luggage I -now took with me would have to be carried through the whole of Costa -Rica on mules' backs, it became expedient that I should leave the -greater part of my kit behind me. Then came the painful task of -selection, to be carried out with the thermometer at ninety, and to -be completed in thirty minutes! To go or not to go had to be asked -and answered as to every shirt and pair of trousers. Oh, those weary -clothes! If a man could travel as a dog, how delightful it would be -to keep moving from year's end to year's end! - -We steamed up the coast for two days quietly, placidly, and -steadily. I cannot say that the trip was a pleasant one, -remembering how intense was the heat. On one occasion we stopped -for practice-shooting, and it behoved me of course to mount the -paddle-box and see what was going on. This was at eleven in the -morning, and though it did not last for above an hour, I was brought -almost to fainting by the power of the sun. - -Punta-arenas--Sandy Point--is a small town and harbour situated in -Costa Rica, near the top of the Bay of Nicoya, The sail up the bay is -very pretty, through almost endless woods stretching away from the -shores to the hills. There is, however, nothing majestic or grand -about the scenery here. There are no Andes in sight, no stupendous -mountains such as one might expect to see after coming so far to see -them. It is all pretty quiet and ordinary; and on the whole perhaps -superior to the views from the sea at Herne Bay. - -The captain of the 'Vixen' had decided on going up to San José with -me, as at the last moment did also the master, San José being the -capital of Costa Rica. Our first object therefore was to hire a guide -and mules, which, with the assistance of the acting English consul, -we soon found. For even at Punta-arenas the English flag flies, and a -distressed British subject can claim protection. - -It is a small village lying along a creek of the sea, inside the -sandy point from whence it is named. Considerable business is done -here in the exportation of coffee, which is the staple produce of -Costa Rica. It is sent chiefly to England; but it seemed to me that -the money-making inhabitants of Punta-arenas were mostly Americans; -men who either had been to California or who had got so far on their -road thither and then changed their minds. It is a hot, dusty, -unattractive spot, with a Yankee inn, at which men may "liquor," and -a tram railroad running for twelve miles into the country. It abounds -in oysters and beer, on which we dined before we started on our -journey. - -I was thus for the first time in Central America. This continent, -if it may be so called, comprises the five republics of Guatemala, -Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. When this country -first broke away from Spanish rule in 1821, it was for a while -content to exist as one state, under the name of the Republic of -Guatemala; as it had been known for nearly three hundred years as -a Spanish province under the same denomination--that of Guatemala. -After a hard tussle with Mexico, which endeavoured to devour it, and -which forty years ago was more prone to annex than to be annexed, -this republic sat itself fairly going, with the city of Guatemala for -its capital. But the energies and ambition of the different races -comprised among the two million inhabitants of Central America would -not allow them to be governed except each in its own province. Some -ten years since, therefore, the five States broke asunder. Each -claimed to be sovereign and independent. Each chose its own president -and had its own capital; and consequently, as might be expected, -no part of the district in question has been able to enjoy those -natural advantages with which Providence has certainly endowed it. To -these States must be added, in counting up the countries of Central -America, British Honduras, consisting of Belize and the adjacent -district, and the Mosquito coast which so lately was under British -protection; and which is--. But here I must be silent, or I may -possibly trench upon diplomatic subjects still unsettled. - -My visit was solely to Costa Rica, which has in some respects -done better than its neighbours. But this has been owing to the -circumstances of its soil and climate rather than to those of its -government, which seems to me to be as bad as any can be which -deserves that name. In Costa Rica there certainly is a government, -and a very despotic one it is. - -I am not much given to the sins of dandyism, but I must own I was -not a little proud of my costume as I left Punta-arenas. We had been -told that according to the weather our ride would be either dusty or -muddy in no ordinary degree, and that any clothes which we might wear -during the journey would be utterly useless as soon as the journey -was over. Consequently we purchased for ourselves, in an American -store, short canvas smock-frocks, which would not come below the -saddle, and coarse holland trousers. What class of men may usually -wear these garments in Costa Rica I cannot say; but in England I have -seen navvies look exactly as my naval friends looked; and I flatter -myself that my appearance was quite equal to theirs. I had procured -at Panamá a light straw hat, with an amazing brim, and had covered -the whole with white calico. I have before said that my beard had -become "poblada," so that on the whole I was rather gratified than -otherwise when I was assured by the storekeeper that we should -certainly be taken for three filibusters. Now the name of filibuster -means something serious in those localities, as I shall in a few -pages have to explain. - -We started on our journey by railroad, for there is a tramway that -runs for twelve miles through the forest. We were dragged along on -this by an excellent mule, till our course was suddenly impeded by a -tree which had fallen across the road. But in course of time this was -removed, and in something less than three hours we found ourselves at -a saw-mill in the middle of the forest. - -The first thing that met my view on stepping out of the truck was -a solitary Englishman seated on a half-sawn log of wood. Those who -remember Hood's Whims and Oddities may bear in mind a heart-rending -picture of the last man. Only that the times do not agree, I should -have said that this poor fellow must have sat for the picture. He was -undeniably an English labourer. No man of any other nation would have -had that face, or worn those clothes, or kicked his feet about in -that same awkward, melancholy humour. - -He was, he said, in charge of the saw-mill, having been induced to -come out into that country for three years. According to him, it was -a wretched, miserable place. "No man," he said, "ever found himself -in worse diggings." He earned a dollar and a half a day, and with -that he could hardly buy shoes and have his clothes washed. "Why did -he not go home?" I asked. "Oh, he had come for three years, and he'd -stay his three years out--if so be he didn't die." The saw-mill was -not paying, he said; and never would pay. So that on the whole his -account of Costa Rica was not encouraging. - -We had been recommended to stay the first night at a place called -Esparza, where there is a decent inn. But before we left Punta-arenas -we learnt that Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of the Republic, -was coming down the same road with a large retinue of followers to -inaugurate the commencement of the works of the canal. He would -be on his way to meet his brother-president of the next republic, -Nicaragua, at San Juan del Sur; and at a spot some little distance -from thence this great work was to be begun at once. He and his party -were to sleep at Esparza. Therefore we decided on going on further -before we halted; and in truth at that place we did meet Don Juan and -his retinue. - -As both Costa Rica and Nicaragua are chiefly of importance to the -eastern and western worlds, as being the district in which the -isthmus between the two Americas may be most advantageously pierced -by a canal--if it be ever so pierced--this subject naturally intrudes -itself into all matters concerning these countries. Till the opening -of the Panamá railway the transit of passengers through Nicaragua -was immense. At present the railway has it all its own way. But the -subject, connected as it has been with that of filibustering, mingles -itself so completely with all interests in Costa Rica, that nothing -of its present doings or politics can be well understood till -something is understood on this canal subject. Sooner or later I must -write a chapter on it; and it would almost be well if the reader -would be pleased to take it out of its turn and get through it at -once. The chapter, however, cannot well be brought in till these, -recording my travels in Costa Rica, are completed. - -Don Juan Mora and his retinue had arrived some hours before us, and -had nearly filled the little hotel. This was kept by a Frenchman, and -as far as provisions and beer were concerned seemed to be well kept. -Our requirements did not go beyond these. On entering the public -sitting-room a melodiously rich Irish brogue at once greeted my ears, -and I saw seated at the table, joyous in a semi-military uniform, The -O'Gorman Mahon, great as in bygone unemancipated days, when with head -erect and stentorian voice he would make himself audible to half the -County Clare. The head was still as erect, and the brogue as -unexceptionable. - -He speedily introduced us to a brother-workman in the same mission, -the Prince Polignac. With the President himself I had not the honour -of making acquaintance, for he speaks only Spanish, and my tether in -that language is unfortunately very short. But the captain of the -'Vixen' was presented to him. He seemed to be a courteous little -gentleman, though rather flustered by the magnitude of the work on -which he was engaged. - -There was something singular in the amalgamation of the three men who -had thus got themselves together in this place to do honour to the -coming canal. The President of the Republic, Prince Polignac, and The -O'Gorman Mahon! I could not but think of the heterogeneous heroes of -the 'Groves of Blarney.' - -"There were Nicodemus, and Polyphemus, -Oliver Cromwell, and Leslie Foster."* - - [*I am not quoting the words rightly I fear; but the - selection in the true song is miscellaneous in the same - degree.] - -"And now, boys, ate a bit of what's going, and take a dhrop of -dhrink," said The O'Gorman, patting us on the shoulders with kind -patronage. We did as we were bid, ate and drank, paid the bill, and -went our way rejoicing. That night, or the next morning rather, -at about 2 a.m., we reached a wayside inn called San Mateo, and -there rested for five or six hours. That we should obtain any such -accommodation along the road astonished me, and of such as we got we -were very glad. But it must not be supposed that it was of a very -excellent quality. We found three bedsteads in the front room into -which the door of the house opened. On these were no mattresses, not -even a palliasse. They consisted of flat boards sloping away a little -towards the feet, with some hard substance prepared for a pillow. In -the morning we got a cup of coffee without milk. For these luxuries -and for pasturage for the mules we paid about ten shillings a head. -Indeed, everything of this kind in Costa Rica is excessively dear. - -Our next day's journey was a very long one, and to my companions very -fatiguing, for they had not latterly been so much on horseback as had -been the case with myself. Our first stage before breakfast was of -some five hours' duration, and from the never-ending questions put -to the guide as to the number of remaining leagues, it seemed to be -eternal. The weather also was hot, for we had not yet got into the -high lands; and a continued seat of five hours on a mule, under a -burning sun, is not refreshing to a man who is not accustomed to such -exercise; and especially is not so when he is unaccustomed to the -half-trotting, half-pacing steps of the beast. The Spaniard sits in -the saddle without moving, and generally has his saddle well stuffed -and padded, and then covered with a pillion. An Englishman disdains -so soft a seat, and endeavours to rise in his stirrup at every step -of the mule, as he would on a trotting horse at home. In these -Hispano-American countries this always provokes the ridicule of the -guide, who does not hesitate to tell the poor wretch who is suffering -in his pillory that he does not know how to ride. - -With some of us the pillory was very bad, and I feared for a time -that we should hardly have been able to mount again after breakfast. -The place at which we were is called Atenas, and I must say in praise -of this modern Athens, and of the three modern Athenian girls who -waited on us, that their coffee, eggs, and grilled fowl were very -good. The houses of these people are exceedingly dirty, their modes -of living comfortless and slovenly in the extreme. But there seems to -be no lack of food, and the food is by no means of a bad description. -Along this road from Punta-arenas to San Jose we found it always -supplied in large quantities and fairly cooked. The prices demanded -for it were generally high. But then all prices are high; and it -seems that, even among the poorer classes, small sums of money are -not valued as with us. There is no copper coin. Half a rial, equal to -about threepence, is the smallest piece in use. A handful of rials -hardly seems to go further, or to be thought more of, than a handful -of pence with us; and a dollar, eight rials, ranks hardly higher in -estimation than a shilling does in England. - -At last, by the gradual use of the coffee and eggs, and by the -application, external and internal, of a limited amount of brandy, -the outward and the inward men were recruited; and we once more -found ourselves on the backs of our mules, prepared for another -stage of equal duration. These evils always lessen as we become -more accustomed to them, so that when we reached a place called -Assumption, at which we were to rest for the night, we all gallantly -informed the muleteer that we were prepared to do another stage. -"Not so the mules," said the muleteer; and as his words were law, -we prepared to spend the night at Assumption. - -Our road hitherto had been rising nearly the whole way, and had been -generally through a picturesque country. We ascended one long severe -hill, severe that is as a road, though to a professed climber of -mountains it would be as nothing. From the summit of this hill we had -a magnificent view down to the Pacific, Again, at a sort of fortress -through which we passed, and which must have been first placed there -by the old Spaniards to guard the hill-passes, we found a very lovely -landscape looking down into the valley. Here some show of a demand -was made for passports; but we had none to exhibit, and no opposition -was made to our progress. Except at these two places, the scenery, -which was always more or less, pretty, was never remarkable. And even -at the two points named there was nothing to equal the mountain -scenery of many countries in Europe. - -What struck me most was the constant traffic on the road or track -over which we passed. I believe I may call it a road, for the produce -of the country is brought down over it in bullock carts; and I think -that in South Wales I have taken a gig over one very much of the same -description. But it is extremely rude; and only fit for solid wooden -wheels--circles, in fact, of timber--such as are used, and for the -patient, slow step of the bullocks. - -But during the morning and evening hours the strings of these bullock -carts were incessant. They travel from four till ten, then rest till -three or four, and again proceed for four or five hours in the cool -of the evening. They are all laden with coffee, and the idea they -give is, that the growth of that article in Costa Rica must be much -more than sufficient to supply the whole world. For miles and miles -we met them, almost without any interval. Coffee, coffee, coffee; -coffee, coffee, coffee! It is grown in large quantities, I believe, -only in the high lands of San José; and all that is exported is sent -down to Punta-arenas, though by travelling this route it must either -pass across the isthmus railway at a vast cost, or else be carried -round the Horn. At present half goes one way and half the other. But -not a grain is carried, as it should all be carried, direct to the -Atlantic. When I come to speak of the road from San José to Greytown, -the reason for this will be understood. - -The bivouacs made on the roadside by the bullock drivers for their -night and noon accommodation are very picturesque when seen filled -by the animals. A piece of flat ground is selected by the roadside, -about half an acre in size, and close to a river or some running -water. Into this one or two hundred bullocks are taken, and then -released from their carts. But they are kept yoked together to -prevent their straying. Here they are fed exclusively on sugar-canes, -which the men carry with them, and buy along the road. The drovers -patiently cut the canes up with their knives, and the beasts -patiently munch them. Neither the men nor the animals roar, as they -would with us, or squabble for the use of the water-course, or curse -their own ill luck or the good luck of their neighbours. Drivers and -driven are alike orderly, patient, and slow, spending their lives -in taking coffee down to Punta-arenas, and in cutting and munching -thousands of sugar-canes. - -We passed some of those establishments by moonlight, and they looked -like large crowded fairs full of low small booths. The men, however, -do not put up tents, but sleep out in their carts. - -They told me that the soil in Costa Rica was very favourable to the -sugar-cane, and I looked out to see some sugar among the coffee. But -not a hogshead came that way. We saw patches of the cane growing by -the roadside; but no more was produced than what sufficed for the -use of the proprietor himself, and for such sale as the traffic on -the road afforded. Indeed, I found that they do not make sugar, -so called, in Costa Rica, but import what they use. The article -fabricated is called by them "dulce." It comes from their hands in -ugly round brown lumps, of the consistency of brick, looking, in -truth, much more like a large brickbat than any possible saccharine -arrangement. Nevertheless, the canes are fairly good, and the juice -as sweet as that produced in first-rate sugar-growing soils. - -It seemed that the only use made of this "dulce," excepting that -of sweetening the coffee of the peasants, is for distillation. A -spirit is made from it at San José, called by the generic name of -aguardiente; and this doubtless would give considerable impulse to -the growth of sugar-canes but for a little law made on the subject -by the present President of the republic. The President himself is a -cane-grower, and by this law it is enacted that the only person in -Costa Rica entitled to supply the distillery with dulce shall be Don -Juan Mora. Now, Don Juan Mora is the President. - -Before I left the country I came across an American who was desirous -of settling there with the view of producing cocoa. "Well," said I, -"and what do you think of it?" - -"Why, I like the diggings," said he; "and guess I could make things -fix well enough. But suppose the President should choose to grow all -the cocoa as well as all the gin! Where would my cacao-plants be -then?" At a discount, undoubtedly. These are the effects on a country -of despotism in a small way. - -On my way into San José I got off my mule to look at an old peasant -making dulce, or in other words grinding his sugar-canes by the -roadside. It was done in the most primitive manner. One bullock -turned the mill, which consisted of three vertical wooden rollers. -The juice trickled into a little cistern; and as soon as the old man -found that he had enough, he baled it out and boiled it down. And yet -I imagine that as good sugar may be made in Costa Rica as in British -Guiana. But who will put his capital into a country in which the -President can pass any law he pleases on his own behalf? - -In the neighbourhood of San José we began to come across the coffee -plantations. They certainly give the best existing proof of the -fertility and progress of the country. I had seen coffee plantations -in Jamaica, but there they are beautifully picturesque, placed like -hanging gardens on the steep mountain-sides. Some of these seem to -be almost inaccessible, and the plant always has the appearance of -being a hardy mountain shrub. But here in Costa Rica it is grown on -the plain. The secret, I presume, is that a certain temperature is -necessary, and that this is afforded by a certain altitude from -the sea. In Jamaica this altitude is only to be found among the -mountains, but it is attained in Costa Rica on the high plains of the -interior. - -And then we jogged slowly into San José on the third day after our -departure from Punta-arenas. Slowly, sorely, and with minds much -preoccupied, we jogged into San José. On leaving the saw-mill at the -end of the tramway my two friends had galloped gallantly away into -the forest, as though a brave heart and a sharp pair of spurs would -have sufficed to carry them right through to their journey's end. But -the muleteer with his pony and the baggage-mule then lingered far -behind. His heart was not so brave, nor were his spurs apparently -so sharp. The luggage, too, was slipping every ten minutes, for I -unfortunately had a portmanteau, of which no muleteer could ever make -anything. It has been condemned in Holy Land, in Jamaica, in Costa -Rica, wherever it has had to be fixed upon any animal's back. On this -occasion it nearly broke both the heart of the muleteer and the back -of the mule. - -But things were changed as we crept into San José. The muleteer was -all life, and led the way, driving before him the pack-mule, now at -length reconciled to his load. And then, at straggling intervals, our -jibes all silenced, our showy canters all done, rising wearily in our -stirrups at every step, shifting from side to side to ease the galls -"That patient merit of the unworthy takes"--for our merit had been -very patient, and our saddles very unworthy--we jogged into San José. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA--SAN JOSÉ. - - -All travellers when entering unknown towns for the first time have -felt that intense interest on the subject of hotel accommodation -which pervaded our hearts as we followed our guide through the -streets. We had been told that there were two inns in the town, and -that we were to go to the Hotel San José. And accordingly we went to -it. - -It was quite evident that the landlord at first had some little doubt -as to the propriety of admitting us; and but for our guide, whom he -knew, we should have had to explain at some length who we were. But -under his auspices we were taken in without much question. - -The Spaniards themselves are not in their own country at all -famous for their inns. No European nation has probably advanced -so slowly towards civilization in this respect as Spain has done. -And therefore, as these Costa Ricans are Spanish by descent and -language, and as the country itself is so far removed from European -civilization, we did not expect much. Had we fallen into the -hands of Spaniards we should probably have received less even -than we expected. But as it was we found ourselves in a comfortable -second-class little German inn. It was German in everything; its -light-haired landlord, frequently to be seen with a beer tankard in -hand; its tidy landlady, tidy at any rate in the evening, if not -always so in the morning; its early hours, its cookery, its drink, -and I think I may fairly add, its prices. - -On entering the first town I had visited in Central America, I had of -course looked about me for strange sights. That men should be found -with their heads under their shoulders, or even living in holes -burrowed in the ground, I had not ventured to hope. But when a man -has travelled all the way to Costa Rica, he does expect something -strange. He does not look to find everything as tame and flat and -uninteresting as though he were riding into a sleepy little borough -town in Wiltshire. - -We cannot cross from Dover to Ostend without finding at once that we -are among a set of people foreign to ourselves. The first glance of -the eye shows this in the architecture of the houses, and the costume -of the people. We find the same cause for excitement in France, -Switzerland, and Italy; and when we get as far as the Tyrol, we come -upon a genus of mankind so essentially differing from our own as to -make us feel that we have travelled indeed. - -But there is little more interest to be found in entering San José -than in driving through the little Wiltshire town above alluded to. -The houses are comfortable enough. They are built with very ordinary -doors and windows, of one or two stories according to the wealth of -the owners, and are decently clean outside, though apparently rather -dirty within. The streets are broad and straight, being all at right -angles to each other, and though not very well paved, are not rough -enough to elicit admiration. There is a square, the pláza, in which -stands the cathedral, the barracks, and a few of the best houses in -the town. There is a large and tolerably well-arranged market-place. -There is a really handsome set of public buildings, and there are -two moderately good hotels. What more can a man rationally want if -he travel for business? And if he travel for pleasure how can he -possibly find less? - -It so happened that at the time of my visit to Costa Rica Sir William -Ouseley was staying at San José with his family. He had been sent, -as all the world that knows anything doubtless knows very well, as -minister extraordinary from our Court to the governments of Central -America, with the view of settling some of those tough diplomatic -questions as to the rights of transit and occupation of territory, -respecting which such world-famous Clayton-Bulwer treaties and -Cass-Yrrisari treaties have been made and talked of. He had been -in Nicaragua, making no doubt an equally famous Ouseley-something -treaty, and was now engaged on similar business in the capital of -Costa Rica. - -Of the nature of this August work,--for such work must be very -august,--I know nothing. I only hope that he may have at least as -much success as those who went before him. But to me it was a great -stroke of luck to find so pleasant and hospitable a family in so -outlandish a place as San José. And indeed, though I have given -praise to the hotel, I have given it with very little personal -warrant as regards my knowledge either of the kitchen or cellar. My -kitchen and cellar were beneath the British flag at the corner of the -pláza, and I had reason to be satisfied with them in every respect. - -And I had abundant reason to be greatly gratified. For not only was -there at San José a minister extraordinary, but also, attached to the -mission, there was an extra-ordinary secretary of legation, a very -prince of good fellows. At home he would be a denizen of the Foreign -Office, and denizens of the Foreign Office are swells at home. But at -San José, where he rode on a mule, and wore a straw hat, and slept -in a linendraper's shop, he was as pleasant a companion as a man -would wish to meet on the western, or indeed on any other side of -the Atlantic. - -I shall never forget the hours I spent in that linendraper's shop. -The rooms over the shop, over that shop and over two or three others, -were occupied by Sir W. Ouseley and his family. There was a chemist's -establishment there, and another in the possession, I think, of a -hatter. They had been left to pursue their business in peace; but -my friend the secretary, finding no rooms sufficiently secluded for -himself in the upper mansion, had managed to expel the haberdasher, -and had located himself not altogether uncomfortably, among the -counters. - -Those who have spent two or three weeks in some foreign town in which -they have no ordinary pursuits, know what it is to have--or perhaps, -more unlucky, know what it is to be without--some pleasant accustomed -haunt, in which they can pretend to read, while in truth the hours -are passed in talking, with some few short intervals devoted to -contemplation and tobacco. Such to me was the shop of the expelled -linendraper at San José. In it, judiciously suspended among the -counters, hung a Panamá grass hammock, in which it was the custom of -my diplomatic friend to lie at length and meditate his despatches. -Such at least had been his custom before my arrival. What became of -his despatches during the period of my stay, it pains me to think; -for in that hammock I had soon located myself, and I fear that my -presence was not found to be a salutary incentive to composition. - -The scenery round San José is certainly striking, but not -sufficiently so to enable one to rave about it. I cannot justly go -into an ecstasy and sing of Pelion or Ossa; nor can I talk of deep -ravines to which the Via Mala is as nothing. There is a range of -hills, respectably broken into prettinesses, running nearly round -the town, though much closer to it on the southern than on the other -sides. Two little rivers run by it, which here and there fall into -romantic pools, or pools which would be romantic if they were not -so very distant from home; if having travelled so far, one did not -expect so very much. There are nice walks too, and pretty rides; only -the mules do not like fast trotting when the weight upon them is -heavy. About a mile and a half from the town, there is a Savanah, -so-called, or large square park, the Hyde Park of San José; and it -would be difficult to imagine a more pleasant place for a gallop. It -is quite large enough for a race-course, and is open to everybody. -Some part of the mountain range as seen from here is really -beautiful. - -The valley of San José, as it is called, is four thousand five -hundred feet above the sea; and consequently, though within the -tropics, and only ten degrees north of the line, the climate is good, -and the heat, I believe, never excessive. I was there in April, and -at that time, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, and -that only on some days, there was nothing like tropical heat. Within -ten days of my leaving San José I heard natives at Panamá complaining -of the heat as being altogether unendurable. But up there, on that -high plateau, the sun had no strength that was inconvenient even to -an Englishman. - -Indeed, no climate can, I imagine, be more favourable to fertility -and to man's comfort at the same time than that of the interior -of Costa Rica. The sugar-cane comes to maturity much quicker than -in Demerara or Cuba. There it should be cut in about thirteen or -fourteen months from the time it is planted; in Nicaragua and Costa -Rica it comes to perfection in nine or ten. The ground without manure -will afford two crops of corn in a year. Coffee grows in great -perfection, and gives a very heavy crop. The soil is all volcanic, -or, I should perhaps more properly say, has been the produce of -volcanoes, and is indescribably fertile. And all this has been given -without that intensity of heat which in those southern regions -generally accompanies tropical fertility, and which makes hard work -fatal to a white man; while it creates lethargy and idleness, and -neutralizes gifts which would otherwise be regarded as the fairest -which God has bestowed on his creatures. In speaking thus, I refer -to the central parts of Costa Rica only, to those which lie some -thousand feet above the level of the sea. Along the sea-shores, both -of the Atlantic and Pacific, the heat is as great, and the climate -as unwholesome as in New Granada or the West Indies. It would be -difficult to find a place worse circumstanced in this respect than -Punta-arenas. - -But though the valley or plateau of San José, and the interior of the -country generally is thus favourably situated, I cannot say that the -nation is prosperous. It seems to be God's will that highly-fertile -countries should not really prosper. Man's energy is brought to -its highest point by the presence of obstacles to be overcome, by -the existence of difficulties which are all but insuperable. And -therefore a Scotch farm will give a greater value in produce than an -equal amount of land in Costa Rica. When nature does so much, man -will do next to nothing! - -Those who seem to do best in this country, both in trade and -agriculture, are Germans. Most of those who are carrying on -business on a large scale are foreigners,--that is, not Spanish by -descent. There are English here, and Americans, and French, but -I think the Germans are the most wedded to the country. The finest -coffee properties are in the hands of foreigners, as also are the -plantations of canes, and saw-mills for the preparation of timber. -But they have a very uphill task. Labour is extremely scarce, and -very dear. The people are not idle as the negroes are, and they love -to earn and put by money; but they are very few in number; they have -land of their own, and are materially well off. In the neighbourhood -of San José, a man's labour is worth a dollar a day, and even at that -price it is not always to be had. - -It seems to be the fact that in all countries in which slavery has -existed and has been abolished, this subject of labour offers the -great difficulty in the way of improvement. Labour becomes unpopular, -and is regarded as being in some sort degrading. Men will not -reconcile it with their idea of freedom. They wish to work on their -own land, if they work at all; and to be their own masters; to grow -their own crops, be they ever so small; and to sit beneath their own -vine, be the shade ever so limited. There are those who will delight -to think that such has been the effect of emancipation; who will -argue,--and they have strong arguments on their side,--that God's -will with reference to his creatures is best carried out by such -an order of things. I can only say that the material result has -not hitherto been good. As far as we at present see, the struggle -has produced idleness and sensuality, rather than prosperity and -civilization. - -It is hardly fair to preach this doctrine, especially with regard -to Costa Rica, for the people are not idle. That, at least, is not -specially their character. They are a humdrum, contented, quiet, -orderly race of men; fond of money, but by no means fond of risking -it; living well as regards sufficiency of food and raiment, but still -living very close; anxious to effect small savings, and politically -contented if the security of those savings can be insured to them. -They seem to be little desirous, even among the upper classes, -or what we would call the tradespeople, of education, either -religious or profane; they have no enthusiasm, no ardent desires, no -aspirations. If only they could be allowed to sell their dulce to the -maker of aguardiente,--if they might be permitted to get their little -profit out of the manufacture of gin! That, at present, is the one -grievance that affects them, but even that they bear easily. - -It will perhaps be considered my duty to express an opinion whether -or no they are an honest people. In one respect, certainly. They -steal nothing; at any rate, make no great thefts. No one is attacked -on the roads; no life is in danger from violence; houses are not -broken open. Nay, a traveller's purse left upon a table is, I -believe, safe; nor will his open portmanteau be rifled. But when -you come to deal with them, the matter is different. Then their -conscience becomes elastic; and as the trial is a fair one between -man and man, they will do their best to cheat you. If they lie to -you, cannot you lie to them? And is it not reasonable to suppose -that you do do so? If they, by the aid of law, can get to the windy -side of you, is not that merely their success in opposition to your -attempt--for of course you do attempt--to get to the windy side of -them? And then bribes are in great vogue. Justice is generally to be -bought; and when that is in the market, trade in other respects is -not generally conducted in the most honest manner. - -Thus, on the whole, I cannot take upon myself to say that they are -altogether an honest people. But they have that kind of honesty which -is most essential to the man who travels in a wild country. They do -not knock out the traveller's brains, or cut his throat for the sake -of what he has in his pocket. - -Generally speaking, the inhabitants of Costa Rica are of course -Spanish by descent, but here, as in all these countries, the blood -is very much mixed: pure Spanish blood is now, I take it, quite an -exception. This is seen more in the physiognomy than in the colour, -and is specially to be noticed in the hair. There is a mixture of -three races, the Spanish, the native Indian, and the Negro; but the -traces of the latter are comparatively light and few. Negroes, men -and women, absolutely black, and of African birth or descent, are -very rare; and though traces of the thick lip and the woolly hair are -to be seen--to be seen in the streets and market-places--they do not -by any means form a staple of the existing race. - -The mixture is of Spanish and of Indian blood, in which the Spanish -no doubt much preponderates. The general colour is that of a white -man, but of one who is very swarthy. Occasionally this becomes so -marked that the observer at once pronounces the man or woman to be -coloured. But it is the colouring of the Indian, and not of the -negro; the hue is rich, and to a certain extent bright, and the -lines of the face are not flattened and blunted. The hair also is -altogether human, and in no wise sheepish. - -I do not think that the inhabitants of Costa Rica have much to boast -of in the way of personal beauty. Indeed, the descendant of the -Spaniard, out of his own country, seems to lose both the manly -dignity and the female grace for which old Spain is still so noted. -Some pretty girls I did see, but they could boast only the ordinary -prettiness which is common to all young girls, and which our friends -in France describe as being the special gift of the devil. I saw no -fine, flaming, flashing eyes; no brilliant figures, such as one -sees in Seville around the altar-rails in the churches: no profiles -opening upon me struck me with mute astonishment. - -The women were humdrum in their appearance, as the men are in their -pursuits. They are addicted to crinoline, as is the nature of women -in these ages; but so long as their petticoats stuck out, that seemed -to be everything. In the churches they squat down on the ground, in -lieu of kneeling, with their dresses and petticoats arranged around -them, looking like huge turnips with cropped heads--like turnips -that, by their persevering growth, had got half their roots above the -ground. Now women looking like turnips are not specially attractive. - -I was at San José during Passion Week, and had therefore an -opportunity of seeing the processions which are customary in Roman -Catholic countries at that period. I certainly should not say that -the Costa Ricans are especially a religious people. They are humdrum -in this as in other respects, and have no enthusiasm either for or -against the priesthood. Free-thinking is not the national sin; nor is -fanaticism. They are all Roman Catholics, most probably without an -exception. Their fathers and mothers were so before them, and it is a -thing of course. - -There used to be a bishop of Costa Rica; indeed, they never were -without one till the other day. But not long since the father of -their church in some manner displeased the President: he had, I -believe, taken it into his sacred head that he, as bishop, might -make a second party in the state, and organize an opposition to the -existing government; whereupon the President banished him, as the -President can do to any one by his mere word, and since that time -there has been no bishop. "And will they not get another?" I asked. -"No; probably not; they don't want one. It will be so much money -saved." Looking at the matter in this light, there is often much to -be said for the expediency of reducing one's establishment. "And who -manages the church?" "It does not require much management. It goes on -in the old way. When they want priests they get them from Guatemala." -If we could save all our bishoping, and get our priests as we want -them from Guatemala, or any other factory, how excellent would be the -economy! - -The cathedral of San José is a long, low building, with side aisles -formed by very rickety-looking wooden pillars--in substance they are -hardly more than poles--running from the ground to the roof. The -building itself is mean enough, but the internal decorations are not -badly arranged, and the general appearance is neat, orderly, and -cool. We all know the usual manner in which wooden and waxen virgins -are dressed and ornamented in such churches. There is as much of this -here as elsewhere; but I have seen it done in worse taste both in -France and Italy. The façade of the church, fronting the pláza is -hardly to be called a portion of the church; but is an adjunct to it, -or rather the church has been fixed on to the façade, which is not -without some architectural pretension. - -In New Granada--Columbia that was--the cathedrals are arranged as -they are in old Spain. The choir is not situated round the altar, or -immediately in front of it, as is the custom in Christian churches -in, I believe, all other countries, but is erected far down the -centre aisle, near the western entrance. This, however, was not the -case in any church that I saw in Costa Rica. - -During the whole of Passion Week there was a considerable amount -of religious activity, in the way of preaching and processions, -which reached its acme on Good Friday. On that day the whole town -was processioning from morning--which means four o'clock--till -evening--which means two hours after sunset. They had three figures, -or rather three characters,--for two of them appeared in more than -one guise and form,--each larger than life; those, namely, of our -Saviour, the Virgin, and St. John. These figures are made of wax, -and the faces of some of them were excellently moulded. These are -manufactured in Guatemala--as the priests are; and the people there -pride themselves on their manufacture, not without reason. - -The figures of our Saviour and the Virgin were in different dresses -and attitudes, according to the period of the day which it was -intended to represent; but the St. John was always represented in -the dress of a bishop of the present age. The figures were supported -on men's shoulders, and were carried backwards and forwards through -every portion of the town, till at last, having been brought forth in -the morning from the cathedral, they were allowed at night to rest in -a rival, and certainly better built, though smaller church. - -I must notice one particularity in the church-going population of -this country. The women occupy the nave and centre aisle, squatting -on the ground, and looking, as I have said, like turnips; whereas the -men never advance beyond the side aisles. The women of the higher -classes--all those, indeed, who make any pretence to dress and -finery--bring with them little bits of carpet, on which they squat; -but there are none of those chairs with which churches on the -Continent are so commonly filled. - -It seemed that there is nothing that can be called society among the -people of San José. They do not go out to each other's homes, nor -meet in public; they have neither tea-parties, nor dinner-parties, -nor dancing-parties, nor card-parties. I was even assured--though -I cannot say that the assurance reached my belief--that they never -flirt! Occasionally, on Sundays, for instance, and on holidays, they -put on their best clothes and call on each other. But even then there -is no conversation among them; they sit stiffly on each other's -sofas, and make remarks at intervals, like minute guns, about the -weather. - -"But what _do_ they do?" I asked. "The men scrape money together, -and when they have enough they build a house, big or little according -to the amount that they have scraped: that satisfies the ambition -of a Costa Rican. When he wishes to amuse himself, he goes to a -cock-fight." "And the women?" "They get married early if their -fathers can give them a few ounces"--the ounce is the old doubloon, -worth here about three pounds eight shillings sterling--"and then -they cook, and have children." "And if the ounces be wanting, and -they don't get married?" "Then they cook all the same, but do not -have the children,--as a general rule." And so people vegetate in -Costa Rica. - -And now I must say a word or two about the form of government in this -country. It is a republic, of course, arranged on the model plan. A -president is elected for a term of years,--in this case six. He has -ministers who assist him in his government, and whom he appoints; and -there is a House of Congress, elected of course by the people, who -make the laws. The President merely carries them out, and so Utopia -is realized. - -Utopia might perhaps be realized in such republics, or at any rate -the realization might not be so very distant as it is at present, -were it not that in all of them the practice, by some accident, runs -so far away from the theory. - -In Costa Rica, Don Juan Rafael Mora, familiarly called Juanito, is -now the president, having been not long since re-elected (?) for the -third time. "We read in the 'Gazette' on Tuesday morning that the -election had been carried on Saturday, and that was all we knew about -it." It is thus they elect a president in Costa Rica; no one knows -anything about it, or troubles his head with the matter. If any one -suggested a rival president, he would be banished. But such a thing -is not thought of; no note is taken as to five years or six years. -At some period that pleases him, the President says that he has been -re-elected, and he is re-elected. Who cares? Why not Juanito as well -as any one else? Only it is a pity he will not let us sell our dulce -to the distillers! - -The President's salary is three thousand dollars a year; an income -which for so high a position is moderate enough. But then a -further sum of six thousand dollars is added to this for official -entertainment. The official entertainments, however, are not -numerous. I was informed that he usually gives one party every year. -He himself still lives in his private house, and still keeps a shop, -as he did before he was president. It must be remembered that there -is no aristocracy in this country above the aristocracy of the -shopkeepers. - -As far as I could learn, the Congress is altogether a farce. There is -a congress or collection of men sent up from different parts of the -country, some ten or dozen of whom sit occasionally round a table in -the great hall; but they neither debate, vote, nor offer opinions. -Some one man, duly instructed by the President, lets them know what -law is to be made or altered, and the law is made or altered. Should -any member of Congress make himself disagreeable, he would, as a -matter of course, be banished; taken, that is, to Punta-arenas, -and there told to shift for himself. Now this enforced journey to -Punta-arenas does not seem to be more popular among the Costa Ricans -than a journey to Siberia is among the Russians. - -Such is the model republic of Central America,--admitted, I am -told, to be the best administered of the cluster of republics there -established. This, at any rate, may certainly be said for it--that -life and property are safe. They are safe for the present, and will -probably remain so, unless the filibusters make their way into the -neighbouring state of Nicaragua in greater numbers and with better -leaders than they have hitherto had. - -And it must be told to the credit of the Costa Ricans, that it -was by them and their efforts that the invasion of Walker and the -filibusters into Central America was stopped and repelled. These -enterprising gentlemen, the filibusters, landed on the coast of -Nicaragua, having come down from California. Here they succeeded in -getting possession of a large portion of the country, that portion -being the most thickly populated and the richest; many of the towns -they utterly destroyed, and among them Granada, the capital. It seems -that at this time the whole state of Nicaragua was paralyzed, and -unable to strike any blow in its own defence. - -Having laid waste the upper or more northern country, Walker came -down south as far as Rivas, a town still in Nicaragua, but not far -removed from the borders of Costa Rica. His intention, doubtless, was -to take possession of Costa Rica, so that he might command the whole -transit across the isthmus. - -But at Rivas he was attacked by the soldiery of Costa Rica, under the -command of a brother of Don Juan Mora. This was in 1856, and it seems -that some three thousand Costa Ricans were taken as far as Rivas. -But few of them returned. They were attacked by cholera, and what -with that, and want, and the intense heat, to which of course must -be added what injuries the filibusters could do them, they were -destroyed, and a remnant only returned. - -But in 1857 the different states of Central America joined themselves -in a league, with the object of expelling these filibusters. I do not -know that either of the three northern states sent any men to Rivas, -and the weight of the struggle again fell upon Costa Rica. The Costa -Ricans and Nicaraguans together invested Rivas, in which five hundred -filibusters under Walker for some time maintained themselves. These -men were reduced to great straits, and might no doubt have been taken -bodily. But the Central Americans also had their difficulties to -contend with. They did not agree very well together, and they had but -slender means of supporting themselves. It ended in a capitulation, -under which Walker and his associates were to walk out with their -arms and all the honours of war; and by which, moreover, it was -stipulated that the five hundred were to be sent back to America at -the expense of the Central American States. The States, thinking no -doubt that it was good economy to build a golden bridge for a flying -enemy, did so send them back; and in this manner for a while Central -America was freed from the locusts. - -Such was the capitulation of Rivas; a subject on which all Costa -Ricans now take much pride to themselves. And indeed, honour is due -to them in this matter, for they evinced a spirit in the business -when their neighbours of Nicaragua failed to do so. They soon -determined that the filibusters would do them no good;--could indeed -by no possibility do them anything but harm; consequently, they -resolved to have the first blow, and they struck it manfully, though -not so successfully as might have been wished. - -The total population of Central America is, I believe, about two -millions, while that of Costa Rica does not exceed two hundred -thousand. Of the five states, Guatemala has by far the largest -number of inhabitants; and indeed the town of Guatemala may still -be regarded as the capital of all the isthmus territories. They -fabricate there not only priests and wax images, but doctors and -lawyers, and all those expensive luxuries for the production of which -the air of a capital is generally considered necessary. The President -of Guatemala is, they say, an Indian, nearly of pure descent; his -name is Carrera. - -I have spoken of the army of Costa Rica. In point of accoutrement and -outward show, they are on ordinary days somewhat like the troops that -were not fit to march through Coventry. They wear no regimentals, -and are only to be known when on duty by a very rusty-looking gun. -On Sundays, however, and holidays they do wear a sort of uniform, -consisting of a neat cap, and a little braiding upon their best -clothes. This dress, such as it is, they are obliged to find for -themselves. The clothing department, therefore, is not troublesome. - -These men are enrolled after the manner of our militia. The full -number should be nine thousand, and is generally somewhat above six -thousand. Of this number five hundred are kept in barracks, the men -taking it by turns, month by month. When in barracks they receive -about one shilling and sixpence a day; at other times they have no -pay. - -I cannot close my notice of San José without speaking somewhat more -specially of the range of public buildings. I am told that it was -built by a German, or rather by two Germans; the basement and the -upper story being the work of different persons. Be this as it may, -it is a handsome building, and would not disgrace any European -capital. There is in it a throne-room--in England, at least, we -should call it a throne; on this the President sits when he receives -ambassadors from foreign countries. The velvet and gilding were quite -unexceptionable, and the whole is very imposing. The sitting of -Congress is held in the same chamber; but that, as I have explained, -is not imposing. - -The chief produce of Costa Rica is coffee. Those who love statistics -may perhaps care to know that the average yearly export is something -under a hundred thousand quintals; now a quintal weighs a hundred -pounds, or rather, I believe, ninety-nine pounds exact. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA--MOUNT IRAZU. - - -In the neighbourhood of San José there is a volcanic mountain, the -name of which is Irazu. I was informed that it still smoked, though -it had discontinued for the present the ejection of flames and lava. -Indeed, the whole country is full of such mountains. There is one, -the Monte Blanco, the summit of which has never yet been reached--so -rumour says in Costa Rica--far distant, enveloped among other -mountains, and to be reached only through dense aboriginal forests, -which still emits, and is always emitting fire and burning floods of -molten stones. - -Different excursions have been made with the object of ascending the -Monte Blanco, but hitherto in vain. Not long since it was attempted -by a French baron, but he and his guide were for twenty days in the -woods, and then returned, their provisions failing them. - -"You should ascend the Monte Blanco," said Sir William Ouseley to me. -"You are a man at large, with nothing to do. It is just the work for -you." This was Sir William's satire on the lightness of my ordinary -occupations. Light as they might be, however, I had neither time nor -courage for an undertaking such as that; so I determined to satisfy -myself with the Irazu. - -It happened, rather unfortunately for me, that at the moment of my -arrival at San José, a large party, consisting of Sir William's -family and others, were in the very act of visiting the mountain. -Those, therefore, who were anxious to see the sight, and willing -to undergo the labour, thus had their opportunity; and it became -impossible for me to make up a second party. One hope I had. The -Secretary of Legation had not gone. Official occupation, joined to -a dislike of mud and rough stones, had kept him at home. Perhaps I -might prevail. The intensity of that work might give way before a -week's unremitting labour, and that Sybarite propensity might be -overcome. - -But all my eloquence was of no avail. An absence of a day and a half -only was required; and three were spent in proving that this could -not be effected. The stones and mud too were becoming worse and -worse, for the rainy season had commenced. In fact, the Secretary of -Legation would not budge. "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle," said the -Secretary of Legation; whereupon he lighted another cigar, and took a -turn in the grass hammock. Now in my mind it must be a very bad game -indeed that is not worth the candle; and almost any game is better -than no game at all. - -I was thus in deep trouble, making up my mind to go alone, or rather -alone with my guide;--for the due appreciation of which state of -loneliness it must be borne in mind that, as I do not speak a word of -Spanish, I should have no possible means of communication with the -guide,--when a low and mild voice fell upon my ear, offering me its -proprietor as my companion. - -"I went up with Sir William last week," said the mild voice; "and if -you will permit me, I shall be happy to go with you. I should like to -see it twice; and I live at Cartago on the way." - -It was quite clear that the owner of the voice was sacrificing -himself, and offering to repeat this troublesome journey merely -out of good nature; but the service which he proposed to render me -was too essential, and I could not afford to reject the offer. He -lived in the country and spoke Spanish, and was, moreover, a mild, -kind-hearted little gentleman, very suitable as a companion, and not -given too pertinaciously to a will of his own. Now the Secretary -of Legation would have driven me mad half a score of times during -the journey. He would have deafened me with politics, and with such -politics too! So that on the whole I knew myself to be well off with -the mild voice. - -"You must go through Cartago," said the mild voice, "and I live -there. We will dine there at the inn to-morrow, and then do a portion -of our work the same evening." It was so arranged. I was to be with -him the next day at three, with a guide and two mules. - -On the next morning it rained provokingly. I ought to have started -at twelve; but at that time it was pouring, and neither the guide nor -the mules showed themselves. "You will never get there," said the -Secretary of Legation, looking up to the murky clouds with a gleam of -delight. "The game is never worth such a candle as that." "I shall -get there most assuredly," said I, rather sulkily, "let the candle -cost what it may." But still the mules did not come. - -Men have no idea of time in any country that is or has been connected -with Spain. "Yes, señor; you said twelve, and it is now only two! -Well, three. The day is long, señor; there is plenty of time. -Vaminos? Since you are in such a hurry, shall we make a start of it?" - -At half-past two o'clock so spoke--not my guide, for, as will be seen -by-and-by, he never spoke at all--but my guide's owner, who came -accompanying the mules. In huge hurry, with sundry mute exclamations, -uttered by my countenance since my tongue was unintelligible, and -with appeals to my watch which should have broken the man's heart -as I thrust it into his face, I clomb into my saddle. And then a -poor-looking, shoeless creature, with a small straw hat tied on to -his head by a handkerchief, with difficulty poised himself on the -other beast "Vamos," I exclaimed, and trotted down the street; for -I knew that in that direction lay the road to Cartago. "God be with -you," said the Secretary of Legation. "The rainy season has set -in permanently, I know; but perhaps you may have half an hour of -sunshine now and again. I hope you will enjoy yourself." - -It was not raining when I started, and in fact did not rain again the -whole afternoon. I trotted valiantly down the street, knowing my way -so far; but at the bottom of the town the roads divided, and I waited -for my guide. "Go on first," said I, pointing along the road. But -he did not understand me, and stood still. "Go on," said I, getting -behind his mule as though to drive him. But he merely stared, and -shuffled himself to the other side of the road. "Cartago," I shouted, -meaning that he was to show me the way there. "Si, señor," he -replied; and backed himself into the ditch out of my way. He was -certainly the stupidest man I ever met in my life, and I believe the -Secretary of Legation had selected him on purpose. - -I was obliged to choose my own road out of two, and luckily chose the -right one. Had I gone wrong, I doubt whether the man would have had -wit enough to put me right. I again trotted on; but in a quarter of -an hour was obliged to wait, for my attendant was behind me, out of -sight, and I felt myself bound to look after my traps, which were -fastened to his mule. "Come on," I shouted in good broad English -as soon as I saw him. "Why the mischief don't you come on?" And my -voice was so pitched, that on this occasion I think he did understand -something of what I meant. - -"Co-o-ome along," I repeated, as he gently drew up to me. And I hit -his mule sharply on the crupper with my stick. "Spur him," I said; -and I explained what I meant by sticking my own rowels into my own -beast. Whereupon the guide showed me that he had no spurs. - -Now if there be one rule of life more strictly kept in Costa Rica -than another, it is this, that no man ever mounts horse or mule -without spurs. A man in England would as soon think of hunting -without breeches. No muleteer was ever seen without them. And when -a mule is hired, if the hirer have no saddle, he may chance to have -to ride without one; but if he have no spurs, he will always be -supplied. - -I took off one of my own, which, by-the-by, I had borrowed out of the -Secretary of Legation's establishment, and offered it to the man, -remembering the well-known doctrine of Hudibras. He then showed me -that one of his hands was tied up, and that he could not put the spur -on. Consequently I was driven to dismount myself, and to act equerry -to this knight. Thrice on the road I had to do so, for twice the spur -slipped from off his naked foot. Even with this I could not bring -him on. It is four leagues, or about sixteen miles, from San José to -Cartago, and with all my hastening we were three hours on the road. - -The way lay through a rich and finely-cultivated country. The whole -of this is now called the valley of San José, and consists, in truth, -of a broad plateau, diversified by moderate hills and valleys, but -all being at a considerable height; that is, from three to four -thousand feet above the sea. The road also is fairly good; so -good that a species of omnibus runs on it daily, there being some -considerable traffic between the places; for Cartago is the second -town in the republic. - -Cartago is now the second town, but not long since it was the -capital. It was, however, destroyed by an earthquake; and though it -has been rebuilt, it has never again taken its former position. Its -present population is said to be ten thousand; but this includes not -only the suburbs, but the adjacent villages. The town covers a large -tract of ground, which is divided into long, broad, parallel streets, -with a large pláza in the middle; as though it had been expected that -a fine Utopian city would have sprung up. Alas! there is nothing fine -about it, and very little that is Utopian. - -Lingering near the hotel door, almost now in a state of despair, I -met him of the mild voice. "Yes; he had been waiting for three hours, -certainly," he mildly said, as I spurred my beast up to the door. -"Now that I was come it was all right; and on the whole he rather -liked waiting--that is, when it did not result in waiting for -nothing." And then we sat down to dinner at the Cartago hotel. - -This also was kept by a German, who after a little hesitation -confessed that he had come to the country as a filibuster. "You have -fallen on your legs pretty well," said I; for he had a comfortable -house, and gave us a decent dinner. "Yes," said he, rather dubiously; -"but when I came to Costa Rica I intended to do better than this." -He might, however, remember that not one in five hundred of them had -done so well. - -And then another guide had to be found, for it was clear that the one -I had brought with me was useless. And I had a visit to make; for my -friend lived with a widow lady, who would be grieved, he said, if I -passed through without seeing her. So I did call on her. I saw her -again on my return through Cartago, as I shall specify. - -With all these delays it was dark when we started. Our plan was to -ride up to an upland pasture farm at which visitors to the mountain -generally stop, to sleep there for a few hours, and then to start -between three and four so as to reach the top of the mountain by -sunrise. Now I perfectly well remember what I said with reference to -sunrises from mountain-tops on the occasion of that disastrous visit -to the Blue Mountain Peak in Jamaica; how I then swore that I would -never do another mountain sunrise, having always failed lamentably in -such attempts. I remember, and did remember this; and as far as the -sunrise was concerned would certainly have had nothing to do with the -Irazu at five o'clock, a.m. - -But the volcano and the crater made the matter very different. They -were my attractions; and as the mild voice suggested an early hour, -it would not have become me to have hesitated. "Start at four?" -"Certainly," I said. "The beds at the potrero"--such was the name -they gave the place at which we stopped--"will not be soft enough to -keep us sleeping." "No," said the mild voice, "they are not soft." -And so we proceeded. - -Our road was very rough, and very steep; and the night was very dark. -It was rough at first, and then it became slippery, which was worse. -I had no idea that earth could be so slippery. My mule, which was -a very fine one, fell under me repeatedly, being altogether unable -to keep her footing. On these occasions she usually scrambled up, -with me still on her back. Once, however, near the beginning of my -difficulties, I thought to relieve her; and to do so I got off her. -I soon found my mistake. I immediately slipped down on my hands and -knees, and found it impossible to stand on my feet. I did not sink -into the mud, but slipped off it--down, down, down, as if I were -going back to Cartago, all alone in the dark. It was with difficulty -that I again mounted my beast; but when there, there I remained let -her fall as she would. At eleven o'clock we reached the potrero. - -The house here was little more than a rancho or hut; one of those log -farm buildings which settlers make when they first clear the timber -from a part of their selected lots, intending to replace them in a -year or two by such tidy little houses; but so rarely fulfilling -their intentions. All through Costa Rica such ranchos are common. -On the coffee plantations and in the more highly-cultivated part of -the country, round the towns for instance, and along the road to -Punta-arenas, the farmers have a better class of residence. They -inhabit long, low-built houses, with tiled roofs and a ground floor -only, not at all unlike farmers' houses in Ireland, only that there -they are thatched or slated. Away from such patches of cultivation, -one seldom finds any house better than a log-built rancho. - -But the rancho had a door, and that door was fastened; so we knocked -and hallooed--"Dito," cried the guide; such being, I presume, the -familiar sobriquet of his friend within. "Dito," sang out my mild -friend with all his small energy of voice. "Dito," shouted I; and -I think that my voice was the one which wakened the sleepers within. - -We were soon admitted into the hut, and found that we were by no -means the first comers. As soon as a candle was lighted we saw that -there were four bedsteads in the room, and that two of them were -occupied. There were, however, two left for my friend and myself. And -it appeared also that the occupiers were friends of my friend. They -were German savants, one by profession an architect and the other a -doctor, who had come up into the woods looking for birds, beasts, -and botanical treasures, and had already been there some three or -four days. They were amply supplied with provisions, and immediately -offered us supper. The architect sat up in bed to welcome us, and -the doctor got up to clear the two spare beds of his trappings. - -There is a luck in these things. I remember once clambering to -the top of Scafell-Pike, in Cumberland--if it chance to be in -Westmoreland I beg the county's pardon. I expected nothing more than -men generally look for on the tops of mountains; but to my great -surprise I found a tent. I ventured to look in, and there I saw two -officers of the Engineers, friends of my own, sharpening their knives -preparatory to the dissection of a roast goose. And beside the goose -stood a bottle of brandy. Now I always looked on that as a direct -dispensation of Providence. Walking down the mountain that same -evening to Whitehaven, I stopped at a small public-house on the -side of Enerdale, and called for some whisky and water. The article -produced was not good, and so I said, appealing to an elderly -gentleman in black, who sat by the hobside, very contemplative. "Ah," -said he; "you can't get good drink in these parts, sir; I know that -so well that I generally bring a bottle of my own." I immediately -opened a warm conversation with that gentleman. He was a clergyman of -a neighbouring parish; and in a few minutes a magnum of port had made -its appearance out of a neighbouring cupboard. That I thought was -another dispensation of Providence. It was odd that they should have -come together; but the facts are as I state them. - -I did venture on a glass of brandy and water and a slight morsel -of bread and meat, and then I prepared to throw myself on the bed -immediately opposite to the doctor's. As I did so I saw something -move inside the doctor's bed. "My wife is there," said the doctor, -seeing the direction of my eyes. "Oh!" said I; and I at once became -very moderate in the slight change which I made in my toilet. - -We were to start at four, and at four precisely I woke. As my friend -had said, there was little to tempt me to sleep. The great drawback -to the comfort of these ranchos is the quantity of dirt which -continually falls out of the roof into one's eyes. Then the boards -are hard of course, and of course, also, they are infested with -vermin. They tell you indeed of scorpions and centipedes, of -preternatural wasps, and musquitos as big as young ostriches; but -I found none of these large-looming beasts of prey. Of beasts of a -smaller size I did find more than plenty. - -At four I was up, but my friend was very unwilling to stir. It was -long before I could induce the mild voice to make itself heard in any -way. At that time it was fine, but it was long before I could get the -muleteer. When I had done so, and he had thrown their grass to the -beasts, it began to rain--of course. "It rains like the d----" said -I, very crossly. "Does it?" said the mild voice from the bed. "I am -so sorry;" and in half a second he was again in the land of dreams. -The doctor snored; but from the furthest remote comer I could see the -eye of the doctor's wife looking out at me. - -It was between six and seven when we started. At that time it was -not raining, but the clouds looked as like rain as the Secretary of -Legation could have desired. And the two Germans were anything but -consolatory in their prophecies. "You'll not see a stick or a stone," -said the architect; "you'd better stop and breakfast with us." "It -is very dangerous to be wet in the mountains, very dangerous," said -the doctor. "It is a bad morning, certainly," pleaded the mild voice -piteously. The doctor's wife said nothing, but I could see her eyes -looking out at the weather. How on earth was she to get herself -dressed, it occurred to me then, if we should postpone our journey -and remain there? - -It ended in our starting just two hours after the prescribed time. -The road up from the potrero is very steep almost the whole way to -the summit, but it was not so muddy as that we had passed over on -the preceding evening. For some little way there were patches of -cultivation, the ground bearing sweet potatoes and Indian corn. Then -we came into a tract of beautiful forest scenery. The land, though -steep, was broken, and only partially covered with trees. The grass -in patches was as good as in an English park, and the views through -the open bits of the forest were very lovely. In four or five -different places we found the ground sufficiently open for all the -requirements of a picturesque country house, and no prettier site for -such a house could well be found. This was by far the finest scenery -that I had hitherto seen in Costa Rica; but even here there was a -want of water. In ascending the mountain we saw some magnificent -forest trees, generally of the kind called cotton-trees in Jamaica. -There were oaks also--so called there--very nearly approaching our -holm-oak in colour and foliage, but much larger than that tree is -with us. They were all more or less covered with parasite plants, and -those parasites certainly add greatly to the beauty of the supporting -trunk. - -By degrees we got into thick forest--forest I mean so thick that it -affords no views. You see and feel the trees that are close to you, -but see nothing else. And here the path became so steep that we were -obliged to dismount and let the beasts clamber up by themselves; and -the mist became very thick, so much so that we could hardly trace our -path; and then the guide said that he thought he had lost his way. - -"People often do come out and go back again without ever reaching the -crater at all, don't they?" said the mild voice. - -"Very often," said the guide. - -"But we won't be such people," said I. - -"Oh no!" said the mild voice. "Not if we can help it." - -"And we will help it. Allons; andiamos; vamos." - -The first word which an Englishman learns in any language is that -which signifies a determination to proceed. - -And we did proceed, turning now hither and now thither, groping about -in the mist, till at last the wood was all left behind us, and we -were out among long grass on a mountain-side. "And now," said the -guide, "unless the mist clears I can't say which way we ought to go." - -The words were hardly out of his mouth when the mist did clear itself -away altogether from one side of us. Looking down to the left, we -could see far away into the valleys beneath, over large forests, -and across a lower range of hills, till the eye could reach the -cultivated plateau below. But on the other side, looking up to a -mountain higher still than that on which we stood, all was not only -misty, but perfectly dark and inscrutable. - -The guide however now knew the spot. We were near the summit of -Irazu, and a further ride of a quarter of an hour took us there; -and indeed here there was no difficulty in riding. The side of the -hill was covered with grass, and not over steep. "There," said the -mild voice, pointing to a broad, bushy, stumpy tree, "there is the -place where Lady Ouseley breakfasted." And he looked at our modest -havresack. "And we will breakfast there too," I answered. "But we -will go down the crater first." - -"Oh, yes; certainly," said the mild voice. "But perhaps--I don't -know--I am not sure I can go exactly down into the crater." - -The crater of the volcano is not at the top of the mountain, or -rather it is not at what is now the top of the mountain; so that at -first one has to look down upon it. I doubt even whether the volcano -has ever effected the absolute summit. I may as well state here that -the height of the mountain on which we were now standing is supposed -to be 11,500 feet above the sea-level. - -Luckily for us, though the mist reached to us where we stood, -everything to the left of us was clear, and we could look down, down -into the crater as into a basin. Everything was clear, so that we -could count the different orifices, eight in number, of which two, -however, had almost run themselves into one; and see, as far as it -was possible to see, how the present formation of the volcano had -been brought about. - -It was as though a very large excavation had been made on the side -of a hill, commencing, indeed, not quite from the summit, but very -near it, and leaving a vast hole--not deep in proportion to its -surface--sloping down the mountain-side. This huge excavation, which -I take to be the extent of the crater, for it has evidently been -all formed by the irruption of volcanic matter, is divided into two -parts, a broken fragment of a mountain now lying between them; and -the smaller of these two has lost all volcanic appearance. It is a -good deal covered with bush and scrubby forest trees, and seems to -have no remaining connection with sulphur and brimstone. - -The other part, in which the crater now absolutely in use is -situated, is a large hollow in the mountain-side, which might perhaps -contain a farm of six hundred acres. Not having been able to measure -it, I know no other way of describing what appeared to me to be its -size. But a great portion of this again has lost all its volcanic -appendages; except, indeed, that lumps of lava are scattered over the -whole of it, as they are, though more sparingly, over the mountain -beyond. There is a ledge of rock running round the interior of this -division of the excavation, half-way down it, like a row of seats -in a Roman amphitheatre, or an excrescence, if one can fancy such, -half-way down a teacup. The ground above this ledge is of course more -extensive than that below, as the hollow narrows towards the bottom. -The present working mouth of the volcanic, and all those that have -been working for many a long year--the eight in number of which I -have spoken--lie at the bottom of this lowest hollow. This I should -say might contain a farm of about two hundred acres. - -Such was the form of the land on which we looked down. The descent -from the top to the ledge was easy enough, and was made by myself -and my friend with considerable rapidity. I started at a pace which -convinced him that I should break my neck, and he followed, gallantly -resolving to die with me. "You'll surely kill yourself, Mr. Trollope; -you surely will," said the mild voice. And yet he never deserted me. - -"Sir William got as far as this," said he, when we were on the ledge, -but he got no further. "We will do better than Sir William," said I. -"We will go down into that hole where we see the sulphur." "Into the -very hole?" "Yes. If we get to windward, I think we can get into the -very hole. Look at the huge column of white smoke; how it comes all -in this direction! On the other side of the crater we should not feel -it." - -The descent below the ledge into my smaller farm was not made so -easily. It must be understood that our guide was left above with the -mules. We should have brought two men, whereas we had only brought -one; and had therefore to perform our climbing unassisted. I at first -attempted it in a direct line, down from where we stood; but I soon -found this to be impracticable, and was forced to reascend. The earth -was so friable that it broke away from me at every motion that I -made; and after having gone down a few feet I was glad enough to find -myself again on the ledge. - -We then walked round considerably to the right, probably for more -than a quarter of a mile, and there a little spur in the hillside--a -buttress as it were to the ledge of which I have spoken--made the -descent much easier, and I again tried. - -"Do not you mind following me," I said to my companion, for I saw -that he looked much aghast. "None of Sir William's party went down -there," he answered. "Are you sure of that?" I asked. "Quite sure," -said the mild voice. "Then what a triumph we will have over Sir -William!" and so saying I proceeded. "I think I'll come too," said -the mild voice. "If I do break my neck nobody'll be much the worse;" -and he did follow me. - -There was nothing very difficult in the clambering, but, -unfortunately, just as we got to the bottom the mist came pouring -down upon us, and I could not but bethink me that I should find it -very difficult to make my way up again without seeing any of the -landmarks. I could still see all below me, but I could see nothing -that was above. It seemed as though the mist kept at our own level, -and that we dragged it with us. - -We were soon in one of the eight small craters or mouths of which I -have spoken. Looking at them from above, they seemed to be nearly on -a level, but it now appeared that one or two were considerably higher -than the others. We were now in the one that was the highest on that -side of the excavation. It was a shallow basin, or rather saucer, -perhaps sixty yards in diameter, the bottom of which was composed of -smooth light-coloured sandy clay. In dry weather it would partake -almost of the nature of sand. Many many years had certainly rolled by -since this mouth had been eloquent with brimstone. - -The place at this time was very cold. My friend had brought a large -shawl with him, with which over and over again he attempted to cover -my shoulders. I, having meditated much on the matter, had left my -cloak above. At the present moment I regretted it sorely; but, as -matters turned out, it would have half smothered me before our walk -was over. - -We had now nothing for it but to wait till the mist should go off. -There was but one open mouth to this mountain--one veritable crater -from which a column of smoke and sulphur did then actually issue, and -this, though the smell of the brimstone was already oppressive, was -at some little distance. Gradually the mist did go off, or rather -it shifted itself continually, now ascending far above us, and soon -returning to our feet. We then advanced between two other mouths, and -came to that which was nearest to the existing crater. - -Here the aperture was of a very different kind. Though no smoke -issued from it, and though there was a small tree growing at the -bottom of it,--showing, as I presume, that there had been no -eruption from thence since the seed of that tree had fallen to the -ground,--yet the sides of the crater were as sharp and steep as the -walls of a house. Into those which we had hitherto visited we could -walk easily; into this no one could descend even a single foot, -unless, indeed, he descended somewhat more than a foot so as to dash -himself to pieces at the bottom. They were, when compared together, -as the interior of a plate compared to that of a tea-caddy. Now a -traveller travelling in such realms would easily extricate himself -from the plate, but the depths of the tea-caddy would offer him no -hope. - -Having walked round this mute volcano, we ascended to the side of the -one which was now smoking, for the aperture to this was considerably -higher than that of the last one mentioned. As we were then situated, -the smoke was bearing towards us, and every moment it became more -oppressive; but I saw, or thought I saw, that we could skirt round to -the back of the crater, so as not to get its full volume upon us; and -so I proceeded, he of the mild voice mildly expostulating, but always -following me. - -But when we had ascended to the level of the hole the wind suddenly -shifted, and the column of smoke dispersing enveloped us altogether. -Had it come upon us in all its thickest mass I doubt whether it would -not have first stupefied and then choked us. As it was, we ran for -it, and succeeded in running out of it. It affected me, I think, more -powerfully than it did my companion, for he was the first to regain -his speech. "Sir William, at any rate, saw nothing like that," said -he, coughing triumphantly. - -I hope that I may never feel or smell anything like it again. This -smoke is emitted from the earth at the bottom of a deep hole very -similar to that above described. The sides of it all round are so -steep that it is impossible to make even an attempt to descend it. -By holding each other's hands we could look over into it one at -a time, and see the very jaws in the rock from which the stream of -sulphur ascends. It comes out quite yellow, almost a dark yellow, but -gradually blanches as it expands in its course. These jaws in the -rock are not in the centre of the bottom of the pit, but in a sharp -angle, as it were, so that the smoke comes up against one side or -wall, and that side is perfectly encrusted with the sulphur. It was -at the end of the orifice, exactly opposite to this, that we knelt -down and looked over. - -The smoke when it struck upon us, immediately above this wall, was -hot and thick and full of brimstone. The stench for a moment was very -bad; but the effect went off at once, as soon as we were out of it. - -The mild voice grasped my hand very tightly as he crept to the edge -and looked over. "Ah!" he said, rejoicing greatly, "Sir William never -saw that, nor any of his party; I am so glad I came again with you. -I wonder whether anybody ever was here before." Hundreds doubtless -have been, and thousands will be. Nine out of every ten men in -London, between the ages of fifteen and fifty, would think little of -the trouble and less of the danger of getting there; but I could not -interfere with the triumph of my friend, so I merely remarked that it -certainly was a very singular place. - -And then we had to reascend. It was now past eleven o'clock, and as -yet we had had no breakfast, for I cannot call that cup of coffee -which we took at starting a breakfast, even though the German -architect handed to each of us from out of his bed a hunch of beef -and a crust of bread. Luckily the air was clear for a while, so that -we could see what we were about, and we began to climb up on the side -opposite to that by which we had descended. - -And here I happened to mention that Miss Ouseley had commissioned -me to get two bits of lava, one smooth and the other -rough--unfortunately, for at once the mild voice declared that he had -found two morsels which would exactly suit the lady's taste. I looked -round, and, lo! there was my small friend with two huge stones, each -weighing about twenty pounds, which, on the side of the mountain, he -was endeavouring to pack under his arms. Now, the mountain here was -very steep and very friable; the burnt shingle slipped from under our -feet at every step; and, to make matters worse, we were climbing in a -slanting direction. - -"My dear fellow, it would kill you to carry those lumps to the top," -I said; "do not think of it." - -But he persevered. "There were no lumps of lava such as those," he -said, "to be found at the top. They were just what Miss Ouseley -wanted. He thought he would be able to manage with them. They were -not so very heavy, if only the ground did not slip so much." I said -what I could, but it was of no avail, and he followed me slowly with -his sore burden. - -I never knew the weather change with such rapidity. At this moment -the sun was bright and very hot, and I could hardly bear my coat on -my shoulders as I crept up that hill. How my little friend followed -with his shawl and the lava rocks I cannot conceive. But, to own -the truth, going down hill suits me better than going up. Years and -obesity tell upon the wind sooner than they do on the legs--so, at -least, it is with me. Now my mild friend hardly weighed fifteen -ounces, while I--! - -And then, when we were again on the ridge, it began to rain most -gloriously. Hitherto we had had mist, but this was a regular -down-pour of rain--such moisture as the Secretary of Legation had -been praying for ever since we started. Again and again the mild -voice offered me the shawl, which, when I refused it, he wrapped -round the lumps of lava, scorning to be drier than his companion. -From the summit to the ledge we had come down fast enough, but the -ascent was very different. I, at any rate, was very tired, and my -friend was by no means as fresh as he had been. We were both in want -of food, and our clothes were heavy with wet. He also still carried -his lumps of lava. - -At last, all raining as it was, I sat down. How far we might still -be from the top I could not see; but be it far or be it near, nature -required rest. I threw myself on the ground, and the mild voice not -unwillingly crouched down close to me. "Now we can both have the -shawl," said he, and he put it over our joint shoulders; that is, he -put the shawl on mine while the fringe hung over his own. In half a -minute we were both asleep, almost in each other's arms. - -Men when they sleep thus on a mountain-side in the rain do not -usually sleep long. Forty winks is generally acknowledged. Our nap -may have amounted to eighty each, but I doubt whether it was more. We -started together, rubbed our eyes, jumped to our feet, and prepared -ourselves for work. But, alas! where was the lava? - -My impression is that in my sleep I must have kicked the stones and -sent them rolling. At any rate, they were gone. Dark and wet as it -was, we both went down a yard or two, but it was in vain; nothing -could be seen of them. The mild voice handed me the shawl, preparing -to descend in their search; but this was too much. "You will only -lose yourself," said I, laying hold of him, "and I shall have to -look for your bones. Besides, I want my breakfast! We will get other -specimens above." - -"And perhaps they will be just as good," said he, cheerfully, when he -found that he would not be allowed to have his way. - -"Every bit," said I. And so we trudged on, and at last reached our -mules. From this point men see, or think that they see, the two -oceans--the Atlantic and the Pacific--and this sight to many is one -of the main objects of the ascent. We saw neither the one ocean nor -the other. - -We got back to the potrero about three, and found our German friends -just sitting down to dinner. The architect was seated on his bed on -one side of the table arranging the viands, while the doctor on the -other scooped out the brains of a strange bird with a penknife. The -latter operation he performed with a view of stuffing, not himself, -but the animal. They pressed us to dine with them before we started, -and we did so, though I must confess that the doctor's occupation -rather set me against my food. "If it be not done at once," said he, -apologizing, "it can't he done well;" and he scraped, and scraped, -and wiped his knife against the edge of the little table on which -the dishes were placed. What had become of the doctor's wife I do -not know, but she was not at the potrero when we dined there. - -It was evening when we got into Cartago, and very tired we were. -My mind, however, was made up to go on to San José that night, and -ultimately I did so; but before starting, I was bound to repeat my -visit to the English lady with whom my mild friend lived. Mrs. X---- -was, and I suppose is, the only Englishwoman living in Cartago, and -with that sudden intimacy which springs up with more than tropical -celerity in such places, she told me the singular history of her -married life. - -The reader would not care that I should repeat it at length, for it -would make this chapter too long. Her husband had been engaged in -mining operations, and she had come out to Guatemala with him in -search of gold. From thence, after a period of partial success, he -was enticed away into Costa Rica. Some speculation there, in which he -or his partners were concerned, promised better than that other one -in Guatemala, and he went, leaving his young wife and children behind -him. Of course he was to return very soon, and of course he did not -return at all. Mrs. X---- was left with her children searching for -gold herself. "Every evening," she said, "I saw the earth washed -myself, and took up with me to the house the gold that was found." -What an occupation for a young Englishwoman, the mother of three -children! At this time she spoke no Spanish, and had no one with her -who spoke English. - -And then tidings came from her husband that he could not come to -her, and she made up her mind to go to him. She had no money, the -gold-washing having failed; her children were without shoes to their -feet; she had no female companion; she had no attendant but one -native man; and yet, starting from the middle of Guatemala, she made -her way to the coast, and thence by ship to Costa Rica. - -After that her husband became engaged in what, in those countries, -is called "transit." Now "transit" means the privilege of making -money by transporting Americans of the United States over the -isthmus to and from California, and in most hands has led to fraud, -filibustering, ruin, and destruction. Mr. X----, like many others, -was taken in, and according to his widow's account, the matter ended -in a deputation being sent, from New York I think, to murder him. He -was struck with a life-preserver in the streets of San José, never -fully recovered from the blow, and then died. - -He had become possessed of a small estate in the neighbourhood of -Cartago, on the proceeds of which the widow was now living. "And will -you not return home?" I said. "Yes; when I have got my rights. Look -here--" and she brought down a ledger, showing me that she had all -manner of claims to all manner of shares in all manner of mines. -"Aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm!" As regards her, it certainly -would have been so. - -For a coined sovereign, or five-dollar piece, I have the most -profound respect. It is about the most faithful servant that a man -can have in his employment, and should be held as by no means subject -to those scurrilous attacks which a pharisaically moral world so -often levels at its head. But of all objects of a man's ambition, -uncoined gold, gold to be collected in sand, or picked up in nuggets, -or washed out of earth, is, to my thinking, the most delusive and -most dangerous! Who knows, or has known, or ever seen, any man that -has returned happy from the diggings, and now sits contented under -his own fig-tree? - -My friend Mrs. X---- was still hankering after the flesh-pots of -Egypt, the hidden gold of the Central American mountains. She slapped -her hands loudly together, for she was a woman of much energy, and -declared that she would have her rights. When she had gotten her -rights she would go home. Alas! alas! poor lady! - -"And you," said I, to the mild voice, "will not you return?" - -"I suppose so," said he, "when Mrs. X---- goes;" and he looked up to -the widow as though confessing that he was bound to her service, and -would not leave her; not that I think they had the slightest idea of -joining their lots together as men and women do. He was too mild for -that. - -I did ride back to San José that night, and a most frightful journey -I had of it. I resumed, of course, my speechless, useless, dolt of -a guide--the man whom the Secretary of Legation had selected for me -before I started. Again I put my spur on his foot, and endeavoured to -spirit him up to ride before me, so that I might know my way in the -dark; but it was in vain; nothing would move him out of a walk, and -I was obliged to leave him. - -And then it became frightfully dark--pitch dark as men say--dark so -that I could not see my mule's ears. I had nothing for it but to -trust to her; and soon found, by being taken down into the deep bed -of a river and through deep water, that we had left the road by which -I had before travelled. The beast did not live in San José I knew, -and I looked to be carried to some country rancho at which she would -be at home. But in a time sufficiently short, I found myself in San -José. The creature had known a shorter cut than that usually taken. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--SAN JOSÉ TO GREYTOWN. - - -My purpose was to go right through Central America, from ocean to -ocean, and to accomplish this it was necessary that I should now -make my way down to the mouth of the San Juan river--to San Juan del -Norte as it was formerly called, or Greytown, as it is now named by -the English. This road, I was informed by all of whom I inquired, -was very bad,--so bad as to be all but impracticable to English -travellers. - -And then, just at that moment, an event occurred which added greatly -to the ill name of this route. A few days before I reached San José, -a gentleman resident there had started for England with his wife, -and they had decided upon going by the San Juan. It seems that the -lady had reached San José, as all people do reach it, by Panamá and -Punta-arenas, and had suffered on the route. At any rate, she had -taken a dislike to it, and had resolved on returning by the San Juan -and the Serapiqui rivers, a route which is called the Serapiqui road. - -To do this it is necessary for the traveller to ride on mules for -four, five, or six days, according to his or her capability. The -Serapiqui river is then reached, and from that point the further -journey is made in canoes down the Serapiqui river till it falls into -the San Juan, and then down that river to Greytown. - -This gentleman with his wife reached the Serapiqui in safety; though -it seems that she suffered greatly on the road. But when once there, -as she herself said, all her troubles were over. That weary work of -supporting herself on her mule, through mud and thorns and thick -bushes, of scrambling over precipices and through rivers, was done. -She had been very despondent, even from before the time of her -starting; but now, she said, she believed that she should live to see -her mother again. She was seated in the narrow canoe, among cloaks -and cushions, with her husband close to her, and the boat was pushed -into the stream. Almost in a moment, within two minutes of starting, -not a hundred yards from the place where she had last trod, the canoe -struck against a snag or upturned fragment of a tree and was overset. -The lady was borne by the stream among the entangled branches of -timber which clogged the river, and when her body was found life had -been long extinct. - -This had happened on the very day that I reached San José, and the -news arrived two or three days afterwards. The wretched husband, too, -made his way back to the town, finding himself unable to go on upon -his journey alone, with such a burden on his back. What could he -have said to his young wife's mother when she came to meet him at -Southampton, expecting to throw her arms round her daughter? - -I was again lucky in having a companion for my journey. A young -lieutenant of the navy, Fitzm---- by name, whose vessel was lying at -Greytown, had made his way up to San José on a visit to the Ouseleys, -and was to return at the same time that I went down. He had indeed -travelled up with the bereaved man who had lost his wife, having read -the funeral service over the poor woman's grave on the lonely shores -of the Serapiqui. The road, he acknowledged, was bad, too bad, he -thought, for any female; but not more than sufficiently so to make -proper excitement for a man. He, at any rate, had come over it -safely; but then he was twenty-four, and I forty-four; and so we -started together from San José, a crowd of friends accompanying us -for the first mile or two. There was that Secretary of Legation -prophesying that we should be smothered in the mud; there was the -Consul and the Consul's brother; nor was female beauty wanting to -wish us well on our road, and maybe to fling an old shoe after us for -luck as we went upon our journey. - -We took four mules, that was one each for ourselves, and two for our -baggage; we had two guides or muleteers, according to bargain, both -of whom travelled on foot. The understanding was, that one mule -lightly laden with provisions and a pair of slippers and tooth-brush -should accompany us, one man also going with us; but that the -heavy-laden mule should come along after us at its own pace. Things, -however, did not so turn out: on the first day both the men and both -the mules lagged behind, and on one occasion we were obliged to -wait above an hour for them; but after that we all kept in a string -together, having picked up a third muleteer somewhere on the road. -We had also with us a distressed British subject, who was intrusted -to my tender mercies by the Consul at San José. He was not a good -sample of a Britisher; he had been a gold-finder in California, -then a filibuster, after that a teacher of the piano in the country -part of Costa Rica, and lastly an omnibus driver. He was to act as -interpreter for us, which, however, he did not do with much honesty -or zeal. - -Our road at first lay through the towns of Aredia and Barba, the -former of which is a pleasant-looking little village, where, however, -we found great difficulty in getting anything to drink. Up to this, -and for a few leagues further, the road was very fair, and the land -on each side of us was cultivated. We had started at eight a.m., and -at about three in the afternoon there seemed to be great doubt as to -where we should stop. The leading muleteer wished to take us to a -house of a friend of his own, whereas the lieutenant and I resolved -that the day's work had not been long enough. I take it that on the -whole we were right, and the man gave in with sufficient good humour; -but it ended in our passing the night in a miserable rancho. That at -the potrero, on the road to the volcanic mountain, had been a palace -to it. - -And here we got into the forest; we had hitherto been ascending the -whole way from San José, and had by degrees lost all appearance of -tillage. Still, however, there had been open spaces here and there -cleared for cattle, and we had not as yet found ourselves absolutely -enveloped by woods. This rancho was called Buena-vista; and certainly -the view from it was very pretty. It was pretty and extensive, as I -have seen views in Baden and parts of Bavaria; but again there was -nothing about which I could rave. - -I shall not readily forget the night in that rancho. We were, I -presume, between seven and eight thousand feet above the sea-level; -and at night, or rather early in the morning, the cold was very -severe. Fitzm---- and I shared the same bed; that is, we lay on the -same boards, and did what we could to cover ourselves with the same -blankets. In that country men commonly ride upon blankets, having -them strapped over the saddles as pillions, and we had come so -provided; but before the morning was over I heartily wished for a -double allowance. - -We had brought with us a wallet of provisions, certainly not too -well arranged by Sir William Ouseley's most reprehensible butler. -Travellers should never trust to butlers. Our piece de résistance -was a ham, and lo! it turned out to be a bad one. When the truth of -this fact first dawned upon us it was in both our minds to go back -and slay that butler: but there was still a piece of beef and some -chickens, and there had been a few dozen of hard-boiled eggs. But -Fitzm---- would amuse himself with eating these all along the road: -I always found when the ordinary feeding time came that they had not -had the slightest effect upon his appetite. - -On the next morning we again ascended for about a couple of leagues, -and as long as we did so the road was still good; the surface was -hard, and the track was broad, and a horseman could wish nothing -better. And then we reached the summit of the ridge over which we -were passing; this we did at a place called Desenganos, and from -thence we looked down into vast valleys all running towards the -Atlantic. Hitherto the fall of water had been into the Pacific. - -At this place we found a vast shed, with numberless bins and troughs -lying under it in great confusion. The facts, as far as I could -learn, were thus: Up to this point the government, that is Don Juan -Mora, or perhaps his predecessor, had succeeded in making a road -fit for the transit of mule carts. This shed had also been built to -afford shelter for the postmen and accommodation for the muleteers. -But here Don Juan's efforts had been stopped; money probably had -failed; and the great remainder of the undertaking will, I fear, be -left undone for many a long year. - -And yet this, or some other road from the valley of San José to the -Atlantic, would be the natural outlet of the country. At present -the coffee grown in the central high lands is carried down to -Punta-arenas on the Pacific, although it must cross the Atlantic to -reach its market; consequently, it is either taken round the Horn, -and its sale thus delayed for months, or it is transported across the -isthmus by railway, at an enormous cost. They say there is a point -at which the Atlantic may be reached more easily than by the present -route of the Serapiqui river; nothing, however, has as yet been -done in the matter. To make a road fit even for mule carts, by the -course of the present track, would certainly be a work of enormous -difficulty. - -And now our vexations commenced. We found that the path very soon -narrowed, so much so that it was with difficulty we could keep our -hats on our heads; and then the surface of the path became softer and -softer, till our beasts were up to their knees in mud. All motion -quicker than that of a walk became impossible; and even at this -pace the struggles in the mud were both frequent and uncomfortable. -Hitherto we had talked fluently enough, but now we became very -silent; we went on following, each at the other's tail, floundering -in the mud, silent, filthy, and down in the mouth. - -"I tell you what it is," said Fitzm---- at last, stopping on the -road, for he had led the van, "I can't go any further without -breakfast." We referred the matter to the guide, and found that -Careblanco, the place appointed for our next stage, was still two -hours distant. - -"Two hours! Why, half an hour since you said it was only a league!" -But what is the use of expostulating with a man who can't speak a -word of English? - -So we got off our mules, and draped out our wallet among the bushes. -Our hard-boiled eggs were all gone, and it seemed as though the -travelling did not add fresh delights to the cold beef; so we -devoured another fowl, and washed it down with brandy and water. - -As we were so engaged three men passed us with heavy burdens on their -backs. They were tall, thin, muscular fellows, with bare legs, and -linen clothes,--one of them apparently of nearly pure Indian blood. -It was clear that the loads they carried were very weighty. They were -borne high up on the back, and suspended by a band from the forehead, -so that a great portion of the weight must have fallen on the muscles -of the neck. This was the post; and as they had left San José some -eight hours after us, and had come by a longer route, so as to take -in another town, they must have travelled at a very fast pace. It was -our object to go down the Serapiqui river in the same boat with the -post. We had some doubt whether we should be able to get any other, -seeing that the owner of one such canoe had been drowned, I believe -in an endeavour to save the unfortunate lady of whom I have spoken; -and any boat taken separately would be much more expensive. - -So, as quick as might be, we tied up our fragments and proceeded. It -was after this that I really learned how all-powerful is the force of -mud. We came at last to a track that was divided crossways by ridges, -somewhat like the ridges of ploughed ground. Each ridge was perhaps a -foot and a half broad, and the mules invariably stepped between them, -not on them. Stepping on them they could not have held their feet. -Stepping between them they came at each step with their belly to -the ground, so that the rider's feet and legs were trailing in the -mud. The struggles of the poor brutes were dreadful. It seemed to me -frequently impossible that my beast should extricate himself, laden -as he was. But still he went on patiently, slowly, and continuously; -splash, splash; slosh, slosh! Every muscle of his body was working; -and every muscle of my body was working also. - -For it is not very easy to sit upon a mule under such circumstances. -The bushes were so close upon me that one hand was required to guard -my face from the thorns; my knees were constantly in contact with the -stumps of trees, and when my knees were free from such difficulties, -my shins were sure to be in the wars. Then the poor animal rolled -so from side to side in his incredible struggles with the mud that -it was frequently necessary to hold myself on by the pommel of the -saddle. Added to this, it was essentially necessary to keep some sort -of guide upon the creature's steps, or one's legs would be absolutely -broken. For the mule cares for himself only, and not for his rider. -It is nothing to him if a man's knees be put out of joint against the -stump of a tree. - -Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! on we went in this way for hours, -almost without speaking. On such occasions one is apt to become -mentally cross, to feel that the world is too hard for one, that -one's own especial troubles are much worse than those of one's -neighbours, and that those neighbours are unfairly favoured. I could -not help thinking it very unjust that I should be fifteen stone, -while Fitzm---- was only eight. And as for that distressed Britisher, -he weighed nothing at all. - -Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! we were at it all day. At -Careblanco--the place of the _white-faced pigs_ I understood it to -mean;--they say that there is a race of wild hogs with white faces -which inhabit the woods hereabouts--we overtook the post, and kept -close to them afterwards. This was a pasture farm in the very middle -of the forest, a bit of cleared land on which some adventurer had -settled himself and dared to live. The adventurer himself was not -there, but he had a very pretty wife, with whom my friend the -lieutenant seemed to have contracted an intimate acquaintance on his -previous journey up to San José. - -But at Careblanco we only stopped two minutes, during which, however, -it became necessary that the lieutenant should go into the rancho -on the matter of some article of clothes which had been left behind -on his previous journey; and then, again, on we went, slosh, slosh, -splash, splash! My shins by this time were black and blue, and I held -myself on to my mule chiefly by my spurs. Our way was still through -dense forest, and was always either up or down hill. And here we came -across the grandest scenery that I met with in the western world; -scenery which would admit of raving, if it were given to me to rave -on such a subject. - -We were travelling for the most part along the side of a volcanic -mountain, and every now and then the declivity would become so steep -as to give us a full view down into the ravine below, with the -prospect of the grand, steep, wooded hill on the other side, one huge -forest stretching up the mountain for miles. At the bottom of the -ravine one's eye would just catch a river, looking like a moving -thread of silver wire. And yet, though the descent was so great, -there would be no interruption to it. Looking down over the thick -forest trees which grew almost from the side of a precipice, the eye -would reach the river some thousand feet below, and then ascend on -the other side over a like unbroken expanse of foliage. - -Of course we both declared that we had never seen anything to equal -it. In moments of ecstasy one always does so declare. But there was -a monotony about it, and a want of grouping which forbids me to place -it on an equality with scenery really of the highest kind, with the -mountains, for instance, round Colico, with the head of the Lake -of the Four Cantons, or even with the views of the upper waters of -Killarney. - -And then, to speak the truth, we were too much engulfed in mud, too -thoughtful as to the troubles of the road, to enjoy it thoroughly. -"Wonderful that; isn't it?" "Yes, very wonderful; fine break; for -heaven's sake do get on." That is the tone which men are apt to adopt -under such circumstances. Five or six pounds of thick mud clinging -round one's boots and inside one's trousers do not add to one's -enjoyment of scenery. - -Mud, mud; mud, mud! At about five o'clock we splashed into another -pasture farm in the middle of the forest, a place called San Miguel, -and there we rested for that night. Here we found that our beef also -must be thrown away, and that our bread was all gone. We had picked -up some more hard-boiled eggs at ranchos on the road, but hard-boiled -eggs to my companion were no more than grains of gravel to a -barn-door fowl; they merely enabled him to enjoy his regular diet. At -this place, however, we were able to purchase fowls--skinny old hens -which were shot for us at a moment's warning. The price being, here -and elsewhere along the road, a dollar a head. Tea and candles a -ministering angel had given to me at the moment of my departure -from San José. But for them we should have indeed been comfortless, -thirsty, and in utter darkness. Towards evening a man gets tired -of brandy and water, when he has been drinking it since six in the -morning. - -Our washing was done under great difficulties, as in these districts -neither nature nor art seems to have provided for such emergencies. -In this place I got my head into a tin pot, and could hardly -extricate it. But even inside the houses and ranchos everything -seemed to turn into mud. The floor beneath one's feet became mud with -the splashing of the water. The boards were begrimed with mud. We -were offered coffee that was mud to the taste and touch. I felt that -the blood in my veins was becoming muddy. - -And then we had another day exactly like the former, except that the -ground was less steep, and the vistas of scenery less grand. The -weather also was warmer, seeing that we were now on lower ground. -Monkeys chattered on the trees around us, and the little congo ape -roared like a lion. Macaws flew about, generally in pairs; and we saw -white turkeys on the trees. Up on the higher forests we had seen none -of these animals. - -There are wild hogs also in these woods, and ounces. The ounce here -is, I believe, properly styled the puma, though the people always -call them lions. They grow to about the size of a Newfoundland dog. -The wild cat also is common here, the people styling them tigers. The -xagua is, I take it, their proper name. None of these animals will, I -believe, attack a man unless provoked or pressed in pursuit; and not -even then if a way of escape be open to him. - -We again breakfasted at a forest clearing, paying a dollar each for -tough old hens, and in the evening we came to a cacao plantation in -the middle of the forest which had been laid out and settled by an -American of the United States residing in Central America. This place -is not far from the Serapiqui river, and is called Padregal. It was -here that the young lieutenant had read the funeral service over the -body of that unfortunate lady. - -I went with him to visit the grave. It was a spot in the middle of a -grass enclosure, fenced off rudely so as to guard it from beasts of -prey. The funeral had taken place after dusk. It had been attended by -some twelve or fourteen Costa Rican soldiers who are kept in a fort -a little below, on the banks of the Serapiqui. Each of these men had -held a torch. The husband was there, and another Englishman who was -travelling with him; as was also, I believe, the proprietor of the -place. So attended, the body of the Englishwoman was committed to its -strange grave in a strange country. - -Here we picked up another man, an American, who also had been looking -for gold, and perhaps doing a turn as a filibuster. Him too the world -had used badly, and he was about to return with all his golden dreams -unaccomplished. - -We had one more stage down to the spot at which we were to embark -in the canoe--the spot at which the lady had been drowned--and this -one we accomplished early in the morning. This place is called the -Muelle, and here there is a fort with a commandant and a small -company of soldiers. The business of the commandant is to let no -one up or down the river without a passport; and as a passport -cannot be procured anywhere nearer than San José, here may arise -a great difficulty to travellers. We were duly provided, but our -recently-picked-up American friend was not; and he was simply told -that he would not be allowed to get into a boat on the river. - -"I never seed such a d----d country in my life," said the American. -"They would not let me leave San José till I paid every shilling -I owed; and now that I have paid, I ain't no better off. I wish -I hadn't paid a d----d cent." - -I advised him to try what some further operation in the way of -payment would do, and with this view he retired with the commandant. -In a minute or two they both returned, and the commandant said he -would look at his instructions again. He did so, and declared that -he now found it was compatible with his public duty to allow the -American to pass. "But I shall not have a cent left to take me home," -said the American to me. He was not a smart man, though he talked -smart. For when the moment of departure came all the places in the -boat were taken, and we left him standing on the shore. "Well, I'm -darned!" he said; and we neither heard nor saw more of him. - -That passage down the Serapiqui was not without interest, though it -was somewhat monotonous. Here, for the first time in my life, I found -my bulk and size to be of advantage to me. In the after part of the -canoe sat the master boatman, the captain of the expedition, steering -with a paddle. Then came the mails and our luggage, and next to them -I sat, having a seat to myself, being too weighty to share a bench -with a neighbour. I therefore could lean back among the luggage; and -with a cigar in my mouth, with a little wooden bicher of weak brandy -and water beside me, I found that the position had its charms. - -On the next thwart sat, cheek by jowl, the lieutenant and the -distressed Britisher. Unfortunately they had nothing on which to -lean, and I sincerely pitied my friend, who, I fear, did not enjoy -his position. But what could I do? Any change in our arrangements -would have upset the canoe. And then close in the bow of the boat sat -the two natives paddling; and they did paddle without cessation all -that day, and all the next till we reached Greytown. - -The Serapiqui is a fine river; very rapid, but not so much so as to -make it dangerous, if care be taken to avoid the snags. There is not -a house or hut on either side of it; but the forest comes down to the -very brink. Up in the huge trees the monkeys hung jabbering, shaking -their ugly heads at the boat as it went down, or screaming in anger -at this invasion of their territories. The macaws flew high over -head, making their own music, and then there was the constant little -splash of the paddle in the water. The boatmen spoke no word, but -worked on always, pausing now and again for a moment to drink out of -the hollow of their hands. And the sun became hotter and hotter as we -neared the sea; and the musquitoes began to bite; and cigars were lit -with greater frequency. 'Tis thus that one goes down the waters of -the Serapiqui. - -About three we got into the San Juan. This is the river by which the -great lake of Nicaragua empties itself into the sea; which has been -the channel used by the transit companies who have passed from ocean -to ocean through Nicaragua; which has been so violently interfered -with by filibusters, till all such transit has been banished from its -waters; and which has now been selected by M. Belly as the course for -his impossible canal. It has seen dreadful scenes of cruelty, wrong, -and bloodshed. Now it runs along peaceably enough, in its broad, -shallow, swift course, bearing on its margin here and there the -rancho and provision-ground of some wild settler who has sought to -overcome - - "The whips and scorns of time-- - The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely," - -by looking for bread and shelter on those sad, sunburnt, and solitary -banks. - -We landed at one such place to dine, and at another to sleep, -selecting in each place some better class of habitation. At neither -place did we find the owner there, but persons left in charge of the -place. At the first the man was a German; a singularly handsome and -dirty individual, who never shaved or washed himself, and lived -there, ever alone, on bananas and musk-melons. He gave us fruit to -take into the boat with us, and when we parted we shook hands with -him. Out here every one always does shake hands with every one. But -as I did so I tendered him a dollar. He had waited upon us, bringing -water and plates; he had gathered fruit for us; and he was, after -all, no more than the servant of the river squatter. But he let the -dollar fall to the ground, and that with some anger in his face. The -sum was made up of the small silver change of the country, and I felt -rather little as I stooped under the hot sun to pick it up from out -the mud of the garden. Better that than seem to leave it there in -anger. It is often hard for a traveller to know when he is wished to -pay, and when he is wished not to pay. A poorer-looking individual -in raiment and position than that German I have seldom seen; but he -despised my dollar as though it had been dirt. - -We slept at the house of a Greytown merchant, who had maintained an -establishment up the river, originally with the view of supplying -the wants of the American travellers passing in transit across the -isthmus. The flat-bottom steamers which did some five or six years -since ply upon the river used to take in wood here and stop for the -night. And the passengers were wont to come on shore, and call for -rum and brandy; and in this way much money was made. Till after a -time filibusters came instead of passengers; men who took all the -wood that they could find there--hundreds of dollars' worth of sawn -wood, and brandy also--took it away with them, saying that they would -give compensation when they were established in the country, but made -no present payment. And then it became tolerably clear that the time -for making money in that locality had passed away. - -They came in great numbers on one such occasion, and stripped away -everything they could find. Sawn wood for their steam-boilers was -especially desirable, and they took all that had been prepared for -the usual wants of the river. Having helped themselves to this, and -such other chattels as were at the moment needed and at hand, they -went on their way, grimly rejoicing. On the following day most of -them returned; some without arms, some without legs, some even -without heads; a wretched, wounded, mutilated, sore-struck body of -filibusters. The boiler of their large steamer had burst, scattering -destruction far and near. It was current among the filibusters that -the logs of wood had been laden with gunpowder in order to effect -this damage. It is more probable, that being filibusters, rough -and ready as the phrase goes, they had not duly looked to their -engineering properties. At any rate, they all returned. On the whole, -these filibusters have suffered dire punishment for their sins. - -At any rate, the merchant under whose roof we slept received no -payment for his wood. Here we found two men living, not in such -squalid misery as that independent German, but nevertheless -sufficiently isolated from the world. One was an old Swedish sailor, -who seemed to speak every language under the sun, and to have been in -every portion of the globe, whether under the sun or otherwise. At -any rate, we could not induce him to own to not having been in any -place. Timbuctoo; yes, indeed, he had unfortunately been a captive -there for three years. At Mecca he had passed as an Arab among the -Arabs, having made the great pilgrimage in company with many children -of Mahomet, wearing the green turban as a veritable child of Mahomet -himself. Portsmouth he knew well, having had many a row about the -Head. We could not catch him tripping, though we put him through his -facings to the best of our joint geographical knowledge. At present -he was a poor gardener on the San Juan river, having begun life as a -lieutenant in the Swedish navy. _He_ had seen too much of the world -to refuse the dollar which was offered to him. - -On the next morning we reached Greytown, following the San Juan river -down to that pleasant place. There is another passage out to the sea -by the Colorado, a branch river which, striking out from the San -Juan, runs into the ocean by a shorter channel. This also has been -thought of as a course for the projected canal, preferable to that -of the San Juan. I believe them to be equally impracticable. The San -Juan river itself is so shallow that we were frequently on the ground -even in our light canoe. - -And what shall I say of Greytown? We have a Consul-General there, -or at least had one when these pages were written; a Consul-General -whose duty it is, or was, to have under his special care the King -of Mosquitia--as some people are pleased to call this coast--of -the Mosquito coast as it is generally styled. Bluefields, further -along the coast, is the chosen residence of this sable tyrant; but -Greytown is the capital of his dominions. Now it is believed that, in -deference to the feelings of the United States, and to the American -reading of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and in deference, I may add, -to a very sensible consideration that the matter is of no possible -moment to ourselves, the protectorate of the Mosquito coast is to be -abandoned. What the king will do I cannot imagine; but it will be -a happy day I should think for our Consul when he is removed from -Greytown. Of all the places in which I have ever put my foot, I -think that is the most wretched. It is a small town, perhaps of two -thousand inhabitants, though this on my part is a mere guess, at the -mouth of the San Juan, and surrounded on every side either by water -or impassable forests. A walk of a mile in any direction would be -impossible, unless along the beach of the sea; but this is of less -importance, as the continual heat would prevent any one from thinking -of such exercise. Sundry Americans live here, worshipping the -almighty dollar as Americans do, keeping liquor shops and warehouses; -and with the Americans, sundry Englishmen and sundry Germans. Of the -female population I saw nothing except some negro women, and one -white, or rather red-faced owner of a rum shop. The native population -are the Mosquito Indians; but it seems that they are hardly allowed -to live in Greytown. They are to be seen paddling about in their -canoes, selling a few eggs and chickens, catching turtle, and -not rarely getting drunk. They would seem from their colour and -physiognomy to be a cross between the negro and the Indian; and such -I imagine to be the case. They have a language of their own, but -those on the coast almost always speak English also. - -My gallant young friend, Fitzm----, was in command of a small -schooner inside the harbour of Greytown. As the accommodation of the -city itself was not inviting, I gladly took up my quarters under his -flag until the English packet, which was then hourly expected, should -be ready to carry me to Colon and St. Thomas. I can only say that -if I was commander of that schooner I would lie outside the harbour, -so as to be beyond the ill-usage of those frightful musquitoes. The -country has been well named Mosquitia. - -There was an American man-of-war and also an English -man-of-war--sloops-of-war both I believe technically--lying off -Greytown; and we dined on board them both, on two consecutive days. -Of the American I will say, speaking in their praise, that I never -ate such bacon and peas. It may be that the old hens up the Serapiqui -river had rendered me peculiarly susceptible to such delights; but -nevertheless, I shall always think that there was something peculiar -about the bacon and peas on board the American sloop-of-war 'St. -Louis.' - -And on the second day the steamer came in; the 'Trent,' Captain Moir; -we then dined on board of her, and on the same night she sailed for -Colon. And when shall I see that gallant young lieutenant again? -Putting aside his unjust, and I must say miraculous consumption -of hard-boiled eggs, I could hardly wish for a better travelling -companion. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--RAILWAYS, CANALS, AND TRANSIT. - - -How best to get about this world which God has given us is certainly -one of the most interesting subjects which men have to consider, and -one of the most interesting works on which men can employ themselves. - -The child when born is first suckled, then fed with a spoon; in -his next stage, his food is cut up for him, and he begins to help -himself; for some years after that it is still carved under parental -authority; and then at last he sits down to the full enjoyment of his -own leg of mutton, under his own auspices. - -Our development in travelling has been much of the same sort, and we -are now perhaps beginning to use our own knife and fork, though we -hardly yet understand the science of carving; or at any rate, can -hardly bring our hands to the duly dexterous use of the necessary -tools. - -We have at least got so far as this, that we perceive that the leg -of mutton is to be cooked and carved. We are not to eat hunks of raw -sheep cut off here and there. The meat to suit our palates should -be put on a plate in the guise of a cleanly slice, cut to a certain -thickness, and not exceeding a certain size. - -And we have also got so far as this, that we know that the world must -be traversed by certain routes, prepared for us originally not by -ourselves, but by the hand of God. We were great heroes when we first -got round the Cape of Good Hope, when we first crossed the Atlantic, -when we first doubled Cape Horn. We were then learning to pick up our -crumbs with our earliest knives and forks, and there was considerable -peril in the attempt. We have got beyond that now, and have perceived -that we may traverse the world without going round it. The road from -Europe to Asia is by Egypt and the Isthmus of Suez, not by the Cape -of Good Hope. So also is the road from Europe to the West of America, -and from the east of America to Asia by the isthmus of Central -America, and not by Cape Horn. - -We have found out this, and have, I presume, found out also that -this was all laid out for us by the hands of the Creator,--prepared -exactly as the sheep have been prepared. It has been only necessary -that we should learn to use the good things given us. - -That there are reasons why the way should not have been made -absolutely open we may well suppose, though we cannot perhaps at -present well understand. How currents of the sea might have run so -as to have impeded rather than have assisted navigation, had the -two Americas been disjoined; how pernicious winds might have blown, -and injurious waters have flowed, had the Red Sea opened into the -Mediterranean, we may imagine, though we cannot know. That the -world's surface, as formed by God, is best for God's purposes, and -therefore certainly best for man's purposes, that most of us must -believe. - -But it is for us to carve the good things which are put before us, -and to find out the best way in which they may be carved. We may, -perhaps, fairly think that we have done much towards acquiring this -knowledge, but we certainly know that there is more yet to be done. -We have lines of railways from London to Manchester; from Calais -across France and all the Germanies to Eastern Europe; from the -coast of Maine, through the Canadas, to the central territories -of the United States; but there are no lines yet from New York to -California, nor from the coast of the Levant to Bombay and Calcutta. - -But perhaps the two greatest points which are at this moment being -mooted, with reference to the carriage about the world of mankind and -man's goods, concern the mode in which we may most advantageously -pass across the isthmuses of Suez and Panama. These are the two land -obstacles in the way of navigation, of direct water carriage round -the earth's belt--obstacles as they appear to us, though in truth -so probably locks formed by the Almighty for the assistance of our -navigation. - -For many years, it is impossible to say how many, but for some few -centuries as regards Panama, and for many centuries as regards Suez, -this necessity has been felt, and the minds of men in those elder -days inclined naturally to canals. In the days of the old kings of -Egypt, antecedent to Cleopatra, attempts were made to cut through the -sands and shallow lakes from the eastern margin of the Nile's delta -to the Red Sea; and the idea of piercing Central America in some -point occurred to the Spaniards immediately on their discovering -the relative position of the two oceans. But in those days men were -infants, not as yet trusted with the carving-knife. - -The work which unsuccessfully filled the brains of so many thoughtful -men for so many years has now been done--at any rate to a degree. -Railways have been completed from Alexandria on the Mediterranean to -Suez on the Red Sea, and from Panama on the Pacific, to Aspinwall -or Colon on the Caribbean Sea. These railways are now at work, and -passengers are carried across with sufficient rapidity. The Isthmus -of Suez, over which the line of railway runs for something over -two hundred miles, creates a total delay to our Indian mails and -passengers of twenty-four hours only, and the lesser distance of the -American isthmus is traversed in three hours. Were rapidity here as -necessary as it is in the other case--and it will doubtless become -so--the conveyance from one sea to the other need not create a delay -of above twelve hours. - -But not the less are many men--good and scientific men too--keenly -impressed with the idea that the two isthmuses should be pierced -with canals, although these railways are at work. All mankind has -heard much of M. Lesseps and his Suez canal. On that matter I do not -mean to say much here. I have a very strong opinion that such canal -will not and cannot be made; that all the strength of the arguments -adduced in the matter are hostile to it; and that steam navigation -by land will and ought to be the means of transit through Egypt. But -that matter is a long way distant from our present subject. It is -with reference to the transit over the other isthmus that I propose -to say a few words. - -It is singular, or perhaps if rightly considered not singular, that -both the railways have been constructed mainly by Anglo-Saxon science -and energy, and under the pressure of Anglo-Saxon influence; while -both the canal schemes most prevalent at the present day owe their -repute to French eloquence and French enthusiasm. M. Lesseps is the -patron of the Suez canal, and M. Belly of that which is, or is not to -be, constructed from San Juan del Norte, or Greytown, to the shores -of the Pacific. - -There are three proposed methods of crossing the isthmus, that by -railway, that by canal, and a third by the ordinary use of such -ordinary means of conveyance as the land and the waters of the -country afford. - -As regards railway passage, one line being now open and at work, -has those nine points in its favour which possession gives. It does -convey men and goods across with great rapidity, and is a reality, -doing that which it pretends to do. Its charges, however, are very -high; and it would doubtless be well if competition, or fear of -competition, could be made to lower them. Five pound is charged for -conveying a passenger less than fifty miles; no class of passengers -can cross at a cheaper fare; and the rates charged for goods are -as high in comparison. On the other side, it may be said that -the project was one of great risk, that the line was from its -circumstances very costly, having been made at an expense of about -thirty-two thousand pounds a mile--I believe, however, that a -considerable portion of the London and Birmingham line was equally -expensive--and that trains by which money can be made cannot run -often, perhaps only six or seven times a month each way. - -It is, however, very desirous that the fares should be lowered, and -the great profits accruing to the railway prove that this may be -done. Eventually they doubtless will be lowered. - -The only other line of railway which now seems to be spoken of as -practicable for the passage of the isthmus is one the construction -of which has been proposed across the republic of Honduras, from a -spot called Port Cortez, in the Bay of Honduras, on the northern or -Atlantic side, to some harbour to be chosen in the Bay of Fonseca, on -the southern or Pacific side. Mr. Squier, who was Chargé d'Affaires -from the United States to Central America, and whose work on the -republics of Central America is well known, strongly advocates this -line, showing in the first place that from its position it would suit -the traffic of the United States much better than that of Panama; -as undoubtedly it would, seeing that the transit from New York to -California, viâ Panama, must go down south as far as latitude 7° -north; whereas, by the proposed route through Honduras it need not -descend below lat. 13° north, thus saving double that distance in -the total run each way.* Mr. Squier then goes on to prove that the -country of Honduras is in every way suited for the purposes of a -railway; but here I am not sure that he carries me with him. The road -would have to ascend nearly three thousand feet above the sea-level; -and though it may be true that the grades themselves would not be -more severe than many that are now to be found on railways in full -work in other countries, nevertheless it must be felt that the -overcoming such an altitude in such a country, and the working over -it when overcome, would necessarily add greatly to the original cost -of the line, and the subsequent cost of running. The Panama line -goes through a country comparatively level. Then the distance across -Honduras is one hundred and fifty miles, and it is computed that the -line would be two hundred miles: the length of the Panama line is -forty-seven or forty-eight miles. - - [*Not that we may take all that Mr. Squier says on this - subject as proved. His proposed route for the traffic of the - United States is from the western coast of Florida to the - chosen port, Port Cortez, in Honduras; and he attempts to - show that this is pretty nearly the only possible passage in - those seas free from hurricanes and danger. But this passage - is right across the Gulf of Mexico, and vessels would have - to stem the full force of the gulf-stream on their passage - down from Florida. - - In all such matters where a man becomes warm on a scheme he - feels himself compelled to prove that the gods themselves - have pointed out the plan as the only one fit for adoption, - as the only one free from all evil and blessed with every - advantage. We are always over-proving our points.] - -The enormous cost of the Panama line arose from the difficulty of -obtaining the necessary sort of labour. The natives would not work as -they were wanted, and Europeans died there; so that, at last, labour -was imported from the coast of New Granada. At the high level named -as the summit of the Honduras route, the climate would no doubt be -comparatively mild, and labour easy to be borne; but near the coast -of the Bays, both of Honduras and Fonseca, the heat would be as great -as at Aspinwall and Panama, and the effects probably the same. - -As regards our British traffic, the route by the Isthmus of Panama is -the better situated of the two. Looking at a map of the world--and -it is necessary to take in the whole world, in order that the -courses of British trade may be seen--it does not seem to be of much -consequence, as regards distance, whether a bale of goods from London -to Sydney should pass the isthmus by Honduras or Panama; but in -fact, even for this route, the former would labour under great -disadvantages. A ship in making its way from Honduras up to Jamaica -has to fight against the trade winds. On this account our mail -steamer from Belize to Jamaica is timed only at four miles an hour, -though the mail to Honduras is timed at eight miles an hour. This -would be the direct route from the terminus of the Honduras line -to Europe, and matters would be made only worse if any other line -were taken. But the track from Panama to Jamaica is subject to what -sailors call a soldier's wind; even working to St. Thomas, and -thereby getting a stronger slant of the trade winds against them, our -mail steamers can make eight or nine miles an hour. - -As regards our trade to Chili and Peru, it is clear that Honduras -is altogether out of our way; and as regards our coming trade to -Frazer River and Vancouver's Island, though the absolute distance, -via Honduras, would be something shorter, that benefit would be -neutralized by the disadvantageous position of the Bay of Honduras -as above explained. - -But the great advantage which the Panama line enjoys is the fact of -its being already made. _It has the nine points which possession -gives it._ Its forty-eight miles cost one million six hundred -thousand pounds. It cannot be presumed that two hundred miles through -Honduras could be made for double that sum; and seeing that the -Honduras line would be in opposition to the other, and only be used -if running at fares lower than those of its rival, I cannot see how -it would pay, or where the money is to be procured. I am not aware -that the absolute cost of the proposed line through Honduras has been -accurately computed. - -As regards the public interest, two lines would no doubt be better -than one. Competition is always beneficial to the consumer; but in -this case, I do not expect to see the second line made in our days. -That there will in future days be a dozen ways of commodiously -crossing the isthmus--when we have thoroughly learned how best to -carve our leg of mutton--I do not at all doubt. - -It may be as well to state here that England is bound by a treaty -with Honduras, made in 1836, to assist in furthering the execution -of this work by our countenance, aid, and protection, on condition -that when made, we Britishers are to have the full use of it; -as much so, at least, as any other people or nation. And that, -as I take it, is the sole and only meaning of all those treaties -made on our behalf with Central America, or in respect to Central -America--Clayton-Bulwer treaty, new Ouseley treaty, and others; -namely, that we, who are desirous of excluding no person from the -benefits of this public world-road, are not ourselves to be excluded -on any consideration whatever. And may we not boast that this is the -only object looked for in all our treaties and diplomatic doings? -Is it not for that reason that we hold Gibraltar, are jealous about -Egypt, and resolved to have Perim in our power? Is it not true that -we would fain make all ways open to all men? that we would have them -open to ourselves, certainly; but not closed against any human being? -If that, and such like, be not what our diplomatists are doing, then -I, for one, misunderstand their trade. - -So much for the two railways, and now as to the proposed canals. Here -no happy undertaking can boast of the joys of possession. No canal is -as yet open carrying men and goods with, shall we say, twenty-five -per cent. profit on the outlay. Ah, that is an elysium which does not -readily repeat itself. Oh, thou thrice happy Colonel Totten, who hast -constructed a railway resulting in such celestial beatitude! - -The name of canals projected across the isthmus has been legion, and -the merits of them all have in their time been hotly pressed by their -special advocates. That most to the north, which was the passage -selected by Cortes, and pressed by him on the Spanish government, -would pass through Mexico. The line would be from the Gulf of -Campechay, up the river Coatzacoalcoz, to Tehuantepec, on the -Pacific. This was advocated as lately as 1845, but has now, I -believe, been abandoned as impracticable. Going south down the map, -the next proposition of which I can find mention is for a canal from -the head of the Lake of Dulce through the state of Guatemala; the -Lake or Gulf of Dulce being at the head of the Gulf of Honduras. -This also seems to have been abandoned. Then we come to the proposed -Honduras railway, of which mention has been made. - -Next below this we reach a cluster of canals, all going through the -great inland lake of Nicaragua. This scheme, or one of these schemes, -has also been in existence since the times of the early Spaniards; -and has been adhered to with more or less pertinacity ever since. -This Lake of Nicaragua was to be reached either direct by the river -San Juan, or by entering the river San Juan from the ocean by the -river Colorado, which is in effect a branch of the San Juan; the -projected canal would thus ascend to the lake. From thence to the -Pacific various passages for egress have been suggested; at first it -was intended, naturally, to get out at the nearest practicable point, -that being probably at San Juan del Sur. They have San Juans and San -Josés quite at pleasure about these countries. - -Then came the grand plan of the present French emperor, bearing at -least his name, and first published, I think, in 1846; this was a -very grand plan, of course. The route of "transit" was to be right up -the Lake of Nicaragua to its northern point; there the canal was to -enter the River Tipitapa, and come out again in the northern Lake of -Managua; from thence it was to be taken out to the Pacific at the -port of Realejo. This project included the building of an enormous -city, which was to contain the wealth of the new world, and to be, as -it were, a new Constantinople between the two lakes; but the scheme -has been abandoned as being too costly, too imperial. - -And now we have M. Belly's scheme; his scheme and pamphlet of which I -will say a few words just now, and therefore I pass on to the others. - -The line of the River Chargres, and from thence to the town of -Panama--being very nearly the line of the present railway--was -long contemplated with favour, but has now been abandoned as -impracticable; as has also the line over the Isthmus of Darien, -which was for a while thought to be the most feasible, as being -the shortest. The lie of the land, however, and the nature of the -obstacles to be overcome, have put this scheme altogether out of the -question. - -Next and last is the course of the River Atrato, which runs into the -Gulf of Darien, but which is, in fact, the first of the great rivers -of South America; first, that is, counting them as commencing from -the isthmus. It runs down from the Andes parallel to the coast of -the Pacific, and is navigable for many miles. The necessary surveys, -however, for connecting this river with the Pacific have never yet -been made; and even if this plan were practicable, the extremely low -latitude at which the Pacific ocean would be reached would make such -a line bad for our trade, and quite out of the question for the chief -portion of the American "transit." - -It appears, therefore, that there are insuperable objections to all -these canal routes, unless it be to some route passing through the -Lake of Nicaragua. By reference to a map of Central America it will -be seen that the waters of this lake, joined to those of the San Juan -river, comprise the breadth of nearly the whole isthmus, leaving a -distance not exceeding twenty miles to be conquered by a canal. At -first sight this appears to be very enticing, and M. Belly has been -enticed. He has been enticed, or at any rate writes as though this -were the case; anything worded more eloquently, energetically, and -grandiloquently, than his pamphlet in favour of this route I have not -met, even among French pamphlets. - -M. Felix Belly describes himself as a "publiciste," and chevalier of -the order of Saint Maurice and Lazarus, and of the order of Medjidie. -As such he has made a convention with Don Thomas Martinez, President -of the republic of Nicaragua, and with Don Juan Rafael Mora, -President of the republic of Costa Rica, in accordance with which he, -Chevalier Belly, is to cut a canal or water-route for ships through -the territories of those potentates, obtaining thereby certain -vast privileges, including the possession of no small portion of -those territories, and the right of levying all manner of tolls on -the world's commerce which is to pass through his canal. And the -potentates above named are in return to receive from M. Belly very -considerable subsidies out of these tolls. They bind themselves, -moreover, to permit no other traffic or transit through their -country, securing to M. Belly for ninety-nine years the monopoly -of the job; and granting to him the great diplomatic privilege of -constituting his canal, let it be here or there, the boundary of the -realms of these two potentates. - -What strikes me with the greatest wonder on reading--not the -pamphlet, for that is perhaps more wonderful in other respects--but -the articles of the convention, is, that these three persons, the -potentates aforesaid and the chevalier, should have among them the -power of doing all this; or that they should even have had the power -of agreeing to do all this; for really up to this period one seems -hardly to have heard in England much about any one of them. - -That there should be presidents of these two republics is supposed, -as there are also, doubtless, of San Salvador and Venezuela, and -all the other western republics; but it is to be presumed that as -presidents of republics they can have themselves no more power to -give away a ninety-nine years' possession of their lands and waters -than can any other citizen. Mr. Buchanan could hardly sell to any -Englishman, however enterprising, the right of making a railway from -New York to San Francisco. The convention does certainly bear two -other signatures, which purport to be those of the ministers of -foreign affairs attached to those two republics; but even this hardly -seems to give us a sufficient guarantee of power. What if we should -put our money into the canal, and future presidents should refuse to -be bound by the agreement? - -But M. Belly's name stands on his side alone. No foreign minister or -aide-de-camp is necessary to back his signature. The two potentates -having agreed to give the country, he will agree to make the -canal--he, M. Belly, Publiciste and Chevalier. It is to cost -altogether, according to his account, 120,000,000 francs--say, -four million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling. Of a company, -chairman, and directors we hear nothing. We cannot find that the -shares are in the market. Probably they may be too valuable. On our -own Stock Exchange the matter does not seem to be much known, nor do -we perceive that it is quoted among French prices. Nevertheless, M. -Belly has the four million eight hundred thousand pounds already in -his breeches-pockets, and he will make the canal. I wonder whether he -would drain London for us if we were to ask him. - -But wonderful as is the fact that these three gentlemen should be -about to accomplish this magnificent undertaking for the world, the -eloquence of the language in which the undertaking is described is -perhaps more wonderful still. - -"On the first of May, 1858, at Rivas, in Nicaragua, in the midst of a -concourse of circumstances full of grandeur, a convention was signed -which opens to civilization a new view and unlimited horizons. The -hour has come for commencing with resolution this enterprise of -cutting the Isthmus of Panama. ... The solution of the problem -must be no longer retarded. It belongs to an epoch which has given -to itself the mission of pulling down barriers and suppressing -distances. It must be regarded, not as a private speculation, but as -a creation of public interest--not as the work of this people or that -party, but as springing from civilization itself." Then M. Belly goes -on to say that this project, emanating from a man sympathetic with -the cause and a witness of the heroism of Central America, namely -himself, possesses advantages--which of course could not attach to -any scheme devised by a less godlike being. - -It may be seen that I have no great belief in the scheme of M. Belly; -neither have I in many other schemes of the present day emanating -from Englishmen, Americans, and others. But it is not that disbelief, -but my admiration for French eloquence which urges me to make the -above translation. Alas! I feel that I have lost so much of the -Gallic fragrance! The Parisian aroma has escaped from the poor -English words! - -Is not this peculiar eloquence used in propagating all French -projects for increased civilization? From the invention of a new -constitution to that of a new shirt is it even wanting? We, with our -stupid, unimaginative platitudes, know no better than to write up -"Eureka" when we think we have discovered anything; but a Frenchman -tells his countrymen that they need no longer be mortals; a new era -has come; let them wear his slippers and they will walk as gods -walk. How many new eras have there not been? Who is not sick of the -grandiloquence of French progress? "Now--now we have taken the one -great step. The dove at length may nestle with the kite, the lamb -drink with the wolf. Men may share their goods, certain that others -will share with them. Labour and wages, work and its reward, shall -be systematized. Now we have done it, and the world shall be happy." -Well; perhaps the French world is happy. It may be that the liberty -which they have propagated, the equality which they enjoy, and the -fraternity which they practise, is fit for them! - -But when has truly mighty work been heralded by magniloquence? Did -we have any grand words from old George Stephenson, with his "vera -awkward for the cou"? Was there aught of the eloquent sententiousness -of a French marshal about the lines of Torres Vedras? Was Luther apt -to speak with great phraseology? If words ever convey to my ears a -positive contradiction of the assertion which they affect to make, it -is when they are grandly antithetical and magnificently verbose. If, -in addition to this, they promise to mankind "new epochs, new views, -and unlimited horizons," surely no further proof can be needed that -they are vain, empty, and untrue. - -But the language in which this proposal for a canal is couched is -hardly worth so much consideration--would be worth no consideration -at all, did it not come before us now as an emblem of that which -at this present time is the most pernicious point in the French -character; a false boasting of truth and honesty, with little or no -relish for true truth and true honesty. - -The present question is whether M. Belly's canal scheme be feasible; -and, if feasible, whether he has or can attain the means of carrying -it out. - -In the first place, it has already come to pass that the convention -signed with such unlimited horizons has proved to be powerless. It is -an undoubted fact that it was agreed to by the two presidents; and as -far as one of them is concerned, it is, I fear, a fact also that for -the present he has sufficient power in his own territory to bind his -countrymen, at any rate for a time, by his unsupported signature. Don -Juan Rafael Mora, in Costa Rica, need care for no congress. If he -were called dictator instead of president, the change would only -be in the word. But this is not exactly so in Nicaragua. There, it -seems, the congress has refused to ratify the treaty as originally -made. But they have, I believe, ratified another, in which M. Belly's -undertaking to make the canal is the same as before, but from which -the enormous grant of land, and the stipulations as to the boundary -line of the territories are excluded. - -In M. Belly's pamphlet he publishes a letter which he has received -from Lord Malmesbury, as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs--or -rather a French translation of such a letter. It is this letter which -appears to have given in Central America the strongest guarantee -that something is truly intended by M. Belly's project. Both in the -pamphlet, and in the convention itself, repeated reference is made -to the French government; but no document is given, nor even is any -positive assertion made, that the government of the emperor in any -way recognizes the scheme. But if this letter be true, and truly -translated, Lord Malmesbury has done so to a certain extent. "And -I am happy," says the letter, "to be able to assure you that the -stipulations of the treaty made between Great Britain and the United -States, commonly called the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, are in my opinion -applicable to your project, if you put it in execution."* And then -this letter, written to a private gentleman holding no official -position, is signed by the Secretary of State himself. M. Belly holds -no official position, but he is addressed in his translation of Lord -Malmesbury's letter as "Concessionnaire du Canal de Nicaragua." - - [*See note to page 29, 12th edition. I have not happened - to meet with any earlier edition of the work.] - -Such a letter from such a quarter has certainly been very useful to -M. Belly. In the minds of the presidents of the republics of Central -America it must have gone far to prove that England at any rate -regards M. Belly as no adventurer. There are many of the clauses -of the convention to which I should have imagined that the English -Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs would not have given an -assent, although he might not be called on to express dissent. In -the 26th Article it is stipulated that during the making of the -canal--which if it were to be made at all would be protracted over -many years--two French ships of war should lie in the Lake of -Nicaragua; it having been stipulated by Art. 24 that no other -ships of war should be admitted; thus giving to France a military -occupation of the country. And by Art. 28 it is agreed that any -political squabble relative to this convention should be referred to -a tribunal of seven; two to be named by the company, and one each by -France, England, the United States, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It is, -I imagine, hardly probable that the English government would send one -member to such a tribunal, in which France would have three voices to -her one, two of which voices would be wholly irresponsible. - -Of course the letter does not bind Lord Malmesbury or any secretary -for foreign affairs to the different articles of the convention; -but if it be a genuine letter, I cannot but think it to have been -imprudent.* - - [*M. Belly speaks of his convention as having been adopted - by France, England, and the United States. "Adopted, as it - already is, by the United States, by England, and by France, - and as it soon will be by the contracting Powers of the - Treaty of Paris, it will become"--the saviour of the world, - &c. &c. What basis there is for this statement, as regards - France and the United States, I do not know. As regards - England, I presume Lord Malmesbury's letter affords that - basis.] - -The assistance of Lord Malmesbury has been obtained by the easy -progress of addressing a letter to him. But to seduce the presidents -of Central America a greater effort has been made. They are told -that they are the wisest of the earth's potentates. "Carrera, of -Guatemala, though an Indian and uneducated, is a man of natural -genius, and has governed for fifteen years with a wisdom which has -attracted to him the unanimous adherence of his colleagues." "Don -Juan Mora, of Costa Rica, the hero of Rivas, has not had to spill -a drop of blood in maintaining in his cities an order much more -perfect than any to be found in Europe. He is a man, 'hors de ligne,' -altogether out of the common; and although he counts scarcely forty -years, but few political examples of old Europe can be compared to -him." And as for General Martinez, President of Nicaragua, "since he -has arrived at the direction of affairs there, he would have healed -all the wounds of the country--had not the fatal influence of -North American spirit paralyzed all his efforts." What wonder that -Presidents so spoken of should sign away their lands and waters? - -But presuming all political obstacles to be removed, and that as -regards the possession of the land, and the right of making a -canal through it, everything had been conceded, there remain two -considerable difficulties. In the first place, the nature of the -waters and land, which seems to prohibit the cutting of a canal, -except at an expense much more enormous than any that has been ever -named; and secondly, the amount of money to be collected, even if M. -Belly's figures be correct. He states that he can complete the work -for four million eight hundred thousand pounds. From whence is that -sum to be procured? - -As regards the first difficulty, I, from my own knowledge, can -say nothing, not being an engineer, and having seen only a small -portion of the projected route. I must therefore refer to M. Belly's -engineer, and those who hold views differing from M. Belly. M. -Belly's engineer-in-chief is M. Thomé de Gamond, who, in the pamphlet -above alluded to, puts forward his calculations, and sends in his -demand for the work at four million eight hundred thousand pounds. -The route is by the river San Juan, a portion of which is so shallow -that canoes in their course are frequently grounded when the waters -are low, and other parts of which consist of rapids. It then goes -through the lake, a channel through which must be dredged or cleared -with gunpowder before it can carry deep-sea ships, and then out to -the Pacific by a canal which must be cut through the mountains. -There is nothing in the mere sound of all this to make a man, who is -ignorant on the subject as I and most men are, feel that the work -could not be done for the sum named. But before investing cash in the -plan, one would like to be sure of the engineer, and to know that he -has made his surveys very accurately. - -Now it appears that M. Thomé de Gamond has never set foot in Central -America; or, if he has done so now--and I do not know whether he has -or has not--he never had done so when he drew out his project. Nor, -as it would appear, has he even done his work, trusting to the eyes -and hands of others. As far as one can learn, no surveys whatsoever -have been taken for this gigantic scheme. - -The engineer tells us that he has used marine charts and -hydrographical drawings made by officers of various nations, which -enable him to regard his own knowledge as sufficiently exact as far -as shores and levels of the rivers, &c., are concerned; and that -with reference to the track of his canal, he has taken into his -service--"utilisé"--the works of various surveying engineers, among -them Colonel Child, the American. They, to be sure, do leave him at -a loss as to the interior plateau of the Mosquito country, and some -regions to the east and south of the lake--the canal must enter the -lake by the south-east;--but this is a matter of no moment, seeing -that all these countries are covered by virgin forests, and can -therefore easily be arranged! Gentlemen capitalists, will you on this -showing take shares in the concern? - -The best real survey executed with reference to any kindred project -was that made by Colonel Child, an officer of engineers belonging -to the United States. I believe I may say this without hesitation; -and it is to Colonel Child's survey that M. Belly most frequently -refers. But the facts, as stated by Colonel Child, prove the absolute -absurdity of M. Belly's plan. He was employed in 1851 by an American -company, which, as it went to the considerable expense of having such -work absolutely done, was no doubt in earnest in its intentions with -reference to a canal. Colonel Child did not actually report against -the canal. He explained what could be done for a certain sum of -money, leaving it to others to decide whether, in effecting so much, -that sum of money would be well laid out. He showed that a canal -seventeen feet deep might be made--taking the course of the San -Juan and that of the lake, as suggested by M. Belly--for a sum of -thirty-one millions of dollars, or six million two hundred thousand -pounds. - -But when the matter came to be considered by men versed in such -concerns, it was seen that a canal with a depth of only seventeen -feet of water would not admit of such vessels as those by which alone -such a canal could be beneficially used. Passengers, treasure, and -light goods can easily be transhipped and carried across by railway. -The canal, if made at all, must be made for the passage of large -vessels built for heavy goods. For such vessels a canal must hold not -less than twenty-five feet of water. It was calculated that a cutting -of such depth would cost much more than double the sum needed for -that intended to contain seventeen feet--more, that is, than twelve -million four hundred thousand pounds. The matter was then abandoned, -on the conviction that no ship canal made at such a cost could by -any probability become remunerative. In point of time it could never -compete with the railway. Colonel Child had calculated that a delay -of two days would take place in the locks; and even as regards heavy -goods, no extreme freight could be levied, as saving of expense with -them would be of much greater object than saving of time. - -That this decision was reached on good grounds, and that the project, -then, at any rate, was made bonâ fide there can, I believe, be no -doubt. In opposition to such a decision, made on such grounds, and -with no encouragement but that given by the calculations of an -engineer who has himself made no surveys, I cannot think it likely -that this new plan will ever be carried out The eloquence even of M. -Belly, backed by such arguments, will hardly collect four million -eight hundred thousand pounds; and even if it did, the prudence of M, -Belly would hardly throw such an amount of treasure into the San Juan -river. - -As I have before said, there appears to have been no company formed. -M. Belly is the director, and he has a bureau of direction in the Rue -de Provence. But though deficient as regards chairmen, directors, -and shareholders, he is magnificently provided with high-sounding -officials. Then again there comes a blank. Though the corps of -officers was complete when I was in Costa Rica, at any rate as -regards their names, the workmen had not arrived; not even the -skilled labourers who were to come in detachments of forty-five -by each mail packet. The mail packets came, but not the skilled -labourers. - -Shortly before my arrival at San José, there appeared in the -journal published in that town a list of officers to be employed -by M. Felix Belly, the Director-General "De la Compañie Del Canal -Atlantico-Pacifico." The first of these is Don Andres Le Vasseur, -Minister Plenipotentiary, Veteran Officer of the Guard Imperial, -Commander of the Legion of Honour, and Knight of the Order of St. -Gregory. He is Secretary-General of the Direction. Then there are -other secretaries. In the first place, Prince Polignac, Veteran -Officer of the Cavalry of the Cazadores in Africa, &c. He at any rate -is a fact! for did I not meet him and the O'Gorman Mahon--Nicodemus -and Polyphemus--not "standing naked in the open air," but drinking -brandy and water at the little inn at Esparza? "Arcades ambo!" The -next secretary is Don Henrique Le Vasseur. He is Dibujador fotografo, -which I take to mean photographical artist; and then Don Andres -L'Heritier; he is the private secretary. - -We next come to the engineers. With reference to geology and -mineralogy, M. Belly has employed Don José Durocher, whose titles, -taken from the faculty of science at Rennes, the Legion of Honour, -&c., are too long to quote. Don Eugénio Ponsard, who also is not -without his titles, is the working engineer on these subjects. And -then joined to them as adjutant-engineer is Don Henrique Peudifer, -whose name is also honoured with various adjuncts. - -The engineers who are to be intrusted with the surveys and works of -the canals are named next. There are four such, to whom are joined -five conductors of the works and eight special masters of the men. - -All these composed an expedition which left Southampton on the 17th -of February, 1859,--or which should so have left it, had they acted -up to M. Belly's promises. - -Then by the packet of the 2nd of March, 1859, there came--or at least -there should have come, for we are told that they sailed--another -expedition. I cannot afford to give all the names, but they are -full-sounding and very honourable. Among them there was a maker of -bricks, who in his own country had been a chief of the works in the -imperial manufactory of porcelain at Sèvres. Having enticed him from -so high a position, it is to be hoped that M. Belly will treat him -well in Central America. There are, or were, hydrographical engineers -and agricultural engineers, master carpenters, and masters of various -other specialties. - -I fear all these gentlemen came to grief on the road, for I think -I may say that no such learned troops came through with the mail -packets which left Southampton on the days indicated. - -Then by the following steamers there would, it is stated, be -despatched in succession an inspector of telegraphs, an engineer for -making gas, an engineer to be charged with the fabrication of the -iron way, an agriculturist-in-chief, a scientific commission for -geology, mineralogy, meteorology, and natural history in general. And -attached to all the engineers will come--or now long since should -have come--the conductors of works and special masters of men, who -are joined with them in their operations. These are to consist -principally of veteran soldiers of the Engineers and the Artillery. - -These gentlemen also must, I fear, have been cast away between -Southampton and St. Thomas, if they left the former port by either -of the two mail steamers following those two specially indicated. I -think I may say positively that no such parties were forwarded from -St. Thomas. - -The general inspection of the works will be intrusted ultimately to -a French and to an English engineer. The Frenchman will of course be -M. Thomé de Gamond. The Englishman is to be "Mr. Locke, Member of -Parliament." If, indeed, this latter assertion were true! But I think -I may take upon myself to say that it is untrue. - -All the above certainly sounds very grand, especially when given at -full length in the Spanish language. Out there, in Central America, -the list is effective. Here, in England, we should like to see the -list of the directors as well, and to have some idea how much money -has been subscribed. Mankind perhaps can trust M. Belly for much, but -not for everything. - -In the month of May Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of Costa -Rica, left his dominions and proceeded to Rivas, in Nicaragua, to -assist at the inauguration of the opening of the works of the canal. -When I and my companion met him at Esparza, accompanied by Nicodemus -and Polyphemus, he was making this journey. M. Belly has already -described in eloquent language how on a previous occasion this -potentate condescended to leave his own kingdom and visit that of -a neighbour; thus sacrificing individual rank for the benefit of -humanity and civilization. He was willing to do this even once again. -Having borrowed a French man-of-war to carry him from Punta-arenas, -in his own territories, to St. Juan del Sur, in the territory of -Nicaragua, he started with his suite, of whom the Prince and the -O'Gorman were such distinguished members. But, lo! when he arrived -at Rivas, a few miles up from San Juan del Sur--at Rivas, where with -gala holiday triumph the canal was to be inaugurated--the canal from -whence were to come new views and unlimited horizons--lo! when he -there arrived, no brother-president was there to meet him, no M. -Belly, attended by engineers-in-chief and brickmakers from Sèvres, -to do him honour. There was not even one French pupil from the -Polytechnic School to turn a sod with a silver spade. In lieu of -this, some custom-house officer of Nicaragua called upon poor Don -Juan to pay the usual duty on bringing his portmanteau into Rivas. -Other new views, and other unlimited horizons had, it seems, been -dawning on M. Belly. - -One of the first words of which a man has to learn the meaning on -reaching these countries is "transit." Central America can only be -great in the world--as Egypt can be only great--by being a passage -between other parts of the world which are in themselves great. We -Englishmen all know Crewe; Crewe has become a town of considerable -importance, as being a great railway junction. Men must reach Crewe -and leave Crewe continually, and the concourse there has rendered -labour necessary; labourers of all sorts must live in houses, and -require bakers and grocers to supply them. So Crewe has grown up -and grown important; and so will Central America become important. -Aspinwall--Colon, as we call it--has become a town in this way within -the last ten years. - -"Transit" in these parts means the trade of carrying people across -Central America; and a deal of "transit" has been done and money made -by carrying people across Nicaragua by way of the great lake. This -has hitherto been effected by shallow-bottomed boats. I will say one -word or so on the subject when I have done, as I very soon shall have -done, with M. Belly. - -Now it is very generally thought that M. Belly when he speaks of this -canal means "transit." There can be no question but that a great -carrying trade might be opened, much to the advantage of Nicaragua, -and to the advantage of Costa Rica also though not to the same -extent. If all this canal grandiloquence would pave the way to -"transit," might it not be well? What if another agreement could be -made, giving to M. Belly and his company the sole right of "transit" -through Nicaragua, till the grand canal should be completed--a very -long lease; might not something be done in this way? But Don Juan -Mora there, Don Juan of Costa Rica, that man altogether "hors de -ligne," grand as he is, need know nothing about this. Let him, -left quite in darkness as to this new view, these altered unlimited -horizons, go to Rivas if he will, and pay his custom dues. - -It may be that I have written at too great length, and with an energy -disproportionate to the subject, on this matter of the Nicaraguan -canal scheme. I do not know that the English public generally, or at -any rate that portion of it which may perhaps read my book, is very -deeply interested in the subject. We hear now and then something of -the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and a word or two is said about the Panama -route to Australia, but the subject is not generally interesting to -us, as is that of the passage through Egypt. We can reach Australia -by another and a shorter route; and as for Vancouver's Island and -Frazer River, they as yet are very young. - -But the matter will become of importance. And to a man in Central -America, let his visit to that country be ever so short, it becomes -at once important. To me it was grievous to find a work so necessary -to the world as this of opening a way over the isthmus, tampered -with, and to a degree hindered by a scheme which I cannot but regard -as unreal. But unreal as it may be, this project has reached -dimensions which make it in some way worthy of notice. A French ship -of war was sent to take the President Mora and his suite on their -unfortunate journey to Rivas; and an English ship of war was sent to -bring them back. The extension of such privileges to the president of -a republic in Central America may be very well; but men, seeing on -what business this president was travelling, not unnaturally regarded -the courtesy as an acknowledgment of the importance of M. Belly's -work. - -I do not wish to use hard names, but I cannot think that the project -of which I have been speaking covers any true intention of making -a canal. And such schemes, if not real, if not true in the outward -bearings which they show to the world, go far to deter others which -might be real. And now I will say nothing further about M. Belly. - -As I have before stated, there was some few years since a -considerable passenger traffic through Central America by the route -of the Lake of Nicaragua. This of course was in the hands of the -Americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming -between the Eastern States and California. They came down to -Greytown, at the mouth of the San Juan river, in steamers from New -York, and I believe from various American ports, went up the San Juan -river in other steamers with flat bottoms prepared for those waters, -across the lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the -intervening neck of land between the lake and the Pacific. - -Of course the Panama railway has done much to interfere with this. In -the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though I doubt -whether it would be a quicker route from New York to California -if the way by the Lake were well organized. And then the company -possessing the line of steamers running to Aspinwall from New York -has been able to buy off the line which would otherwise run to -Greytown. - -But this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage -of the Nicaraguan route. The filibusters came into that land and -destroyed everything. They dropped down from California on Realejo, -Leon, Manaqua, Granada, and all the western coast of Nicaragua. -Then others came from the South-Eastern States, from Mobile and New -Orleans, and swarmed up the San Juan river, devouring everything -before them. There can be no doubt that Walker's idea, in his attempt -to possess himself of this country, was that he could thus become -master of the passage across the isthmus. He saw, as so many others -have seen, the importance of the locality in this point of view; and -he probably felt that if he could make himself lord of the soil by -his own exertions, and on his own bottom, his mother country, the -United States, would not be slow to recognize him. "I," he would have -said, "have procured for you the ownership of the road which is so -desirable for you. Pay me, by making me your lieutenant here, and -protecting me in that position." - -The idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically -unjust. It was a contemplated filching of the road. And Walker found, -as all men do find, that he could not easily get good tools to do -bad work. He tried the job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, -though he has done much harm to others, he has done very little good -to himself. I do not think that we shall hear much more of him. - -And among the worst of the injuries which he has done is this -disturbance of the Lake traffic. This route has been altogether -abandoned. There, in the San Juan river, is to be seen one old -steamer with its bottom upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their -destruction. All along the banks tales are told of their injustice -and sufferings. How recklessly they robbed on their journey up the -country, and how they returned back to Greytown--those who did -return, whose bones are not whitening the Lake shores--wounded, -maimed, and miserable. - -Along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves, men -prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats -with fuel for their steam. An end for the present has been put to all -this. The weak governments of the country have been able to afford -no protection to these men, and placed as they were, beyond the -protection of England or the United States, they have been completely -open to attack. The filibusters for a while have destroyed the -transit through Nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that -the presidents of that and the neighbouring republics should catch -at any scheme which proposes to give them back this advantage, -especially when promise is made of the additional advantage of -effectual protection. - -It is much to be desired, on all accounts, that this route should -be again opened. Here, I think, is to be found the best chance of -establishing an immediate competition with the Panama railway. For -although such a route will not offer the comfort of the Panama -line, or, till it be well organized, the same rapidity, it would -nevertheless draw to it a great portion of the traffic, and men and -women going in numbers would be carried at cheaper rates; and these -cheaper rates in Nicaragua would probably at once lessen the fares -now charged by the Panama railway. Competition would certainly be -advantageous, and for the present I see no other opening for a -competitive route. - -A railway along the banks of the San Juan would, I fear, be too -expensive. The distance is above one hundred and fifty miles, and -the line would be very costly. But a line of rails from the Lake to -the Pacific might be made comparatively at a small outlay, and would -greatly add to the comfort and rapidity of the passage. - -To us Englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the -transit may be, so long as it is free, and open to all the world; -so long as a difference of nationality creates no difference in the -fares charged or in the facilities afforded. For our own purposes, -I have no doubt the Panama line is the best, and will be the route we -shall use. But we should be delighted to see a second line opened. If -Mr. Squier can accomplish his line through Honduras, we will give him -great honour, and acknowledge that he has done the world a service. -In the mean time, we shall be very happy to see the Lake transit -re-established. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE BERMUDAS. - - -In May I returned from Greytown and the waters of the San Juan to St. -Thomas, spending a few days at Aspinwall and Panama on my journey, -as I have before explained; and on this occasion, that of my fourth -visit to St. Thomas, I was happy enough to escape without any long -stay there. My course now lay to the Bermudas, to which islands a -steamer runs once a month from that disagreeable little depôt of -steam navigation. But as this boat is fitted to certain arrivals and -despatches, not at St. Thomas, but at Halifax, and as we reached St. -Thomas late on the night of the day on which she should have sailed, -and as my missing that vessel would have entailed on me another -month's sojourn, and that a summer month, among those islands, it may -be imagined that I was rather lively on entering the harbour;--keenly -lively to ascertain whether the 'Delta,' such is the name of the -Bermuda boat, was or was not gone on her mission. - -"I see her red funnel right across the harbour," said the chief -officer, looking through infinite darkness. I disbelieved him, and -accused him of hoaxing me. "Look yourself," said he, handing me his -glass. But all the glasses in the world won't turn darkness into -light. I know not by what educational process the eyes of sailors -become like those of cats. In this instance the chief officer had -seen aright, and then, after a visit to the 'Delta,' made at 2 a.m., -I went to bed a happy man. - -We started the next day at 2 p.m., or rather I should say the same -day, and I did no more than breakfast on shore. I then left that -favoured island, I trust for the last time, an island which I believe -may be called the white man's grave with quite as much truth as any -place on the coast of Africa. We steamed out, and I stood on the -stern taking a last look at the three hills of the panorama. It is -certainly a very pretty place seen from a moderate and safe distance, -and seen as a picture. But it should be seen in that way, and in no -other. - -We started, and I, at any rate, with joy. But my joy was not -of long duration, for the 'Delta' rolled hideously. Screw -boats--propellers as the Americans call them with their wonted -genteel propriety--always do roll, and have been invented with the -view of making sea passages more disagreeable than they were. Did -any one of my readers ever have a berth allotted to him just over -the screw? If so, he knows exactly the feeling of being brayed in -a mortar. - -In four days we reached Bermuda, and made our way into St. George's -harbour. Looking back at my fortnight's sojourn there it seems to me -that there can be no place in the world as to which there can be less -to be said than there is about this island,--sayings at least of -the sort in which it is my nature to express itself. Its geological -formation is, I have no doubt, mysterious. It seems to be made of -soft white stone, composed mostly of little shells; so soft, indeed, -that you might cut Bermuda up with a handsaw. And people are cutting -Bermuda up with handsaws. One little island, that on which the -convicts are established, has been altogether so cut up already. When -I visited it, two fat convicts were working away slowly at the last -fragment. - -But I am no geologist, and can give no opinion favourable or -otherwise as to that doctrine that these islands are the crater of an -extinct volcano; only, if so, the seas in those days must have held -a distance much more respectful than at present. Every one of course -knows that there are three hundred and sixty-five of these islands, -all lying within twenty miles in length and three in breadth. They -are surrounded too by reefs, or rocks hidden by water, which stretch -out into the sea in some places for eight or ten miles, making the -navigation very difficult; and, as it seemed to me, very perilous. - -Nor am I prepared to say whether or no the Bermudas was the scene -of Ariel's tricksy doings. They were first discovered in 1522, by -Bermudez, a Spaniard; and Shakespere may have heard of them some -indistinct surmises, sufficient to enable him to speak of the "still -vexed Bermoothes." If these be the veritable scenes of Prospero's -incantations, I will at any rate say this--that there are now to be -found stronger traces of the breed of Caliban than of that of Ariel. -Strong, however, of neither; for though Caliban did not relish -working for his master more keenly than a Bermudian of the present -day, there was nevertheless about him a sort of energy which is -altogether wanting in the existing islanders. - -A gentleman has lately written a book--I am told a very good -book--called "Bermuda as a Colony, a Fortress, and a Prison." This -book I am sure gives accurately all the information which research -could collect as to these islands under the headings named. I made -no research, and pretend only to state the results of cursory -observation. - -As a fortress, no doubt it is very strong. I have no doubt on the -matter, seeing that I am a patriotic Englishman, and as such believe -all English fortifications to be strong. It is, however, a matter on -which the opinion of no civilian can be of weight, unless he have -deeply studied the subject, in which case he so far ceases to be a -civilian. Everything looked very clean and apple-pie; a great many -flags were flying on Sundays and the Queen's birthday; and all seemed -to be ship-shape. Of the importance to us of the position there can -be no question. If it should ever come to pass that we should be -driven to use an armed fleet in the Western waters, Bermuda will be -as serviceable to us there, as Malta is in the Mediterranean. So much -for the fortress. - -As to the prison I will say a word or two just now, seeing that it is -in that light that the place was chiefly interesting to me. But first -for the colony. - -Snow is not prevalent in Bermuda, at least not in the months of May -and June; but the first look of the houses in each of its two small -towns, and indeed all over the island, gives one the idea of a snow -storm. Every house is white, up from the ground to the very point of -the roof. Nothing is in so great demand as whitewash. They whitewash -their houses incessantly, and always include the roofs. This becomes -a nuisance, from the glare it occasions; and is at last painful to -the eyes. They say there that it is cleanly and cheap, and no one can -deny that cleanliness and economy are important domestic virtues. - -There are two towns, situated on different islands, called St. George -and Hamilton. The former is the head-quarters of the military; the -latter of the governor. In speaking of the place as a fortress I -should have said that it is the summer head-quarters of the admiral -in command of the Halifax station. The dock-yard, which is connected -with the convict establishment, is at an island called Ireland; but -the residence of the admiral is not far from Hamilton, on that which -the Bermudians call the "Continent." - -I spent a week in each of these towns, and I can hardly say which -I found the most triste. The island, or islands, as one must always -say--using the plural number--have many gifts of nature to recommend -them. They are extremely fertile. The land, with a very moderate -amount of cultivation, will give two crops of ordinary potatoes, and -one crop of sweet potatoes in the year. Most fruits will grow here, -both those of the tropics and of the more northern latitudes. Oranges -and lemons, peaches and strawberries, bananas and mulberries thrive, -or _would_ thrive equally well, if they were even slightly encouraged -to do so. - -No climate in the world probably is better adapted for beetroot, -potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. The place is so circumstanced -geographically that it should be the early market-garden for New -York--as to a certain small extent it is. New York cannot get her -early potatoes--potatoes in May and June--from her own soil; but -Bermuda can give them to her in any quantity. - -Arrowroot also grows here to perfection. The Bermudians claim to say -that their arrowroot is the best in the world; and I believe that -none bears a higher price. Then the land produces barley, oats, and -Indian corn; and not only produces them, but produces two, sometimes -three crops a year. Let the English farmer with his fallow field -think of that. - -But with all their advantages Bermuda is very poor. Perhaps, I should -add, that on the whole, she is contented with her poverty. And if so, -why disturb such contentment? - -But, nevertheless, one cannot teach oneself not to be desirous of -progress. One cannot but feel it sad to see people neglecting the -good things which are under their feet. Lemons and oranges there are -now none in Bermuda. The trees suffered a blight some year or two -since, and no effort has been made to restore them. I saw no fruit of -any description, though I am told I was there in the proper season, -and heard much of the fruit that there used to be in former days. -I saw no vegetables but potatoes and onions, and was told that as a -rule the people are satisfied with them. I did not once encounter -a piece of meat fit to be eaten, excepting when I dined on rations -supplied by the Convict establishment. The poultry was somewhat -better than the meat, but yet of a very poor description. Both bread -and butter are bad; the latter quite uneatable. English people whom -I met declared that they were unable to get anything to eat. The -people, both white and black, seemed to be only half awake. The land -is only half cultivated; and hardly half is tilled of that which -might be tilled. - -The reason of this neglect, for I maintain that it is neglect, should -however be explained. Nearly all the islands are covered with small -stunted bushy cedar trees. Not cedars such as those of Lebanon, -not the cedar trees of Central America, nor those to which we -are accustomed in our gardens at home. In Bermuda they are, as I -have said, low bushy trees, much resembling stunted firs. But the -wood, when it can be found large enough, is, they say, good for -shipbuilding; and as shipbuilding has for years been a trade in these -islands, the old owners of the property do not like to clear their -land. - -This was all very well as long as the land had no special virtue--as -long as a market, such as that afforded by New York, was wanting. But -now that the market has been opened there can be no doubt--indeed, -nobody does doubt--that if the land were cleared its money value -would be greatly more than it now is. Every one to whom I spoke -admitted this, and complained of the backwardness of the island in -improvements. But no one tries to remedy this now. - -They had a Governor there some years ago who did much to cure this -state of things, who did show them that money was to be made by -producing potatoes and sending them out of the island. This was Sir -W. Reid, the man of storms. He seems to have had some tolerably -efficient idea of what a Governor's duty should be in such a place as -Bermuda. To be helped first at every table, and to be called "Your -Excellency," and then to receive some thousands a year for undergoing -these duties is all very well; is very nice for a military gentleman -in the decline of years. It is very well that England can so provide -for a few of her old military gentlemen. But when the military -gentlemen selected can do something else besides, it does make such a -difference! Sir W. Reid did do much else; and if there could be found -another Sir W. Reid or two to take their turns in Bermuda for six -years each, the scrubby bushes would give way, and the earth would -bring forth her increase. - -The sleepiness of the people appeared to me the most prevailing -characteristic of the place. There seemed to be no energy among the -natives, no idea of going a-head, none of that principle of constant -motion which is found so strongly developed among their great -neighbours in the United States. To say that they live for eating -and drinking would be to wrong them. They want the energy for the -gratification of such vicious tastes. To live and die would seem to -be enough for them. To live and die as their fathers and mothers did -before them, in the same houses, using the same furniture, nurtured -on the same food, and enjoying the same immunity from the dangers of -excitement. - -I must confess that during the short period of my sojourn there, I -myself was completely overtaken by the same sort of lassitude. I -could not walk a mile without fatigue. I was always anxious to be -supine, lying down whenever I could find a sofa; ever anxious for a -rocking-chair, and solicitous for a quick arrival of the hour of bed, -which used to be about half-past nine o'clock. Indeed this feeling -became so strong with me that I feared I was ill, and began to -speculate as to the effects and pleasures of a low fever and a -Bermuda doctor. I was comforted, however, by an assurance that -everybody was suffering in the same way. "When the south wind blows -it is always so." "The south wind must be very prevalent then," I -suggested. I was told that it was very prevalent. During the period -of my visit it was all south wind. - -The weather was not hot--not hot at least to me who had just come up -from Panama, and the fiery furnace of Aspinwall. But the air was damp -and muggy and disagreeable. To me it was the most trying climate that -I had encountered. They have had yellow fever there twice within the -last eight years, and on both occasions it was very fatal. Singularly -enough on its latter coming the natives suffered much more than -strangers. This is altogether opposed to the usual habits of the -yellow fever, which is imagined to be ever cautious in sparing those -who are indigenous to the land it visits. - -The working population here are almost all negroes. I should say that -this is quite as much a rule here as in any of the West Indies. Of -course there are coloured people--men and women of mixed breed; but -they are not numerous as in Jamaica; or, if so, they are so nearly -akin to the negro as not to be observed. There are, I think, none of -those all but white ladies and gentlemen whose position in life is so -distressing. - -The negroes are well off; as a rule they can earn 2_s._ 6_d._ a day, -from that to 3_s_. For exceptional jobs, men cannot be had under a -dollar, or 4_s._ 2_d_. On these wages they can live well by working -three days a week, and such appears to be their habit. It seems to -me that no enfranchised negro entertains an idea of daily work. Work -to them is an exceptional circumstance, as to us may be a spell -of fifteen or sixteen hours in the same day. We do such a thing -occasionally for certain objects, and for certain objects they are -willing to work occasionally. - -The population is about eleven thousand. That of the negroes and -coloured people does not much exceed that of the whites. That of the -females greatly exceeds that of the males, both among the white and -coloured people. Among the negroes I noticed this, that if not more -active than their brethren in the West Indies, they are at least -more civil and less sullen in their manner. But then again, they -are without the singular mixture of fun and vanity which makes the -Jamaica negro so amusing for a while. - -These islands are certainly very pretty; or I should perhaps say that -the sea, which forms itself into bays and creeks by running in among -them, is very pretty. The water is quite clear and transparent, there -being little or no sand on those sides on which the ocean makes -its entrance; and clear water is in itself so beautiful. Then the -singular way in which the land is broken up into narrow necks, -islands, and promontories, running here and there in a capricious, -half-mysterious manner, creating a desire for amphibiosity, -necessarily creates beauty. But it is mostly the beauty of the sea, -and not of the land. The islands are flat, or at any rate there is -no considerable elevation in them. They are covered throughout with -those scrubby little trees; and, although the trees are green, and -therefore when seen from the sea give a freshness to the landscape, -they are uninteresting and monotonous on shore. - -I must not forget the oleanders, which at the time of my visit were -in full flower; which, for aught I know, may be in full flower during -the whole year. They are so general through all the islands, and the -trees themselves are so covered with the large straggling, but bright -blossoms, as to give quite a character to the scenery. The Bermudas -might almost be called the oleander isles. - -The government consists of a Governor, Council, and House of -Assembly; King, Lords, and Commons again. Twenty years ago I should -thoroughly have approved of this; but now I am hardly sure whether a -population of ten or twelve thousand individuals, of whom much more -than half are women, and more than half the remainder are negroes, -require so composite a constitution. Would not a strict Governor, -with due reference to Downing Street, do almost as well? But then to -make the change; that would be difficulty. - -"We have them pretty well in hand," a gentleman whispered to me -who was in some shape connected with the governing powers. He was -alluding, I imagine, to the House of Assembly. Well, that is a -comfort. A good majority in the Lower House is a comfort to all -men--except the minority. - -There are nine parishes, each returning four members to this House -of Assembly. But though every parish requires four members, I -observe that half a clergyman is enough for most of them. But then -the clergymen must be paid. The council here consists chiefly -of gentlemen holding government offices, or who are in some way -connected with the government; so that the Crown can probably -contrive to manage its little affairs. If I remember rightly -Gibraltar and Malta have no Lords or Commons. They are fortresses, -and as such under military rule; and so is Bermuda a fortress. -Independently of her purely military importance, her size and -population is by no means equal to that of Malta. The population of -Malta is chiefly native, and foreign to us;--and the population of -Bermuda is chiefly black. - -But then Malta is a conquered colony, whereas Bermuda was "settled" -by Britons, as the word goes. That makes all the difference. That -such a little spot as Bermuda would in real fact be better without a -constitution of its own, if the change could only be managed, that -I imagine will be the opinion of most men who have thought about the -matter. - -And now for the convict establishment. I received great kindness -and hospitality from the controller of it; but this, luckily, does -not prevent my speaking freely on the matter. He had only just then -newly arrived from England, had but now assumed his new duties, and -was therefore neither responsible for anything that was amiss, or -entitled to credit for what had been permanently established there -on a good footing. My own impression is that of the latter there was -very little. - -In these days our penal establishments, and gaol arrangements -generally, are, certainly, matters of very vital importance to us. -In olden times, and I include the last century and some part of this -among olden times, we certainly did not manage these matters well. -Our main object then was to get rid of our ruffians; to punish them -also, certainly; but, as a chief matter, to get rid of them. The idea -of making use of them, present or future use, had hardly occurred -to us; nor had we begun to reflect whether the roguery of coming -years might not be somewhat lessened by curing the rogues--by making -them not rogues. Now-a-days, we are reflecting a good deal on this -question. - -Our position now has been all altered. Circumstances have done much -to alter it; we can no longer get rid of the worst class of criminals -by sending them to Botany Bay. Botany Bay has assumed a will of its -own, and won't have them at any price. But philanthropy has done -more even than circumstances, very much more. We have the will, the -determination as well as the wish, to do well by our rogues, even if -we have not as yet found the way; and this is much. In this, as in -everything else, the way will follow the will, sooner or later. - -But in the mean time we have been trying various experiments, with -more or less success; forgiving men half their terms of punishment on -good behaviour; giving them tickets of leave; crank-turning; solitary -confinement; pietising--what may be called a system of gaol sanctity, -perhaps the worst of all schemes, as being a direct advertisement -for hypocrisy; work without result, the most distressing punishment -going, one may say, next to that of no work at all; enforced -idleness, which is horrible for human nature to contemplate; work -with result, work which shall pay; good living, pound of beef, pound -of bread, pound of potatoes, ounce of tea, glass of grog, pipe of -tobacco, resulting in much fat, excellent if our prisoners were -stalled oxen to be eaten; poor living, bread and water, which has its -recommendations also, though it be so much opposed to the material -humanity of the age; going to school, so that life if possible may -be made to recommence; very good also, if life would recommence; -corporal punishment, flogging of the body, horrible to think of, -impossible to be looked at; spirit punishment, flogging of the soul, -best of all if one could get at the soul so as to do it effectually. - -All these schemes are being tried; and as I believe that they are -tried with an honest intent to arrive at that which is best, so also -do I believe that we shall in time achieve that which is, if not -heavenly best, at any rate terrestrially good;--shall at least get -rid certainly of all that is hellishly bad. At present, however, we -are still groping somewhat uncertainly. Let us try for a moment to -see what the Bermuda groping has done. - -I do not in the least doubt that the intention here also has been -good; the intention, that is, of those who have been responsible for -the management of the establishment. But I do not think that the -results have been happy. - -At Bermuda there are in round numbers fifteen hundred convicts. As -this establishment is one of penal servitude, of course it is to be -presumed that those sent there are either hardened thieves, whose -lives have been used to crime, or those who have committed heavy -offences under the impulse of strong temptation. In dealing with such -men I think we have three things to do. Firstly, to rid ourselves of -them from amongst us, as we do of other nuisances. This we should do -by hanging them; this we did do when we sent them to Botany Bay; this -we certainly do when we send them to Bermuda. But this, I would say, -is the lightest of the three duties. The second is with reference -to the men themselves; to divest them, if by any means it may be -possible, of their roguery; to divest them even of a little of their -roguery, if so much as that can be done; to teach them that trite -lesson, of honesty being the best policy,--so hard for men to learn -when honesty has been, as it were, for many years past out of their -sight, and even beyond their understanding. This is very important, -but even this is not the most important. The third and most important -object is the punishment of these men; their punishment, sharp, hard -to bear, heavy to body and mind, disagreeable in all ways, to be -avoided on account of its odiousness by all prudent men; their -condign punishment, so that the world at large may know and see, and -clearly acknowledge,--even the uneducated world,--that honesty is the -best policy. - -That the first object is achieved, I have said. It is achieved as -regards those fifteen hundred, and, as far as I know, at a moderate -cost. Useful work for such men is to be found at Bermuda. We have -dockyards there, and fortifications which cannot be made too strong -and weather-tight. At such a place works may be done by convict -labour which could not be done otherwise. Whether the labour be -economically used is another question; but at any rate the fifteen -hundred rogues are disposed of, well out of the way of our pockets -and shop windows. - -As to the second object, that of divesting these rogues of their -roguery, the best way of doing that is the question as to which there -is at the present moment so much doubt. As to what may be the best -way I do not presume to give an opinion; but I do presume to doubt -whether the best way has as yet been found at Bermuda. The proofs at -any rate were not there. Shortly before my arrival a prisoner had -been killed in a row. After that an attempt had been made to murder -a warder. And during my stay there one prisoner was deliberately -murdered by two others after a faction fight between a lot of Irish -and English, in which the warders were for some minutes quite -unable to interfere. Twenty-four men were carried to the hospital -dangerously wounded, as to the life of some of whom the doctor almost -despaired. This occurred on a day intervening between two visits -which I made to the establishment. Within a month of the same time -three men had escaped, of whom two only were retaken; one had -got clear away, probably to America. This tells little for the -discipline, and very little for the moral training of the men. - -There is no wall round the prison. I must explain that the convicts -are kept on two islands, those called Boaz and Ireland. At Boaz is -the parent establishment, at which live the controller, chaplains, -doctors, and head officers. But here is the lesser number of -prisoners, about six hundred. They live in ordinary prisons. The -other nine hundred are kept in two hulks, old men-of-war moored by -the breakwaters, at the dockyard establishment in Ireland. It was -in one of these that the murder was committed. The labour of these -nine hundred men is devoted to the dockyard works. There is a bridge -between the two islands over which runs a public road, and from this -road there are ways equally public, as far as the eye goes, to all -parts of the prison. A man has only to say that he is going to the -chaplain's house, and he may pass all through the prison,--with -spirits in his pocket if it so please him. That the prisoners should -not be about without warders is no doubt a prison rule; but where -everything is done by the prisoners, from the building of stores to -the picking of weeds and lighting of lamps, how can any moderate -number of warders see everything, even if they were inclined? There -is nothing to prevent spirits being smuggled in after dark through -the prison windows. And the men do get rum, and drunkenness is a -common offence. Prisoners may work outside prison walls; but I -remember no other prison that is not within walls--that looks from -open windows on to open roads, as is here the case. - -"And who shaves them?" I happened to ask one of the officers. "Oh, -every man has his own razor; and they have knives too, though it is -not allowed." So these gentlemen who are always ready for faction -fights, whose minds are as constantly engaged on the family question -of Irish _versus_ English, which means Protestant against Catholic, -as were those of Father Tom Maguire and Mr. Pope, are as well armed -for their encounters as were those reverend gentlemen. - -The two murderers will I presume be tried, and if found guilty -probably hanged; but the usual punishment for outbreaks of this kind -seems to be, or to have been, flogging. A man would get some seventy -lashes; the Governor of the island would go down and see it done; and -then the lacerated wretch would be locked up in idleness till his -back would again admit of his bearing a shirt. "But they'll venture -their skin," said the officer; "they don't mind that till it comes." -"But do they mind being locked up alone?" I asked. He admitted this, -but said that they had only six--I think six--cells, of which two or -three were occupied by madmen; they had no other place for lunatics. -Solitary confinement is what these men do mind, what they do fear; -but here there is not the power of inflicting that punishment. - -What a piece of work for a man to step down upon;--the amendment of -the discipline of such a prison as this! Think what the feeling -among them will be when knives and razors are again taken from them, -when their grog is first stopped, their liberty first controlled. -They sleep together, a hundred or more within talking distance, in -hammocks slung at arm's length from each other, so that one may -excite ten, and ten fifty. Is it fair to put warders among such men, -so well able to act, so ill able to control their actions? - -"It is a sore task," said the controller who had fallen down new upon -this bit of work; "it is dreadful to have to add misery to those who -are already miserable." It is a very sore task; but at the moment I -hardly sympathized with his humanity. - -So much for the Bermuda practice of divesting these rogues of their -roguery. And now a word as to the third question; the one question -most important, as I regard it, of their punishment. Are these men -so punished as to deter others by the fear of similar treatment? I -presume it may be taken for granted that the treatment, such as it -is, does become known and the nature of it understood among those at -home who are, or might be, on the path towards it. - -Among the lower classes, from which these convicts do doubtless -mostly come, the goods of life are chiefly reckoned as being food, -clothing, warm shelter, and hours of idleness. It may seem harsh to -say so thus plainly; but will any philanthropical lover of these -lower classes deny the fact? I regard myself as a philanthropical -lover of those classes, and as such I assert the fact; nay, I might -go further and say that it is almost the same of some other classes. -That many have knowledge of other good things, wife-love and -children-love--heart-goods, if I may so call them; knowledge of -mind-goods, and soul-goods also, I do not deny. That such knowledge -is greatly on the increase I verily believe; but with most among us -back and belly, or rather belly and back, are still supreme. On belly -and back must punishment fall, when sinners such as these are to be -punished. - -But with us--very often I fear elsewhere, but certainly at that -establishment of which we are now speaking--there is no such -punishment at all. In scale of dietary among subjects of our Queen, -I should say that honest Irish labourers stand the lowest; they eat -meat twice a year, potatoes and milk for six months, potatoes without -milk for six, and fish occasionally if near the shore. Then come -honest English labourers; they generally have cheese, sometimes -bacon. Next above them we may probably rank the inhabitants of our -workhouses; they have fresh meat perhaps three times a week. Whom -shall we name next? Without being anxious to include every shade of -English mankind, we may say soldiers, and above them sailors; then, -perhaps, ordinary mechanics. There must be many another ascending -step before we come to the Bermuda convict, but it would be long -to name them; but now let us see what the Bermuda convict eats and -drinks every day. - -He has a pound of meat; he has good meat too, lucky dog, while -those wretched Bermudians are tugging out their teeth against tough -carcasses! He has a pound and three ounces of bread; the amount -may be of questionable advantage, as he cannot eat it all; but he -probably sells it for drink. He has a pound of fresh vegetables; he -has tea and sugar; he has a glass of grog--exactly the same amount -that a sailor has; and he has an allowance of tobacco-money, with -permission to smoke at midday and evening, as he sits at his table or -takes his noontide pleasant saunter. So much for belly. - -Then as to back, under which I include a man's sinews. The convict -begins the day by going to chapel at a quarter-past seven: his -prayers do not take him long, for the chaplain on the occasion of my -visit read small bits out of the Prayer-book here and there, without -any reference to church rule or convict-establishment reason. At -half-past seven he goes to his work, if it does not happen to rain, -in which case he sits till it ceases. He then works till five, with -an hour and a half interval for his dinner, grog, and tobacco. He -then has the evening for his supper and amusements. He thus works for -eight hours, barring the rain, whereas in England a day labourer's -average is about ten. As to the comparative hardness of their labour -there will of course be no doubt. The man who must work for his wages -will not get any wages unless he works hard. The convict will at any -rate get his wages, and of course spares his sinews. - -As to clothes, they have, and should have exactly what is best suited -to health. Shoes when worn out are replaced. The straw hat is always -decent, and just what one would wish to wear oneself in that climate. -The jacket and trousers have the word "Boaz" printed over them in -rather ugly type; but one would get used to that. The flannel shirts, -&c., are all that could be desired. - -Their beds are hammocks like those of sailors, only not subject to -be swung about by the winds, and not hung quite so closely as those -of some sailors. Did any of my readers ever see the beds of an Irish -cotters establishment in county Cork? Ah! or of some English cotter's -establishments in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire? - -The hospital arrangements and attendance are excellent as regards -the men's comfort; though the ill-arrangement of the buildings is -conspicuous, and must be conspicuous to all who see them. - -And then these men, when they take their departure, have the wages of -their labour given to them,--so much as they have not spent either -licitly in tobacco, or illicitly in extra grog. They will take home -with them sixteen pounds, eighteen pounds, or twenty pounds. Such is -convict life in Bermuda,--unless a man chance to get murdered in a -faction fight. - -As to many of the comforts above enumerated, it will of course be -seen that they are right. The clothes, the hospital arrangements, -and sanitary provision are, and should be, better in a prison than -they can, unfortunately, be at present among the poor who are not -prisoners. But still they must be reckoned among the advantages which -convicted crime enjoy. - -It seems to be a cruel task, that of lessening the comforts of men -who are, at any rate, in truth not to be envied--are to be pitied -rather, with such deep, deep pity! But the thing to look to, the one -great object, is to diminish the number of those who must be sent to -such places. Will such back and belly arrangements as those I have -described deter men from sin by the fear of its consequences? - -Why should not those felons--for such they all are, I presume, till -the term of their punishment be over--why should they sleep after -five? why should their diet be more than strong health requires? why -should their hours of work be light? Why that drinking of spirits and -smoking of tobacco among men whose term of life in that prison should -be a term of suffering? Why those long twelve hours of bed and rest, -spent in each other's company, with noise, and singing, and jollity? -Let them eat together, work together, walk together if you will; but -surely at night they should be separated! Faction fights cannot take -place unless the fighters have time and opportunity to arrange them. - -I cannot but think that there should be great changes in this -establishment, and that gradually the punishment, which undoubtedly -is intended, should be made to fall on the prisoners. "Look at the -prisoners' rations!" the soldiers say in Bermuda when they complain -of their own; and who can answer them? - -I cannot understand why the island governor should have authority -in the prison. He from his profession can know little or nothing -about prisons, and even for his own work,--or no work, is generally -selected either from personal favour or from military motives, -whereas the prison governor is selected, probably with much care, for -his specialities in that line. And it must be as easy and as quick -for the prison governor to correspond with the Home Office as for -the island governor to correspond with the Colonial Office. There -has undoubtedly been mischief done by the antagonism of different -authorities. It would seem reasonable that all such establishments -should be exclusively under the Home Office. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -CONCLUSION. - - -From Bermuda I took a sailing vessel to New York, in company with a -rather large assortment of potatoes and onions. I had declared during -my unlucky voyage from Kingston to Cuba that no consideration should -again tempt me to try a sailing vessel, but such declarations always -go for nothing. A man in his misery thinks much of his misery; but as -soon as he is out of it it is forgotten, or becomes matter for mirth. -Of even a voyage in a sailing vessel one may say that at some future -time it will perhaps be pleasant to remember that also. And so I -embarked myself along with the potatoes and onions on board the good -ship 'Henrietta.' - -Indeed, there is no other way of getting from Bermuda to New York; -or of going anywhere from Bermuda--except to Halifax and St. Thomas, -to which places a steamer runs once a month. In going to Cuba I had -been becalmed, starved, shipwrecked, and very nearly quaranteened. In -going to New York I encountered only the last misery. The doctor who -boarded us stated that a vessel had come from Bermuda with a sick -man, and that we must remain where we were till he had learnt what -was the sick man's ailment. Our skipper, who knew the vessel in -question, said that one of their crew had been drunk in Bermuda for -two or three days, and had not yet worked it off. But the doctor -called again in the course of the day, and informed us that it was -intermittent fever. So we were allowed to pass. It does seem strange -that sailing vessels should be subjected to such annoyances. I hardly -think that one of the mail steamers going into New York would be -delayed because there was a case of intermittent fever on board -another vessel from Liverpool. - -It is not my purpose to give an Englishman's ideas of the United -States, or even of New York, at the fag end of a volume treating -about the West Indies. On the United States I should like to -write a volume, seeing that the government and social life of the -people there--of that people who are our children--afford the most -interesting phenomena which we find as to the new world;--the best -means of prophesying, if I may say so, what the world will next be, -and what men will next do. There, at any rate, a new republic has -become politically great and commercially active; whereas all other -new republics have failed in those points, as in all others. But this -cannot be attempted now. - -From New York I went by the Hudson river to Albany, and on by the New -York Central Railway to Niagara; and though I do not mean to make any -endeavour to describe that latter place as such descriptions should -be--and doubtless are and have been--written, I will say one or two -words which may be of use to any one going thither. - -The route which I took from New York would be, I should think, the -most probable route for Englishmen. And as travellers will naturally -go up the Hudson river by day, and then on from Albany by night -train,* seeing that there is nothing to be seen at Albany, and that -these trains have excellent sleeping accommodation--a lady, or indeed -a gentleman, should always take a double sleeping-berth, a single -one costs half a dollar, and a double one a dollar. This outlay has -nothing to do with the travelling ticket;--it will follow that he, -she, or they will reach Niagara at about 4 a.m. - - [*It would be well, however, to visit Trenton Falls by the way, - which I did not do. They are but a short distance from Utica, - a town on this line of railway.] - -In that case let them not go on to what is called the Niagara -Falls station, but pass over at a station called the Suspension -Bridge--very well known on the road--to the other or Canada side of -the water, and thence go to the Clifton Hotel. There can be no doubt -as to this being the site at which tourists should stop. It is one of -those cases in which to see is to be sure. But if the traveller be -carried on to Niagara Falls station, he has a long and expensive -journey to make back; and the United States side of the water will be -antagonistic to him in doing so. The ticket from Albany to Niagara -cost me six dollars; the carriage from Niagara to the Clifton Hotel -cost me five. It was better to pay the five than to remain where -I was; but it would have been better still to have saved them. I -mention this as passengers to the Falls have no sort of intimation -that they should get out at the Suspension Bridge; though they are -all duly shaken out of their berths, and inquired of whether or not -they be going west. - -Nothing ever disappointed me less than the Falls of Niagara--but my -raptures did not truly commence for the first half-day. Their charms -grow upon one like the conversation of a brilliant man. Their depth -and breadth and altitude, their music, colour, and brilliancy are -not fully acknowledged at the first moment. It may be that my eye is -slow; but I can never take in to its full enjoyment any view or any -picture at the first glance. I found this to be especially the case -at Niagara. It was only by long gazing and long listening that I was -able to appreciate the magnitude of that waste of waters. - -My book is now complete, and I am not going to "do the Falls," but -I must bid such of my readers as may go there to place themselves -between the rocks and the waters of the Horse-shoe Fall after -sunset--well after sunset; and there remain--say for half an hour. -And let every man do this alone; or if fortune have kindly given him -such a companion, with one who may leave him as good as alone. But -such companions are rare. - -The spot to which I allude will easily make itself known to him, nor -will he have any need of a guide. He will find it, of course, before -the sun shall set. And, indeed, as to guides, let him eschew them, -giving a twenty-five cent piece here and there, so that these men -be not ruined for want of custom. Into this spot I made my way, and -stood there for an hour, dry enough. The spray did reach my coat, -and the drops settled on my hair; but nevertheless, as a man not -over delicate, I was dry enough. Then I went up, and when there was -enticed to put myself into a filthy oil-skin dress, hat, coat, and -trousers, in order that I might be conducted under the Falls. Under -the Falls! Well I had been under the Falls; but still, wishing to see -everything, I allowed myself to be caparisoned. - -A sable conductor took me exactly to the spot where I had been -before. But he took me also ten yards further, during which little -extra journey I became soaking wet through, in spite of the dirty -oil-cloth. The ducking cost me sixty cents, or half a crown. - -But I must be allowed one word as to that visit after sunset; one -word as to that which an obedient tourist will then see. In the spot -to which I allude the visitor stands on a broad safe path, made -of shingles, between the rock over which the water rushes and the -rushing water. He will go in so far that the spray rising back from -the bed of the torrent does not incommode him. With this exception, -the further he can go the better; but here also circumstances will -clearly show him the spot. Unless the water be driven in by a very -strong wind, five yards make the difference between a comparatively -dry coat and an absolutely wet one. - -And then let him stand with his back to the entrance, thus hiding the -last glimmer of the expiring day. So standing he will look up among -the falling waters, or down into the deep misty pit, from which they -reascend in almost as palpable a bulk. The rock will be at his right -hand, high and hard, and dark and straight, like the wall of some -huge cavern, such as children enter in their dreams. For the first -five minutes he will be looking but at the waters of a cataract,--at -the waters, indeed, of such a cataract as we know no other, and at -their interior curves, which elsewhere we cannot see. But by-and-by -all this will change. He will no longer be on a shingly path beneath -a waterfall; but that feeling of a cavern wall will grow upon him, of -a cavern deep, deep below roaring seas, in which the waves are there, -though they do not enter in upon him; or rather not the waves, but -the very bowels of the deep ocean. He will feel as though the floods -surrounded him, coming and going with their wild sounds, and he will -hardly recognize that though among them he is not in them. And they, -as they fall with a continual roar, not hurting the ear, but musical -withal, will seem to move as the vast ocean waters may perhaps move -in their internal currents. He will lose the sense of one continued -descent, and think that they are passing round him in their appointed -courses. The broken spray that rises from the depth below, rises so -strongly, so palpably, so rapidly, that the motion in every direction -will seem equal. And then, as he looks on, strange colours will show -themselves through the mist; the shades of gray will become green and -blue, with ever and anon a flash of white; and then, when some gust -of wind blows in with greater violence, the sea-girt cavern will -become all dark and black. Oh, my friend, let there be no one there -to speak to thee then; no, not even a heart's brother. As you stand -there speak only to the waters. - -So much for Niagara. From thence, I went along Lake Ontario, and -by the St. Lawrence to Montreal, being desirous of seeing the new -tubular railway bridge which is being erected there over the St. -Lawrence close to that town. Lake Ontario is uninteresting, being -altogether too large for scenery, and too foggy for sight-seeing if -there were anything to see. The travelling accommodation, however, -is excellent. The points of interest in the St. Lawrence are the -thousand islands, among which the steamer glides as soon as it enters -the river; and the rapids, of which the most singularly rapid is the -one the vessel descends as it nears Montreal. Both of these are very -well, but they do not require to be raved about. The Canadian towns -at which one touches are interesting as being clean and large, and -apparently prosperous;--also as being English, for we hardly reach -the French part of Canada till we get down to Montreal. - -This tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence, which will complete the -whole trunk line of railway from Portland on the coast of Maine, -through the two Canadas, to the States of Michigan and Wisconsin, -will certainly be one of the most wonderful works of scientific art -in the world. It is to consist of different tubes, resting on piers -placed in the river bed at intervals sufficient to provide for the -free navigation of the water. Some of these, including the centre and -largest one, are already erected. This bridge will be over a mile -and a half in length, and will cost the enormous sum of one million -four hundred thousand pounds, being but two hundred thousand pounds -short of the whole cost of the Panama railway. I only wish that the -shareholders may have as good a dividend. - -From Montreal I went down Lake Champlain to Saratoga Springs, the -great resort of New Yorkers when the weather in the city becomes too -hot for endurance. I was there late in June, but was very glad at -that time to sit with my toes over a fire. The country about Saratoga -is by no means pretty. The waters, I do not doubt, are very healthy, -and the hotels very good. It must, I should think, be a very dull -place for persons who are not invalids. - -From Saratoga I returned to New York, and from New York sailed for -Liverpool in the exceedingly good ship 'Africa,' Captain Shannon. -I have sailed in many vessels, but never in one that was more -comfortable or better found. - -And on board this most comfortable of vessels I have now finished my -book, as I began it on board that one, of all the most uncomfortable, -which carried me from Kingston in Jamaica to Cien Fuegos in the -island of Cuba. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH -MAIN*** - - -******* This file should be named 55100-8.txt or 55100-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/5/1/0/55100 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: The West Indies and the Spanish Main</p> -<p>Author: Anthony Trollope</p> -<p>Release Date: July 15, 2017 [eBook #55100]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Joseph E. Loewenstein, M.D.,<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - the Google Books Library Project<br /> - (<a href="https://books.google.com">https://books.google.com</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - the Google Books Library Project. See - <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Ir8NAAAAQAAJ&hl=en"> - https://books.google.com/books?id=Ir8NAAAAQAAJ&hl=en</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="center"><a id="ill"></a> -<table style="margin: 0 auto" cellpadding="4px"> - <tr> - <td align="center"> - <a href="images/map.jpg"> - <img src="images/map-t.jpg" width="550" - alt="Map of Caribbean" /></a> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td align="center"> - Click to <a href="images/map.jpg">ENLARGE</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -</div> -<p> </p> - -<h4>THE</h4> -<h1>WEST INDIES</h1> -<h4>AND THE</h4> -<h1>SPANISH MAIN.</h1> -<p> </p> - -<h4>By</h4> - -<h2>ANTHONY TROLLOPE,</h2> - -<h5>AUTHOR OF "BARCHESTER TOWERS," "DOCTOR THORNE,"<br /> -"THE BERTRAMS," ETC.</h5> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<h3>LONDON:<br /> -CHAPMAN & HALL, 193, PICCADILLY.<br /> -1859.</h3> - -<h5>[<i>The right of translation is reserved.</i>]<br /> </h5> - -<h6>LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET</h6> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="narrow" /> -<p> </p> - -<h3>CONTENTS</h3> -<p> </p> -<div class="center"> -<table style="margin: 0 auto" cellpadding="1"> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">I.—</td> <td><a href="#c1" ><span class="smallcaps">Introductory</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">II.—</td> <td><a href="#c2" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Town</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">III.—</td> <td><a href="#c3" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Country</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">IV.—</td> <td><a href="#c4" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Black Men</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">V.—</td> <td><a href="#c5" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Coloured Men</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">VI.—</td> <td><a href="#c6" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—White Men</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">VII.—</td> <td><a href="#c7" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Sugar</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">VIII.—</td> <td><a href="#c8" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Emperor Soulouque</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">IX.—</td> <td><a href="#c9" ><span class="smallcaps">Jamaica—Government</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">X.—</td> <td><a href="#c10"><span class="smallcaps">Cuba</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XI.—</td> <td><a href="#c11"><span class="smallcaps">The Passage of the Windward Islands</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XII.—</td> <td><a href="#c12"><span class="smallcaps">British Guiana</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XIII.—</td> <td><a href="#c13"><span class="smallcaps">Barbados</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XIV.—</td> <td><a href="#c14"><span class="smallcaps">Trinidad</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XV.—</td> <td><a href="#c15"><span class="smallcaps">St. Thomas</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XVI.—</td> <td><a href="#c16"><span class="smallcaps">New Granada, and the Isthmus of Panamá</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XVII.—</td> <td><a href="#c17"><span class="smallcaps">Central America. Panamá to San José</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XVIII.—</td> <td><a href="#c18"><span class="smallcaps">Central America. Costa Rica—San José</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XIX.—</td> <td><a href="#c19"><span class="smallcaps">Central America. Costa Rica—Mount Irazu</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XX.—</td> <td><a href="#c20"><span class="smallcaps">Central America. San José to Greytown</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XXI.—</td> <td><a href="#c21"><span class="smallcaps">Central America. Railways, Canals, and Transit</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XXII.—</td> <td><a href="#c22"><span class="smallcaps">The Bermudas</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" valign="top">XXIII.—</td> <td><a href="#c23"><span class="smallcaps">Conclusion</span></a></td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="narrow" /> -<p> </p> - -<h6>THE</h6> -<h3>WEST INDIES</h3> -<h6>AND THE</h6> -<h3>SPANISH MAIN.</h3> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="narrow" /> - -<p><a id="c1"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> -<h4>INTRODUCTORY.<br /> </h4> - -<p>I am beginning to write this book on board the brig -<span class="nowrap">——,</span> trading -between Kingston, in Jamaica, and Cien Fuegos, on the southern coast -of Cuba. At the present moment there is not a puff of wind, neither -land breeze nor sea breeze; the sails are flapping idly against the -masts; there is not motion enough to give us the command of the -rudder; the tropical sun is shining through upon my head into the -miserable hole which they have deluded me into thinking was a cabin. -The marine people—the captain and his satellites—are bound to -provide me; and all that they have provided is yams, salt pork, -biscuit, and bad coffee. I should be starved but for the small -ham—would that it had been a large one—which I thoughtfully -purchased in Kingston; and had not a kind medical friend, as he -grasped me by the hand at Port Royal, stuffed a box of sardines into -my pocket. He suggested two boxes. Would that I had taken them!</p> - -<p>It is now the 25th January, 1859, and if I do not reach Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, all this misery will have been in vain. I might as well -in such case have gone to St. Thomas, and spared myself these -experiences of the merchant navy. Let it be understood by all men -that in these latitudes the respectable, comfortable, well-to-do -route from every place to every other place is viâ the little Danish -island of St. Thomas. From Demerara to the Isthmus of Panamá, you go -by St. Thomas. From Panamá to Jamaica and Honduras, you go by St. -Thomas. From Honduras and Jamaica to Cuba and Mexico, you go by St. -Thomas. From Cuba to the Bahamas, you go by St. Thomas—or did when -this was written. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company dispense all -their branches from that favoured spot.</p> - -<p>But I was ambitious of a quicker transit and a less beaten path, and -here I am lying under the lee of the land, in a dirty, hot, -motionless tub, expiating my folly. We shall never make Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, and then it will be eight days more before I can reach -the Havana. May God forgive me all my evil thoughts!</p> - -<p>Motionless, I said; I wish she were. Progressless should have been my -word. She rolls about in a nauseous manner, disturbing the two -sardines which I have economically eaten, till I begin to fear that -my friend's generosity will become altogether futile. To which result -greatly tends the stench left behind it by the cargo of salt fish -with which the brig was freighted when she left St. John, New -Brunswick, for these ports. "We brought but a very small quantity," -the skipper says. If so, that very small quantity was stowed above -and below the very bunk which has been given up to me as a -sleeping-place. Ugh!</p> - -<p>"We are very poor," said the blue-nosed skipper when he got me on -board. "Well; poverty is no disgrace," said I, as one does when -cheering a poor man. "We are very poor indeed; I cannot even offer -you a cigar." My cigar-case was immediately out of my pocket. After -all, cigars are but as coals going to Newcastle when one intends to -be in Cuba in four days.</p> - -<p>"We are very poor indeed, sir," said the blue-nosed skipper again -when I brought out my solitary bottle of brandy—for I must -acknowledge to a bottle of brandy as well as to the small ham. "We -have not a drop of spirits of any kind on board." Then I altered my -mind, and began to feel that poverty was a disgrace. What business -had this man to lure me into his stinking boat, telling me that he -would take me to Cien Fuegos, and feed me on the way, when he had not -a mouthful to eat, or a drop to drink, and could not raise a puff of -wind to fill his sails? "Sir," said I, "brandy is dangerous in these -latitudes, unless it be taken medicinally; as for myself, I take no -other kind of physic." I think that poverty on shipboard is a -disgrace, and should not be encouraged. Should I ever be on shore -again, my views may become more charitable.</p> - -<p>Oh, for the good ship 'Atrato,' which I used to abuse with such -objurgations because the steward did not come at my very first call; -because the claret was only half iced; because we were forced to -close our little whist at 11 <span class="smallcaps">p.m.</span>, -the serjeant-at-arms at that hour -inexorably extinguishing all the lights! How rancorous were our -tongues! "This comes of monopoly," said a stern and eloquent -neighbour at the dinner-table, holding up to sight a somewhat -withered apple. "And dis," said a grinning Frenchman from Martinique -with a curse, exhibiting a rotten walnut—"dis, dis! They give me dis -for my moneys—for my thirty-five pounds!" And glancing round with -angry eye, he dropped the walnut on to his plate.</p> - -<p>Apples! and walnuts!! What would I give for the 'Atrato' now; for my -berth, then thought so small; for its awning; for a bottle of its -soda water; for one cut from one of all its legs of mutton; for two -hours of its steam movement! And yet it is only now that I am -learning to forgive that withered apple and that ill-iced claret.</p> - -<p>Having said so much about my present position, I shall be glad to be -allowed to say a few words about my present person. There now exists -an opportunity for doing so, as I have before me the Spanish -passport, for which I paid sixteen shillings in Kingston the day -before I left it. It is simply signed Pedro Badan. But it is headed -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca, which sounds to me very much as -though I were to call myself Mr. Anthony Trollope Ben Jonson. To this -will be answered that such might have been my name. But then I should -not have signed myself Anthony Trollope. The gentleman, however, has -doubtless been right according to his Spanish lights; and the name -sounds very grand, especially as there is added to it two lines -declaring how that Don Pedro Badan is a Caballero. He was as -dignified a personage as a Spanish Don should be, and seemed somewhat -particular about the sixteen shillings, as Spanish and other Dons -generally are.</p> - -<p>He has informed me as to my "Talla," that it is Alta. I rather like -the old man on the whole. Never before this have I obtained in a -passport any more dignified description of my body than robust. I -certainly like the word "Alta." Then my eyes are azure. This he did -not find out by the unassisted guidance of personal inspection. -"Ojos, blue," he suggested to me, trying to look through my -spectacles. Not understanding "Ojos," I said "Yes." My "cejas" are -"castañas," and so is my cabello also. Castañas must be chestnut, -surely—cejas may mean eyebrows—cabello is certainly hair. Now any -but a Spaniard would have declared that as to hair, I was bald; and -as to eyebrows, nothing in particular. My colour is sano. There is -great comfort in that. I like the word sano. "Mens sana in corpore -sano." What has a man to wish for but that? I thank thee once more, -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca.</p> - -<p>But then comes the mystery. If I have any personal vanity, it is -wrapped up in my beard. It is a fine, manly article of dandyism, that -wears well in all climates, and does not cost much, even when new. -Well, what has the Don said of my beard?</p> - -<p>It is poblada. I would give five shillings for the loan of a Spanish -dictionary at this moment. Poblada! Well, my first effort, if ever I -do reach Cuba, shall be made with reference to that word.</p> - -<p>Oh; we are getting into the trade-winds, are we? Let Æolus be thanked -at last. I should be glad to get into a monsoon or a simoom at the -present moment, if there be monsoons and simooms in these parts. Yes; -it comes rippling down upon us with a sweet, cool, airy breeze; the -sails flap rather more loudly, as though they had some life in them, -and then fill themselves with a grateful motion. Our three or four -sailors rise from the deck where they have been snoring, and begin to -stretch themselves. "You may put her about," says the skipper; for be -it known that for some hours past her head has been lying back -towards Port Royal. "We shall make fine track now, sir," he says, -turning to me. "And be at Cien Fuegos on the 28th?" I demanded. -"Perhaps, sir; perhaps. We've lost twenty-four hours, sir, doing -nothing, you know."</p> - -<p>Oh, wretched man that I am! the conveyance from Cien Fuegos to the -Havana is but once a week.</p> - -<p>The sails are still flopping against the yard. It is now noon on the -29th of January, and neither captain, mate, crew, nor the one -solitary passenger have the least idea when the good -brig <span class="nowrap">——</span> will -reach the port of Cien Fuegos; not even whether she will reach it at -all. Since that time we have had wind enough in all -conscience—lovely breezes as the mate called them. But we have -oversailed our mark; and by how much no man on board this vessel can -tell. Neither the captain nor the mate were ever in Cien Fuegos -before; and I begin to doubt whether they ever will be there. No one -knows where we are. An old stove has, it seems, been stowed away -right under the compass, giving a false bias to the needle, so that -our only guide guides us wrong. There is not a telescope on board. I -very much doubt the skipper's power of taking an observation, though -he certainly goes through the form of holding a machine like a brazen -spider up to his eye about midday. My brandy and cigars are done; and -altogether we are none of us jolly.</p> - -<p>Flap, flap, flap! roll, roll, roll! The time passes in this way -very tediously. And then there has come upon us all a feeling not -expressed, though seen in the face of all, of utter want of -confidence in our master. There is none of the excitement of danger, -for the land is within a mile of us; none of the exhaustion of work, -for there is nothing to do. Of pork and biscuits and water there is, -I believe, plenty. There is nothing tragic to be made out of it. But -comic misery wears one quite as deeply as that of a sterner sort.</p> - -<p>It is hardly credible that men should be sent about a job for which -they are so little capable, and as to which want of experience must -be so expensive! Here we are, beating up the coast of Cuba against -the prevailing wind, knowing nothing of the points which should guide -us, and looking out for a harbour without a sea-glass to assist our -eyes. When we reach port, be it Cien Fuegos or any other, the first -thing we must do will be to ask the name of it! It is incredible to -myself that I should have found my way into such circumstances.</p> - -<p>I have been unable not to recount my present immediate troubles, they -press with such weight upon my spirits; but I have yet to commence my -journeyings at their beginning. Hitherto I have but told under what -circumstances I began the actual work of writing.</p> - -<p>On the 17th of November, 1858, I left the port of Southampton in the -good ship 'Atrato.' My purposed business, O cherished reader! was not -that of writing these pages for thy delectation; but the -accomplishment of certain affairs of State, of import grave or -trifling as the case may be, with which neither thou nor I shall have -further concern in these pages. So much it may be well that I should -say, in order that my apparently purposeless wanderings may be -understood to have had some method in them.</p> - -<p>And in the good ship 'Atrato' I reached that emporium of travellers, -St. Thomas, on the 2nd of December. We had awfully bad weather, of -course, and the ship did wonders. When men write their travels, the -weather has always been bad, and the ship has always done wonders. We -thought ourselves very uncomfortable—I, for one, now know -better—and abused the company, and the captain, and the purser, and -the purveyor, and the stewards every day at breakfast and dinner; not -always with the eloquence of the Frenchman and his walnut, but very -frequently with quite equal energy. But at the end of our journey we -were all smiles, and so was the captain. He was tender to the ladies -and cordial to the gentlemen; and we, each in our kind, reciprocated -his attention. On the whole, O my readers! if you are going to the -West Indies, you may do worse than go in the 'Atrato.' But do not -think too much of your withered apples.</p> - -<p>I landed at St. Thomas, where we lay for some hours; and as I put my -foot on the tropical soil for the first time, a lady handed me a -rose, saying, "That's for love, dear." I took it, and said that it -should be for love. She was beautifully, nay, elegantly dressed. Her -broad-brimmed hat was as graceful as are those of Ryde or Brighton. -The well-starched skirts of her muslin dress gave to her upright -figure that look of easily compressible bulk, which, let 'Punch' do -what it will, has become so sightly to our eyes. Pink gloves were on -her hands. "That's for love, dear." Yes, it shall be for love; for -thee and thine, if I can find that thou deservest it. What was it to -me that she was as black as my boot, or that she had come to look -after the ship's washing?</p> - -<p>I shall probably have a word or two to say about St. Thomas; but not -now. It is a Niggery-Hispano-Dano-Yankee-Doodle place; in which, -perhaps, the Yankee-Doodle element, declaring itself in nasal twang -and sherry cobblers, seems to be of the strongest flavour; as -undoubtedly will be the case in many of these parts as years go on -revolving. That nasal twang will sound as the Bocca Romana in coming -fashionable western circles; those sherry cobblers will be the -Falernian drink of a people masters of half the world. I dined at the -hotel, but should have got a better dinner on board the 'Atrato,' in -spite of the withered apples.</p> - -<p>From St. Thomas we went to Kingston, Jamaica, in the 'Derwent.' We -were now separated from the large host of Spaniards who had come with -us, going to Peru, the Spanish Main, Mexico, Cuba, or Porto Rico; -and, to tell the truth, we were not broken-hearted on the occasion. -Spaniards are bad fellow-travellers; the Spaniard, at least, of the -Western hemisphere. They seize the meats upon the table somewhat -greedily; their ablutions are not plentiful; and their timidity makes -them cumbersome. That they are very lions when facing an enemy on -terra firma, I do not doubt. History, I believe, tells so much for -them. But half a gale of wind lays them prostrate, at all hours -except feeding-time.</p> - -<p>We had no Spaniards in the 'Derwent,' but a happy jovial little crew -of Englishmen and Englishwomen—or of English subjects rather, for -the majority of them belonged to Jamaica. The bad weather was at an -end, and all our nautical troubles nearly over; so we ate and drank -and smoked and danced, and swore mutual friendship, till the officer -of the Board of Health visited us as we rounded the point at Port -Royal, and again ruffled our tempers by delaying us for some thirty -minutes under a broiling sun.</p> - -<p>Kingston harbour is a large lagune, formed by a long narrow bank of -sand which runs out into the sea, commencing some three or four miles -above the town of Kingston, and continuing parallel with the coast on -which Kingston is built till it reaches a point some five or six -miles below Kingston. This sandbank is called "The Palisades," and -the point or end of it is Port Royal. This is the seat of naval -supremacy for Jamaica, and, as far as England is concerned, for the -surrounding islands and territories. And here lies our flag-ship; and -here we maintain a commodore, a dock-yard, a naval hospital, a pile -of invalided anchors, and all the usual adjuncts of such an -establishment. Some years ago—I am not good at dates, but say -seventy, if you will—Port Royal was destroyed by an earthquake.</p> - -<p>Those who are geographically inclined should be made to understand -that the communication between Port Royal and Kingston, as, indeed, -between Port Royal and any other part of the island, is by water. It -is, I believe, on record that hardy Subs, and hardier Mids, have -ridden along the Palisades, and not died from sun-stroke in the -effort. But the chances are much against them. The ordinary ingress -and egress is by water. The ferry boats usually take about an hour, -and the charge is a shilling. The writer of these pages, however, has -been two hours and a quarter in the transit.</p> - - -<p><a id="c2"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—TOWN.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>Were it arranged by Fate that my future residence should be in -Jamaica, I should certainly prefer the life of a country mouse. The -town mice, in my mind, have but a bad time of it. Of all towns that I -ever saw, Kingston is perhaps, on the whole, the least alluring, and -is the more absolutely without any point of attraction for the -stranger than any other.</p> - -<p>It is built down close to the sea—or rather, on the lagune which -forms the harbour, has a southern aspect, and is hot even in winter. -I have seen the thermometer considerably above eighty in the shade in -December, and the mornings are peculiarly hot, so that there is no -time at which exercise can be taken with comfort. -At about 10 <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span>, a -sea breeze springs up, which makes it somewhat cooler than it is two -hours earlier—that is, cooler in the houses. The sea breeze, -however, is not of a nature to soften the heat of the sun, or to make -it even safe to walk far at that hour. Then, in the evening, there is -no twilight, and when the sun is down it is dark. The stranger will -not find it agreeable to walk much about Kingston in the dark.</p> - -<p>Indeed, the residents in the town, and in the neighbourhood of the -town, never walk. Men, even young men, whose homes are some mile or -half-mile distant from their offices, ride or drive to their work as -systematically as a man who lives at Watford takes the railway.</p> - -<p>Kingston, on a map—for there is a map even of Kingston—looks -admirably well. The streets all run in parallels. There is a fine -large square, plenty of public buildings, and almost a plethora of -places of worship. Everything is named with propriety, and there -could be no nicer town anywhere. But this word of promise to the ear -is strangely broken when the performance is brought to the test. More -than half the streets are not filled with houses. Those which are so -filled, and those which are not, have an equally rugged, -disreputable, and bankrupt appearance. The houses are mostly of wood, -and are unpainted, disjointed, and going to ruin. Those which are -built with brick not unfrequently appear as though the mortar had -been diligently picked out from the interstices.</p> - -<p>But the disgrace of Jamaica is the causeway of the streets -themselves. There never was so odious a place in which to move. There -is no pathway or trottoir to the streets, though there is very -generally some such—I cannot call it accommodation—before each -individual house. But as these are all broken from each other by -steps up and down, as they are of different levels, and sometimes -terminate abruptly without any steps, they cannot be used by the -public. One is driven, therefore, into the middle of the street. But -the street is neither paved nor macadamized, nor prepared for traffic -in any way. In dry weather it is a bed of sand, and in wet weather it -is a watercourse. Down the middle of this the unfortunate pedestrian -has to wade, with a tropical sun on his head; and this he must do in -a town which, from its position, is hotter than almost any other in -the West Indies. It is no wonder that there should be but little -walking.</p> - -<p>But the stranger does not find himself naturally in possession of a -horse and carriage. He may have a saddle-horse for eight shillings; -but that is expensive as well as dilatory if he merely wishes to call -at the post-office, or buy a pair of gloves. There are articles which -they call omnibuses, and which ply cheap enough, and carry men to any -part of the town for sixpence; that is, they will do so if you can -find them. They do not run from any given point to any other, but -meander about through the slush and sand, and are as difficult to -catch as the musquitoes.</p> - -<p>The city of Havana, in Cuba, is lighted at night by oil-lamps. The -little town of Cien Fuegos, in the same island, is lighted by gas. -But Kingston is not lighted at all!</p> - -<p>We all know that Jamaica is not thriving as once it throve, and that -one can hardly expect to find there all the energy of a prosperous -people. But still I think that something might be done to redeem this -town from its utter disgrace. Kingston itself is not without wealth. -If what one hears on such subjects contains any indications towards -the truth, those in trade there are still doing well. There is a -mayor, and there are aldermen. All the paraphernalia for carrying on -municipal improvements are ready. If the inhabitants have about -themselves any pride in their locality, let them, in the name of -common decency, prepare some sort of causeway in the streets; with -some drainage arrangement, by which rain may run off into the sea -without lingering for hours in every corner of the town. Nothing -could be easier, for there is a fall towards the shore through the -whole place. As it is now, Kingston is a disgrace to the country that -owns it.</p> - -<p>One is peculiarly struck also by the ugliness of the buildings—those -buildings, that is, which partake in any degree of a public -character—the churches and places of worship, the public offices, -and such like. We have no right, perhaps, to expect good taste so far -away from any school in which good taste is taught; and it may, -perhaps, be said by some that we have sins enough of our own at home -to induce us to be silent on this head. But it is singular that any -man who could put bricks and stones and timber together should put -them together in such hideous forms as those which are to be seen -here.</p> - -<p>I never met a wider and a kinder hospitality than I did in Jamaica, -but I neither ate nor drank in any house in Kingston except my hotel, -nor, as far as I can remember, did I enter any house except in the -way of business. And yet I was there—necessarily there, -unfortunately—for some considerable time. The fact is, that hardly -any Europeans, or even white Creoles, live in the town. They have -country seats, pens as they call them, at some little distance. They -hate the town, and it is no wonder they should do so.</p> - -<p>That which tends in part to the desolation of Kingston—or rather, to -put the proposition in a juster form, which prevents Kingston from -enjoying those advantages which would naturally attach to the -metropolis of the island—is this: the seat of government is not -there, but at Spanish Town. Then our naval establishment is at Port -Royal.</p> - -<p>When a city is in itself thriving, populous, and of great commercial -importance, it may be very well to make it wholly independent of the -government. New York, probably, might be no whit improved were the -National Congress to be held there; nor Amsterdam, perhaps, if the -Hague were abandoned; but it would be a great thing for Kingston if -Spanish Town were deserted.</p> - -<p>The Governor lives at the latter place, as do also those satellites -or moons who revolve round the larger luminary—the secretaries, -namely, and executive officers. These in Jamaica are now so reduced -in size that they could not perhaps do much for any city; but they -would do a little, and to Kingston any little would be acceptable. -Then the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly sit at Spanish -Town, and the members—at any rate of the latter body—are obliged to -live there during some three months of the year, not generally in -very comfortable lodgings.</p> - -<p>Respectable residents in the island, who would pay some attention to -the Governor if he lived at the principal town, find it impossible to -undergo the nuisance of visiting Spanish Town, and in this way go -neither to the one nor the other, unless when passing through -Kingston on their biennial or triennial visits to the old country.</p> - -<p>And those visits to Spanish Town are indeed a nuisance. In saying -this, I reflect in no way on the Governor or the Governor's people. -Were Gabriel Governor of Jamaica, with only five thousand pounds a -year, and had he a dozen angels with him as secretaries and -aides-de-camp, mortal men would not go to them at Spanish Town after -they had once seen of what feathers their wings were made.</p> - -<p>It is like the city of the dead. There are long streets there in -which no human inhabitant is ever seen. In others a silent old negro -woman may be sitting at an open door, or a child playing, solitary, -in the dust. The Governor's house—King's House as it is -called—stands on one side of a square; opposite is the house of the -Assembly; on the left, as you come out from the Governor's, are the -executive offices and house of the Council, and on the right some -other public buildings. The place would have some pretension about it -did it not seem to be stricken with an eternal death. All the walls -are of a dismal dirty yellow, and a stranger cannot but think that -the colour is owing to the dreadfully prevailing disease of the -country. In this square there are no sounds; men and women never -frequent it; nothing enters it but sunbeams—and such sunbeams! The -glare from those walls seems to forbid that men and women should come -there.</p> - -<p>The parched, dusty, deserted streets are all hot and perfectly -without shade. The crafty Italians have built their narrow streets so -that the sun can hardly enter them, except when he is in the mid -heaven; but there has been no such craft at Spanish Town. The houses -are very low, and when there is any sun in the heavens it can enter -those streets; and in those heavens there is always a burning, -broiling sun.</p> - -<p>But the place is not wholly deserted. There is here the most -frightfully hideous race of pigs that ever made a man ashamed to own -himself a bacon-eating biped. I have never done much in pigs myself, -but I believe that pigly grace consists in plumpness and comparative -shortness—in shortness, above all, of the face and nose. The Spanish -Town pigs are never plump. They are the very ghosts of swine, -consisting entirely of bones and bristles. Their backs are long, -their ribs are long, their legs are long, but, above all, their heads -and noses are hideously long. These brutes prowl about in the sun, -and glare at the unfrequent strangers with their starved eyes, as -though doubting themselves whether, by some little exertion, they -might not become beasts of prey.</p> - -<p>The necessity which exists for white men going to Spanish Town to see -the Governor results, I do not doubt, in some deaths every year. I -will describe the first time I was thus punished. Spanish Town is -thirteen miles from Kingston, and the journey is accomplished by -railway in somewhat under an hour. The trains run about every four -hours. On my arrival a public vehicle took me from the station up to -King's House, and everything seemed to be very convenient. The -streets, certainly, were rather dead, and the place hot; but I was -under cover, and the desolation did not seem to affect me. When I was -landed on the steps of the government-house, the first idea of my -coming sorrows flitted across my mind. "Where shall I call for you?" -said the driver; "the train goes at a quarter past four." It was then -one: and where was he to call for me? and what was I to do with -myself for three hours? "Here," I said; "on these steps." What other -place could I name? I knew no other place in Spanish Town.</p> - -<p>The Governor was all that was obliging—as Governors now-a-days -always are—and made an appointment for me to come again on the -following day, to see some one or say something, who or which could -not be seen or said on that occasion. Thus some twenty minutes were -exhausted, and there remained two hours and fifty minutes more upon -my hands.</p> - -<p>How I wished that the big man's big men had not been so rapidly -courteous—that they had kept me waiting for some hour or so, to -teach me that I was among big people, as used to be done in the good -old times! In such event, I should at any rate have had a seat, -though a hard one, and shelter from the sun. But not a moment's grace -had been afforded me. At the end of twenty minutes I found myself -again standing on those glaring steps.</p> - -<p>What should I do? Where should I go? Looking all around me, I did not -see as much life as would serve to open a door if I asked for -shelter. I stood upon those desolate steps till the perspiration ran -down my face with the labour of standing. Where was I to go? What was -I to do? "Inhospitalem caucasum!" I exclaimed, as I slowly made my -way down into the square.</p> - -<p>When an Englishman has nothing to do, and a certain time to wait, his -one resource is to walk about. A Frenchman sits down and lights a -cigar, an Italian goes to sleep, a German meditates, an American -invents some new position for his limbs as far as possible asunder -from that intended for them by nature, but an Englishman always takes -a walk. I had nothing to do. Even under the full fury of the sun -walking is better than standing still. I would take a walk.</p> - -<p>I moved slowly round the square, and by the time that I had reached -an opposite corner all my clothes were wet through. On I went, -however, down one dead street and up another. I saw no one but the -pigs, and almost envied them their fleshlessness. I turned another -corner, and I came upon the square again. That seemed to me to be the -lowest depth of all that fiery Pandemonium, and with a quickened step -I passed through but a corner of it. But the sun blazed even fiercer -and fiercer. Should I go back and ask for a seat, if it were but on a -bench in the government scullery, among the female negroes?</p> - -<p>Something I must do, or there would soon be an end of me. There must -be some inn in the place, if I could only find it. I was not -absolutely in the midst of the Great Sahara. There were houses on -each side of me, though they were all closed. I looked at my watch, -and found that ten minutes had passed by since I had been on my legs. -I thought I had wandered for an hour.</p> - -<p>And now I saw an old woman—the first human creature I had seen since -I left the light of the Governor's face; the shade I should say, -meaning to speak of it in the most complimentary terms. "Madam," said -I, "is there an inn here; and if so, where may it be?" "Inn!" -repeated the ancient negress, looking at me in a startled way. "Me -know noting, massa;" and so she passed on. Inns in Jamaica are called -lodging-houses, or else taverns; but I did not find this out till -afterwards.</p> - -<p>And then I saw a man walking quickly with a basket across the street, -some way in advance of me. If I did not run I should miss him; so I -did run; and I hallooed also. I shall never forget the exertion. "Is -there a public-house," I exclaimed, feverishly, "in this -<span class="nowrap">——</span> place?" -I forget the exact word which should fill up the blank, but I think -it was "blessed."</p> - -<p>"Pubberlic-house, massa, in dis -<span class="nowrap">d——m</span> place," said the grinning -negro, repeating my words after me, only that I know <i>he</i> used the -offensive phrase which I have designated. "Pubberlic-house! what -dat?" and then he adjusted his basket on his head, and proceeded to -walk on.</p> - -<p>By this time I was half blind, and my head reeled through the effects -of the sun. But I could not allow myself to perish there, in the -middle of Spanish Town, without an effort. It behoved me as a man to -do something to save my life. So I stopped the fellow, and at last -succeeded in making him understand that I would give him sixpence if -he would conduct me to some house of public entertainment.</p> - -<p>"Oh, de Vellington tavern," said he; and taking me to a corner three -yards from where we stood, he showed me the sign-board. "And now de -two quatties," he said. I knew nothing of quatties then, but I gave -him the sixpence, and in a few minutes I found myself within the -"Wellington."</p> - -<p>It was a miserable hole, but it did afford me shelter. Indeed, it -would not have been so miserable had I known at first, as I did some -few minutes before I left, that there was a better room up stairs. -But the people of the house could not suppose but what every one knew -the "Wellington;" and thought, doubtless, that I preferred remaining -below in the dirt.</p> - -<p>I was over two hours in this place, and even that was not pleasant. -When I went up into the fashionable room above, I found there, among -others, a negro of exceeding blackness. I do not know that I ever saw -skin so purely black. He was talking eagerly with his friends, and -after a while I heard him say, in a voice of considerable dignity, "I -shall bring forward a motion on de subject in de house to-morrow." So -that I had not fallen into bad society.</p> - -<p>But even under these circumstances two hours spent in a tavern -without a book, without any necessity for eating or drinking, is not -pleasant; and I trust that when I next visit Jamaica I may find the -seat of government moved to Kingston. The Governor would do Kingston -some good; and it is on the cards that Kingston might return the -compliment.</p> - -<p>The inns in Kingston rejoice in the grand name of halls. Not that you -ask which is the best hall, or inquire at what hall your friend is -staying; but such is the title given to the individual house. One is -the Date-tree Hall, another Blundle's Hall, a third Barkly Hall, and -so on. I took up my abode at Blundle Hall, and found that the -landlady in whose custody I had placed myself was a sister of good -Mrs. Seacole. "My sister wanted to go to India," said my landlady, -"with the army, you know. But Queen Victoria would not let her; her -life was too precious." So that Mrs. Seacole is a prophet, even in -her own country.</p> - -<p>Much cannot be said for the West Indian hotels in general. By far the -best that I met was at Cien Fuegos, in Cuba. This one, kept by Mrs. -Seacole's sister, was not worse, if not much better, than the -average. It was clean, and reasonable as to its charges. I used to -wish that the patriotic lady who kept it could be induced to abandon -the idea that beefsteaks and onions, and bread and cheese and beer -composed the only diet proper for an Englishman. But it is to be -remarked all through the island that the people are fond of English -dishes, and that they despise, or affect to despise, their own -productions. They will give you ox-tail soup when turtle would be -much cheaper. Roast beef and beefsteaks are found at almost every -meal. An immense deal of beer is consumed. When yams, avocado pears, -the mountain cabbage, plaintains, and twenty other delicious -vegetables may be had for the gathering, people will insist on eating -bad English potatoes; and the desire for English pickles is quite a -passion. This is one phase of that love for England which is so -predominant a characteristic of the white inhabitants of the West -Indies.</p> - -<p>At the inns, as at the private houses, the household servants are -almost always black. The manners of these people are to a stranger -very strange. They are not absolutely uncivil, except on occasions; -but they have an easy, free, patronizing air. If you find fault with -them, they insist on having the last word, and are generally -successful. They do not appear to be greedy of money; rarely ask for -it, and express but little thankfulness when they get it. At home, in -England, one is apt to think that an extra shilling will go a long -way with boots and chambermaid, and produce hotter water, more -copious towels, and quicker attendance than is ordinary. But in the -West Indies a similar result does not follow in a similar degree. And -in the West Indies it is absolutely necessary that these people -should be treated with dignity; and it is not always very easy to -reach the proper point of dignity. They like familiarity, but are -singularly averse to ridicule; and though they wish to be on good -terms with you, they do not choose that these shall be reached -without the proper degree of antecedent ceremony.</p> - -<p>"Halloo, old fellow! how about that bath?" I said one morning to a -lad who had been commissioned to see a bath filled for me. He was -cleaning boots at the time, and went on with his employment, -sedulously, as though he had not heard a word. But he was over -sedulous, and I saw that he heard me.</p> - -<p>"I say, how about that bath?" I continued. But he did not move a -muscle.</p> - -<p>"Put down those boots, sir," I said, going up to him; "and go and do -as I bid you."</p> - -<p>"Who you call fellor? You speak to a gen'lman gen'lmanly, and den he -fill de bath."</p> - -<p>"James," said I, "might I trouble you to leave those boots, and see -the bath filled for me?" and I bowed to him.</p> - -<p>"'Es, sir," he answered, returning my bow; "go at once." And so he -did, perfectly satisfied. Had he imagined, however, that I was -quizzing him, in all probability he would not have gone at all.</p> - -<p>There will be those who will say that I had received a good lesson; -and perhaps I had. But it would be rather cumbersome if we were -forced to treat our juvenile servants at home in this manner—or even -those who are not juvenile.</p> - -<p>I must say this for the servants, that I never knew them to steal -anything, or heard of their doing so from any one else. If any one -deserves to be robbed, I deserve it; for I leave my keys and my money -everywhere, and seldom find time to lock my portmanteau. But my -carelessness was not punished in Jamaica. And this I think is the -character of the people as regards absolute personal -property—personal property that has been housed and garnered—that -has, as it were, been made the possessor's very own. There can be no -more diligent thieves than they are in appropriating to themselves -the fruits of the earth while they are still on the trees. They will -not understand that this is stealing. Nor can much be said for their -honesty in dealing. There is a great difference between cheating and -stealing in the minds of many men, whether they be black or white.</p> - -<p>There are good shops in Kingston, and I believe that men in trade are -making money there. I cannot tell on what principle prices range -themselves as compared with those in England. Some things are -considerably cheaper than with us, and some much, very much dearer. A -pair of excellent duck trousers, if I may be excused for alluding to -them, cost me eighteen shillings when made to order. Whereas, a pair -of evening white gloves could not be had under four-and-sixpence. -That, at least, was the price charged, though I am bound to own that -the shop-boy considerately returned me sixpence, discount for ready -money.</p> - -<p>The men in the shops are generally of the coloured race, and they are -also extremely free and easy in their manners. From them this is more -disagreeable than from the negroes. "Four-and-sixpence for white -gloves!" I said; "is not that high?" "Not at all, sir; by no means. -We consider it rather cheap. But in Kingston, sir, you must not think -about little economies." And he leered at me in a very nauseous -manner as he tied his parcel. However, I ought to forgive him, for -did he not return to me sixpence discount, unasked?</p> - -<p>There are various places of worship in Kingston, and the negroes are -fond of attending them. But they love best that class of religion -which allows them to hear the most of their own voices. They are -therefore fond of Baptists; and fonder of the Wesleyans than of the -Church of England. Many also are Roman Catholics. Their -singing-classes are constantly to be heard as one walks through the -streets. No religion is worth anything to them which does not offer -the allurement of some excitement.</p> - -<p>Very little excitement is to be found in the Church-of-England -Kingston parish church. The church itself, with its rickety pews, and -creaking doors, and wretched seats made purposely so as to render -genuflexion impossible, and the sleepy, droning, somnolent service -are exactly what was so common in England twenty years since; but -which are common no longer, thanks to certain much-abused clerical -gentlemen. Not but that it may still be found in England if -diligently sought for.</p> - -<p>But I must not finish my notice on the town of Kingston without a -word of allusion to my enemies, the musquitoes. Let no European -attempt to sleep there at any time of the year without -musquito-curtains. If he do, it will only be an attempt; which will -probably end in madness and fever before morning.</p> - -<p>Nor will musquito-curtains suffice unless they are brushed out with -no ordinary care, and then tucked in; and unless, also, the -would-be-sleeper, after having cunningly crept into his bed at the -smallest available aperture, carefully pins up that aperture. Your -Kingston musquito is the craftiest of insects, and the most deadly.</p> - - -<p><a id="c3"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—COUNTRY.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>I have spoken in disparaging terms of the chief town in Jamaica, but -I can atone for this by speaking in very high terms of the country. -In that island one would certainly prefer the life of the country -mouse. There is scenery in Jamaica which almost equals that of -Switzerland and the Tyrol; and there is also, which is more -essential, a temperature among the mountains in which a European can -live comfortably.</p> - -<p>I travelled over the greater part of the island, and was very much -pleased with it. The drawbacks on such a tour are the expensiveness -of locomotion, the want of hotels, and the badness of the roads. As -to cost, the tourist always consoles himself by reflecting that he is -going to take the expensive journey once, and once only. The badness -of the roads forms an additional excitement; and the want of hotels -is cured, as it probably has been caused, by the hospitality of the -gentry.</p> - -<p>And they are very hospitable—and hospitable, too, under adverse -circumstances. In olden times, when nobody anywhere was so rich as a -Jamaica planter, it was not surprising that he should be always glad -to see his own friends and his friends' friends, and their friends. -Such visits dissipated the ennui of his own life, and the expense was -not appreciable—or, at any rate, not undesirable. An open house was -his usual rule of life. But matters are much altered with him now. If -he be a planter of the olden days, he will have passed through fire -and water in his endeavours to maintain his position. If, as is more -frequently the case, he be a man of new date on his estate, he will -probably have established himself with a small capital; and he also -will have to struggle. But, nevertheless, the hospitality is -maintained, perhaps not on the olden scale, yet on a scale that by no -means requires to be enlarged.</p> - -<p>"It is rather hard on us," said a young planter to me, with whom I -was on terms of sufficient intimacy to discuss such matters—"We send -word to the people at home that we are very poor. They won't quite -believe us, so they send out somebody to see. The somebody comes, a -pleasant-mannered fellow, and we kill our little fatted calf for him; -probably it is only a ewe lamb. We bring out our bottle or two of the -best, that has been put by for a gala day, and so we make his heart -glad. He goes home, and what does he say of us? These Jamaica -planters are princes—the best fellows living; I liked them -amazingly. But as for their poverty, don't believe a word of it. They -swim in claret, and usually bathe in champagne. Now that is hard, -seeing that our common fare is salt fish and rum and water." I -advised him in future to receive such inquirers with his ordinary -fare only. "Yes," said he, "and then we should get it on the other -cheek. We should be abused for our stinginess. No Jamaica man could -stand that."</p> - -<p>It is of course known that the sugar-cane is the chief production of -Jamaica; but one may travel for days in the island and only see a -cane piece here and there. By far the greater portion of the island -is covered with wild wood and jungle—what is there called bush. -Through this, on an occasional favourable spot, and very frequently -on the roadsides, one sees the gardens or provision-grounds of the -negroes. These are spots of land cultivated by them, for which they -either pay rent, or on which, as is quite as common, they have -squatted without payment of any rent.</p> - -<p>These provision-grounds are very picturesque. They are not filled, as -a peasant's garden in England or in Ireland is filled, with potatoes -and cabbages, or other vegetables similarly uninteresting in their -growth; but contain cocoa-trees, breadfruit-trees, oranges, mangoes, -limes, plantains, jack fruit, sour-sop, avocado pears, and a score of -others, all of which are luxuriant trees, some of considerable size, -and all of them of great beauty. The breadfruit-tree and the mango -are especially lovely, and I know nothing prettier than a grove of -oranges in Jamaica. In addition to this, they always have the yam, -which is with the negro somewhat as the potato is with the Irishman; -only that the Irishman has nothing else, whereas the negro generally -has either fish or meat, and has also a score of other fruits besides -the yam.</p> - -<p>The yam, too, is picturesque in its growth. As with the potato, the -root alone is eaten, but the upper part is fostered and cared for as -a creeper, so that the ground may be unencumbered by its thick -tendrils. Support is provided for it as for grapes or peas. Then one -sees also in these provision-grounds patches of coffee and arrowroot, -and occasionally also patches of sugar-cane.</p> - -<p>A man wishing to see the main features of the whole island, and -proceeding from Kingston as his head-quarters, must take two distinct -tours, one to the east and the other to the west. The former may be -best done on horseback, as the roads are, one may say, non-existent -for a considerable portion of the way, and sometimes almost worse -than non-existent in other places.</p> - -<p>One of the most remarkable characteristics of Jamaica is the -copiousness of its rivers. It is said that its original name, -Xaymaca, signifies a country of streams; and it certainly is not -undeserved. This copiousness, though it adds to the beauty, as no -doubt it does also to its salubrity and fertility, adds something too -to the difficulty of locomotion. Bridges have not been built, or, sad -to say, have been allowed to go to destruction. One hears that this -river or that river is "down," whereby it is signified that the -waters are swollen; and some of the rivers when so down are certainly -not easy of passage. Such impediments are more frequent in the east -than elsewhere, and on this account travelling on horseback is the -safest as well as the most expeditious means of transit. I found four -horses to be necessary, one for the groom, one for my clothes, and -two for myself. A lighter weight might have done with three.</p> - -<p>An Englishman feels some bashfulness in riding up to a stranger's -door with such a cortége, and bearing as an introduction a message -from somebody else, to say that you are to be entertained. But I -always found that such a message was a sufficient passport. "It is -our way," one gentleman said to me, in answer to my apology. "When -four or five come in for dinner after ten o'clock at night, we do -think it hard, seeing that meat won't keep in this country."</p> - -<p>Hotels, as an institution, are, on the whole, a comfortable -arrangement. One prefers, perhaps, ordering one's dinner to asking -for it; and many men delight in the wide capability of finding fault -which an inn affords. But they are very hostile to the spirit of -hospitality. The time will soon come when the backwoodsman will have -his tariff for public accommodation, and an Arab will charge you a -fixed price for his pipe and cup of coffee in the desert. But that -era has not yet been reached in Jamaica.</p> - -<p>Crossing the same river four-and-twenty times is tedious; especially -if this is done in heavy rain, when the road is a narrow track -through thickly-wooded ravines, and when an open umbrella is -absolutely necessary. But so often had we to cross the Waag-water in -our route from Kingston to the northern shore.</p> - -<p>It was here that I first saw the full effect of tropical vegetation, -and I shall never forget it. Perhaps the most graceful of all the -woodland productions is the bamboo. It grows either in clusters, like -clumps of trees in an English park, or, as is more usual when found -in its indigenous state, in long rows by the riversides. The trunk of -the bamboo is a huge hollow cane, bearing no leaves except at its -head. One such cane alone would be uninteresting enough. But their -great height, the peculiarly graceful curve of their growth, and the -excessive thickness of the drooping foliage of hundreds of them -clustered together produce an effect which nothing can surpass.</p> - -<p>The cotton-tree is almost as beautiful when standing alone. The trunk -of this tree grows to a magnificent height, and with magnificent -proportions: it is frequently straight; and those which are most -beautiful throw out no branches till they have reached a height -greater than that of any ordinary tree with us. Nature, in order to -sustain so large a mass, supplies it with huge spurs at the foot, -which act as buttresses for its support, connecting the roots -immediately with the trunk as much as twenty feet above the ground. I -measured more than one, which, including the buttresses, were over -thirty feet in circumference. Then from its head the branches break -forth in most luxurious profusion, covering an enormous extent of -ground with their shade.</p> - -<p>But the most striking peculiarity of these trees consists in the -parasite plants by which they are enveloped, and which hang from -their branches down to the ground with tendrils of wonderful -strength. These parasites are of various kinds, the fig being the -most obdurate with its embraces. It frequently may be seen that the -original tree has departed wholly from sight, and I should imagine -almost wholly from existence; and then the very name is changed, and -the cotton-tree is called a fig-tree. In others the process of -destruction may be observed, and the interior trunk may be seen to be -stayed in its growth and stunted in its measure by the creepers which -surround it. This pernicious embrace the natives describe as "The -Scotchman hugging the Creole." The metaphor is sufficiently satirical -upon our northern friends, who are supposed not to have thriven badly -in their visits to the Western islands.</p> - -<p>But it often happens that the tree has reached its full growth before -the parasites have fallen on it, and then, in place of being -strangled, it is adorned. Every branch is covered with a wondrous -growth—with plants of a thousand colours and a thousand sorts. Some -droop with long and graceful tendrils from the boughs, and so touch -the ground; while others hang in a ball of leaves and flowers, which -swing for years, apparently without changing their position.</p> - -<p>The growth of these parasite plants must be slow, though it is so -very rich. A gentleman with whom I was staying, and in whose grounds -I saw by far the most lovely tree of this description that met my -sight, assured me that he had watched it closely for more than twenty -years, and that he could trace no difference in the size or -arrangement of the parasite plants by which it was surrounded.</p> - -<p>We went across the island to a little village called Annotta Bay, -traversing the Waag-water twenty-four times, as I have said; and from -thence, through the parishes of Metcalf and St. George, to Port -Antonio. "Fuit ilium et ingens gloria." This may certainly be said of -Port Antonio and the adjacent district. It was once a military -station, and the empty barracks, standing so beautifully over the -sea, on an extreme point of land, are now waiting till time shall -reduce them to ruin. The place is utterly desolate, though not yet -broken up in its desolation, as such buildings quickly become when -left wholly untenanted. A rusty cannon or two still stand at the -embrasures, watching the entrance to the fort; and among the grass we -found a few metal balls, the last remains of the last ordnance -supplies.</p> - -<p>But Port Antonio was once a goodly town, and the country round it, -the parish of Portland, is as fertile as any in the island. But now -there is hardly a sugar estate in the whole parish. It is given up to -the growth of yams, cocoas, and plantains. It has become a -provision-ground for negroes, and the palmy days of the town are of -course gone.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, there was a decent little inn at Port Antonio, which -will always be memorable to me on account of the love sorrows of a -young maiden whom I chanced to meet there. The meeting was in this -<span class="nowrap">wise:—</span></p> - -<p>I was sitting in the parlour of the inn, after dinner, when a young -lady walked in, dressed altogether in white. And she was well -dressed, and not without the ordinary decoration of crinoline and -ribbons. She was of the coloured race; and her jet black, crisp, yet -wavy hair was brushed back in a becoming fashion. Whence she came or -who she was I did not know, and never learnt. That she was familiar -in the house I presumed from her moving the books and little -ornaments on the table, and arranging the cups and shells upon a -shelf. "Heigh-ho!" she ejaculated, when I had watched her for about a -minute.</p> - -<p>I hardly knew how to accost her, for I object to the word Miss, as -standing alone; and yet it was necessary that I should accost her. -"Ah, well: heigh-ho!" she repeated. It was easy to perceive that she -had a grief to tell.</p> - -<p>"Lady," said I—I felt that the address was somewhat stilted, but in -the lack of any introduction I knew not how else to begin—"Lady, I -fear that you are in sorrow?"</p> - -<p>"Sorrow enough!" said she. "I'se in de deepest sorrow. Heigh-ho me! -Well, de world will end some day," and turning her face full upon me, -she crossed her hands. I was seated on a sofa, and she came and sat -beside me, crossing her hands upon her lap, and looking away to the -opposite wall. I am not a very young man; and my friends have told me -that I show strongly that steady married appearance of a -paterfamilias which is so apt to lend assurance to maiden timidity.</p> - -<p>"It will end some day for us all," I replied. "But with you, it has -hardly yet had its beginning."</p> - -<p>"'Tis a very bad world, and sooner over de better. To be treated so's -enough to break any girl's heart; it is! My heart's clean broke, I -know dat." And as she put both her long, thin dark hands to her side, -I saw that she had not forgotten her rings.</p> - -<p>"It is love then that ails you?"</p> - -<p>"No!" She said this very sharply, turning full round upon me, and -fixing her large black eyes upon mine. "No, I don't love him one bit; -not now, and never again. No, not if he were down dere begging." And -she stamped her little foot upon the ground as though she had an -imaginary neck beneath her heel.</p> - -<p>"But you did love him?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." She spoke very softly now, and shook her head gently. "I did -love him—oh, so much! He was so handsome, so nice! I shall never see -such a man again: such eyes; such a mouth! and then his nose! He was -a Jew, you know."</p> - -<p>I had not known it before, and received the information perhaps with -some little start of surprise.</p> - -<p>"Served me right; didn't it? And I'se a Baptist, you know. They'd -have read me out, I know dat. But I didn't seem to mind it den." And -then she gently struck one hand with the other, as she smiled sweetly -in my face. The trick is customary with the coloured women in the -West Indies when they have entered upon a nice familiar, pleasant bit -of chat. At this period I felt myself to be sufficiently intimate -with her to ask her name.</p> - -<p>"Josephine; dat's my name. D'you like dat name?"</p> - -<p>"It's as pretty as its owner—nearly."</p> - -<p>"Pretty! no; I'se not pretty. If I was pretty, he'd not have left me -so. He used to call me Feeny."</p> - -<p>"What! the Jew did." I thought it might be well to detract from the -merit of the lost admirer. "A girl like you should have a Christian -lover."</p> - -<p>"Dat's what dey all says."</p> - -<p>"Of course they do: you ought to be glad it's over."</p> - -<p>"I ain't tho'; not a bit; tho' I do hate him so. Oh, I hate him; I -hate him! I hate him worse dan poison." And again her little foot -went to work. I must confess that it was a pretty foot; and as for -her waist, I never saw one better turned, or more deftly clothed. Her -little foot went to work upon the floor, and then clenching her small -right hand, she held it up before my face as though to show me that -she knew how to menace.</p> - -<p>I took her hand in mine, and told her that those fingers had not been -made for threats. "You are a Christian," said I, "and should -forgive."</p> - -<p>"I'se a Baptist," she replied; "and in course I does forgive him: I -does forgive him; <span class="nowrap">but—!</span> -He'll be wretched in this life, I know; and -she—she'll be wretcheder; and when he dies—oh-h-h-h!"</p> - -<p>In that prolonged expression there was a curse as deep as any that -Ernulphus ever gave. Alas! such is the forgiveness of too many a -Christian!</p> - -<p>"As for me, I wouldn't demean myself to touch de hem of her garment! -Poor fellow! What a life he'll have; for she's a virgo with a -vengeance." This at the moment astonished me; but from the whole -tenor of the lady's speech I was at once convinced that no satirical -allusion was intended. In the hurry of her fluttering thoughts she -had merely omitted the letter "a." It was her rival's temper, not her -virtue, that she doubted.</p> - -<p>"The Jew is going to be married then?"</p> - -<p>"He told her so; but p'raps he'll jilt her too, you know." It was -easy to see that the idea was not an unpleasant one.</p> - -<p>"And then he'll come back to you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes; and I'll spit at him;" and in the fury of her mind she -absolutely did perform the operation. "I wish he would; I'd sit so, -and listen to him;" and she crossed her hands and assumed an air of -dignified quiescence which well became her. "I'd listen every word he -say; just so. Every word till he done; and I'd smile"—and she did -smile—"and den when he offer me his hand"—and she put out her -own—"I'd spit at him, and leave him so." And rising majestically -from her seat she stalked out of the room.</p> - -<p>As she fully closed the door behind her, I thought that the interview -was over, and that I should see no more of my fair friend; but in -this I was mistaken. The door was soon reopened, and she again seated -herself on the sofa beside me.</p> - -<p>"Your heart would permit of your doing that?" said I; "and he with -such a beautiful nose?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; it would. I'd 'spise myself to take him now, if he was ever so -beautiful. But I'se sure of this, I'll never love no oder man—never -again. He did dance so genteelly."</p> - -<p>"A Baptist dance!" I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Well; it wasn't de ting, was it? And I knew I'd be read out; oh, but -it was so nice! I'll never have no more dancing now. I've just taken -up with a class now, you know, since he's gone."</p> - -<p>"Taken up with a class?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I teaches the nigger children; and I has a card for the -minister. I got four dollars last week, and you must give me -something."</p> - -<p>Now I hate Baptists—as she did her lover—like poison; and even -under such pressure as this I could not bring myself to aid in their -support.</p> - -<p>"You very stingy man! Caspar Isaacs"—he was her lost lover—"gave me -a dollar."</p> - -<p>"But perhaps you gave him a kiss."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I did," said she. "But you may be quite sure of this, quite; -I'll never give him anoder," and she again slapped one hand upon the -other, and compressed her lips, and gently shook her head as she made -the declaration, "I'll never give him anoder kiss—dat's sure as -fate."</p> - -<p>I had nothing further to say, and began to feel that I ought not to -detain the lady longer. We sat together, however, silent for a while, -and then she arose and spoke to me standing. "I'se in a reg'lar -difficulty now, however; and it's just about that I am come to ask -you."</p> - -<p>"Well, Josephine, anything that I can do to help you—"</p> - -<p>"'Tain't much; I only want your advice. I'se going to Kingston, you -see."</p> - -<p>"Ah, you'll find another lover there."</p> - -<p>"It's not for dat den, for I don't want none; but I'se going anyways, -'cause I live dere."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you live at Kingston?"</p> - -<p>"Course I does. And I'se no ways to go but just in de droger"—the -West Indian coasting vessels are so called.</p> - -<p>"Don't you like going in the droger?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes; I likes it well enough."</p> - -<p>"Are you sea-sick?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no."</p> - -<p>"Then what's the harm of the droger?"</p> - -<p>"Why, you see"—and she turned away her face and looked towards the -window—"why you see, Isaacs is the captain of her, and 'twill be so -odd like."</p> - -<p>"You could not possibly have a better opportunity for recovering all -that you have lost."</p> - -<p>"You tink so?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly."</p> - -<p>"Den you know noting about it. I will never recover noting of him, -never. Bah! But I tell you what I'll do. I'll pay him my pound for my -passage; and den it'll be a purely 'mercial transaction."</p> - -<p>On this point I agreed with her, and then she offered me her hand -with the view of bidding me farewell. "Good-bye, Josephine," I said; -"perhaps you would be happier with a Christian husband."</p> - -<p>"P'raps I would; p'raps better with none at all. But I don't tink -I'll ever be happy no more. 'Tis so dull: good-bye." Were I a girl, I -doubt whether I also would not sooner dance with a Jew than pray with -a Baptist.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Josephine." I pressed her hand, and so she went, and I -never saw nor heard more of her.</p> - -<p>There was not about my Josephine all the pathos of Maria; nor can I -tell my story as Sterne told his. But Josephine in her sorrow was I -think more true to human nature than Maria. It may perhaps be -possible that Sterne embellished his facts. I, at any rate, have not -done that.</p> - -<p>I had another adventure at Port Antonio. About two o'clock in the -morning there was an earthquake, and we were all nearly shaken out of -our beds. Some one rushed into my room, declaring that not a stone -would be left standing of Port Royal. There were two distinct blows, -separated by some seconds, and a loud noise was heard. I cannot say -that I was frightened, as I had not time to realize the fact of the -earthquake before it was all over. No harm was done, I believe, -anywhere, beyond the disseverance of a little plaster from the walls.</p> - -<p>The largest expanse of unbroken cane-fields in Jamaica is at the -extreme south-east, in the parish of St. George's in the East. Here I -saw a plain of about four thousand acres under canes. It looked to be -prosperous; but I was told by the planter with whom I was staying -that the land had lately been deluged with water; that the canes were -covered with mud; and that the crops would be very short. Poor -Jamaica! It seems as though all the elements are in league against -her.</p> - -<p>I was not sorry to return to Kingston from this trip, for I was tired -of the saddle. In Jamaica everybody rides, but nobody seems to get -much beyond a walk. Now to me there is no pace on horseback so -wearying as an unbroken walk. I did goad my horse into trotting, but -it was clear that the animal was not used to it.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards I went to the west. The distances here were -longer, but the journey was made on wheels, and was not so fatiguing. -Moreover, I stayed some little time with a friend in one of the -distant parishes of the island. The scenery during the whole -expedition was very grand. The road goes through Spanish Town, and -then divides itself, one road going westward by the northern coast, -and the other by that to the south. I went by the former, and began -my journey by the bog or bogue walk, a road through a magnificent -ravine, and then over Mount Diabolo. The Devil assumes to himself all -the finest scenery in all countries. Of a delicious mountain tarn he -makes his punch-bowl; he loves to leap from crag to crag over the -wildest ravines; he builds picturesque bridges in most impassable -sites; and makes roads over mountains at gradients not to be -attempted by the wildest engineer. The road over Mount Diabolo is -very fine, and the view back to Kingston very grand.</p> - -<p>From thence I went down into the parish of St. Anns, on the northern -side. They all speak of St. Anns as being the most fertile district -in the island. The inhabitants are addicted to grazing rather than -sugarmaking, and thrive in that pursuit very well. But all Jamaica is -suited for a grazing-ground, and all the West Indies should be the -market for their cattle.</p> - -<p>On the northern coast there are two towns, Falmouth and Montego Bay, -both of which are, at any rate in appearance, more prosperous than -Kingston. I cannot say that the streets are alive with trade; but -they do not appear to be so neglected, desolate, and wretched as the -metropolis or the seat of government. They have jails and hospitals, -mayors and magistrates, and are, except in atmosphere, very like -small country towns in England.</p> - -<p>The two furthermost parishes of Jamaica are Hanover and Westmoreland, -and I stayed for a short time with a gentleman who lives on the -borders of the two. I certainly was never in a more lovely country. -He was a sugar planter; but the canes and sugar, which, after all, -are ugly and by no means savoury appurtenances, were located -somewhere out of sight. As far as I myself might know, from what I -saw, my host's ordinary occupations were exactly those of a country -gentleman in England. He fished and shot, and looked after his -estate, and acted as a magistrate; and over and above this, was -somewhat particular about his dinner, and the ornamentation of the -land immediately round his house. I do not know that Fate can give a -man a pleasanter life. If, however, he did at unseen moments inspect -his cane-holes, and employ himself among the sugar hogsheads and rum -puncheons, it must be acknowledged that he had a serious drawback on -his happiness.</p> - -<p>Country life in Jamaica certainly has its attractions. The day is -generally begun at six o'clock, when a cup of coffee is brought in by -a sable minister. I believe it is customary to take this in bed, or -rather on the bed; for in Jamaica one's connection with one's bed -does not amount to getting into it. One gets within the musquito net, -and then plunges about with a loose sheet, which is sometimes on and -sometimes off. With the cup of coffee comes a small modicum of dry -toast.</p> - -<p>After that the toilet progresses, not at a rapid pace. A tub of cold -water and dilettante dressing will do something more than kill an -hour, so that it is half-past seven or eight before one leaves one's -room. When one first arrives in the West Indies, one hears much of -early morning exercise, especially for ladies; and for ladies, early -morning exercise is the only exercise possible. But it appeared to me -that I heard more of it than I saw. And even as regards early -travelling, the eager promise was generally broken. An assumed start -at five <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span> usually -meant seven; and one at six, half-past eight. -This, however, is the time of day at which the sugar grower is -presumed to look at his canes, and the grazier to inspect his kine. -At this hour—eight o'clock, that is—the men ride, and <i>sometimes</i> -also the ladies. And when the latter ceremony does take place, there -is no pleasanter hour in all the four-and-twenty.</p> - -<p>At ten or half-past ten the nation sits down to breakfast; not to a -meal, my dear Mrs. Jones, consisting of tea and bread and butter, -with two eggs for the master of the family and one for the mistress; -but a stout, solid banquet, consisting of fish, beefsteaks—a -breakfast is not a breakfast in the West Indies without beefsteaks -and onions, nor is a dinner so to be called without bread and cheese -and beer—potatoes, yams, plaintains, eggs, and half a dozen "tinned" -productions, namely, meats sent from England in tin cases. Though -they have every delicacy which the world can give them of native -production, all these are as nothing, unless they also have something -from England. Then there are tea and chocolate upon the table, and on -the sideboard beer and wine, rum and brandy. 'Tis so that they -breakfast at rural quarters in Jamaica.</p> - -<p>Then comes the day. Ladies may not subject their fair skin to the -outrages of a tropical sun, and therefore, unless on very special -occasions, they do not go out between breakfast and dinner. That they -occupy themselves well during the while, charity feels convinced. -Sarcasm, however, says that they do not sin from over energy. For my -own part, I do not care a doit for sarcasm. When their lords -reappear, they are always found smiling, well-dressed, and pretty; -and then after dinner they have but one sin—there is but one -drawback—they will go to bed at 9 o'clock.</p> - -<p>But by the men during the day it did not seem to me that the sun was -much regarded, or that it need be much regarded. One cannot and -certainly should not walk much; and no one does walk. A horse is -there as a matter of course, and one walks upon that; not a great -beast sixteen hands high, requiring all manner of levers between its -jaws, capricoling and prancing about, and giving a man a deal of work -merely to keep his seat and look stately; but a canny little quiet -brute, fed chiefly on grass, patient of the sun, and not inclined to -be troublesome. With such legs under him, and at a distance of some -twenty miles from the coast, a man may get about in Jamaica pretty -nearly as well as he can in England.</p> - -<p>I saw various grazing farms—pens they are here called—while I was -in this part of the country; and I could not but fancy that grazing -should in Jamaica be the natural and most beneficial pursuit of the -proprietor, as on the other side of the Atlantic it certainly is in -Ireland. I never saw grass to equal the guinea grass in some of the -parishes; and at Knockalva I looked at Hereford cattle which I have -rarely, if ever, seen beaten at any agricultural show in England. At -present the island does not altogether supply itself with meat; but -it might do so, and supply, moreover, nearly the whole of the -remaining West Indies. Proprietors of land say that the sea transit -is too costly. Of course it is at present; the trade not yet -existing; for indeed, at present there is no means of such transit. -But screw steamers now always appear quickly enough wherever freight -offers itself; and if the cattle were there, they would soon find -their way down to the Windward Islands.</p> - -<p>But I am running away from my day. The inspection of a pen or two, -perhaps occasionally of the sugar works when they are about, soon -wears through the hours, and at five preparations commence for the -six o'clock dinner. The dressing again is a dilettante process, even -for the least dandified of mankind. It is astonishing how much men -think, and must think, of their clothes when within the tropics. -Dressing is necessarily done slowly, or else one gets heated quicker -than one has cooled down. And then one's clothes always want airing, -and the supply of clean linen is necessarily copious, or, at any -rate, should be so. Let no man think that he can dress for dinner in -ten minutes because he is accustomed to do so in England. He cannot -brush his hair, or pull on his boots, or fasten his buttons at the -same pace he does at home. He dries his face very leisurely, and sits -down gravely to rest before he draws on his black pantaloons.</p> - -<p>Dressing for dinner, however, is <i>de rigeur</i> in the West Indies. If a -black coat, &c., could be laid aside anywhere as barbaric, and light -loose clothing adopted, this should be done here. The soldiers, at -least the privates, are already dressed as Zouaves; and children and -negroes are hardly dressed at all. But the visitor, victim of -tropical fashionable society, must appear in black clothing, because -black clothing is the thing in England. "The Governor won't see you -in that coat," was said to me once on my way to Spanish Town, "even -on a morning." The Governor did see me, and as far as I could observe -did not know whether or no I had on any coat. Such, however, is the -feeling of the place. But we shall never get to dinner.</p> - -<p>This again is a matter of considerable importance, as, indeed, where -is it not? While in England we are all writing letters to the -'Times,' to ascertain how closely we can copy the vices of Apicius on -eight hundred pounds a year, and complaining because in our perverse -stupidity we cannot pamper our palates with sufficient variety, it is -not open to us to say a word against the luxuries of a West Indian -table. We have reached the days when a man not only eats his best, -but complains bitterly and publicly because he cannot eat better; -when we sigh out loud because no Horace will teach us where the -sweetest cabbage grows; how best to souse our living poultry, so that -their fibres when cooked may not offend our teeth. These lessons of -Horace are accounted among his Satires. But what of that? That which -was satire to Augustine Rome shall be simple homely teaching to the -subject of Victoria with his thousand a year.</p> - -<p>But the cook in the Jamaica country house is a person of importance, -and I am inclined to think that the lady whom I have accused of -idleness does during those vacant interlunar hours occasionally peer -into her kitchen. The results at any rate are good—sufficiently so -to break the hearts of some of our miserable eight hundred a year men -at home.</p> - -<p>After dinner no wine is taken—none, at least, beyond one glass with -the ladies, and, if you choose it, one after they are gone. Before -dinner, as I should have mentioned before, a glass of bitters is as -much <i>de rigeur</i> as the black coat. I know how this will disgust many -a kindly friend in dear good old thickly-prejudiced native England. -Yes, ma'am, bitters! No, not gin and bitters, such as the cabmen take -at the gin-palaces; not gin and bitters at all, unless you specially -request it; but sherry and bitters; and a very pretty habit it is for -a warm country. If you don't drink your wine after dinner, why not -take it before? I have no doubt that it is the more wholesome habit -of the two.</p> - -<p>Not that I recommend, even in the warmest climate, a second bitter, -or a third. There are spots in the West Indies where men take third -bitters, and long bitters, in which the bitter time begins when the -soda water and brandy time ends—in which the latter commences when -the breakfast beer-bottles disappear. There are such places, but they -must not be named by me in characters plainly legible. To kiss and -tell is very criminal, as the whole world knows. But while on the -subject of bitters, I must say this: Let no man ever allow himself to -take a long bitter such as men make at -<span class="nowrap">——.</span> It is beyond the power -of man to stop at one. A long bitter duly swiggled is your true West -Indian syren.</p> - -<p>And then men and women saunter out on the verandah, or perhaps, if it -be starlight or moonlight, into the garden. Oh, what stars they are, -those in that western tropical world! How beautiful a woman looks by -their light, how sweet the air smells, how gloriously legible are the -constellations of the heavens! And then one sips a cup of coffee, and -there is a little chat, the lightest of the light, and a little -music, light enough also, and at nine one retires to one's light -slumbers. It is a pleasant life for a short time, though the flavour -of the <i>dolce far niente</i> is somewhat too prevalent for Saxon -energies fresh from Europe.</p> - -<p>Such are the ordinary evenings of society; but there are occasions -when no complaint can be made of lack of energy. The soul of a -Jamaica lady revels in a dance. Dancing is popular in England—is -popular almost everywhere, but in Jamaica it is the elixir of life; -the Medea's cauldron, which makes old people young; the cup of Circe, -which neither man nor woman can withstand. Look at that lady who has -been content to sit still and look beautiful for the last two hours; -let but the sound of a polka meet her and she will awake to life as -lively, to motion as energetic, as that of a Scotch sportsman on the -12th of August. It is singular how the most listless girl who seems -to trail through her long days almost without moving her limbs, will -continue to waltz and polk and rush up and down a galopade from ten -till five; and then think the hours all too short!</p> - -<p>And it is not the girls only, and the boys—begging their pardon—who -rave for dancing. Steady matrons of five-and-forty are just as -anxious, and grave senators, whose years are past naming. See that -gentleman with the bald head and grizzled beard, how sedulously he is -making up his card! "Madam, the fourth polka," he says to the stout -lady in the turban and the yellow slip, who could not move yesterday -because of her rheumatism. "I'm full up to the fifth," she replies, -looking at the MS. hanging from her side; "but shall be so happy for -the sixth, or perhaps the second schottische." And then, after a -little grave conference, the matter is settled between them.</p> - -<p>"I hope you dance quick dances," a lady said to me. "Quick!" I -replied in my ignorance; "has not one to go by the music in Jamaica?" -"Oh, you goose! don't you know what quick dances are? I never dance -anything but quick dances, quadrilles are so deadly dull." I could -not but be amused at this new theory as to the quick and the -dead—new at least to me, though, alas! I found myself tabooed from -all the joys of the night by this invidious distinction.</p> - -<p>In the West Indies, polkas and the like are quick dances; quadrilles -and their counterparts are simply dead. A lady shows you no -compliment by giving you her hand for the latter; in that you have -merely to amuse her by conversation. Flirting, as any practitioner -knows, is spoilt by much talking. Many words make the amusement -either absurd or serious, and either alternative is to be avoided.</p> - -<p>And thus I soon became used to quick dances and long drinks—that is, -in my vocabulary. "Will you have a long drink or a short one?" It -sounds odd, but is very expressive. A long drink is taken from a -tumbler, a short one from a wine-glass. The whole extent of the -choice thus becomes intelligible.</p> - -<p>Many things are necessary, and many changes must be made before -Jamaica can again enjoy all her former prosperity. I do not know -whether the total abolition of the growth of sugar be not one of -them. But this I do know, that whatever be their produce, they must -have roads on which to carry it before they can grow rich. The roads -through the greater part of the island are very bad indeed; and those -along the southern coast, through the parishes of St. Elizabeth, -Manchester, and Clarendon, are by no means among the best. I returned -to Kingston by this route, and shall never forget some of my -difficulties. On the whole, the south-western portion of the island -is by no means equal to the northern.</p> - -<p>I took a third expedition up to Newcastle, where are placed the -barracks for our white troops, to the Blue Mountain peak, and to -various gentlemen's houses in these localities. For grandeur of -scenery this is the finest part of the island. The mountains are far -too abrupt, and the land too much broken for those lovely park-like -landscapes of which the parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover are -full, and of which Stuttlestone, the property of Lord Howard de -Walden, is perhaps the most beautiful specimen. But nothing can be -grander, either in colour or grouping, than the ravines of the Blue -Mountain ranges of hills. Perhaps the finest view in the island is -from Raymond Lodge, a house high up among the mountains, in which—so -local rumour says—'Tom Cringle's Log' was written.</p> - -<p>To reach these regions a man must be an equestrian—as must also a -woman. No lady lives there so old but what she is to be seen on -horseback, nor any child so young. Babies are carried up there on -pillows, and whole families on ponies. 'Tis here that bishops and -generals love to dwell, that their daughters may have rosy cheeks, -and their sons stalwart limbs. And they are right. Children that are -brought up among these mountains, though they live but twelve or -eighteen miles from their young friends down at Kingston, cannot be -taken as belonging to the same race. I can imagine no more healthy -climate than the mountains round Newcastle.</p> - -<p>I shall not soon forget my ride to Newcastle. Two ladies accompanied -me and my excellent friend who was pioneering me through the country; -and they were kind enough to show us the way over all the break-neck -passes in the country. To them and to their horses, these were like -easy highroads; but to <span class="nowrap">me,—!</span> -It was manifestly a disappointment to -them that my heart did not faint visibly within me.</p> - -<p>I have hunted in Carmarthenshire, and a man who has done that ought -to be able to ride anywhere; but in riding over some of these -razorback crags, my heart, though it did not faint visibly, did -almost do so invisibly. However, we got safely to Newcastle, and our -fair friends returned over the same route with no other escort than -that of a black groom. In spite of the crags the ride was not -unpleasant.</p> - -<p>One would almost enlist as a full private in one of her Majesty's -regiments of the line if one were sure of being quartered for ever at -Newcastle—at Newcastle, Jamaica, I mean. Other Newcastles of which I -wot have by no means equal attraction. This place also is accessible -only by foot or on horseback; and is therefore singularly situated -for a barrack. But yet it consists now of a goodly village, in which -live colonels, and majors, and chaplains, and surgeons, and -purveyors, all in a state of bliss—as it were in a second Eden. It -is a military paradise, in which war is spoken of, and dinners and -dancing abound. If good air and fine scenery be dear to the heart of -the British soldier, he ought to be happy at Newcastle. Nevertheless, -I prefer the views from Raymond Lodge to any that Newcastle can -afford.</p> - -<p>And now I have a mournful story to tell. Did any man ever know of any -good befalling him from going up a mountain; always excepting Albert -Smith, who, we are told, has realized half a million by going up Mont -Blanc? If a man can go up his mountains in Piccadilly, it may be all -very well; in so doing he perhaps may see the sun rise, and be able -to watch nature in her wildest vagaries. But as for the true -ascent—the nasty, damp, dirty, slippery, boot-destroying, -shin-breaking, veritable mountain! Let me recommend my friends to let -it alone, unless they have a gift for making half a million in -Piccadilly. I have tried many a mountain in a small way, and never -found one to answer. I hereby protest that I will never try another.</p> - -<p>However, I did go up the Blue Mountain Peak, which ascends—so I was -told—to the respectable height of 8,000 feet above the sea level. To -enable me to do this, I provided myself with a companion, and he -provided me with five negroes, a supply of beef, bread, and water, -some wine and brandy, and what appeared to me to be about ten gallons -of rum; for we were to spend the night on the Blue Mountain Peak, in -order that the rising sun might be rightly worshipped.</p> - -<p>For some considerable distance we rode, till we came indeed to the -highest inhabited house in the island. This is the property of a -coffee-planter who lives there, and who divides his time and energies -between the growth of coffee and the entertainment of visitors to the -mountain. So hospitable an old gentleman, or one so droll in speech, -or singular in his mode of living, I shall probably never meet again. -His tales as to the fate of other travellers made me tremble for what -might some day be told of my own adventures. He feeds you gallantly, -sends you on your way with a God-speed, and then hands you down to -derision with the wickedest mockery. He is the gibing spirit of the -mountain, and I would at any rate recommend no ladies to trust -themselves to his courtesies.</p> - -<p>Here we entered and called for the best of everything—beer, brandy, -coffee, ringtailed doves, salt fish, fat fowls, English potatoes, hot -pickles, and Worcester sauce. "What, -<span class="nowrap">C——,</span> no Worcester sauce! -Gammon; make the fellow go and look for it." 'Tis thus hospitality is -claimed in Jamaica; and in process of time the Worcester sauce was -forthcoming. It must be remembered that every article of food has to -be carried up to this place on mules' backs, over the tops of -mountains for twenty or thirty miles.</p> - -<p>When we had breakfasted and drunk and smoked, and promised our host -that he should have the pleasure of feeding us again on the morrow, -we proceeded on our way. The five negroes each had loads on their -heads and cutlasses in their hands. We ourselves travelled without -other burdens than our own big sticks.</p> - -<p>I have nothing remarkable to tell of the ascent. We soon got into a -cloud, and never got out of it. But that is a matter of course. We -were soon wet through up to our middles, but that is a matter of -course also. We came to various dreadful passages, which broke our -toes and our nails and our hats, the worst of which was called -Jacob's ladder—also a matter of course. Every now and then we -regaled the negroes with rum, and the more rum we gave them the more -they wanted. And every now and then we regaled ourselves with brandy -and water, and the oftener we regaled ourselves the more we required -to be regaled. All which things are matters of course. And so we -arrived at the Blue Mountain Peak.</p> - -<p>Our first two objects were to construct a hut and collect wood for -firing. As for any enjoyment from the position, that, for that -evening, was quite out of the question. We were wet through and -through, and could hardly see twenty yards before us on any side. So -we set the men to work to produce such mitigation of our evil -position as was possible.</p> - -<p>We did build a hut, and we did make a fire; and we did administer -more rum to the negroes, without which they refused to work at all. -When a black man knows that you want him, he is apt to become very -impudent, especially when backed by rum; and at such times they -altogether forget, or at any rate disregard, the punishment that may -follow in the shape of curtailed gratuities.</p> - -<p>Slowly and mournfully we dried ourselves at the fire; or rather did -not dry ourselves, but scorched our clothes and burnt our boots in a -vain endeavour to do so. It is a singular fact, but one which -experience has fully taught me, that when a man is thoroughly wet he -may burn his trousers off his legs and his shoes off his feet, and -yet they will not be dry—nor will he. Mournfully we turned ourselves -before the fire—slowly, like badly-roasted joints of meat; and the -result was exactly that: we were badly roasted—roasted and raw at -the same time.</p> - -<p>And then we crept into our hut, and made one of these wretched -repasts in which the collops of food slip down and get sat upon; in -which the salt is blown away and the bread saturated in beer; in -which one gnaws one's food as Adam probably did, but as men need not -do now, far removed as they are from Adam's discomforts. A man may -cheerfully go without his dinner and feed like a beast when he gains -anything by it; but when he gains nothing, and has his boots scorched -off his feet into the bargain, it is hard then for him to be -cheerful. I was bound to be jolly, as my companion had come there -merely for my sake; but how it came to pass that he did not become -sulky, that was the miracle. As it was, I know full well that he -wished me—safe in England.</p> - -<p>Having looked to our fire and smoked a sad cigar, we put ourselves to -bed in our hut. The operation consisted in huddling on all the -clothes we had. But even with this the cold prevented us from -sleeping. The chill damp air penetrated through two shirts, two -coats, two pairs of trousers. It was impossible to believe that we -were in the tropics.</p> - -<p>And then the men got drunk and refused to cut more firewood, and -disputes began which lasted all night; and all was cold, damp, -comfortless, wretched, and endless. And so the morning came.</p> - -<p>That it was morning our watches told us, and also a dull dawning of -muddy light through the constant mist; but as for -<span class="nowrap">sunrise—!</span> The sun -may rise for those who get up decently from their beds in the plains -below, but there is no sunrising on Helvellyn, or Righi, or the Blue -Mountain Peak. Nothing rises there; but mists and clouds are for ever -falling.</p> - -<p>And then we packed up our wretched traps, and again descended. While -coming up some quips and cranks had passed between us and our sable -followers; but now all was silent as grim death. We were thinking of -our sore hands and bruised feet; were mindful of the dirt which -clogged us, and the damp which enveloped us; were mindful also a -little of our spoilt raiment, and ill-requited labours. Our wit did -not flow freely as we descended.</p> - -<p>A second breakfast with the man of the mountain, and a glorious bath -in a huge tank somewhat restored us, and as we regained our horses -the miseries of our expedition were over. My friend fervently and -loudly declared that no spirit of hospitality, no courtesy to a -stranger, no human eloquence should again tempt him to ascend the -Blue Mountains; and I cordially advised him to keep his resolution. I -made no vows aloud, but I may here protest that any such vows were -unnecessary.</p> - -<p>I afterwards visited another seat, Flamstead, which, as regards -scenery, has rival claims to those of Raymond Lodge. The views from -Flamstead were certainly very beautiful; but on the whole I preferred -my first love.</p> - - -<p><a id="c4"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—BLACK MEN.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>To an Englishman who has never lived in a slave country, or in a -country in which slavery once prevailed, the negro population is of -course the most striking feature of the West Indies. But the eye soon -becomes accustomed to the black skin and the thick lip, and the ear -to the broken patois which is the nearest approach to English which -the ordinary negro ever makes. When one has been a week among them, -the novelty is all gone. It is only by an exercise of memory and -intellect that one is enabled to think of them as a strange race.</p> - -<p>But how strange is the race of Creole negroes—of negroes, that is, -born out of Africa! They have no country of their own, yet have they -not hitherto any country of their adoption; for, whether as slaves in -Cuba, or as free labourers in the British isles, they are in each -case a servile people in a foreign land. They have no language of -their own, nor have they as yet any language of their adoption; for -they speak their broken English as uneducated foreigners always speak -a foreign language. They have no idea of country, and no pride of -race; for even among themselves, the word "nigger" conveys their -worst term of reproach. They have no religion of their own, and can -hardly as yet be said to have, as a people, a religion by adoption; -and yet there is no race which has more strongly developed its own -physical aptitudes and inaptitudes, its own habits, its own tastes, -and its own faults.</p> - -<p>The West Indian negro knows nothing of Africa except that it is a -term of reproach. If African immigrants are put to work on the same -estate with him, he will not eat with them, or drink with them, or -walk with them. He will hardly work beside them, and regards himself -as a creature immeasurably the superior of the new comer. But yet he -has made no approach to the civilization of his white -fellow-creature, whom he imitates as a monkey does a man.</p> - -<p>Physically he is capable of the hardest bodily work, and that -probably with less bodily pain than men of any other race; but he is -idle, unambitious as to worldly position, sensual, and content with -little. Intellectually, he is apparently capable of but little -sustained effort; but, singularly enough, here he is ambitious. He -burns to be regarded as a scholar, puzzles himself with fine words, -addicts himself to religion for the sake of appearance, and delights -in aping the little graces of civilization. He despises himself -thoroughly, and would probably be content to starve for a month if he -could appear as a white man for a day; but yet he delights in signs -of respect paid to him, black man as he is, and is always thinking of -his own dignity. If you want to win his heart for an hour, call him a -gentleman; but if you want to reduce him to a despairing obedience, -tell him that he is a filthy nigger, assure him that his father and -mother had tails like monkeys, and forbid him to think that he can -have a soul like a white man. Among the West Indies one may -frequently see either course adopted towards them by their -unreasoning ascendant masters.</p> - -<p>I do not think that education has as yet done much for the black man -in the Western world. He can always observe, and often read; but he -can seldom reason. I do not mean to assert that he is absolutely -without mental power, as a calf is. He does draw conclusions, but he -carries them only a short way. I think that he seldom understands the -purpose of industry, the object of truth, or the results of honesty. -He is not always idle, perhaps not always false, certainly not always -a thief; but his motives are the fear of immediate punishment, or -hopes of immediate reward. He fears that and hopes that only. Certain -virtues he copies, because they are the virtues of a white man. The -white man is the god present to his eye, and he believes in -him—believes in him with a qualified faith, and imitates him with a -qualified constancy.</p> - -<p>And thus I am led to say, and I say it with sorrow enough, that I -distrust the negro's religion. What I mean is this: that in my -opinion they rarely take in and digest the great and simple doctrines -of Christianity, that they should love and fear the Lord their God, -and love their neighbours as themselves.</p> - -<p>Those who differ from me—and the number will comprise the whole -clergy of these western realms, and very many beside the clergy—will -ask, among other questions, whether these simple doctrines are obeyed -in England much better than they are in Jamaica. I would reply that I -am not speaking of obedience. The opinion which I venture to give is, -that the very first meaning of the terms does not often reach the -negro's mind, not even the minds of those among them who are -enthusiastically religious. To them religious exercises are in -themselves the good thing desirable. They sing their psalms, and -believe, probably, that good will result; but they do not connect -their psalms with the practice of any virtue. They say their prayers; -but, having said them, have no idea that they should therefore -forgive offences. They hear the commandments and delight in the -responses; but those commandments are not in their hearts connected -with abstinence from adultery or calumny. They delight to go to -church or meeting; they are energetic in singing psalms; they are -constant in the responses; and, which is saying much more for them, -they are wonderfully expert at Scripture texts; but—and I say it -with grief of heart, and with much trembling also at the reproaches -which I shall have to endure—I doubt whether religion does often -reach their minds.</p> - -<p>As I greatly fear being misunderstood on this subject, I must explain -that I by no means think that religious teaching has been inoperative -for good among the negroes. Were I to express such an opinion, I -should be putting them on the same footing with the slaves in Cuba, -who are left wholly without such teaching, and who, in consequence, -are much nearer the brute creation than their more fortunate -brethren. To have learnt the precepts of Christianity—even though -they be not learnt faithfully—softens the heart and expels its -ferocity. That theft is esteemed a sin; that men and women should -live together under certain laws; that blood should not be shed in -anger; that an oath should be true; that there is one God the Father -who made us, and one Redeemer who would willingly save us—these -doctrines the negro in a general way has learnt, and in them he has a -sort of belief. He has so far progressed that by them he judges of -the conduct of others. What he lacks is a connecting link between -these doctrines and himself—an appreciation of the fact that these -doctrines are intended for his own guidance.</p> - -<p>But, though he himself wants the link, circumstances have in some -measure produced it As he judges others, so he fears the judgment of -others; and in this manner Christianity has prevailed with him.</p> - -<p>In many respects the negro's phase of humanity differs much from that -which is common to us, and which has been produced by our admixture -of blood and our present extent of civilization. They are more -passionate than the white men, but rarely vindictive, as we are. The -smallest injury excites their eager wrath, but no injury produces -sustained hatred. In the same way, they are seldom grateful, though -often very thankful. They are covetous of notice as is a child or a -dog; but they have little idea of earning continual respect. They -best love him who is most unlike themselves, and they despise the -coloured man who approaches them in breed. When they have once -recognized a man as their master, they will be faithful to him; but -the more they fear that master, the more they will respect him. They -have no care for to-morrow, but they delight in being gaudy for -to-day. Their crimes are those of momentary impulse, as are also -their virtues. They fear death; but if they can lie in the sun -without pain for the hour they will hardly drag themselves to the -hospital, though their disease be mortal. They love their offspring, -but in their rage will ill use them fearfully. They are proud of them -when they are praised, but will sell their daughter's virtue for a -dollar. They are greedy of food, but generally indifferent as to its -quality. They rejoice in finery, and have in many cases begun to -understand the benefit of comparative cleanliness; but they are -rarely tidy. A little makes them happy, and nothing makes them -permanently wretched. On the whole, they laugh and sing and sleep -through life; and if life were all, they would not have so bad a time -of it.</p> - -<p>These, I think, are the qualities of the negro. Many of them are in -their way good; but are they not such as we have generally seen in -the lower spheres of life?</p> - -<p>Much of this is strongly opposed to the idea of the Creole negro -which has lately become prevalent in England. He has been praised for -his piety, and especially praised for his consistent gratitude to his -benefactors and faithful adherence to his master's interests.</p> - -<p>On such subjects our greatest difficulty is perhaps that of avoiding -an opinion formed by exceptional cases. That there are and have been -pious negroes I do not doubt. That many are strongly tinctured with -the language and outward bearing of piety I am well aware. I know -that they love the Bible—love it as the Roman Catholic girl loves -the doll of a Madonna which she dresses with muslin and ribbons. In a -certain sense this is piety, and such piety they often possess.</p> - -<p>And I do not deny their family attachments; but it is the attachment -of a dog. We have all had dogs whom we have well used, and have -prided ourselves on their fidelity. We have seen them to be wretched -when they lose us for a moment, and have smiled at their joy when -they again discover us. We have noted their patience as they wait for -food from the hand they know will feed them. We have seen with -delight how their love for us glistens in their eyes. We trust them -with our children as the safest playmates, and teach them in mocking -sport the tricks of humanity. In return for this, the dear brutes -give us all their hearts, but it is not given in gratitude; and they -abstain with all their power from injury and offence, but they do not -abstain from judgment. Let his master ill use his dog ever so -cruelly, yet the animal has no anger against him when the pain is -over. Let a stranger save him from such ill usage, and he has no -thankfulness after the moment. Affection and fidelity are things of -custom with him.</p> - -<p>I know how deep will be the indignation I shall draw upon my head by -this picture of a fellow-creature and a fellow-Christian. Man's -philanthropy would wish to look on all men as walking in a quick path -towards the perfection of civilization. And men are not happy in -their good efforts unless they themselves can see their effects. They -are not content to fight for the well-being of a race, and to think -that the victory shall not come till the victors shall for centuries -have been mingled with the dust. The friend of the negro, when he -puts his shoulder to the wheel, and tries to rescue his black brother -from the degradation of an inferior species, hopes to see his client -rise up at once with all the glories of civilization round his head. -"There; behold my work; how good it is!" That is the reward to which -he looks. But what if the work be not as yet good? What if it be -God's pleasure that more time be required before the work be -good—good in our finite sense of the word—in our sense, which -requires the show of an immediate effect?</p> - -<p>After all, what we should desire first, and chiefly—is it not the -truth? It will avail nothing to humanity to call a man a civilized -Christian if the name be not deserved. Philanthropy will gain little -but self-flattery and gratification of its vanity by applying to -those whom it would serve a euphemistic but false nomenclature. God, -for his own purposes—purposes which are already becoming more and -more intelligible to his creatures—has created men of inferior and -superior race. Individually, the state of an Esquimaux is grievous to -an educated mind: but the educated man, taking the world -collectively, knows that it is good that the Esquimaux should be, -should have been made such as he is; knows also, that that state -admits of improvement; but should know also that such cannot be done -by the stroke of a wand—by a speech in Exeter Hall—by the mere -sounds of Gospel truth, beautiful as those sounds are.</p> - -<p>We are always in such a hurry; although, as regards the progress of -races, history so plainly tells us how vain such hurry is! At thirty, -a man devotes himself to proselytizing a people; and if the people be -not proselytized when he has reached forty, he retires in disgust. In -early life we have aspirations for the freedom of an ill-used nation; -but in middle life we abandon our protégé to tyranny and the infernal -gods. The process has been too long. The nation should have arisen -free, at once, upon the instant. It is hard for man to work without -hope of seeing that for which he labours.</p> - -<p>But to return to our sable friends. The first desire of a man in a -state of civilization is for property. Greed and covetousness are no -doubt vices; but they are the vices which have grown from cognate -virtues. Without a desire for property, man could make no progress. -But the negro has no such desire; no desire strong enough to induce -him to labour for that which he wants. In order that he may eat -to-day and be clothed to-morrow, he will work a little; as for -anything beyond that, he is content to lie in the sun.</p> - -<p>Emancipation and the last change in the sugar duties have made land -only too plentiful in Jamaica, and enormous tracts have been thrown -out of cultivation as unprofitable. And it is also only too fertile. -The negro, consequently, has had unbounded facility of squatting, and -has availed himself of it freely. To recede from civilization and -become again savage—as savage as the laws of the community will -permit—has been to his taste. I believe that he would altogether -retrograde if left to himself.</p> - -<p>I shall now be asked, having said so much, whether I think that -emancipation was wrong. By no means. I think that emancipation was -clearly right; but I think that we expected far too great and far too -quick a result from emancipation.</p> - -<p>These people are a servile race, fitted by nature for the hardest -physical work, and apparently at present fitted for little else. Some -thirty years since they were in a state when such work was their lot; -but their tasks were exacted from them in a condition of bondage -abhorrent to the feelings of the age, and opposed to the religion -which we practised. For us, thinking as we did, slavery was a sin. -From that sin we have cleansed ourselves. But the mere fact of doing -so has not freed us from our difficulties. Nor was it to be expected -that it should. The discontinuance of a sin is always the -commencement of a struggle. Few, probably, will think that Providence -has permitted so great an exodus as that which has taken place from -Africa to the West without having wise results in view. We may fairly -believe that it has been a part of the Creator's scheme for the -population and cultivation of the earth; a part of that scheme which -sent Asiatic hordes into Europe, and formed, by the admixture of -nations, that race to which it is our pride to belong. But that -admixture of blood has taken tens of centuries. Why should we think -that Providence should work more rapidly now in these latter ages?</p> - -<p>No Englishman, no Anglo-Saxon, could be what he now is but for that -portion of wild and savage energy which has come to him from his -Vandal forefathers. May it not then be fair to suppose that a time -shall come when a race will inhabit those lovely islands, fitted by -nature for their burning sun, in whose blood shall be mixed some -portion of northern energy, and which shall owe its physical powers -to African progenitors,—a race that shall be no more ashamed of the -name of negro than we are of the name of Saxon?</p> - -<p>But, in the mean time, what are we to do with our friend, lying as he -now is at his ease under the cotton-tree, and declining to work after -ten o'clock in the morning? "No, tankee, massa, me tired now; me no -want more money." Or perhaps it is, "No; workee no more; money no -'nuff; workee no pay." These are the answers which the suppliant -planter receives when at ten o'clock he begs his negro neighbours to -go a second time into the cane-fields and earn a second shilling, or -implores them to work for him more than four days a week, or solicits -them at Christmas-time to put up with a short ten days' holiday. His -canes are ripe, and his mill should be about; or else they are foul -with weeds, and the hogsheads will be very short if they be not -cleansed. He is anxious enough, for all his world depends upon it. -But what does the negro care? "No; me no more workee now."</p> - -<p>The busher (overseer; elide the o and change v into b, and the word -will gradually explain itself)—The busher, who remembers slavery and -former happy days, <span class="nowrap">d——s</span> -him for a lazy nigger, and threatens him -with coming starvation, and perhaps with returning monkeydom. "No, -massa; no starve now; God send plenty yam. No more monkey now, -massa." The black man is not in the least angry, though the busher -is. And as for the canes, they remain covered with dirt, and the -return of the estate is but one hundred and thirty hogsheads instead -of one hundred and ninety. Let the English farmer think of that; and -in realizing the full story, he must imagine that the plenteous food -alluded to has been grown on his own ground, and probably planted at -his own expense. The busher was wrong to curse the man, and wrong to -threaten him with the monkey's tail; but it must be admitted that the -position is trying to the temper.</p> - -<p>And who can blame the black man? He is free to work, or free to let -it alone. He can live without work and roll in the sun, and suck -oranges and eat bread-fruit; ay, and ride a horse perhaps, and wear a -white waistcoat and plaited shirt on Sundays. Why should he care for -the busher? I will not dig cane-holes for half a crown a day; and why -should I expect him to do so? I can live without it; so can he.</p> - -<p>But, nevertheless, it would be very well if we could so contrive that -he should not live without work. It is clearly not Nature's intention -that he should be exempted from the general lot of Adam's children. -We would not have our friend a slave; but we would fain force him to -give the world a fair day's work for his fair day's provender if we -knew how to do so without making him a slave. The fact I take it is, -that there are too many good things in Jamaica for the number who -have to enjoy them. If the competitors were more in number, more -trouble would be necessary in their acquirement.</p> - -<p>And now, just at this moment, philanthropy is again busy in England -protecting the Jamaica negro. He is a man and a brother, and shall we -not regard him? Certainly, my philanthropic friend, let us regard him -well. He <i>is</i> a man; and, if you will, a brother; but he is the very -idlest brother with which a hardworking workman was ever cursed, -intent only on getting his mess of pottage without giving anything in -return. His petitions about the labour market, my -excellently-soft-hearted friend, and his desire to be protected from -undue competition <span class="nowrap">are—.</span> -Oh, my friend, I cannot tell you how utterly -they are—gammon. He is now eating his yam without work, and in that -privilege he is anxious to be maintained. And you, are you willing to -assist him in his views?</p> - -<p>The negro slave was ill treated—ill treated, at any rate, in that he -was a slave; and therefore, by that reaction which prevails in all -human matters, it is now thought necessary to wrap him up in cotton -and put him under a glass case. The wind must not blow on him too -roughly, and the rose-leaves on which he sleeps should not be -ruffled. He has been a slave; therefore now let him be a Sybarite. -His father did an ample share of work; therefore let the son be made -free from his portion in the primeval curse. The friends of the -negro, if they do not actually use such arguments, endeavour to carry -out such a theory.</p> - -<p>But one feels that the joke has almost been carried too far when one -is told that it is necessary to protect the labour market in Jamaica, -and save the negro from the dangers of competition. No immigration of -labourers into that happy country should be allowed, lest the rate of -wages be lowered, and the unfortunate labourer be made more dependent -on his master! But if the unfortunate labourers could be made to -work, say four days a week, and on an average eight hours a day, -would not that in itself be an advantage? In our happy England, men -are not slaves; but the competition of the labour market forces upon -them long days of continual labour. In our own country, ten hours of -toil, repeated six days a week, for the majority of us will barely -produce the necessaries of life. It is quite right that we should -love the negroes; but I cannot understand that we ought to love them -better than ourselves.</p> - -<p>But with the most sensible of those who are now endeavouring to -prevent immigration into Jamaica the argument has been, not the -protection of the Jamaica negro, but the probability of ill usage to -the immigrating African. In the first place, it is impossible not to -observe the absurdity of acting on petitions from the negroes of -Jamaica on such a pretence as this. Does any one truly imagine that -the black men in Jamaica are so anxious for the welfare of their -cousins in Africa, that they feel themselves bound to come forward -and express their anxiety to the English Houses of Parliament? Of -course nobody believes it. Of course it is perfectly understood that -those petitions are got up by far other persons, and with by far -other views; and that not one negro in fifty of those who sign them -understands anything whatever about the matter, or has any wish or -any solicitude on such a subject.</p> - -<p>Lord Brougham mentions it as a matter of congratulation, that so -large a proportion of the signatures should be written by the -subscribers themselves—that there should be so few marksmen; but is -it a matter of congratulation that this power of signing their names -should be used for so false a purpose?</p> - -<p>And then comes the question as to these immigrants themselves. Though -it is not natural to suppose that their future fellow-labourers in -Jamaica should be very anxious about them, such anxiety on the part -of others is natural. In the first place, it is for the government to -look to them; and then, lest the government should neglect its duty, -it is for such men as Lord Brougham to look to the government. That -Lord Brougham should to the last be anxious for the welfare of the -African is what all men would expect and all desire; but we would not -wish to confide even to him the power of absolutely consummating the -ruin of the Jamaica planter. Is it the fact that labourers -immigrating to the West Indies have been ill treated, whether they be -Portuguese from Madeira, Coolies from India, Africans from the -Western Coast, or Chinese? In Jamaica, unfortunately, their number is -as yet but scanty, but in British Guiana they are numerous. I think I -may venture to say that no labourers in any country are so cared for, -so closely protected, so certainly saved from the usual wants and -sorrows incident to the labouring classes. And this is equally so in -Jamaica as far as the system has gone. What would be the usage of the -African introduced by voluntary contribution may be seen in the usage -of him who has been brought into the country from captured -slave-ships. Their clothing, their food, their house accommodation, -their hospital treatment, their amount of work and obligatory period -of working with one master—all these matters are under government -surveillance; and the planter who has allotted to him the privilege -of employing such labour becomes almost as much subject to government -inspection as though his estate were government property.</p> - -<p>It is said that an obligatory period of labour amounts to slavery, -even though the contract shall have been entered into by the labourer -of his own free will. I will not take on myself to deny this, as I -might find it difficult to define the term slavery; but if this be -so, English apprentices are slaves, and so are indentured clerks; so -are hired agricultural servants in many parts of England and Wales; -and so, certainly, are all our soldiers and sailors.</p> - -<p>But in the ordinary acceptation of the word slavery, that acceptation -which comes home to us all, whether we can define it or no, men -subject to such contracts are not slaves.</p> - -<p>There is much that is prepossessing in the ordinary good humour of -the negro; and much also that is picturesque in his tastes. I soon -learned to think the women pretty, in spite of their twisted locks of -wool; and to like the ring of their laughter, though it is not -exactly silver-sounding. They are very rarely surly when spoken to; -and their replies, though they seldom are absolutely witty, contain, -either in the sound or in the sense, something that amounts to -drollery. The unpractised ear has great difficulty in understanding -them, and I have sometimes thought that this indistinctness has -created the fun which I have seemed to relish. The tone and look are -humorous; and the words, which are hardly heard, and are not -understood, get credit for humour also.</p> - -<p>Nothing about them is more astonishing than the dress of the women. -It is impossible to deny to them considerable taste and great power -of adaptation. In England, among our housemaids and even haymakers, -crinoline, false flowers, long waists, and flowing sleeves have -become common; but they do not wear their finery as though they were -at home in it. There is generally with them, when in their Sunday -best, something of the hog in armour. With the negro woman there is -nothing of this. In the first place she is never shame-faced. Then -she has very frequently a good figure, and having it, she knows how -to make the best of it. She has a natural skill in dress, and will be -seen with a boddice fitted to her as though it had been made and -laced in Paris.</p> - -<p>Their costumes on fête days and Sundays are perfectly marvellous. -They are by no means contented with coloured calicoes; but shine in -muslin and light silks at heaven only knows how much a yard. They -wear their dresses of an enormous fulness. One may see of a Sunday -evening three ladies occupying a whole street by the breadth of their -garments, who on the preceding day were scrubbing pots and carrying -weights about the town on their heads. And they will walk in -full-dress too as though they had been used to go in such attire from -their youth up. They rejoice most in white—in white muslin with -coloured sashes; in light-brown boots, pink gloves, parasols, and -broad-brimmed straw hats with deep veils and glittering bugles. The -hat and the veil, however, are mistakes. If the negro woman -thoroughly understood effect, she would wear no head-dress but the -coloured handkerchief, which is hers by right of national custom.</p> - -<p>Some of their efforts after dignity of costume are ineffably -ludicrous. One Sunday evening, far away in the country, as I was -riding with a gentleman, the proprietor of the estate around us, I -saw a young girl walking home from church. She was arrayed from head -to foot in virgin white. Her gloves were on, and her parasol was up. -Her hat also was white, and so was the lace, and so were the bugles -which adorned it. She walked with a stately dignity that was worthy -of such a costume, and worthy also of higher grandeur; for behind her -walked an attendant nymph, carrying the beauty's prayer-book—on her -head. A negro woman carries every burden on her head, from a tub of -water weighing a hundredweight down to a bottle of physic.</p> - -<p>When we came up to her, she turned towards us and curtsied. She -curtsied, for she recognized her 'massa;' but she curtsied with great -dignity, for she recognized also her own finery. The girl behind with -the prayer-book made the ordinary obeisance, crooking her leg up at -the knee, and then standing upright quicker than thought.</p> - -<p>"Who on earth is that princess?" said I.</p> - -<p>"They are two sisters who both work at my mill," said my friend. -"Next Sunday they will change places. Polly will have the parasol and -the hat, and Jenny will carry the prayer-book on her head behind -her."</p> - -<p>I was in a shoemaker's shop at St. Thomas, buying a pair of boots, -when a negro entered quickly and in a loud voice said he wanted a -pair of pumps. He was a labouring man fresh from his labour. He had -on an old hat—what in Ireland men would call a caubeen; he was in -his shirt-sleeves, and was barefooted. As the only shopman was -looking for my boots, he was not attended to at the moment.</p> - -<p>"Want a pair of pumps—directerly," he roared out in a very -dictatorial voice.</p> - -<p>"Sit down for a moment," said the shopman, "and I will attend to -you."</p> - -<p>He did sit down, but did so in the oddest fashion. He dropped himself -suddenly into a chair, and at the same moment rapidly raised his legs -from the ground; and as he did so fastened his hands across them just -below his knees, so as to keep his feet suspended from his arms. This -he contrived to do in such a manner that the moment his body reached -the chair his feet left the ground. I looked on in amazement, -thinking he was mad.</p> - -<p>"Give I a bit of carpet," he screamed out; still holding up his feet, -but with much difficulty.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said the shopman, still searching for the boots.</p> - -<p>"Give I a bit of carpet directerly," he again exclaimed. The seat of -the chair was very narrow, and the back was straight, and the -position was not easy, as my reader will ascertain if he attempt it. -He was half-choked with anger and discomfort.</p> - -<p>The shopman gave him the bit of carpet. Most men and women will -remember that such bits of carpet are common in shoemakers' shops. -They are supplied, I believe, in order that they who are delicate -should not soil their stockings on the floor.</p> - -<p>The gentleman in search of the pumps had seen that people of dignity -were supplied with such luxuries, and resolved to have his value for -his money; but as he had on neither shoes nor stockings, the little -bit of carpet was hardly necessary for his material comfort.</p> - - -<p><a id="c5"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER V.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—COLOURED MEN.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>If in speaking of the negroes I have been in danger of offending my -friends at home, I shall be certain in speaking of the coloured men -to offend my friends in Jamaica. On this subject, though I have -sympathy with them, I have no agreement. They look on themselves as -the ascendant race. I look upon those of colour as being so, or at -any rate as about to become so.</p> - -<p>In speaking of my friends in Jamaica, it is not unnatural that I -should allude to the pure-blooded Europeans, or European Creoles—to -those in whose veins there is no admixture of African blood. "Similia -similibus." A man from choice will live with those who are of his own -habits and his own way of thinking. But as regards Jamaica, I believe -that the light of their star is waning, that their ascendency is -over—in short, that their work, if not done, is on the decline.</p> - -<p>Ascendency is a disagreeable word to apply to any two different races -whose fate it may be to live together in the same land. It has been -felt to be so in Ireland, when used either with reference to the -Saxon Protestant or Celtic Roman Catholic; and it is so with -reference to those of various shades of colour in Jamaica. But -nevertheless it is the true word. When two rivers come together, the -waters of which do not mix, the one stream will be the stronger—will -over-power the other—will become ascendant And so it is with people -and nations. It may not be pretty-spoken to talk about ascendency; -but sometimes pretty speaking will not answer a man's purpose.</p> - -<p>It is almost unnecessary to explain that by coloured men I mean those -who are of a mixed race—of a breed mixed, be it in what proportion -it may, between the white European and the black African. Speaking of -Jamaica, I might almost say between the Anglo-Saxon and the African; -for there remains, I take it, but a small tinge of Spanish blood. Of -the old Indian blood there is, I imagine, hardly a vestige.</p> - -<p>Both the white men and the black dislike their coloured neighbours. -It is useless to deny that as a rule such is the case. The white men -now, at this very day, dislike them more in Jamaica than they do in -other parts of the West Indies, because they are constantly driven to -meet them, and are more afraid of them.</p> - -<p>In Jamaica one does come in contact with coloured men. They are to be -met at the Governor's table; they sit in the House of Assembly; they -cannot be refused admittance to state parties, or even to large -assemblies; they have forced themselves forward, and must be -recognized as being in the van. Individuals decry them—will not have -them within their doors—affect to despise them. But in effect the -coloured men of Jamaica cannot be despised much longer.</p> - -<p>It will be said that we have been wrong if we have ever despised -these coloured people, or indeed, if we have ever despised the -negroes, or any other race. I can hardly think that anything so -natural can be very wrong. Those who are educated and civilized and -powerful will always, in one sense, despise those who are not; and -the most educated and civilized and most powerful will despise those -who are less so. Euphuists may proclaim against such a doctrine; but -experience, I think, teaches us that it is true. If the coloured -people in the West Indies can overtop contempt, it is because they -are acquiring education, civilization, and power. In Jamaica they -are, I hope, in a way to do this.</p> - -<p>My theory—for I acknowledge to a theory—is this: that Providence -has sent white men and black men to these regions in order that from -them may spring a race fitted by intellect for civilization; and -fitted also by physical organization for tropical labour. The negro -in his primitive state is not, I think, fitted for the former; and -the European white Creole is certainly not fitted for the latter.</p> - -<p>To all such rules there are of course exceptions. In Porto Rico, for -instance, one of the two remaining Spanish colonies in the West -Indies, the Peons, or free peasant labourers, are of mixed Spanish -and Indian blood, without, I believe, any negro element. And there -are occasional negroes whose mental condition would certainly tend to -disprove the former of the two foregoing propositions, were it not -that in such matters exceptional cases prove and disprove nothing. -Englishmen as a rule are stouter than Frenchmen. Were a French -Falstaff and an English Slender brought into a room together, the -above position would be not a whit disproved.</p> - -<p>It is probable also that the future race who shall inhabit these -islands may have other elements than the two already named. There -will soon be here—in the teeth of our friends of the Anti-Slavery -Society—thousands from China and Hindostan. The Chinese and the -Coolies—immigrants from India are always called Coolies—greatly -excel the negro in intelligence, and partake, though in a limited -degree, of the negro's physical abilities in a hot climate. And thus -the blood of Asia will be mixed with that of Africa; and the -necessary compound will, by God's infinite wisdom and power, be -formed for these latitudes, as it has been formed for the colder -regions in which the Anglo-Saxon preserves his energy, and works.</p> - -<p>I know it will be said that there have been no signs of a mixture of -breed between the negro and the Coolie, and the negro and the -Chinese. The instances hitherto are, I am aware, but rare; but then -the immigration of these classes is as yet but recent; and custom is -necessary, and a language commonly understood, and habits, which the -similitude of position will also make common, before such races will -amalgamate. That they will amalgamate if brought together, all -history teaches us. The Anglo-Saxon and the negro have done so, and -in two hundred years have produced a population which is said to -amount to a fifth of that of the whole island of Jamaica, and which -probably amounts to much more. Two hundred years with us is a long -time; but it is not so in the world's history. From 1660 to 1860 A.D. -is a vast lapse of years; but how little is the lapse from the year -1660 to the year 1860, dating from the creation of the world; or -rather, how small appears such lapse to us! In how many pages is its -history written? and yet God's races were spreading themselves over -the earth then as now.</p> - -<p>Men are in such a hurry. They can hardly believe that that will come -to pass of which they have evidence that it will not come to pass in -their own days.</p> - -<p>But then comes the question, whether the mulatto is more capable of -being educated than the negro, and more able to work under a hot sun -than the Englishman; whether he does not rather lose the physical -power of the one, and the intellectual power of the other. There are -those in Jamaica who have known them long, and who think that as a -race they have deteriorated both in mind and body. I am not prepared -to deny this. They probably have deteriorated in mind and body; and -nevertheless my theory may be right. Nay, I will go further and say -that such deterioration on both sides is necessary to the correctness -of my theory.</p> - -<p>In what compound are we to look for the full strength of each -component part? Should punch be as strong as brandy, or as sweet as -sugar? Neither the one nor the other. But in order to be good and -efficient punch, it should partake duly of the strength of the spirit -and of the sweetness of the saccharine—according to the skill and -will of the gnostic fabricator, who in mixing knows his own purposes. -So has it even been also in the admixture of races. The same amount -of physical power is not required for all climates, nor the same -amount of mental energy.</p> - -<p>But the mulatto, though he has deteriorated from the black man in one -respect, and from the white in another, does also excel the black man -in one respect, and also excel the white in another. As a rule, he -cannot work as a negro can. He could not probably endure to labour in -the cane-fields for sixteen hours out of the twenty-four, as is done -by the Cuban slave; but he can work safely under a tropical sun, and -can in the day go through a fair day's work. He is not liable to -yellow fever, as is the white man, and enjoys as valid a protection -from the effects of heat as the heat of these regions requires.</p> - -<p>Nor, as far as we yet know, have Galileos, Shakespeares, or Napoleons -been produced among the mulattos. Few may probably have been produced -who are able even to form an accurate judgment as to the genius of -such men as these. But that the mulatto race partakes largely of the -intelligence and ambition of their white forefathers, it is I think -useless, and moreover wicked, to deny; wicked, because the denial -arises from an unjust desire to close against them the door of -promotion.</p> - -<p>Let any stranger go through the shops and stores of Kingston, and see -how many of them are either owned or worked by men of colour; let him -go into the House of Assembly, and see how large a proportion of -their debates is carried on by men of colour. I don't think much of -the parliamentary excellence of these debates, as I shall have to -explain by-and-by; but the coloured men at any rate hold their own -against their white colleagues. How large a portion of the public -service is carried on by them; how well they thrive, though the -prejudices of both white and black are so strong against them!</p> - -<p>I just now spoke of these coloured men as mulattos. I did so because -I was then anxious to refer to the exact and equal division of black -and white blood. Of course it is understood that the mulatto, -technically so called, is the child of parents one of whom is all -white and the other all black; and to judge exactly of the mixed -race, one should judge, probably, from such an equal division. But no -such distinction can be effectually maintained in speaking, or even -in thinking of these people. The various gradations of coloured blood -range from all but perfect white to all but perfect black; and the -dispositions and capabilities are equally various. In the lower -orders, among those who are nearest to the African stock, no attempts -I imagine are made to preserve an exact line. One is at first -inclined to think that the slightest infusion of white blood may be -traced in the complexion and hair, and heard in the voice; but when -the matter is closely regarded one often finds it difficult to -express an opinion even to oneself. Colour is frequently not the -safest guide. To an inquirer really endeavouring to separate the -races—should so thankless a task ever be attempted—the speech, I -think, and the intelligence would afford the sources of information -on which most reliance could be placed.</p> - -<p>But the distinction between the white and the coloured men is much -more closely looked into. And those are the unfortunate among the -latter who are tempted, by the closeness of their relationship to -Europe, to deny their African parentage. Many do, if not by lip, at -any rate by deed, stoutly make such denial; not by lip, for the -subject is much too sore for speech, but by every wile by which a -white quadroon can seek to deny his ancestry! Such denial is never -allowed. The crisp hair, the sallow skin, the known family history, -the thick lip of the old remembered granddam, a certain languor in -the eye; all or some, or perhaps but one of these tells the tale. But -the tale is told, and the life-struggle is made always, and always in -vain.</p> - -<p>This evil—for it is an evil—arises mainly from the white man's -jealousy. He who seeks to pass for other than he is makes a low -attempt; all attempts at falsehood must of necessity be low. But I -doubt whether such energy of repudiation be not equally low. Why not -allow the claim; or seem to allow it, if practicable? "White art -thou, my friend? Be a white man if thou wilt, or rather if thou -canst. All we require of thee is that there remains no negro -ignorance, no negro cunning, no negro apathy of brain. Forbear those -vain attempts to wash out that hair of thine, and make it lank and -damp. We will not regard at all, that little wave in thy locks; not -even that lisp in thy tongue. But struggle, my friend, to be open in -thy speech. Any wave there we cannot but regard. Speak out the -thought that is in thee; for if thy thoughts lisp negrowards, our -verdict must be against thee." Is it not thus that we should accept -their little efforts?</p> - -<p>But we do not accept them so. In lieu thereof, we admit no claim that -can by any evidence be rejected; and, worse than that, we impute the -stigma of black blood where there is no evidence to support such -imputation. "A nice fellow, Jones; eh? very intelligent, and well -mannered," some stranger says, who knows nothing of Jones's -antecedents. "Yes, indeed," answers Smith, of Jamaica; "a very decent -sort of fellow. They do say that he's coloured; of course you know -that." The next time you see Jones, you observe him closely, and can -find no trace of the Ethiop. But should he presently descant on -purity of blood, and the insupportable impudence of the coloured -people, then, and not till then, you would begin to doubt.</p> - -<p>But these are evils which beset merely the point of juncture between -the two races. With nine-tenths of those of mixed breed no attempts -at concealment are by any means possible; and by them, of course, no -such attempts are made. They take their lot as it is, and I think -that on the whole they make the most of it. They of course are -jealous of the assumed ascendency of the white men, and affect to -show, sometimes not in the most efficacious manner, that they are his -equal in external graces as in internal capacities. They are -imperious to the black men, and determined on that side to exhibit -and use their superiority. At this we can hardly be surprised. If we -cannot set them a better lesson than we do, we can hardly expect the -benefit which should arise from better teaching.</p> - -<p>But the great point to be settled is this: whether this race of -mulattos, quadroons, mustes, and what not, are capable of managing -matters for themselves; of undertaking the higher walks of life; of -living, in short, as an independent people with a proper share of -masterdom; and not necessarily as a servile people, as hewers of wood -and drawers of water? If not, it will fare badly for Jamaica, and -will probably also fare badly in coming years for the rest of the -West Indies. Whether other immigration be allowed or no, of one kind -of immigration the supply into Jamaica is becoming less and less. Few -European white men now turn thither in quest of fortune. Few -Anglo-Saxon adventurers now seek her shores as the future home of -their adoption. The white man has been there, and has left his mark. -The Creole children of these Europeans of course remain, but their -numbers are no longer increased by new comers.</p> - -<p>But I think there is no doubt that they are fit—these coloured -people, to undertake the higher as well as lower paths of human -labour. Indeed, they do undertake them, and thrive well in them now, -much to the disgust of the so-esteemed ascendant class. They do make -money, and enjoy it. They practise as statesmen, as lawyers, and as -doctors in the colony; and, though they have not as yet shone -brightly as divines in our English Church, such deficiency may be -attributed more to the jealousy of the parsons of that Church than to -their own incapacity.</p> - -<p>There are, they say, seventy thousand coloured people in the island, -and not more than fifteen thousand white people. As the former -increase in intelligence, it is not to be supposed that they will -submit to the latter. Nor are they at all inclined to submission.</p> - -<p>But they have still an up-hill battle before them. They are by no -means humble in their gait, and their want of meekness sets their -white neighbours against them. They are always proclaiming by their -voice and look that they are as good as the white man; but they are -always showing by their voice and look, also, that they know that -this is a false boast.</p> - -<p>And then they are by no means popular with the negro. A negro, as a -rule, will not serve a mulatto when he can serve a European or a -white Creole. He thinks that the mulatto is too near akin to himself -to be worthy of any respect. In his passion he calls him a -nigger—and protests that he is not, and never will be like buckra -man.</p> - -<p>The negroes complain that the coloured men are sly and cunning; that -they cannot be trusted as masters; that they tyrannize, bully, and -deceive; in short, that they have their own negro faults. There may, -doubtless, be some truth in this. They have still a portion of their -lesson to learn; perhaps the greater portion. I affirm merely that -the lesson is being learned. A race of people with its good and ill -qualities is not formed in a couple of centuries.</p> - -<p>And if it be fated that the Anglo-Saxon race in these islands is to -yield place to another people, and to abandon its ground, having done -its appointed work, surely such a decree should be no cause of -sorrow. To have done their appointed work, and done it well,—should -not this be enough for any men?</p> - -<p>But there are they who protest that such ideas as these with -reference to this semi-African people are unpatriotic; are unworthy -of an Englishman, who should foster the ascendency of his own race -and his own country. Such men will have it as an axiom, that when an -Englishman has been master once, he should be master always: that his -dominion should not give way to strange hands, or his ascendency -yield itself to strange races. It is unpatriotic, forsooth, to -suggest that these tawny children of the sun should get the better of -their British lords, and rule the roast themselves!</p> - -<p>Even were it so—should it even be granted that such an idea is -unpatriotic, one would then be driven back to ask whether patriotism -be a virtue. It is at any rate a virtue in consequence only of the -finite aspirations of mankind. To love the universe which God has -made, were man capable of such love, would be a loftier attribute -than any feeling for one's own country. The Gentile was as dear as -the Jew; the Samaritans as much prized as they of Galilee, or as the -children of Judah.</p> - -<p>The present position and prospects of the children of Great Britain -are sufficiently noble, and sufficiently extended. One need not -begrudge to others their limited share in the population and -government of the world's welfare. While so large a part of North -America and Australia remain still savage—waiting the white man's -foot—waiting, in fact, for the foot of the Englishman, there can be -no reason why we should doom our children to swelter and grow pale -within the tropics. A certain work has been ours to do there, a -certain amount of remaining work it is still probably our lot to -complete. But when that is done; when civilization, commerce, and -education shall have been spread; when sufficient of our blood shall -have been infused into the veins of those children of the sun; then, -I think, we may be ready, without stain to our patriotism, to take -off our hats and bid farewell to the West Indies.</p> - -<p>And be it remembered that I am here speaking of the general -ascendancy, not of the political power of these coloured races. It -may be that after all we shall still have to send out some white -Governor with a white aide-de-camp and a white private -secretary—some three or four unfortunate white men to support the -dignity of the throne of Queen Victoria's great-grandchild's -grandchild. Such may be, or may not be. To my thinking, it would be -more for our honour that it should not be so. If the honour, glory, -and well-being of the child be dear to the parents, Great Britain -should surely be more proud of the United States than of any of her -colonies. We Britishers have a noble mission. The word I know is -unpopular, for it has been foully misused; but it is in itself a good -word, and none other will supply its place. We have a noble mission, -but we are never content with it. It is not enough for us to beget -nations, civilize countries, and instruct in truth and knowledge the -dominant races of the coming ages. All this will not suffice unless -also we can maintain a king over them! What is it to us, or even to -them, who may be their king or ruler—or, to speak with a nearer -approach to sense, from what source they be governed—so long as they -be happy, prosperous, and good? And yet there are men mad enough to -regret the United States! Many men are mad enough to look forward -with anything but composure to the inevitable, happily inevitable -day, when Australia shall follow in the same path.</p> - -<p>We have risen so high that we may almost boast to have placed -ourselves above national glory. The welfare of the coming world is -now the proper care of the Anglo-Saxon race.</p> - -<p>The coloured people, I have said, have made their way into society in -Jamaica. That is, they have made a certain degree of impression on -the millstone; which will therefore soon be perforated through and -through, and then crumble to pieces like pumice-stone. Nay, they have -been or are judges, attorneys-general, prime ministers, leaders of -the opposition, and what not. The men have so far made their way. The -difficulty now is with the women.</p> - -<p>And in high questions of society here is always the stumbling-block. -All manners of men can get themselves into a room together without -difficulty, and can behave themselves with moderate forbearance to -each other when in it. But there are points on which ladies are -harder than steel, stiffer than their brocaded silks, more obdurate -than whalebone.</p> - -<p>"He wishes me to meet Mrs. So-and-So," a lady said to me, speaking of -her husband, "because Mr. So-and-So is a very respectable good sort -of man. I have no objection whatever to Mr. So-and-So; but if I begin -with her, I know there will be no end."</p> - -<p>"Probably not," I said; "when you once commence, you will doubtless -have to go on—in the good path." I confess that the last words were -said <i>sotto voce</i>. On that occasion the courage was wanting in me to -speak out my mind. The lady was very pretty, and I could not endure -to be among the unfavoured ones.</p> - -<p>"That is just what I have said to -Mr. <span class="nowrap">——;</span> but he never thinks about -such things; he is so very imprudent. If I ask Mrs. So-and-So here, -how can I keep out Mrs. Such-a-One? They are both very respectable, -no doubt; but what were their grandmothers?"</p> - -<p>Ah! if we were to think of their grandmothers, it would doubtless be -a dark subject. But what, O lady, of their grandchildren? That may be -the most important, and also most interesting side from whence to -view the family.</p> - -<p>"These people marry now," another lady said to me—a lady not old -exactly, but old enough to allude to such a subject; and in the tone -of her voice I thought I could catch an idea that she conceived them -in doing so to be trenching on the privileges of their superiors. -"But their mothers and grandmothers never thought of looking to that -at all. Are we to associate with the children of such women, and -teach our daughters that vice is not to be shunned?"</p> - -<p>Ah! dear lady—not old, but sufficiently old—this statement of yours -is only too true. Their mothers and grandmothers did not think much -of matrimony—had but little opportunity of thinking much of it. But -with whom did the fault chiefly lie? These very people of whom we are -speaking, would they not be your cousins but for the lack of -matrimony? Your uncle, your father, your cousins, your grandfather, -nay, your very brother, are they not the true criminals in this -matter—they who have lived in this unhallowed state with women of a -lower race? For the sinners themselves of either sex I would not ask -<i>your</i> pardon; but you might forgive the children's children.</p> - -<p>The life of coloured women in Jamaica some years since was certainly -too often immoral. They themselves were frequently illegitimate, and -they were not unwilling that their children should be so also. To -such a one it was preferable to be a white man's mistress than the -wife of such as herself; and it did not bring on them the same -disgrace, this kind of life, as it does on women in England, or even, -I may say, on women in Europe, nor the same bitter punishment. Their -master, though he might be stern enough and a tyrant, as the owner of -slaves living on his own little principality might probably be, was -kinder to her than to the other females around her, and in a rough -sort of way was true to her. He did not turn her out of the house, -and she found it to be promotion to be the mother of his children and -the upper servant in his establishment. And in those days, days still -so near to us, the coloured woman was a slave herself, unless -specially manumitted either in her own generation or in that -immediately above her. It is from such alliances as these that the -coloured race of Jamaica has sprung.</p> - -<p>But all this, if one cannot already boast that it is changed, is -quickly changing. Matrimony is in vogue, and the coloured women know -their rights, and are inclined to claim them.</p> - -<p>Of course among them, as among us at home, and among all people, -there are various ranks. There are but few white labourers in -Jamaica, and but few negroes who are not labourers. But the coloured -people are to be found in all ranks, from that of the Prime -Minister—for they have a Prime Minister in Jamaica—down to the -worker in the cane-fields. Among their women many are now highly -educated, for they send their children to English schools. Perhaps if -I were to say fashionably educated, I might be more strictly correct -They love dearly to shine; to run over the piano with quick and loud -fingers; to dance with skill, which they all do, for they have good -figures and correct ears; to know and display the little tricks and -graces of English ladies—such tricks and graces as are to be learned -between fifteen and seventeen at Ealing, Clapham, and Homsey.</p> - -<p>But the coloured girls of a class below these—perhaps I should say -two classes below them—are the most amusing specimens of Jamaica -ladies. I endeavoured to introduce my readers to one at Port Antonio. -They cannot be called pretty, for the upper part of the face almost -always recedes; but they have good figures and well-turned limbs. -They are singularly free from <i>mauvaise honte</i>, and yet they are not -impertinent or ill-mannered. They are gracious enough with the pale -faces when treated graciously, but they can show a very high spirit -if they fancy that any slight is shown to them. They delight to talk -contemptuously of niggers. Those people are dirty niggers, and nasty -niggers, and mere niggers. I have heard this done by one whom I had -absolutely taken for a negro, and who was not using loud abusive -language, but gently speaking of an inferior class.</p> - -<p>With these, as indeed with coloured people of a higher grade, the -great difficulty is with their language. They cannot acquire the -natural English pronunciation. As far as I remember, I have never -heard but two negroes who spoke unbroken English; and the lower -classes of the coloured people, though they are not equally -deficient, are still very incapable of plain English articulation. -The "th" is to them, as to foreigners, an insuperable difficulty. -Even Josephine, it may be remembered, was hardly perfect in this -respect.</p> - - -<p><a id="c6"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER VI.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—WHITE MEN.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>It seems to us natural that white men should hold ascendency over -those who are black or coloured. Although we have emancipated our own -slaves, and done so much to abolish slavery elsewhere, nevertheless -we regard the negro as born to be a servant. We do not realize it to -ourselves that it is his right to share with us the high places of -the world, and that it should be an affair of individual merit -whether we wait on his beck or he on ours. We have never yet brought -ourselves so to think, and probably never shall. They still are to us -a servile race. Philanthropical abolitionists will no doubt deny the -truth of this; but I have no doubt that the conviction is strong with -them—could they analyze their own convictions—as it is with others.</p> - -<p>Where white men and black men are together, the white will order and -the black will obey, with an obedience more or less implicit -according to the terms on which they stand. When those terms are -slavery, the white men order with austerity, and the black obey with -alacrity. But such terms have been found to be prejudicial to both. -Each is brutalized by the contact. The black man becomes brutal and -passive as a beast of burden; the white man becomes brutal and -ferocious as a beast of prey.</p> - -<p>But there are various other terms on which they may stand as servants -and masters. There are those well-understood terms which regulate -employment in England and elsewhere, under which the poor man's time -is his money, and the rich man's capital his certain means of -obtaining labour. As far as we can see, these terms, if properly -carried out, are the best which human wisdom can devise for the -employment and maintenance of mankind. Here in England they are not -always properly carried out. At an occasional spot or two things will -run rusty for a while. There are strikes, and there are occasional -gluts of labour, very distressing to the poor man; and occasional -gluts of the thing laboured, very embarrassing to the rich man. But -on the whole, seeing that after all the arrangement is only human, -here in England it does work pretty well. We intended, no doubt, when -we emancipated our slaves in Jamaica, that the affair should work in -the same way there.</p> - -<p>But the terms there at present are as far removed from the English -system as they are from the Cuban, and are almost as abhorrent to -justice as slavery itself—as abhorrent to justice, though certainly -not so abhorrent to mercy and humanity.</p> - -<p>What would a farmer say in England if his ploughman declined to work, -and protested that he preferred going to his master's granary and -feeding himself and his children on his master's corn? "Measter, noa; -I beez a-tired thick day, and dunna mind to do no wark!" Then the -poorhouse, my friend, the poorhouse! And hardly that; starvation -first, and nakedness, and all manner of misery. In point of fact, our -friend the ploughman must go and work, even though his o'erlaboured -bones be tired, as no doubt they often are. He knows it, and does it, -and in his way is not discontented. And is not this God's ordinance?</p> - -<p>His ordinance in England and elsewhere, but not so, apparently, in -Jamaica. There we had a devil's ordinance in those days of slavery; -and having rid ourselves of that, we have still a devil's ordinance -of another sort. It is not perhaps very easy for men to change -devil's work into heavenly work at once. The ordinance that at -present we have existing there is that <i>far niente</i> one of lying in -the sun and eating yams—"of eating, not your own yams, you lazy, -do-nothing, thieving darkee; but my yams; mine, who am being ruined, -root and branch, stock and barrel, house and homestead, wife and -bairns, because you won't come and work for me when I offer you due -wages; you thieving, do-nothing, lazy nigger."</p> - -<p>"Hush!" will say my angry philanthropist. "For the sake of humanity, -hush! Will coarse abuse and the calling of names avail anything? Is -he not a man and a brother?" No, my angry philanthropist; while he -will not work and will only steal, he is neither the one nor the -other, in my estimation. As for his being a brother, that we may say -is—fudge; and I will call no professional idler a man.</p> - -<p>But the abuse above given is not intended to be looked on as coming -out of my own mouth, and I am not, therefore, to be held responsible -for the wording of it. It is inserted there—with small inverted -commas, as you see—to show the language with which our angry white -friends in Jamaica speak of the extraordinary condition in which they -have found themselves placed.</p> - -<p>Slowly—with delay that has been awfully ruinous—they now bethink -themselves of immigration—immigration from the coast of Africa, -immigration from China, Coolie immigrants from Hindostan. When -Trinidad and Guiana have helped themselves, then Jamaica bestirs -itself. And what then? Then the negroes bestir themselves. "For -heaven's sake let us be looked to! Are we not to be protected from -competition? If labourers be brought here, will not these white -people again cultivate their grounds? Shall we not be driven from our -squatting patches? Shall we not starve; or, almost worse than that, -shall we not again fall under Adam's curse? Shall we not again be -slaves, in reality, if not in name? Shall we not have to work?"</p> - -<p>The negro's idea of emancipation was and is emancipation not from -slavery but from work. To lie in the sun and eat breadfruit and yams -is his idea of being free. Such freedom as that has not been intended -for man in this world; and I say that Jamaica, as it now exists, is -still under a devil's ordinance.</p> - -<p>One cannot wonder that the white man here should be vituperative in -his wrath. First came emancipation. He bore that with manful courage; -for it must be remembered that even in that he had much to bear. The -price he got for his slave was nothing as compared with that slave's -actual value. And slavery to him was not repugnant as it is to you -and me. One's trade is never repugnant to one's feelings. But so much -he did bear with manly courage. He could no longer make slave-grown -sugar, but he would not at any rate be compelled to compete with -those who could. The protective duties would save him there.</p> - -<p>Then free trade became the fashion, and protective duties on sugar -were abolished. I beg it may not be thought that I am an advocate for -such protection. The West Indians were, I think, thrown over in a -scurvy manner, because they were thrown over by their professed -friends. But that was, we all know, the way with Sir Robert Peel. -Well, free trade in sugar became the law of the land, and then the -Jamaica planter found the burden too heavy for his back. The money -which had flown in so freely came in such small driblets that he -could make no improvement. Portions of his estate went out of -cultivation, and then the negro who should have tilled the remainder -squatted on it, and said, "No, massa, me no workee to-day."</p> - -<p>And now, to complete the business, now that Jamaica is at length -looking in earnest for immigration—for it has long been looking for -immigration with listless dis-earnest—the planter is told that the -labour of the black man must be protected. If he be vituperative, who -can wonder at it? To speak the truth, he is somewhat vituperative.</p> - -<p>The white planter of Jamaica is sore and vituperative and -unconvinced. He feels that he has been ill used, and forced to go to -the wall; and that now he is there, he is meanly spoken of, as though -he were a bore and a nuisance—as one of whom the Colonial Office -would gladly rid itself if it knew how. In his heart of hearts there -dwells a feeling that after all slavery was not so vile an -institution—that that devil as well as some others has been painted -too black. In those old days the work was done, the sugar was made, -the workmen were comfortably housed and fed, and perhaps on his -father's estate were kindly treated. At any rate, such is his present -memory. The money came in, things went on pleasantly, and he cannot -remember that anybody was unhappy. But -<span class="nowrap">now—!</span> Can it be wondered at -that in his heart of hearts he should still have a sort of yearning -after slavery?</p> - -<p>In one sense, at any rate, he has been ill used. The turn in the -wheel of Fortune has gone against him, as it went against the -hand-loom weavers when machinery became the fashion. Circumstances -rather than his own fault have brought him low. Well-disciplined -energy in all the periods of his adversity might perhaps have saved -him, as it has saved others; but there has been more against him than -against others. As regards him himself, the old-fashioned Jamaica -planter, the pure blooded white owner of the soil, I think that his -day in Jamaica is done. The glory, I fear, has departed from his -house. The hand-loom weavers have been swept into infinite space, and -their children now poke the engine fires, or piece threads standing -in a factory. The children of the old Jamaica planter must also push -their fortunes elsewhere.</p> - -<p>It is a thousand pities, for he was, I may still say is, the prince -of planters—the true aristocrat of the West Indies. He is -essentially different as a man from the somewhat purse-proud -Barbadian, whose estate of two hundred acres has perhaps changed -hands half a dozen times in the last fifty years, or the thoroughly -mercantile sugar manufacturer of Guiana. He has so many of the -characteristics of an English country gentleman that he does not -strike an Englishman as a strange being. He has his pedigree, and his -family house, and his domain around him. He shoots and fishes, and -some few years since, in the good days, he even kept a pack of -hounds. He is in the commission of the peace, and as such has much to -do. A planter in Demerara may also be a magistrate,—probably is so; -but the fact does not come forward as a prominent part of his life's -history.</p> - -<p>In Jamaica too there is scope for a country gentleman. They have -their counties and their parishes; in Barbados they have nothing but -their sugar estates. They have county society, local balls, and local -race-meetings. They have local politics, local quarrels, and strong -old-fashioned local friendships. In all these things one feels -oneself to be much nearer to England in Jamaica than in any other of -the West Indian islands.</p> - -<p>All this is beyond measure pleasant, and it is a thousand pities that -it should not last. I fear, however, that it will not last—that, -indeed, it is not now lasting. That dear lady's unwillingness to obey -her lord's behests, when he asked her to call on her brown neighbour, -nay, the very fact of that lord's request, both go to prove that this -is so. The lady felt that her neighbour was cutting the very ground -from under her feet. The lord knew "that old times were changed, old -manners gone." The game was almost up when he found himself compelled -to make such a request.</p> - -<p>At present, when the old planter sits on the magisterial bench, a -coloured man sits beside him; one probably on each side of him. At -road sessions he cannot carry out his little project because the -coloured men out-vote him. There is a vacancy for his parish in the -House of Assembly. The old planter scorns the House of Assembly, and -will have nothing to do with it. A coloured man is therefore chosen, -and votes away the white man's taxes; and then things worse and worse -arise. Not only coloured men get into office, but black men also. -What is our old aristocratic planter to do with a negro churchwarden -on one side, and a negro coroner on another? "Fancy what our state -is," a young planter said to me; "I dare not die, for fear I should -be sat upon by a black man!"</p> - -<p>I know that it will be thought by many, and probably said by some, -that these are distinctions to which we ought not to allude. But -without alluding to them in one's own mind it is impossible to -understand the state of the country; and without alluding to them in -speech it is impossible to explain the state of the country. The fact -is, that in Jamaica, at the present day, the coloured people do stand -on strong ground, and that they do not so stand with the goodwill of -the old aristocracy of the country. They have forced their way up, -and now loudly protest that they intend to keep it. I think that they -will keep it, and that on the whole it will be well for us -Anglo-Saxons to have created a race capable of living and working in -the climate without inconvenience.</p> - -<p>It is singular, however, how little all this is understood in -England. There it is conceived that white men and coloured men, white -ladies and coloured ladies, meet together and amalgamate without any -difference. The Duchess of This and Lord That are very happy to have -at their tables some intelligent dark gentleman, or even a -well-dressed negro, though he may not perhaps be very intelligent. -There is some little excitement in it, some change from the common; -and perhaps also an easy opportunity of practising on a small scale -those philanthropic views which they preach with so much eloquence. -When one hobnobs over a glass of champagne with a dark gentleman, he -is in some sort a man and a brother. But the duchess and the lord -think that because the dark gentleman is to their taste, he must -necessarily be as much to the taste of the neighbours among whom he -has been born and bred; of those who have been accustomed to see him -from his childhood.</p> - -<p>There never was a greater mistake. A coloured man may be a fine -prophet in London; but he will be no prophet in Jamaica, which is his -own country; no prophet at any rate among his white neighbours.</p> - -<p>I knew a case in which a very intelligent—nay, I believe, a -highly-educated young coloured gentleman, was sent out by certain -excellent philanthropic big-wigs to fill an official situation in -Jamaica. He was a stranger to Jamaica, never having been there -before. Now, when he was so sent out, the home big-wigs alluded to, -intimated to certain other big-wigs in Jamaica that their dark -protégé would be a great acquisition to the society of the place. I -mention this to show the ignorance of those London big-wigs, not as -to the capability of the young gentleman, which probably was not -over-rated, but as to the manners and life of the place. I imagine -that the gentleman has hardly once found himself in that society -which it was supposed he would adorn. The time, however, will -probably come when he and others of the same class will have -sufficient society of their own.</p> - -<p>I have said elsewhere that the coloured people in Jamaica have made -their way into society; and in what I now say I may seem to -contradict myself. Into what may perhaps be termed public society -they have made their way. Those who have seen the details of colonial -life will know that there is a public society to which people are -admitted or not admitted, according to their acknowledged rights. -Governor's parties, public balls, and certain meetings which are -semi-official and semi-social, are of this nature. A Governor in -Jamaica would, I imagine, not conceive himself to have the power of -excluding coloured people from his table, even if he wished it. But -in Barbados I doubt whether a Governor could, if he wished it, do the -reverse.</p> - -<p>So far coloured people in Jamaica have made their footing good; and -they are gradually advancing beyond this. But not the less as a rule -are they disliked by the old white aristocracy of the country; in a -strong degree by the planters themselves, but in a much stronger by -the planters' wives.</p> - -<p>So much for my theory as to the races of men in Jamaica, and as to -the social condition of the white and coloured people with reference -to each other. Now I would say a word or two respecting the white man -as he himself is, without reference either to his neighbour or to his -prospects.</p> - -<p>A better fellow cannot be found anywhere than a gentleman of Jamaica, -or one with whom it is easier to live on pleasant terms. He is -generally hospitable, affable, and generous; easy to know, and -pleasant when known; not given perhaps to much deep erudition, but -capable of talking with ease on most subjects of conversation; fond -of society, and of pleasure, if you choose to call it so; but not -generally addicted to low pleasures. He is often witty, and has a -sharp side to his tongue if occasion be given him to use it. He is -not generally, I think, a hard-working man. Had he been so, the -country perhaps would not have been in its present condition. But he -is bright and clever, and in spite of all that he has gone through, -he is at all times good-humoured.</p> - -<p>No men are fonder of the country to which they belong, or prouder of -the name of Great Britain than these Jamaicans. It has been our -policy—and, as regards our larger colonies, the policy I have no -doubt has been beneficial—to leave our dependencies very much to -themselves; to interfere in the way of governing as little as might -be; and to withdraw as much as possible from any participation in -their internal concerns. This policy is anything but popular with the -white aristocracy of Jamaica. They would fain, if it were possible, -dispense altogether with their legislature, and be governed -altogether from home. In spite of what they have suffered, they are -still willing to trust the statesmen of England, but are most -unwilling to trust the statesmen of Jamaica.</p> - -<p>Nothing is more peculiar than the way in which the word "home" is -used in Jamaica, and indeed all through the West Indies, With the -white people, it always signifies England, even though the person -using the word has never been there. I could never trace the use of -the word in Jamaica as applied by white men or white women to the -home in which they lived, not even though that home had been the -dwelling of their fathers as well as of themselves. The word "home" -with them is sacred, and means something holier than a habitation in -the tropics. It refers always to the old country.</p> - -<p>In this respect, as in so many others, an Englishman differs greatly -from a Frenchman. Though our English, as a rule, are much more given -to colonize than they are; though we spread ourselves over the face -of the globe, while they have established comparatively but few -settlements in the outer world; nevertheless, when we leave our -country, we almost always do so with some idea, be it ever so vague, -that we shall return to it again, and again make it our home. But the -Frenchman divests himself of any such idea. He also loves France, or -at any rate loves Paris; but his object is to carry his Paris with -him; to make a Paris for himself, whether it be in a sugar island -among the Antilles, or in a trading town upon the Levant.</p> - -<p>And in some respects the Frenchman is the wiser man. He never looks -behind him with regret. He does his best to make his new house -comfortable. The spot on which he fixes is his home, and so he calls -it, and so regards it. But with an Englishman in the West -Indies—even with an English Creole—England is always his home.</p> - -<p>If the people in Jamaica have any prejudice, it is on the subject of -heat. I suppose they have a general idea that their island is hotter -than England; but they never reduce this to an individual idea -respecting their own habitation.</p> - -<p>"Come and dine with me," a man says to you; "I can give you a cool -bed." The invitation at first sounded strange to me, but I soon got -used to it; I soon even liked it, though I found too often that the -promise was not kept. How could it be kept while the quicksilver was -standing at eighty-five in the shade?</p> - -<p>And each man boasts that his house is ten degrees cooler than that of -his neighbours; and each man, if you contest the point, has a reason -to prove why it must be so.</p> - -<p>But a stranger, at any rate round Kingston, is apt to put the matter -in a different light. One place may be hotter than another, but cool -is a word which he never uses. On the whole, I think that the heat of -Kingston, Jamaica, is more oppressive than that of any other place -among the British West Indies. When one gets down to the Spanish -coast, then, indeed, one can look back even to Kingston with regret.</p> - - -<p><a id="c7"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—SUGAR.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>That Jamaica was a land of wealth, rivalling the East in its means of -riches, nay, excelling it as a market for capital, as a place in -which money might be turned; and that it now is a spot on the earth -almost more poverty-stricken than any other—so much is known almost -to all men. That this change was brought about by the manumission of -the slaves, which was completed in 1838, of that also the English -world is generally aware. And there probably the usual knowledge -about Jamaica ends. And we may also say that the solicitude of -Englishmen at large goes no further. The families who are connected -with Jamaica by ties of interest are becoming fewer and fewer. -Property has been abandoned as good for nothing, and nearly -forgotten; or has been sold for what wretched trifle it would fetch; -or left to an overseer, who is hardly expected to send home -proceeds—is merely ordered imperatively to apply for no subsidies. -Fathers no longer send their younger sons to make their fortunes -there. Young English girls no longer come out as brides. Dukes and -earls do not now govern the rich gem of the west, spending their tens -of thousands in royal magnificence, and laying by other tens of -thousands for home consumption. In lieu of this, some governor by -profession, unfortunate for the moment, takes Jamaica with a groan, -as a stepping-stone to some better Barataria—New Zealand perhaps, or -Frazer River; and by strict economy tries to save the price of his -silver forks. Equerries, aides-de-camp, and private secretaries no -longer flaunt it about Spanish Town. The flaunting about Spanish Town -is now of a dull sort. Ichabod! The glory of that house is gone. The -palmy days of that island are over.</p> - -<p>Those who are failing and falling in the world excite but little -interest; and so it is at present with Jamaica. From time to time we -hear that properties which used to bring five thousand pounds a year -are not now worth five hundred pounds in fee simple. We hear it, -thank our stars that we have not been brought up in the Jamaica line, -and there's an end of it. If we have young friends whom we wish to -send forth into the world, we search the maps with them at our -elbows; but we put our hands over the West Indies—over the first -fruits of the courage and skill of Columbus—as a spot tabooed by -Providence. Nay, if we could, we would fain forget Jamaica -altogether.</p> - -<p>But there it is; a spot on the earth not to be lost sight of or -forgotten altogether, let us wish it ever so much. It belongs to us, -and must be in some sort thought of and managed, and, if possible, -governed. Though the utter sinking of Jamaica under the sea might not -be regarded as a misfortune, it is not to be thought of that it -should belong to others than Britain. How should we look at the -English politician who would propose to sell it to the United States; -or beg Spain to take it as an appendage to Cuba? It is one of the few -sores in our huge and healthy carcase; and the sore has been now -running so long, that we have almost given over asking whether it be -curable.</p> - -<p>This at any rate is certain—it will not sink into the sea, but will -remain there, inhabited, if not by white men, then by coloured men or -black; and must unfortunately be governed by us English.</p> - -<p>We have indulged our antipathy to cruelty by abolishing slavery. We -have made the peculiar institution an impossibility under the British -crown. But in doing so we overthrew one particular interest; and, -alas! we overthrew also, and necessarily so, the holders of that -interest. As for the twenty millions which we gave to the -slave-owners, it was at best but as though we had put down awls and -lasts by Act of Parliament, and, giving the shoemakers the price of -their tools, told them they might make shoes as they best could -without them; failing any such possibility, that they might live on -the price of their lost articles. Well; the shoemakers did their -best, and continued their trade in shoes under much difficulty.</p> - -<p>But then we have had another antipathy to indulge, and have indulged -it—our antipathy to protection. We have abolished the duty on -slave-grown sugar; and the shoemakers who have no awls and lasts have -to compete sadly with their happy neighbours, possessed of these -useful shoemaking utensils.</p> - -<p>Make no more shoes, but make something in lieu of shoes, we say to -them. The world wants not shoes only—make hats. Give up your sugar, -and bring forth produce that does not require slave labour. Could the -men of Jamaica with one voice speak out such words as the experience -of the world might teach them, they would probably answer -thus:—"Yes; in two hundred years or so we will do so. So long it -will take to alter the settled trade and habit of a community. In the -mean time, for ourselves, our living selves, our late luxurious -homes, our idle, softly-nurtured Creole wives, our children coming -and to come—for ourselves—what immediate compensation do you intend -to offer us, Mr. Bull?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Bull, with sufficient anger at such importunity; with sufficient -remembrance of his late twenty millions of pounds sterling; with some -plain allusions to that payment, buttons up his breeches-pocket and -growls angrily.</p> - -<p>Abolition of slavery is good, and free trade is good. Such little -insight as a plain man may have into the affairs around him seems to -me to suffice for the expression of such opinion. Nor will I presume -to say that those who proposed either the one law or the other were -premature. To get a good law passed and out of hand is always -desirable. There are from day to day so many new impediments! But the -law having been passed, we should think somewhat of the sufferers.</p> - -<p>Planters in Jamaica assert that when the abolition of slavery was -hurried on by the termination of the apprentice system before the -time first stipulated, they were promised by the government at home -that their interests should be protected by high duties on -slave-grown sugar. That such pledge was ever absolutely made, I do -not credit. But that, if made, it could be worth anything, no man -looking to the history of England could imagine. What minister can -pledge his successors? In Jamaica it is said that the pledge was -given and broken by the same man—by Sir Robert Peel. But when did -Sir Robert Peel's pledge in one year bind even his own conduct in the -next?</p> - -<p>The fact perhaps is this, that no one interest can ever be allowed to -stand in the way of national progress. We could not stop machinery -for the sake of the hand-loom weavers. The poor hand-loom weavers -felt themselves aggrieved; knew that the very bread was taken from -their mouths, their hard-earned cup from their lips. They felt, poor -weavers! that they could not take themselves in middle life to poking -fires and greasing wheels. Time, the eater of things, has now pretty -well eaten the hand-loom weavers—them and their miseries. Must it -not be so also with the Jamaica planters?</p> - -<p>In the mean time the sight, as regards the white man, is a sad one to -see; and almost the sadder in that the last three or four years have -been in a slight degree prosperous to the Jamaica sugar-grower; so -that this question of producing sugar in that island at a rate that -will pay for itself is not quite answered. The drowning man still -clings by a rope's end, though it be but by half an inch, and that -held between his teeth. Let go, thou unhappy one, and drown thyself -out of the way! Is it not thus that Great Britain, speaking to him -from the high places in Exeter Hall, shouts to him in his death -struggles?</p> - -<p>Are Englishmen in general aware that half the sugar estates in -Jamaica, and I believe more than half the coffee plantations, have -gone back into a state of bush?—that all this land, rich with the -richest produce only some thirty years since, has now fallen back -into wilderness?—that the world has hereabouts so retrograded?—that -chaos and darkness have reswallowed so vast an extent of the most -bountiful land that civilization had ever mastered, and that too -beneath the British government?</p> - -<p>And of those who are now growing canes in Jamaica a great portion are -gentlemen who have lately bought their estates for the value of the -copper in the sugar-boilers, and of the metal in the rum-stills. If -to this has been added anything like a fair value for wheels in the -machinery, the estate has not been badly sold.</p> - -<p>Some estates there are, and they are not many, which are still worked -by the agents—attorneys is the proper word—of rich proprietors in -England; of men so rich that they have been able to bear the -continual drain of properties that for years have been always -losing—of men who have had wealth and spirit to endure this. It is -hardly necessary to say that they are few; and that many whose spirit -has been high, but wealth insufficient, have gone grievously to the -wall in the attempt.</p> - -<p>And there are still some who, living on the spot, have hitherto -pulled through it all; who have watched houses falling and the -wilderness progressing, and have still stuck to their homes and their -work; men whose properties for ten years, counting from the -discontinuance of protection, have gradually grown less and less -beneath their eyes, till utter want has been close to them. And yet -they have held on. In the good times they may have made five hundred -hogsheads of sugar every year. It has come to that with them that in -some years they have made but thirty. But they have made that thirty -and still held on. All honour at least to them! For their sake, if -for that of no others, we would be tempted to pray that these few -years of their prosperity may be prolonged and grow somewhat fatter.</p> - -<p>The exported produce of Jamaica consists chiefly of sugar and rum. -The article next in importance is coffee. Then they export also -logwood, arrowroot, pimento, and ginger; but not in quantities to -make them of much national value. Mahogany is also cut here, and -fustic. But sugar and rum are still the staples of the island. Now -all the world knows that rum and sugar are made from the same plant.</p> - -<p>And yet every one will tell you that the cane can hardly be got to -thrive in Jamaica without slave labour; will tell you, also, that the -land of Jamaica is so generous that it will give forth many of the -most wonderful fruits of the world, almost without labour. Putting -these two things together, would not any simple man advise them to -abandon sugar? Ah! he would be very simple if he were to do so with a -voice that could make itself well heard, and should dare to do so in -Jamaica.</p> - -<p>Men there are generally tolerant of opinion on most matters, and -submit to be talked to on their own shortcomings and colonial -mismanagement with a decent grace. You may advise them to do this, -and counsel them to do that, referring to their own immediate -concerns, without receiving that rebuke which your interference might -probably deserve. But do not try their complaisance too far. Do not -advise them to give over making sugar. If you give such advice in a -voice loud enough to be heard, the island will soon be too hot to -hold you. Sugar is loved there, whether wisely loved or not. If not -wisely, then too well.</p> - -<p>When I hear a Jamaica planter talking of sugar, I cannot but think of -Burns, and his muse that had made him poor and kept him so. And the -planter is just as ready to give up his canes as the poet was to -abandon his song.</p> - -<p>The production of sugar and the necessary concomitant production of -rum—for in Jamaica the two do necessarily go together—is not, one -would say, an alluring occupation. I do not here intend to indulge my -readers with a detailed description of the whole progress, from the -planting or ratooning of the cane till the sugar and the rum are -shipped. Books there are, no doubt, much wiser than mine in which the -whole process is developed. But I would wish this much to be -understood, that the sugar planter, as things at present are, must -attend to and be master of, and practically carry out three several -trades. He must be an agriculturist, and grow his cane; and like all -agriculturists must take his crop from the ground and have it ready -for use; as the wheat grower does in England, and the cotton grower -in America. But then he must also be a manufacturer, and that in a -branch of manufacture which requires complicated machinery. The wheat -grower does not grind his wheat and make it into bread. Nor does the -cotton grower fabricate calico. But the grower of canes must make -sugar. He must have his boiling-houses and trash-houses; his water -power and his steam power; he must dabble in machinery, and, in fact, -be a Manchester manufacturer as well as a Kent farmer. And then, over -and beyond this, he must be a distiller. The sugar leaves him fit for -your puddings, and the rum fit for your punch—always excepting the -slight article of adulteration which you are good enough to add -afterwards yourselves. Such a complication of trades would not be -thought very alluring to a gentleman farmer in England.</p> - -<p>And yet the Jamaica proprietor holds faithfully by his sugar-canes.</p> - -<p>It has been said that sugar is an article which for its proper -production requires slave labour. That this is absolutely so is -certainly not the fact, for very good sugar is made in Jamaica -without it. That thousands of pounds could be made with slaves where -only hundreds are made—or, as the case may be, are lost—without it, -I do not doubt. The complaint generally resolves itself to this, that -free labour in Jamaica cannot be commanded; that it cannot be had -always, and up to a certain given quantity at a certain moment; that -labour is scarce, and therefore high priced, and that labour being -high priced, a negro can live on half a day's wages, and will not -therefore work the whole day—will not always work any part of the -day at all, seeing that his yams, his breadfruit, and his plantains -are ready to his hands. But the slaves!—Oh! those were the good -times!</p> - -<p>I have in another chapter said a few words about the negroes as at -present existing in Jamaica, I also shall say a few words as to -slavery elsewhere; and I will endeavour not to repeat myself. This -much, however, is at least clear to all men, that you cannot eat your -cake and have it. You cannot abolish slavery to the infinite good of -your souls, your minds, and intellects, and yet retain it for the -good of your pockets. Seeing that these men are free, it is worse -than useless to begrudge them the use of their freedom. If I have -means to lie in the sun and meditate idle, why, O my worthy -taskmaster! should you expect me to pull out at thy behest long reels -of cotton, long reels of law jargon, long reels of official -verbosity, long reels of gossamer literature—Why, indeed? Not having -means so to lie, I do pull out the reels, taking such wages as I can -get, and am thankful. But my friend and brother over there, my -skin-polished, shining, oil-fat negro, is a richer man than I. He -lies under his mango-tree, and eats the luscious fruit in the sun; he -sends his black urchin up for a breadfruit, and behold the family -table is spread. He pierces a cocoa-nut, and, lo! there is his -beverage. He lies on the grass surrounded by oranges, bananas, and -pine-apples. Oh, my hard taskmaster of the sugar-mill, is he not -better off than thou? why should he work at thy order? "No, massa, me -weak in me belly; me no workee to-day; me no like workee just 'em -little moment." Yes, Sambo has learned to have his own way; though -hardly learned to claim his right without lying.</p> - -<p>That this is all bad—bad nearly as bad can be—bad perhaps as -anything short of slavery, all men will allow. It will be quite as -bad in the long run for the negro as for the white man—worse, -indeed; for the white man will by degrees wash his hands of the whole -concern. But as matters are, one cannot wonder that the black man -will not work. The question stands thus: cannot he be made to do so? -Can it not be contrived that he shall be free, free as is the -Englishman, and yet compelled, as is the Englishman, to eat his bread -in the sweat of his brow?</p> - -<p>I utterly disbelieve in statistics as a science, and am never myself -guided by any long-winded statement of figures from a Chancellor of -the Exchequer or such like big-wig. To my mind it is an -hallucination. Such statements are "ignes fatui." Figures, when they -go beyond six in number, represent to me not facts, but dreams, or -sometimes worse than dreams. I have therefore no right myself to -offer statistics to the reader. But it was stated in the census taken -in 1844 that there were sixteen thousand white people in the island, -and about three hundred thousand blacks. There were also about -seventy thousand coloured people. Putting aside for the moment the -latter as a middle class, and regarding the black as the free -servants of the white, one would say that labour should not be so -deficient But what, if your free servants don't work; unfortunately -know how to live without working?</p> - -<p>The political question that presses upon me in viewing Jamaica, is -certainly this—Will the growth of sugar pay in Jamaica, or will it -not? I have already stated my conviction that a change is now taking -place in the very blood and nature of the men who are destined to be -the dominant classes in these western tropical latitudes. That the -white man, the white Englishman, or white English Creole, will ever -again be a thoroughly successful sugar grower in Jamaica I do not -believe. That the brown man may be so is very probable; but great -changes must first be made in the countries around him.</p> - -<p>While the "peculiar institution" exists in Cuba, Brazil, Porto Rico, -and the Southern States, it cannot, I think, come to pass. A -plentiful crop in Cuba may in any year bring sugar to a price which -will give no return whatever to the Jamaica grower. A spare crop in -Jamaica itself will have the same result; and there are many causes -for spare crops; drought, for instance, and floods, and abounding -rats, and want of capital to renew and manure the plants. At present -the trade will only give in good years a fair profit to those who -have purchased their land almost for nothing. A trade that cannot -stand many misfortunes can hardly exist prosperously. This trade has -stood very many; but I doubt whether it can stand more.</p> - -<p>The "peculiar institution," however, will not live for ever. The time -must come when abolition will be popular even in Louisiana. And when -it is law there, it will be the law in Cuba also. If that day shall -have arrived before the last sugar-mill in the island shall have been -stopped, Jamaica may then compete with other free countries. The -world will not do without sugar, let it be produced by slaves or free -men.</p> - -<p>But though a man may venture to foretell the abolition of slavery in -the States, and yet call himself no prophet, he must be a wiser man -than I who can foretell the time. It will hardly be to-morrow; nor -yet the next day. It will scarcely come so that we may see it. Before -it does come it may easily be that the last sugar-mill in poor -Jamaica will in truth have stopped.</p> - - -<p><a id="c8"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER VIII.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—EMPEROR SOULOUQUE.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>We all remember the day when Mr. Smith landed at Newhaven and took up -his abode quietly at the inn there. Poor Mr. Smith! In the ripeness -of time he has betaken himself a stage further on his long journey, -travelling now probably without disguise, either that of a citizen -King or of a citizen Smith.</p> - -<p>And now, following his illustrious example, the ex-Emperor Soulouque -has sought the safety always to be found on English territories by -sovereigns out of place. In January, 1859, his Highness landed at -Kingston, Jamaica, having made his town of Port au Prince and his -kingdom of Hayti somewhat too hot to hold him.</p> - -<p>All the world probably knows that King Soulouque is a black man. One -blacker never endured the meridian heat of a tropical sun.</p> - -<p>The island, which was christened Hispaniola by Columbus, has resumed -its ancient name of Hayti. It is, however, divided into two -kingdoms—two republics one may now say. That to the east is -generally called St. Domingo, having borrowed the name given by -Columbus to a town. This is by far the larger, but at the same time -the poorer division of the island. That to the west is now called -Hayti, and over this territory Soulouque reigned as emperor. He -reigned as emperor, and was so styled, having been elected as -President; in which little change in his state he has been imitated -by a neighbour of ours with a success almost equal to his own.</p> - -<p>For some dozen years the success of Soulouque was very considerable. -He has had a dominion which has been almost despotic; and has, so -rumour says, invested some three or four hundred thousand pounds in -European funds. In this latter point his imitator has, I fear, hardly -equalled him.</p> - -<p>But a higher ambition fired the bosom of Soulouque, and he sighed -after the territories of his neighbours—not generously to bestow -them on other kings, but that he might keep them on his own behoof. -Soulouque desired to be emperor of the whole island, and he sounded -his trumpet and prepared his arms. He called together his army, and -put on the boots of Bombastes. He put on the boots of Bombastes and -bade his men meet him—at the Barleymow or elsewhere.</p> - -<p>But it seems that his men were slow in coming to the rendezvous. -Nothing that Soulouque could say, nothing that he could do, no -admonitions through his sternest government ministers, no reading of -the mutiny act by his commanders and generals, would induce them -actually to make an assault at arms. Then Soulouque was angry, and in -his anger he maltreated his army. He put his men into pits, and kept -them there without food; left them to be eaten by vermin—to be fed -upon while they could not feed; and played, upon the whole, such a -melodrama of autocratic tricks and fantasies as might have done -honour to a white Nero. Then at last black human nature could endure -no more, and Soulouque, dreading a pit for his own majesty, was -forced to run.</p> - -<p>In one respect he was more fortunate than Mr. Smith. In his dire -necessity an English troop-ship was found to be at hand. The -'Melbourne' was steaming home from Jamaica, and the officer in -command having been appealed to for assistance, consented to return -to Kingston with the royal suite. This she did, and on the 22nd of -January, Soulouque, with his wife and daughter, his prime minister, -and certain coal-black maids of honour, was landed at the quays.</p> - -<p>When under the ægis of British protection, the ex-emperor was of -course safe. But he had not exactly chosen a bed of roses for himself -in coming to Jamaica. It might be probable that a bed of roses was -not easily to be found at the moment. At Kingston there were -collected many Haytians, who had either been banished by Soulouque in -the plenitude of his power, or had run from him as he was now running -from his subjects. There were many whose brothers and fathers had -been destroyed in Hayti, whose friends had perished under the hands -of the tyrant's executioner, for whom pits would have been prepared -had they not vanished speedily. These refugees had sought safety also -in Jamaica, and for them a day of triumph had now arrived. They were -not the men to allow an opportunity for triumph to pass without -enjoying it.</p> - -<p>These were mostly brown men—men of a mixed race; men, and indeed -women also. With Soulouque and his government such had found no -favour. He had been glad to welcome white residents in his kingdom, -and of course had rejoiced in having black men as his subjects. But -of the coloured people he had endeavoured in every way to rid -himself. He had done so to a great extent, and many of them were now -ready to welcome him at Kingston.</p> - -<p>Kingston does not rejoice in public equipages of much pretensions; -nor are there to be hired many carriages fit for the conveyance of -royalty, even in its decadence. Two small, wretched vehicles were -however procured, such as ply in the streets there, and carry -passengers to the Spanish Town railway at sixpence a head. In one of -these sat Soulouque and his wife, with a British officer on the box -beside the driver, and with two black policemen hanging behind. In -another, similarly guarded, were packed the Countess Olive—that -being the name of the ex-emperor's daughter—and her attendants. And -thus travelling by different streets they made their way to their -hotel.</p> - -<p>One would certainly have wished, in despite of those wretched pits, -that they had been allowed to do so without annoyance; but such was -not the case. The banished Haytians had it not in their philosophy to -abstain from triumphing on a fallen enemy. They surrounded the -carriages with a dusky cloud, and received the fugitives with howls -of self-congratulation at their abasement. Nor was this all. When the -royal party was duly lodged at the Date-Tree tavern, the ex-Haytians -lodged themselves opposite. There they held a dignity ball in token -of their joy; and for three days maintained their position in order -that poor Soulouque might witness their rejoicings.</p> - -<p>"They have said a mass over him, the wretched being!" said the -landlady of my hotel to me, triumphantly.</p> - -<p>"Said a mass over him?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, the black nigger—king, indeed! said a mass over him 'cause -he's down. Thank God for that! And pray God keep him so. Him king -indeed, the black nigger!" All which could not have been comfortable -for poor Soulouque.</p> - -<p>The royal party had endeavoured in the first instance to take up -their quarters at this lady's hotel, or lodging-house, as they are -usually called. But the patriotic sister of Mrs. Seacole would listen -to no such proposition. "I won't keep a house for black men," she -said to me. "As for kings, I would despise myself to have a black -king. As for that black beast and his black women—Bah!" Now this was -certainly magnanimous, for Soulouque would have been prepared to pay -well for his accommodation. But the ordinary contempt which the -coloured people have for negroes was heightened in this case by the -presumption of black royalty—perhaps also by loyalty. "Queen -Victoria is my king," said Mrs. Seacole's sister.</p> - -<p>I must confess that I endeavoured to excite her loyalty rather than -her compassion. A few friends were to dine with me that day; and -where would have been my turtle soup had Soulouque and his suite -taken possession of the house?</p> - -<p>The deposed tyrant, when he left Hayti, published a short manifesto, -in which he set forth that he, Faustin the First, having been elected -by the free suffrages of his fellow countrymen, had endeavoured to -govern them well, actuated by a pure love of his country; that he had -remained at his post as long as his doing so had been pleasing to his -countrymen; but that now, having discovered by sure symptoms that his -countrymen desired to see him no longer on the throne, he voluntarily -and immediately abdicated his seat. From henceforth he could only -wish well to the prosperity of Hayti.</p> - -<p>Free suffrages of his people! Ah, me! Such farces strike us but as -farces when Hayti and such like lands are concerned. But when they -come nearer to us they are very sad.</p> - -<p>Soulouque is a stout, hale man, apparently of sixty-five or -sixty-eight years of age. It is difficult to judge of the expression -of a black man's face unless it be very plainly seen; but it appeared -to me to be by no means repulsive. He has been, I believe, some -twelve years Emperor of Hayti, and as he has escaped with wealth he -cannot be said to have been unfortunate.</p> - - -<p><a id="c9"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER IX.</h3> -<h4>JAMAICA—THE GOVERNMENT.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>Queen, Lords, and Commons, with the full paraphernalia of triple -readings, adjournments of the house, and counting out, prevails in -Jamaica as it does in Great Britain.</p> - -<p>By this it will be understood that there is a Governor, representing -the Crown, whose sanction or veto is of course given, as regards -important measures, in accordance with instructions from the Colonial -Office. The Governor has an Executive Committee, which tallies with -our Cabinet. It consists at present of three members, one of whom -belongs to the upper House and two to the lower. The Governor may -appoint a fourth member if it so please him. These gentlemen are paid -for their services, and preside over different departments, as do our -Secretaries of State, &c. And there is a Most Honourable Privy -Council, just as we have at home. Of this latter, the members may or -may not support the Governor, seeing that they are elected for life.</p> - -<p>The House of Lords is represented by the Legislative Council. This -quasi-peerage is of course not hereditary, but the members sit for -life, and are nominated by the Governor. They are seventeen in -number. The Legislative Council can of course put a veto on any bill.</p> - -<p>The House of Assembly stands in the place of the House of Commons. It -consists of forty-seven members, two being elected by nineteen -parishes, and three each by three other parishes, those, namely, -which contain the towns of Kingston, Spanish Town, and Port Royal.</p> - -<p>In one respect this House of Commons falls short of the privileges -and powers of our House at home. It cannot suggest money bills. No -honourable member can make a proposition that so much a year shall be -paid for such a purpose. The government did not wish to be driven to -exercise the invidious power of putting repeated vetos on repeated -suggestions for semi-public expenditure; and therefore this power has -been taken away. But any honourable member can bring before the House -a motion to the effect that the Governor be recommended himself to -propose, by one of the Executive Committee, such or such a money -bill; and then if the Governor decline, the House can refuse to pass -his supplies, and can play the "red devil" with his Excellency. So -that it seems to come pretty nearly to the same thing.</p> - -<p>At home in England, Crown, Lords, and Commons really seem to do very -well. Some may think that the system wants a little shove this way, -some the other. Reform may, or may not be, more or less needed. But -on the whole we are governed honestly, liberally, and successfully; -with at least a greater share of honesty, liberality, and success -than has fallen to the lot of most other people. Each of the three -estates enjoys the respect of the people at large, and a seat, either -among the Lords or the Commons, is an object of high ambition. The -system may therefore be said to be successful.</p> - -<p>But it does not follow that because it answers in England it should -answer in Jamaica; that institutions which suit the country which is -perhaps in the whole world the furthest advanced in civilization, -wealth, and public honesty, should suit equally well an island which -is unfortunately very far from being advanced in those good -qualities; whose civilization, as regards the bulk of the population, -is hardly above that of savages, whose wealth has vanished, and of -whose public honesty—I will say nothing. Of that I myself will say -nothing, but the Jamaicans speak of it in terms which are not -flattering to their own land.</p> - -<p>I do not think that the system does answer in Jamaica. In the first -place, it must be remembered that it is carried on there in a manner -very different from that exercised in our other West-Indian colonies. -In Jamaica any man may vote who pays either tax or rent; but by a -late law he must put in his claim to vote on a ten shilling stamp. -There are in round numbers three hundred thousand blacks, seventy -thousand coloured people, and fifteen thousand white; it may -therefore easily be seen in what hands the power of electing must -rest. Now in Barbados no coloured man votes at all. A coloured man or -negro is doubtless qualified to vote if he own a freehold; but then, -care is taken that such shall not own freeholds. In Trinidad, the -legislative power is almost entirely in the hands of the Crown. In -Guiana, which I look upon as the best governed of them all, this is -very much the case.</p> - -<p>It is not that I would begrudge the black man the right of voting -because he is black, or that I would say that he is and must be unfit -to vote, or unfit even to sit in a house of assembly; but the -amalgamation as at present existing is bad. The objects sought after -by a free and open representation of the people are not gained unless -those men are as a rule returned who are most respected in the -commonwealth, so that the body of which they are the units may be -respected also. This object is not achieved in Jamaica, and -consequently the House of Assembly is not respected. It does not -contain the men of most weight and condition in the island, and is -contemptuously spoken of even in Jamaica itself, and even by its own -members.</p> - -<p>Some there are, some few, who have gotten themselves to be elected, -in order that things which are already bad may not, if such can be -avoided, become worse. They, no doubt, are they who best do their -duty by the country in which their lot lies. But, for the most part, -those who should represent Jamaica will not condescend to take part -in the debates, nor will they solicit the votes of the negroes.</p> - -<p>It would appear from these observations as though I thought that the -absolute ascendency of the white man should still be maintained in -Jamaica. By no means. Let him be ascendant who can—in Jamaica or -elsewhere—who honestly can. I doubt whether such ascendency, the -ascendency of Europeans and white Creoles, can be longer maintained -in this island. It is not even now maintained; and for that reason -chiefly I hold that this system of Lords and Commons is not -compatible with the present genius of the place. Let coloured men -fill the public offices, and enjoy the sweets of official pickings. I -would by no means wish to interfere with any good things which -fortune may be giving them in this respect. But I think there would -be greater probability of their advancing in their new profession -honestly and usefully, if they could be made to look more to the -Colonial Office at home, and less to the native legislature.</p> - -<p>At home, no member of the House of Commons can hold a government -contract. The members of the House of Assembly in Jamaica have no -such prejudicial embargo attached to the honour of their seats. They -can hold the government contracts; and it is astonishing how many of -them are in their hands.</p> - -<p>The great point which strikes a stranger is this, that the House of -Assembly is not respected in the island. Jamaicans themselves have no -confidence in it. If the white men could be polled, the majority I -think would prefer to be rid of it altogether, and to be governed, as -Trinidad is governed, by a Governor with a council; of course with -due power of reference to the Colonial Office.</p> - -<p>Let any man fancy what England would be if the House of Commons were -ludicrous in the eyes of Englishmen; if men ridiculed or were ashamed -of all their debates. Such is the case as regards the Jamaica House -of Commons.</p> - -<p>In truth, there is not room for a machinery so complicated in this -island. The handful of white men can no longer have it all their own -way; and as for the negroes—let any warmest advocate of the "man and -brother" position say whether he has come across three or four of the -class who are fit to enact laws for their own guidance and the -guidance of others.</p> - -<p>It pains me to write words which may seem to be opposed to humanity -and a wide philanthropy; but a spade is a spade, and it is worse than -useless to say that it is something else.</p> - -<p>The proof of the truth of what I say with reference to this system of -Lords and Commons is to be found in the eating of the pudding. It may -not perhaps be fair to adduce the prosperity of Barbados, and to -compare it with the adversity of Jamaica, seeing that local -circumstances were advantageous to Barbados at the times of -emancipation and equalization of the sugar duties. Barbados was -always able to command a plentiful supply of labour. But it is quite -fair to compare Jamaica with Guiana or Trinidad. In both these -colonies the negro was as well able to shirk his work as in Jamaica.</p> - -<p>And in these two colonies the negro did shirk his work, just as he -did in Jamaica; and does still to a great extent. The limits of these -colonies are as extensive as Jamaica is, and the negro can squat. -They are as fertile as Jamaica is, and the negro can procure his food -almost without trouble. But not the less is it a fact that the -exportation of sugar from Guiana and Trinidad now exceeds the amount -exported in the time of slavery, while the exportation from Jamaica -is almost as nothing.</p> - -<p>But in Trinidad and Guiana they have no House of Commons, with Mr. -Speaker, three readings, motions for adjournment, and unlimited -powers of speech. In those colonies the governments—acting with such -assistance as was necessary—have succeeded in getting foreign -labour. In Jamaica they have as yet but succeeded in talking about -it. In Guiana and Trinidad they make much sugar, and boast loudly of -making more. In Jamaica they make but very little, and have not -self-confidence enough left with them to make any boast whatsoever.</p> - -<p>With all the love that an Englishman should have for a popular -parliamentary representation, I cannot think it adapted to a small -colony, even were that colony not from circumstances so peculiarly -ill fitted for it as is Jamaica. In Canada and Australia it is no -doubt very well; the spirit of a fresh and energetic people -struggling on into the world's eminence will produce men fit for -debating, men who can stand on their legs without making a house of -legislature ridiculous. But what could Lords and Commons do in Malta, -or in Jersey? What would they do in the Scilly Islands? What have -they been doing in the Ionian Islands? And, alas! what have they done -in Jamaica?</p> - -<p>Her roads are almost impassable, her bridges are broken down, her -coffee plantations have gone back to bush, her sugar estates have -been sold for the value of the sugar-boilers. Kingston as a town is -the most deplorable that man ever visited, unless it be that Spanish -Town is worse. And yet they have Lords and Commons with all but -unlimited powers of making motions! It has availed them nothing, and -I fear will avail them nothing.</p> - -<p>This I know may be said, that be the Lords and Commons there for good -or evil, they are to be moved neither by men nor gods. It is I -imagine true, that no power known to the British empire could deprive -Jamaica of her constitution. It has had some kind of a house of -assembly since the time of Charles II.; nay, I believe, since the -days of Cromwell; which by successive doctoring has grown to be such -a parody, as it now is, on our home mode of doing business. How all -this may now be altered and brought back to reason, perhaps no man -can say. Probably it cannot be altered till some further smash shall -come; but it is not on that account the less objectionable.</p> - -<p>The House of Assembly and the Chamber of the Legislative Council are -both situated in the same square with the Governor's mansion in -Spanish Town. The desolateness of this place I have attempted to -describe elsewhere, and yet, when I was there, Parliament was -sitting! What must the place be during the nine months when -Parliament does not sit? They are yellow buildings, erected at -considerable expense, and not without some pretence. But -nevertheless, they are ugly—ugly from their colour, ugly from the -heat, and ugly from a certain heaviness which seems natural to them -and to the place.</p> - -<p>The house itself in which the forty-seven members sit is comfortable -enough, and not badly adapted for its purposes. The Speaker sits at -one end all in full fig, with a clerk at the table below; opposite to -him, two-thirds down the room, a low bar, about four feet high, runs -across it. As far as this the public are always admitted; and when -any subject of special interest is under discussion twelve or fifteen -persons may be seen there assembled. Then there is a side room -opening from the house, into which members take their friends. Indeed -it is, I believe, generally open to any one wearing a decent coat. -There is the Bellamy of the establishment, in which honourable -members take such refreshment as the warmth of the debate may render -necessary. Their tastes seemed to me to be simple, and to addict -themselves chiefly to rum and water.</p> - -<p>I was throwing away my cigar as I entered the precincts of the house. -"Oh, you can smoke," said my friend to me; "only, when you stand at -the doorway, don't let the Speaker's eye catch the light; but it -won't much matter." So I walked on, and stood at the side door, -smoking my cigar indeed, but conscious that I was desecrating the -place.</p> - -<p>I saw five or six coloured gentlemen in the house, and two -negroes—sitting in the house as members. As far as the two latter -men were concerned, I could not but be gratified to see them in the -fair enjoyment of the objects of a fair ambition. Had they not by -efforts of their own made themselves greatly superior to others of -their race, they would not have been there. I say this, fearing that -it may be thought that I begrudge a black man such a position. I -begrudge the black men nothing that they can honestly lay hands on; -but I think that we shall benefit neither them nor ourselves by -attempting with a false philanthropy to make them out to be other -than they are.</p> - -<p>The subject under debate was a railway bill. The railway system is -not very extended in the island; but there is a railway, and the talk -was of prolonging it. Indeed, the house I believe had on some -previous occasion decided that it should be prolonged, and the -present fight was as to some particular detail. What that detail was -I did not learn, for the business being performed was a continual -series of motions for adjournment carried on by a victorious minority -of three.</p> - -<p>It was clear that the conquered majority of—say thirty—was very -angry. For some reason, appertaining probably to the tactics of the -house, these thirty were exceedingly anxious to have some special -point carried and put out of the way that night, but the three were -inexorable. Two of the three spoke continually, and ended every -speech with a motion for adjournment.</p> - -<p>And then there was a disagreement among the thirty. Some declared all -this to be "bosh," proposed to leave the house without any -adjournment, play whist, and let the three victors enjoy their barren -triumph. Others, made of sterner stuff, would not thus give way. One -after another they made impetuous little speeches, then two at a -time, and at last three. They thumped the table, and called each -other pretty names, walked about furiously, and devoted the three -victors to the infernal gods.</p> - -<p>And then one of the black gentlemen arose, and made a calm, -deliberate little oration. The words he spoke were about the wisest -which were spoken that night, and yet they were not very wise. He -offered to the house a few platitudes on the general benefit of -railways, which would have applied to any railway under the sun, -saying that eggs and fowls would be taken to market; and then he sat -down. On his behalf I must declare that there were no other words of -such wisdom spoken that night. But this relief lasted only for three -minutes.</p> - -<p>After a while two members coming to the door declared that it was -becoming unbearable, and carried me away to play whist. "My place is -close by," said one, "and if the row becomes hot we shall hear it. It -is dreadful to stay there with such an object, and with the certainty -of missing one's object after all." As I was inclined to agree with -him, I went away and played whist.</p> - -<p>But soon a storm of voices reached our ears round the card-table. -"They are hard at it now," said one honourable member. "That's -So-and-So, by the screech." The yell might have been heard at -Kingston, and no doubt was.</p> - -<p>"By heavens they are at it," said another. "Ha, ha, ha! A nice house -of assembly, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>"Will they pitch into one another?" I asked, thinking of scenes of -which I had read of in another country; and thinking also, I must -confess, that an absolute bodily scrimmage on the floor of the house -might be worth seeing.</p> - -<p>"They don't often do that," said my friend. "They trust chiefly to -their voices; but there's no knowing."</p> - -<p>The temptation was too much for me, so I threw down my cards and -rushed back to the Assembly. When I arrived the louder portion of the -noise was being made by one gentleman who was walking round and round -the chamber, swearing in a loud voice that he would resign the very -moment the Speaker was seated in the chair; for at that time the -house was in committee. The louder portion of the noise, I say, for -two other honourable members were speaking, and the rest were -discussing the matter in small parties.</p> - -<p>"Shameful, abominable, scandalous, rascally!" shouted the angry -gentleman over and over again, as he paced round and round the -chamber. "I'll not sit in such a house; no man should sit in such a -house. By <span class="nowrap">G——,</span> -I'll resign as soon as I see the Speaker in that -chair. Sir, come and have a drink of rum and water."</p> - -<p>In his angry wanderings his steps had brought him to the door at -which I was standing, and these last words were addressed to me. -"Come and have a drink of rum and water," and he seized me with a -hospitable violence by the arm. I did not dare to deny so angry a -legislator, and I drank the rum and water. Then I returned to my -cards.</p> - -<p>It may be said that nearly the same thing does sometimes occur in our -own House of Commons—always omitting the threats of resignation and -the drink. With us at home a small minority may impede the business -of the house by adjournments, and members sometimes become loud and -angry. But in Jamaica the storm raged in so small a teapot! The -railway extension was to be but for a mile or two, and I fear would -hardly benefit more than the eggs and fowls for which the dark -gentleman pleaded.</p> - -<p>In heading this chapter I have spoken of the government, and it may -be objected to me that in writing it I have written only of the -legislature, and not at all of the mode of governing. But in truth -the mode of government depends entirely on the mode of legislature.</p> - -<p>As regards the Governor himself and his ministers, I do not doubt -that they do their best; but I think that their best might be much -better if their hands were not so closely tied by this teapot system -of Queen, Lords, and Commons.</p> - - -<p><a id="c10"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER X.</h3> -<h4>CUBA.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>Cuba is the largest and the most westerly of the West Indian islands. -It is in the shape of a half-moon, and with one of its horns nearly -lies across the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. It belongs to the -Spanish crown, of which it is by far the most splendid appendage. So -much for facts—geographical and historical.</p> - -<p>The journey from Kingston to Cien Fuegos, of which I have said -somewhat in my first chapter, was not completed under better auspices -than those which witnessed its commencement. That perfidious bark, -built in the eclipse, was bad to the last, and my voyage took nine -days instead of three. My humble stock of provisions had long been -all gone, and my patience was nearly at as low an ebb. Then, as a -finale, the Cuban pilot who took us in hand as we entered the port, -ran us on shore just under the Spanish fort, and there left us. From -this position it was impossible to escape, though the shore lay close -to us, inasmuch as it is an offence of the gravest nature to land in -those ports without the ceremony of a visit from the medical officer; -and no medical officer would come to us there. And then two of our -small crew had been taken sick, and we had before us in our mind's -eye all the pleasures of quarantine.</p> - -<p>A man, and especially an author, is thankful for calamities if they -be of a tragic dye. It would be as good as a small fortune to be left -for three days without food or water, or to run for one's life before -a black storm on unknown seas in a small boat. But we had no such -luck as this. There was plenty of food, though it was not very -palatable; and the peril of our position cannot be insisted on, as we -might have thrown a baby on shore from the vessel, let alone a -biscuit. We did what we could to get up a catastrophe among the -sharks, by bathing off the ship's sides. But even this was in vain. -One small shark we did see. But in lieu of it eating us, we ate it. -In spite of the popular prejudice, I have to declare that it was -delicious.</p> - -<p>But at last I did find myself in the hotel at Cien Fuegos. And here I -must say a word in praise of the civility of the Spanish authorities -of that town—and, indeed, of those gentlemen generally wherever I -chanced to meet them. They welcome you with easy courtesy; offer you -coffee or beer; assure you at parting that their whole house is at -your disposal; and then load you—at least they so loaded me—with -cigars.</p> - -<p>"My friend," said the captain of the port, holding in his hand a huge -parcel of these articles, each about seven inches long—"I wish I -could do you a service. It would make me happy for ever if I could -truly serve you."</p> - -<p>"Señor, the service you have done me is inestimable in allowing me to -make the acquaintance of Don <span class="nowrap">——."</span></p> - -<p>"But at least accept these few cigars;" and then he pressed the -bundle into my hand, and pressed his own hand over mine. "Smoke one -daily after dinner; and when you procure any that are better, do a -fastidious old smoker the great kindness to inform him where they are -to be found."</p> - -<p>This treasure to which his fancy alluded, but in the existence of -which he will never believe, I have not yet discovered.</p> - -<p>Cien Fuegos is a small new town on the southern coast of Cuba, -created by the sugar trade, and devoted, of course, to commerce. It -is clean, prosperous, and quickly increasing. Its streets are lighted -with gas, while those in the Havana still depend upon oil-lamps. It -has its opera, its governor's house, its alaméda, its military and -public hospital, its market-place, and railway station; and unless -the engineers deceive themselves, it will in time have its well. It -has also that institution which in the eyes of travellers ranks so -much above all others, a good and clean inn.</p> - -<p>My first object after landing was to see a slave sugar estate. I had -been told in Jamaica that to effect this required some little -management; that the owners of the slaves were not usually willing to -allow strangers to see them at work; and that the manufacture of -sugar in Cuba was as a rule kept sacred from profane eyes. But I -found no such difficulty. I made my request to an English merchant at -Cien Fuegos, and he gave me a letter of introduction to the -proprietor of an estate some fifteen miles from the town; and by -their joint courtesy I saw all that I wished.</p> - -<p>On this property, which consisted altogether of eighteen hundred -acres—the greater portion of which was not yet under -cultivation—there were six hundred acres of cane pieces. The average -year's produce was eighteen hundred hogsheads, or three hogsheads to -the acre. The hogshead was intended to represent a ton of sugar when -it reached the market, but judging from all that I could learn it -usually fell short of it by more than a hundredweight. The value of -such a hogshead at Cien Fuegos was about twenty-five pounds. There -were one hundred and fifty negro men on the estate, the average cash -value of each man being three hundred and fifty pounds; most of the -men had their wives. In stating this it must not be supposed that -either I or my informant insist much on the validity of their -marriage ceremony; any such ceremony was probably of rare occurrence. -During the crop time, at which period my visit was made, and which -lasts generally from November till May, the negroes sleep during six -hours out of the twenty-four, have two for their meals, and work for -sixteen! No difference is made on Sunday. Their food is very -plentiful, and of a good and strong description. They are sleek and -fat and large, like well-preserved brewers' horses; and with -reference to them, as also with reference to the brewers' horses, it -has probably been ascertained what amount of work may be exacted so -as to give the greatest profit. During the remainder of the year the -labour of the negroes averages twelve hours a day, and one day of -rest in the week is usually allowed to them.</p> - -<p>I was of course anxious to see what was the nature of the coercive -measures used with them. But in this respect my curiosity was not -indulged. I can only say that I saw none, and saw the mark and signs -of none. No doubt the whip is in use, but I did not see it. The -gentleman whose estate I visited had no notice of our coming, and -there was no appearance of anything being hidden from us. I could -not, however, bring myself to inquire of him as to their punishment.</p> - -<p>The slaves throughout the island are always as a rule baptized. Those -who are employed in the town and as household servants appear to be -educated in compliance with, at any rate the outward doctrines of, -the Roman Catholic church. But with the great mass of the -negroes—those who work on the sugar-canes—all attention to religion -ends with their baptism. They have the advantage, whatever it may be, -of that ceremony in infancy; and from that time forth they are -treated as the beasts of the stall.</p> - -<p>From all that I could hear, as well as from what I could see, I have -reason to think that, regarding them as beasts, they are well -treated. Their hours of labour are certainly very long—so long as to -appear almost impossible to a European workman. But under the system, -such as it is, the men do not apparently lose their health, though, -no doubt, they become prematurely old, and as a rule die early. The -property is too valuable to be neglected or ill used. The object of -course is to make that property pay; and therefore a present healthy -condition is cared for, but long life is not regarded. It is exactly -the same with horses in this country.</p> - -<p>When all has been said that can be said in favour of the slave-owner -in Cuba, it comes to this—that he treats his slaves as beasts of -burden, and so treating them, does it skilfully and with prudence. -The point which most shocks an Englishman is the absence of all -religion, the ignoring of the black man's soul. But this, perhaps, -may be taken as an excuse, that the white men here ignore their own -souls also. The Roman Catholic worship seems to be at a lower ebb in -Cuba than almost any country in which I have seen it.</p> - -<p>It is singular that no priest should even make any effort on the -subject with regard to the negroes; but I am assured that such is the -fact. They do not wish to do so; nor will they allow of any one -asking them to make the experiment. One would think that had there -been any truth or any courage in them, they would have declared the -inutility of baptism, and have proclaimed that negroes have no souls. -But there is no truth in them; neither is there any courage.</p> - -<p>The works at the Cuban sugar estate were very different from those I -had seen at Jamaica. They were on a much larger scale, in much better -order, overlooked by a larger proportion of white men, with a greater -amount of skilled labour. The evidences of capital were very plain in -Cuba; whereas, the want of it was frequently equally plain in our own -island.</p> - -<p>Not that the planters in Cuba are as a rule themselves very rich men. -The estates are deeply mortgaged to the different merchants at the -different ports, as are those in Jamaica to the merchants of -Kingston. These merchants in Cuba are generally Americans, -Englishmen, Germans, Spaniards from the American republics—anything -but Cubans; and the slave-owners are but the go-betweens, who secure -the profits of the slave-trade for the merchants.</p> - -<p>My friend at the estate invited us to a late breakfast after having -shown me what I came to see. "You have taken me so unawares," said -he, "that we cannot offer you much except a welcome." Well, it was -not much—for Cuba perhaps. A delicious soup, made partly of eggs, a -bottle of excellent claret, a paté de foie gras, some game -deliciously dressed, and half a dozen kinds of vegetables; that was -all. I had seen nothing among the slaves which in any way interfered -with my appetite, or with the cup of coffee and cigar which came -after the little nothings above mentioned.</p> - -<p>We then went down to the railway station. It was a peculiar station I -was told, and the tickets could not be paid for till we reached Cien -Fuegos. But, lo! on arriving at Cien Fuegos there was nothing more to -pay. "It has all been done," said some one to me.</p> - -<p>If one was but convinced that those sleek, fat, smiling bipeds were -but two legged beasts of burden, and nothing more, all would have -been well at the estate which we visited.</p> - -<p>All Cuba was of course full of the late message from the President of -the United States, which at the time of my visit was some two months -old there. The purport of what Mr. Buchanan said regarding Cuba may -perhaps be expressed as follows:—"Circumstances and destiny -absolutely require that the United States should be the masters of -that island. That we should take it by filibustering or violence is -not in accordance with our national genius. It will suit our -character and honesty much better that we should obtain it by -purchase. Let us therefore offer a fair price for it. If a fair price -be refused, that of course will be a casus belli. Spain will then -have injured us, and we may declare war. Under these circumstances we -should probably obtain the place without purchase; but let us hope -better things." This is what the President has said, either in plain -words or by inference equally plain.</p> - -<p>It may easily be conceived with what feeling such an announcement has -been received by Spain and those who hold Spanish authority in Cuba. -There is an outspoken insolence in the threat, which, by a -first-class power, would itself have been considered a cause for war. -But Spain is not a first-class power, and like the other weak ones of -the earth must either perish or live by adhering to and obeying those -who will protect her. Though too ignoble to be strong, she has been -too proud to be obedient. And as a matter of course she will go to -the wall.</p> - -<p>A scrupulous man who feels that he would fain regulate his course in -politics by the same line as that used for his ordinary life, cannot -but feel angry at the loud tone of America's audacious threat. But -even such a one knows that that threat will sooner or later be -carried out, and that humanity will benefit by its accomplishment. -Perhaps it may be said that scrupulous men should have but little -dealing in state policy.</p> - -<p>The plea under which Mr. Buchanan proposes to quarrel with Spain, if -she will not sell that which America wishes to buy, is the plea under -which Ahab quarrelled with Naboth. A man is, individually, disgusted -that a President of the United States should have made such an -utterance. But looking at the question in a broader point of view, in -one which regards future ages rather than the present time, one can -hardly refrain from rejoicing at any event which will tend to bring -about that which in itself is so desirable.</p> - -<p>We reprobate the name of filibuster, and have a holy horror of the -trade. And it is perhaps fortunate that with us the age of individual -filibustering is well-nigh gone by. But it may be fair for us to -consider whether we have not in our younger days done as much in this -line as have the Americans—whether Clive, for instance, was not a -filibuster—or Warren Hastings. Have we not annexed, and maintained, -and encroached; protected, and assumed, and taken possession in the -East—doing it all of course for the good of humanity? And why should -we begrudge the same career to America?</p> - -<p>That we do begrudge it is certain. That she purchased California and -took Texas went at first against the grain with us; and Englishmen, -as a rule, would wish to maintain Cuba in the possession of Spain. -But what Englishman who thinks about it will doubt that California -and Texas have thriven since they were annexed, as they never could -have thriven while forming part of the Mexican empire—or can doubt -that Cuba, if delivered up to the States, would gain infinitely by -such a change of masters?</p> - -<p>Filibustering, called by that or some other name, is the destiny of a -great portion of that race to which we Englishmen and Americans -belong. It would be a bad profession probably for a scrupulous man. -With the unscrupulous man, what stumbling-blocks there may be between -his deeds and his conscience is for his consideration and for God's -judgment. But it will hardly suit us as a nation to be loud against -it. By what other process have poor and weak races been compelled to -give way to those who have power and energy? And who have displaced -so many of the poor and weak, and spread abroad so vast an energy, -such an extent of power as we of England?</p> - -<p>The truth may perhaps be this:—that a filibuster needs expect no -good word from his fellow-mortals till he has proved his claim to it -by success.</p> - -<p>From such information as I could obtain, I am of opinion that the -Cubans themselves would be glad enough to see the transfer well -effected. How, indeed, can it be otherwise? At present they have no -national privilege except that of undergoing taxation. Every office -is held by a Spaniard. Every soldier in the island—and they say that -there are twenty-five thousand—must be a Spaniard. The ships of war -are commanded and manned by Spaniards. All that is shown before their -eyes of brilliancy and power and high place is purely Spanish. No -Cuban has any voice in his own country. He can never have the -consolation of thinking that his tyrant is his countryman, or reflect -that under altered circumstances it might possibly have been his -fortune to tyrannize. What love can he have for Spain? He cannot even -have the poor pride of being slave to a great lord. He is the lacquey -of a reduced gentleman, and lives on the vails of those who despise -his master. Of course the transfer would be grateful to him.</p> - -<p>But no Cuban will himself do anything to bring it about. To wish is -one thing; to act is another. A man standing behind his counter may -feel that his hand is restricted on every side, and his taxes alone -unrestricted; but he must have other than Hispano-Creole blood in his -veins if he do more than stand and feel. Indeed, wishing is too -strong a word to be fairly applicable to his state of mind. He would -be glad that Cuba should be American; but he would prefer that he -himself should lie in a dormant state while the dangerous transfer is -going on.</p> - -<p>I have ventured to say that humanity would certainly be benefited by -such a transfer. We, when we think of Cuba, think of it almost -entirely as a slave country. And, indeed, in this light, and in this -light only, is it peculiar, being the solitary land into which slaves -are now systematically imported out of Africa. Into that great -question of guarding the slave coast it would be futile here to -enter; but this I believe is acknowledged, that if the Cuban market -be closed against the trade, the trade must perish of exhaustion. At -present slaves are brought into Cuba in spite of us; and as we all -know, can be brought in under the American stars and stripes. But no -one accuses the American Government of systematically favouring an -importation of Africans into their own States. When Cuba becomes one -of them the trade will cease. The obstacle to that trade which is -created by our vessels of war on the coast of Africa may, or may not, -be worth the cost. But no man who looks into the subject will presume -to say that we can be as efficacious there as the Americans would be -if they were the owners of the present slave-market.</p> - -<p>I do not know whether it be sufficiently understood in England, that -though slavery is an institution of the United States, the -slave-trade, as commonly understood under that denomination, is as -illegal there as in England. That slavery itself would be continued -in Cuba under the Americans—continued for a while—is of course -certain. So is it in Louisiana and the Carolinas. But the horrors of -the middle passage, the kidnapping of negroes, the African wars which -are waged for the sake of prisoners, would of necessity come to an -end.</p> - -<p>But this slave-trade is as opposed to the laws of Spain and its -colonies as it is to those of the United States or of Great Britain. -This is true; and were the law carried out in Cuba as well as it is -in the United States, an Englishman would feel disinclined to look on -with calmness at the violent dismemberment of the Spanish empire. But -in Cuba the law is broken systematically. The Captain-General in Cuba -will allow no African to be imported into the island—except for a -consideration. It is said that the present Captain-General receives -only a gold doubloon, or about three pounds twelve shillings, on -every head of wool so brought in; and he has therefore the reputation -of being a very moderate man. O'Donnel required twice as large a -bribe. Valdez would take nothing, and he is spoken of as the foolish -Governor. Even he, though he would take no bribe, was not allowed to -throw obstacles in the way of the slave-trade. That such a bribe is -usually demanded, and as a matter of course paid, is as well -known—ay, much better known, than any other of the island port -duties. The fact is so notorious to all men, that it is almost as -absurd to insist on it as it would be to urge that the income of the -Queen of England is paid from the taxes. It is known to every one, -and among others is known to the government of Spain. Under these -circumstances, who can feel sympathy with her, or wish that she -should retain her colony? Does she not daily show that she is unfit -to hold it?</p> - -<p>There must be some stage in misgovernment which will justify the -interference of bystanding nations, in the name of humanity. That -rule in life which forbids a man to come between a husband and his -wife is a good rule. But nevertheless, who can stand by quiescent and -see a brute half murder the poor woman whom he should protect?</p> - -<p>And in other ways, and through causes also, humanity would be -benefited by such a transfer. We in England are not very fond of a -republic. We would hardly exchange our throne for a president's -chair, or even dispense at present with our House of Peers or our -Bench of Bishops. But we can see that men thrive under the stars and -stripes; whereas they pine beneath the red and yellow flag of Spain. -This, it may be said, is attributable to the race of the men rather -than to the government. But the race will be improved by the infusion -of new blood. Let the world say what chance there is of such -improvement in the Spanish government.</p> - -<p>The trade of the country is falling into the hands of -foreigners—into those principally of Americans from the States. The -Havana will soon become as much American as New Orleans. It requires -but little of the spirit of prophecy to foretell that the Spanish -rule will not be long obeyed by such people.</p> - -<p>On the whole I cannot see how Englishmen can refrain from -sympathizing with the desire of the United States to become possessed -of this fertile island. As far as we ourselves are concerned, it -would be infinitely for our benefit. We can trade with the United -States when we can hardly do so with Spain. Moreover, if Jamaica, and -the smaller British islands can ever again hold up their heads -against Cuba as sugar-producing colonies, it will be when the -slave-trade has been abolished. Till such time it can never be.</p> - -<p>And then where are our professions for the amelioration, and -especially for the Christianity of the human race? I have said what -is the religious education of the slaves in Cuba. I may also say that -in this island no place of Protestant worship exists, or is possible. -The Roman Catholic religion is alone allowed, and that is at its very -lowest point. "The old women of both sexes go to mass," a Spaniard -told me; "and the girls when their clothes are new."</p> - -<p>But above all things it behoves us to rid ourselves of the jealousy -which I fear we too often feel towards American pretension. "Jonathan -is getting bumptious," we are apt to say; "he ought to -<span class="nowrap">have—"</span> this -and that other punishment, according to the taste of the offended -Englishman.</p> - -<p>Jonathan is becoming bumptious, no doubt. Young men of genius, when -they succeed in life at comparatively early years, are generally -afflicted more or less with this disease. But one is not inclined to -throw aside as useless, the intellect, energy, and genius of youth -because it is not accompanied by modesty, grace, and self-denial. Do -we not, in regard to all our friends, take the good that we find in -them, aware that in the very best there will be some deficiency to -forgive? That young barrister who is so bright, so energetic, so -useful, is perhaps <i>soi-disant</i> more than a little. One cannot deny -it. But age will cure that. Have we a right to expect that he should -be perfect?</p> - -<p>And are the Americans the first bumptious people on record? Has no -other nation assumed itself to be in advance of the world; to be the -apostle of progress, the fountain of liberty, the rock-spring of -manly work? If the Americans were not bumptious, how unlike would -they be to the parent that bore them!</p> - -<p>The world is wide enough for us and for our offspring, and we may be -well content that we have it nearly all between us. Let them fulfil -their destiny in the West, while we do so in the East. It may be that -there also we may establish another child who in due time shall also -run alone, shall also boast somewhat loudly of its own doings. It is -a proud reflection that we alone, of all people, have such children; -a proud reflection, and a joyous one; though the weaning of the baby -will always be in some respects painful to the mother.</p> - -<p>Nowhere have I met a kinder hospitality than I did at Cien Fuegos, -whether from Spaniards, Frenchmen, Americans, or Englishmen; for at -Cien Fuegos there are men of all these countries. But I must specify -my friend Mr. <span class="nowrap">——.</span> -Why should such a man be shut up for life at such -an outlandish place? Full of wit, singing an excellent song, telling -a story better, I think, than any other man to whom I have ever -listened, speaking four or five languages fluently, pleasant in -manner, hospitable in heart, a thorough good fellow at all points, -why should he bury himself at Cien Fuegos? "Auri sacra fames." It is -the presumable reason for all such burials. English reader, shouldst -thou find thyself at Cien Fuegos in thy travels, it will not take -thee long to discover my friend -<span class="nowrap">——.</span> -He is there known to every one. -It will only concern thee to see that thou art worthy of his -acquaintance.</p> - -<p>From Cien Fuegos I went to the Havana, the metropolis, as all the -world knows, of Cuba. Our route lay by steamer to Batavano, and -thence by railway. The communication round Cuba—that is from port to -port—is not ill arranged or ill conducted. The boats are American -built, and engineered by Englishmen or Americans. Breakfast and -dinner are given on board, and the cost is included in the sum paid -for the fare. The provisions are plentiful, and not bad, if oil can -be avoided. As everything is done to foster Spain, Spanish wine is -always used, and Spanish ware, and, above all things, Spanish oil. -Now Spain does not send her best oil to her colonies. I heard great -complaint made of the fares charged on board these boats. The fares -when compared with those charged in America doubtless are high; but I -do not know that any one has a right to expect that he shall travel -as cheaply in Cuba as in the States.</p> - -<p>I had heard much of the extravagant charges made for all kinds of -accommodation in Cuba; at hotels, in the shops, for travelling, for -chance work, and the general wants of a stranger. I found these -statements to be much exaggerated. Railway travelling by the first -class is about 3½<i>d.</i> a mile, which -is about 1<i>d.</i> a mile more than -in England. At hotels the charge is two and a half or three dollars a -day. The former sum is the more general. This includes a cup of -coffee in the morning, a very serious meal at nine o'clock together -with fairly good Catalan wine, dinner at four with another cup of -coffee and more wine <i>ad libitum</i>, bed, and attendance. Indeed, a man -may go out of his hotel, without inconvenience, paying nothing beyond -the regular daily charge. Extras are dear. I, for instance, having in -my ignorance asked for a bottle of champagne, paid for it seventeen -shillings. A friend dining with one also, or breakfasting, is an -expensive affair. The two together cost considerably more than one's -own total daily payment. Thus, as one pays at an hotel whether one's -dinner be eaten or no, it becomes almost an insane expense for -friends at different hotels to invite each other.</p> - -<p>But let it not be supposed that I speak in praise of the hotels at -the Havana. Far be it from me to do so. I only say that they are not -dear. I found it impossible to command the luxury of a bedroom to -myself. It was not the custom of the country they told me. If I chose -to pay five dollars a day, just double the usual price, I could be -indulged as soon—as circumstances would admit of it; which was -intended to signify that they would be happy to charge me for the -second bed as soon as the time should come that they had no one else -on whom to levy the rate. And the dirt of that bedroom!</p> - -<p>I had been unable to get into either of the hotels at the Havana to -which I had been recommended, every corner in each having been -appropriated. In my grief at the dirt of my abode, and at the too -near vicinity of my Spanish neighbour—the fellow-occupant of my -chamber was from Spain—I complained somewhat bitterly to an American -acquaintance, who had as I thought been more lucky in his inn.</p> - -<p>"One companion!" said he; "why, I have three; one walks about all -night in a bed-gown, a second snores, and the other is dying!"</p> - -<p>A friend of mine, an English officer, was at another house. He also -was one of four; and it so occurred that he lost thirty pounds out of -his sac de nuit. On the whole I may consider myself to have been -lucky.</p> - -<p>Labour generally is dear, a workman getting a dollar or four -shillings and twopence, where in England a man might earn perhaps -half a crown. A porter therefore for whom sixpence might suffice in -England will require a shilling. A volante—I shall have a word to -say about volantes by-and-by—for any distance within the walls costs -eightpence. Outside the walls the price seems to be unconscionably -higher. Omnibuses which run over two miles charge some fraction over -sixpence for each journey. I find that a pair of boots cost me -twenty-five shillings. In London they would cost about the same. -Those procured in Cuba, however, were worth nothing, which certainly -makes a difference. Meat is eightpence the English pound. Bread is -somewhat dearer than in England, but not much.</p> - -<p>House rent may be taken as being nearly four times as high as it is -in any decent but not fashionable part of London, and the wages of -house servants are twice as high as they are with us. The high prices -in the Havana are such therefore as to affect the resident rather -than the stranger. One article, however, is very costly; but as it -concerns a luxury not much in general use among the inhabitants this -is not surprising. If a man will have his linen washed he will be -made to pay for it.</p> - -<p>There is nothing attractive about the town of Havana; nothing -whatever to my mind, if we except the harbour. The streets are -narrow, dirty, and foul. In this respect there is certainly much -difference between those within and without the wall. The latter are -wider, more airy, and less vile. But even in them there is nothing to -justify the praises with which the Havana is generally mentioned in -the West Indies. It excels in population, size, and no doubt in -wealth any other city there; but this does not imply a great -eulogium. The three principal public buildings are the Opera House, -the Cathedral, and the palace of the Captain-General. The former has -been nearly knocked down by an explosion of gas, and is now closed. I -believe it to be an admirable model for a second-rate house. The -cathedral is as devoid of beauty, both externally and internally, as -such an edifice can be made. To describe such a building would be an -absurd waste of time and patience. We all know what is a large Roman -Catholic church, built in the worst taste, and by a combination of -the lowest attributes of Gothic and Latin architecture. The palace, -having been built for a residence, does not appear so utterly vile, -though it is the child of some similar father. It occupies one side -of a public square or pláza, and from its position has a -moderately-imposing effect. Of pictures in the Havana there are none -of which mention should be made.</p> - -<p>But the glory of the Havana is the Paseo—the glory so called. This -is the public drive and fashionable lounge of the town—the Hyde -Park, the Bois de Boulogne, the Cascine, the Corso, the Alaméda. It -is for their hour on the Paseo that the ladies dress themselves, and -the gentlemen prepare their jewelry. It consists of a road running -outside a portion of the wall, of the extent perhaps of half a mile, -and ornamented with seats and avenues of trees, as are the boulevards -at Paris. If it is to be compared with any other resort of the kind -in the West Indies, it certainly must be owned there is nothing like -it; but a European on first seeing it cannot understand why it is so -eulogized. Indeed, it is probable that if he first goes thither -alone, as was the case with me, he will pass over it, seeking for -some other Paseo.</p> - -<p>But then the glory of the Paseo consists in its volantes. As one -boasts that one has swum in a gondola, so will one boast of having -sat in a volante. It is the pride of Cuban girls to appear on the -Paseo in these carriages on the afternoons of holidays and Sundays; -and there is certainly enough of the picturesque about the vehicle to -make it worthy of some description. It is the most singular of -carriages, and its construction is such as to give a flat -contradiction to all an Englishman's preconceived notions respecting -the power of horses.</p> - -<p>The volante is made to hold two sitters, though there is sometimes a -low middle seat which affords accommodation to a third lady. We will -commence the description from behind. There are two very huge wheels, -rough, strong, high, thick, and of considerable weight. The axles -generally are not capped, but the nave shines with coarse polished -metal. Supported on the axletree, and swinging forward from it on -springs, is the body of a cabriolet such as ordinary cabriolets used -to be, with the seat, however, somewhat lower, and with much more -room for the feet. The back of this is open, and generally a curtain -hangs down over the open space. A metal bar, which is polished so as -to look like silver, runs across the footboard and supports the feet. -The body, it must be understood, swings forward from these high -wheels, so that the whole of the weight, instead of being supported, -hangs from it. Then there are a pair of shafts, which, counting from -the back of the carriage to the front where they touch the horse at -the saddle, are about fourteen feet in length. They do not go beyond -the saddle, or the tug depending from the saddle in which they hang. -From this immense length it comes to pass that there is a wide -interval, exceeding six feet, between the carriage and the horse's -tail; and it follows also, from the construction of the machine, that -a large portion of the weight must rest on the horse's back.</p> - -<p>In addition to this, the unfortunate horse has ordinarily to bear the -weight of a rider. For with a volante your servant rides, and does -not drive you. With the fashionable world on the Paseo a second horse -is used—what we should call an outrider—and the servant sits on -this. But as regards those which ply in the town, there is but one -horse. How animals can work beneath such a yoke was to me -unintelligible.</p> - -<p>The great point in the volante of fashion is the servant's dress. He -is always a negro, and generally a large negro. He wears a huge -pair—not of boots, for they have no feet to them—of galligaskins I -may call them, made of thick stiff leather, but so as to fit the leg -exactly. The top of them comes some nine inches above the knee, so -that when one of these men is seen seated at his ease, the point of -his boot nearly touches his chin. They are fastened down the sides -with metal fastenings, and at the bottom there is a huge spur. The -usual dress of these men, over and above their boots, consists of -white breeches, red jackets ornamented with gold lace, and -broad-brimmed straw hats. Nothing can be more awkward, and nothing -more barbaric than the whole affair; but nevertheless there is about -it a barbaric splendour, which has its effect. The great length of -the equipage, and the distance of the horse from his work, is what -chiefly strikes an Englishman.</p> - -<p>The carriage usually holds, when on the Paseo, two or three ladies. -Their great object evidently has been to expand their dresses, so -that they may group well together, and with a good result as regards -colour. It must be confessed that in this respect they are generally -successful. They wear no head-dress when in their carriages, and -indeed may generally be seen out of doors with their hair uncovered. -Though they are of Spanish descent, the mantilla is unknown here. Nor -could I trace much similarity to Spanish manner in other particulars. -The ladies do not walk like Spanish women—at least not like the -women of Andalusia, with whom one would presume them to have had the -nearest connection. The walk of the Andalusian women surpasses that -of any other, while the Cuban lady is not graceful in her gait. -Neither can they boast the brilliantly dangerous beauty of Seville. -In Cuba they have good eyes, but rarely good faces. The forehead and -the chin too generally recede, leaving the nose with a prominence -that is not agreeable. But as my gallantry has not prevented me from -speaking in this uncourteous manner of their appearance, my honesty -bids me add, that what they lack in beauty they make up in morals, as -compared with their cousins in Europe. For -travelling <i>en garçon</i> I -should probably prefer the south of Spain. But were I doomed to look -for domesticity in either clime—and God forbid that such a doom -should be mine!—I might perhaps prefer a Cuban mother for my -children.</p> - -<p>But the volante is held as very precious by the Cuban ladies. The -volante itself I mean—the actual vehicle. It is not intrusted, as -coaches are with us, to the dusty mercies of a coach-house. It is -ordinarily kept in the hall, and you pass it by as you enter the -house; but it is by no means uncommon to see it in the dining-room. -As the rooms are large and usually not full of furniture, it does not -look amiss there.</p> - -<p>The amusements of the Cubans are not very varied, and are innocent in -their nature; for the gambling as carried on there I regard rather as -a business than an amusement They greatly love dancing, and have -dances of their own and music of their own, which are peculiar, and -difficult to a stranger. Their tunes are striking, and very pretty. -They are fond of music generally, and maintain a fairly good opera -company at the Havana. In the pláza there—the square, namely, in -front of the Captain-General's house—a military band plays from -eight to nine every evening. The place is then thronged with people, -but by far the majority of them are men.</p> - -<p>It is the custom at all the towns in Cuba for the family, when at -home, to pass their evening seated near the large low open window of -their drawing-rooms; and as these windows almost always look into the -streets, the whole internal arrangement is seen by every one who -passes. These windows are always protected by iron bars, as though -they were the windows of a prison; in other respects they are -completely open.</p> - -<p>Four chairs are to be seen ranged in a row, and four more opposite to -them, running from the window into the room, and placed close -together. Between these is generally laid a small piece of carpet. -The majority of these chairs are made to rock; for the Creole lady -always rocks herself. I have watched them going through the -accustomed motion with their bodies, even when seated on chairs with -stern immovable legs. This is the usual evening living-place of the -family; and I never yet saw an occupant of one of these chairs with a -book in her hand, or in his. I asked an Englishman, a resident in the -Havana, whether he had ever done so. "A book!" he answered; "why, the -girls can't read, in your sense of the word reading."</p> - -<p>The young men, and many of those who are no longer young, spend their -evenings, and apparently a large portion of their days, in eating -ices and playing billiards. The accommodation in the Havana for these -amusements is on a very large scale.</p> - -<p>The harbour at the Havana is an interesting sight. It is in the first -place very picturesque, which to the ordinary visitor is the most -important feature. But it is also commodious, large, and safe. It is -approached between two forts. That to the westward, which is the -principal defence, is called the Morro. Here also stands the -lighthouse. No Englishman omits to hear, as he enters the harbour, -that these forts were taken by the English in Albemarle's time. Now, -it seems to me, they might very easily be taken by any one who chose -to spend on them the necessary amount of gunpowder. But then I know -nothing about forts.</p> - -<p>This special one of the Morro I did take; not by gunpowder, but by -stratagem. I was informed that no one was allowed to see it since the -open defiance of the island contained in the last message of the -United States' President. But I was also informed—whisperingly, in -the ear that a request to see the lighthouse would be granted, and -that as I was not an American the fort should follow. It resulted in -a little black boy taking me over the whole edifice—an impudent -little black boy, who filled his pockets with stones and pelted the -sentries. The view of the harbour from the lighthouse is very good, -quite worth the trouble of the visit. The fort itself I did not -understand, but a young English officer, who was with me, pooh-poohed -it as a thing of nothing. But then young English officers pooh-pooh -everything. Here again I must add that nothing can exceed the -courtesy of all Spanish officials. If they could only possess honesty -and energy as well as courtesy!</p> - -<p>By far the most interesting spot in the Havana is the Quay, to which -the vessels are fastened end-ways, the bow usually lying against the -Quay. In other places the side of the vessel is, I believe, brought -to the wharf. Here there are signs of true life. One cannot but think -how those quays would be extended, and that life increased, if the -place were in the hands of other people.</p> - -<p>I have said that I regarded gambling in Cuba, not as an amusement, -but an occupation. The public lotteries offer the daily means to -every one for gratifying this passion. They are maintained by the -government, and afford a profit, I am told, of something over a -million dollars per annum. In all public places tickets are hawked -about. One may buy a whole ticket, half, a quarter, an eighth, or a -sixteenth. It is done without any disguise or shame, and the -institution seemed, I must say, to be as popular with the Europeans -living there as with the natives. In the eyes of an Englishman new -from Great Britain, with his prejudices still thick upon him, this -great national feature loses some of its nobility and grandeur.</p> - -<p>This, together with the bribery, which is so universal, shows what is -the spirit of the country. For a government supported by the profits -of a gambling-hell, and for a Governor enriched by bribes on slaves -illegally imported, what Englishman can feel sympathy? I would fain -hope that there is no such sympathy felt in England.</p> - -<p>I have been answered, when expressing indignation at the system, by a -request that I would first look at home; and have been so answered by -Englishmen. "How can you blame the Captain-General," they have said, -"when the same thing is done by the French and English consuls -through the islands?" That the French and English consuls do take -bribes to wink at the importation of slaves, I cannot and do not -believe. But Cæsar's wife should not even be suspected.</p> - -<p>I found it difficult to learn what is exactly the present population -of Cuba. I believe it to be about 1,300,000, and of this number about -600,000 are slaves. There are many Chinese now in the island, -employed as household servants, or on railways, or about the -sugar-works. Many are also kept at work on the cane-pieces, though it -seems that for this labour they have hardly sufficient strength. -These unfortunate deluded creatures receive, I fear, very little -better treatment than the slaves.</p> - -<p>My best wish for the island is that it may speedily be reckoned among -the annexations of the United States.</p> - - -<p><a id="c11"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XI.</h3> -<h4>THE PASSAGE OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>In the good old days, when men called things by their proper names, -those islands which run down in a string from north to south, from -the Virgin Islands to the mouth of the Orinoco River, were called the -Windward Islands—the Windward or Caribbean Islands. They were also -called the Lesser Antilles. The Leeward Islands were, and properly -speaking are, another cluster lying across the coast of Venezuela, of -which Curaçoa is the chief. Oruba and Margarita also belong to this -lot, among which, England, I believe, never owned -<span class="nowrap">any.<a href="#f1">*</a></span></p> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f1"></a>[*The greater Antilles are Cuba, Jamaica, Hayti, and Porto Rico, -though I am not quite sure whether Porto Rico does not more properly -belong to the Virgin Islands. The scattered assemblage to the north -of the greater Antilles are the Bahamas, at one of the least -considerable of which, San Salvador, Columbus first landed. Those now -named, I believe, comprise all the West India Islands.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>But now-a-days we Britishers are not content to let the Dutch and -others keep a separate name for themselves; we have, therefore, -divided the Lesser Antilles, of which the greater number belong to -ourselves, and call the northern portion of these the Leeward -Islands. Among them Antigua is the chief, and is the residence of a -governor supreme in this division.</p> - -<p>After leaving St. Thomas the first island seen of any note is St. -Christopher, commonly known as St. Kitts, and Nevis is close to it. -Both these colonies are prospering fairly. Sugar is exported, now I -am told in increasing, though still not in great quantities, and the -appearance of the cultivation is good. Looking up the side of the -hills one sees the sugar-canes apparently in cleanly order, and they -have an air of substantial comfort. Of course the times are not so -bright as in the fine old days previous to emancipation; but -nevertheless matters have been on the mend, and people are again -beginning to get along. On the journey from Nevis to Antigua, -Montserrat is sighted, and a singular island-rock called the Redonda -is seen very plainly. Montserrat, I am told, is not prospering so -well as St. Kitts or Nevis.</p> - -<p>These islands are not so beautiful, not so greenly beautiful, as are -those further south to which we shall soon come. The mountains of -Nevis are certainly fine as they are seen from the sea, but they are -not, or do not seem to be covered with that delicious tropical growth -which is so lovely in Jamaica and Trinidad, and, indeed, in many of -the smaller islands.</p> - -<p>Antigua is the next, going southward. This was, and perhaps is, an -island of some importance. It is said to have been the first of the -West Indian colonies which itself advocated the abolition of slavery, -and to have been the only one which adopted complete emancipation at -once, without any intermediate system of apprenticeship. Antigua has -its own bishop, whose diocese includes also such of the Virgin -Islands as belong to us, and the adjacent islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, -and Montserrat.</p> - -<p>Neither is Antigua remarkable for its beauty. It is approached, -however, by an excellent and picturesque harbour, called English -Harbour, which in former days was much used by the British navy; -indeed, I believe it was at one time the head-quarters of a naval -station. Premising, in the first place, that I know very little about -harbours, I would say that nothing could be more secure than that. -Whether or no it may be easy for sailing vessels to get in and out -with certain winds, that, indeed, may be doubtful.</p> - -<p>St. John's, the capital of Antigua, is twelve miles from English -Harbour. I was in the island only three or four hours, and did not -visit it. I am told that it is a good town—or city, I should rather -say, now that it has its own bishop.</p> - -<p>In all these islands they have Queen, Lords, and Commons in one shape -or another. It may, however, be hoped, and I believe trusted, that, -for the benefit of the communities, matters chiefly rest in the hands -of the first of the three powers. The other members of the -legislature, if they have in them anything of wisdom to say, have -doubtless an opportunity of saying it—perhaps also an opportunity -when they have nothing of wisdom. Let us trust, however, that such -opportunities are limited.</p> - -<p>After leaving Antigua we come to the French island of Guadaloupe, and -then passing Dominica, of which I will say a word just now, to -Martinique, which is also French. And here we are among the rich -green wild beauties of these thrice beautiful Caribbean islands. The -mountain grouping of both these islands is very fine, and the hills -are covered up to their summits with growth of the greenest. At both -these islands one is struck with the great superiority of the French -West Indian towns to those which belong to us. That in Guadaloupe is -called Basseterre, and the capital of Martinique is St. Pierre. These -towns offer remarkable contrasts to Roseau and Port Castries, the -chief towns in the adjacent English islands of Dominica and St. -Lucia. At the French ports one is landed at excellently contrived -little piers, with proper apparatus for lighting, and well-kept -steps. The quays are shaded by trees, the streets are neat and in -good order, and the shops show that ordinary trade is thriving. There -are water conduits with clear streams through the towns, and every -thing is ship-shape. I must tell a very different tale when I come to -speak of Dominica and St. Lucia.</p> - -<p>The reason for this is, I think, well given in a useful guide to the -West Indies, published some years since, under the direction of the -Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. Speaking of St. Pierre, in -Martinique, the author says: "The streets are neat, regular, and -cleanly. The houses are high, and have more the air of European -houses than those of the English colonies. Some of the streets have -an avenue of trees, which overshadow the footpath, and on either side -are deep gutters, down which the water flows. There are five -booksellers houses, and the fashions are well displayed in other -shops. The French colonists, whether -<span class="nowrap">Creoles<a href="#f2">*</a></span> or French, consider the -West Indies as their country. They cast no wistful looks towards -France. They marry, educate, and build in and for the West Indies, -and for the West Indies alone. In our colonies it is different. They -are considered more as temporary lodging-places, to be deserted as -soon as the occupiers have made money enough by molasses and sugar to -return <i>home</i>."</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f2"></a>[*It should be understood that a Creole is a person born in the West -Indies, of a race not indigenous to the islands. There may be white -Creoles, coloured Creoles, or black Creoles. People talk of Creole -horses and Creole poultry; those namely which have not been -themselves imported, but which have been bred from imported stock. -The meaning of the word Creole is, I think, sometimes misunderstood.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>All this is quite true. There is something very cheering to an -English heart in that sound, and reference to the word home—in that -great disinclination to the idea of life-long banishment. But -nevertheless, the effect as shown in these islands is not -satisfactory to the <i>amour propre</i> of an Englishman. And it is not -only in the outward appearance of things that the French islands -excel those belonging to England which I have specially named. -Dominica and St. Lucia export annually about 6,000 hogsheads of sugar -each. Martinique exports about 60,000 hogsheads. Martinique is -certainly rather larger than either of the other two, but size has -little or nothing to do with it. It is anything rather than want of -fitting soil which makes the produce of sugar so inconsiderable in -Dominica and St. Lucia.</p> - -<p>These French islands were first discovered by the Spaniards; but -since that time they, as well as the two English islands above named, -have passed backwards and forwards between the English and French, -till it was settled in 1814 that Martinique and Guadaloupe should -belong to France, and Dominica and St. Lucia, with some others, to -England. It certainly seems that France knew how to take care of -herself in the arrangement.</p> - -<p>There is another little island belonging to France, at the back of -Guadaloupe to the westward, called Marie-Galante; but I believe it is -but of little value.</p> - -<p>To my mind, Dominica, as seen from the sea, is by far the most -picturesque of all these islands. Indeed, it would be difficult to -beat it either in colour or grouping. It fills one with an ardent -desire to be off and rambling among those green mountains—as if one -could ramble through such wild, bush country, or ramble at all with -the thermometer at 85. But when one has only to think of such things -without any idea of doing them, neither the bushes nor the -thermometer are considered.</p> - -<p>One is landed at Dominica on a beach. If the water be quiet, one gets -out dryshod by means of a strong jump; if the surf be high, one wades -through it; if it be very high, one is of course upset. The same -things happen at Jacmel, in Hayti; but then Englishmen look on the -Haytians as an uncivilized, barbarous race. Seeing that Dominica lies -just between Martinique and Guadaloupe, the difference between the -English beach and surf and the French piers is the more remarkable.</p> - -<p>And then, the perils of the surf being passed, one walks into the -town of Roseau. It is impossible to conceive a more distressing -sight. Every house is in a state of decadence. There are no shops -that can properly be so called; the people wander about chattering, -idle and listless; the streets are covered with thick, rank grass; -there is no sign either of money made or of money making. Everything -seems to speak of desolation, apathy, and ruin. There is nothing, -even in Jamaica, so sad to look at as the town of Roseau.</p> - -<p>The greater part of the population are French in manner, religion, -and language, and one would be so glad to attribute to that fact this -wretched look of apathetic poverty—if it were only possible. But we -cannot do that after visiting Martinique and Guadaloupe. It might be -said that a French people will not thrive under British rule. But if -so, what of Trinidad? This look of misery has been attributed to a -great fire which occurred some eighty years since; but when due -industry has been at work great fires have usually produced improved -towns. Now eighty years have afforded ample time for such improvement -if it were forthcoming. Alas! it would seem that it is not -forthcoming.</p> - -<p>It must, however, be stated in fairness that Dominica produces more -coffee than sugar, and that the coffee estates have latterly been the -most thriving. Singularly enough, her best customer has been the -neighbouring French island of Martinique, in which some disease has -latterly attacked the coffee plants.</p> - -<p>We then reach St. Lucia, which is also very lovely as seen from the -sea. This, too, is an island French in its language, manners, and -religion; perhaps more entirely so than any other of the islands -belonging to ourselves. The laws even are still French, and the -people are, I believe, blessed (?) with no Lords and Commons. If I -understand the matter rightly, St. Lucia is held as a colony or -possession conquered from the French, and is governed, therefore, by -a quasi-military governor, with the aid of a council. It is, however, -in some measure dependent on the Governor of Barbados, who is again -one of your supreme governors. There has, I believe, been some recent -change which I do not pretend to understand. If these changes be not -completed, and if it would not be presumptuous in me to offer a word -of advice, I would say that in the present state of the island, with -a Negro-Gallic population who do little or nothing, it might be as -well to have as much as possible of the Queen, and as little as -possible of the Lords and Commons.</p> - -<p>To the outward physical eye, St. Lucia is not so triste as Dominica. -There is good landing there, and the little town of Castries, though -anything but prosperous in itself, is prosperous in appearance as -compared with Roseau.</p> - -<p>St. Lucia is peculiarly celebrated for its snakes. One cannot walk -ten yards off the road—so one is told—without being bitten. And if -one be bitten, death is certain—except by the interposition of a -single individual of the island, who will cure the sufferer—for a -consideration. Such, at least, is the report made on this matter. The -first question one should ask on going there is as to the whereabouts -and usual terms of that worthy and useful practitioner. There is, I -believe, a great deal that is remarkable to attract the visitor among -the mountains and valleys of St. Lucia.</p> - -<p>And then in the usual course, running down the island, one goes to -that British advanced post, Barbados—Barbados, that lies out to -windward, guarding the other islands as it were! Barbados, that is -and ever was entirely British! Barbados, that makes money, and is in -all respects so respectable a little island! King George need not -have feared at all; nor yet need Queen Victoria. If anything goes -wrong in England—Napoleon coming there, not to kiss Her Majesty this -time, but to make himself less agreeable—let Her Majesty come to -Barbados, and she will be safe! I have said that Jamaica never -boasts, and have on that account complained of her. Let such -complaint be far from me when I speak of Barbados. But shall I not -write a distinct chapter as to this most respectable little -island—an island that pays its way?</p> - -<p>St. Vincent is the next in our course, and this, too, is green and -pretty, and tempting to look at. Here also the French have been in -possession but comparatively for a short time. In settling this -island, the chief difficulty the English had was with the old native -Indians, who more than once endeavoured to turn out their British -masters. The contest ended in their being effectually turned out by -those British masters, who expelled them all bodily to the island of -Ruatan, in the Bay of Honduras; where their descendants are now -giving the Anglo-American diplomatists so much trouble in deciding -whose subjects they truly are. May we not say that, having got rid of -them out of St. Vincent, we can afford to get rid of them altogether?</p> - -<p>Kingston is the capital here. It looks much better than either Roseau -or Castries, though by no means equal to Basseterre or St. Pierre.</p> - -<p>This island is said to be healthy, having in this respect a much -better reputation than its neighbour St. Lucia, and as far as I could -learn it is progressing—progressing slowly, but progressing—in -spite even of the burden of Queens, Lords, and Commons. The Lords and -Commons are no doubt considerably modified by official influence.</p> - -<p>And then the traveller runs down the Grenadines, a petty cluster of -islands lying between St. Vincent and Grenada, of which Becquia and -Cariacou are the chief. They have no direct connection with the mail -steamers, but are, I believe, under the Governor of Barbados. They -are very pretty, though not, as a rule, very productive. Of one of -them I was told that the population were all females. What a Paradise -of Houris, if it were but possible to find a good Mahommedan in these -degenerate days!</p> - -<p>Grenada will be the last upon the list; for I did not visit or even -see Tobago, and of Trinidad I have ventured to write a separate -chapter, in spite of the shortness of my visit. Grenada is also very -lovely, and is, I think, the head-quarters of the world for fruit. -The finest mangoes I ever ate I found there; and I think the finest -oranges and pine apples.</p> - -<p>The town of St. Georges, the capital, must at one time have been a -place of considerable importance, and even now it has a very -different appearance from those that I have just mentioned. It is -more like a goodly English town than any other that I saw in any of -the smaller British islands. It is well built, though built up and -down steep hills, and contains large and comfortable houses. The -market-place also looks like a market-place, and there are shops in -it, in which trade is apparently carried on and money made.</p> - -<p>Indeed, Grenada was once a prince among these smaller islands, having -other islands under it, with a Governor supreme, instead of -tributary. It was fertile also, and productive—in every way of -importance.</p> - -<p>But now here, as in so many other spots among the West Indies, we are -driven to exclaim, Ichabod! The glory of our Grenada has departed, as -has the glory of its great namesake in the old world. The houses, -though so goodly, are but as so many Alhambras, whose tenants now are -by no means great in the world's esteem.</p> - -<p>All the hotels in the West Indies are, as I have said, or shall say -in some other place, kept by ladies of colour; in the most part by -ladies who are no longer very young. They are generally called -familiarly by their double name. Betsy Austen, for instance; and -Caroline Lee. I went to the house of some such lady in St. Georges, -and she told me a woful tale of her miseries. She was Kitty -something, I think—soon, apparently, to become Kitty of another -world. "An hotel," she said. "No; she kept no hotel now-a-days—what -use was there for an hotel in St. Georges? She kept a lodging-house; -though, for the matter of that, no lodgers ever came nigh her. That -little granddaughter of hers sometimes sold a bottle of ginger beer; -that was all." It must be hard for living eyes to see one's trade die -off in that way.</p> - -<p>There is a feminine accomplishment so much in vogue among the ladies -of the West Indies, one practised there with a success so specially -brilliant, as to make it deserving of special notice. This art is one -not wholly confined to ladies, although, as in the case with music, -dancing, and cookery, it is to be looked for chiefly among the female -sex. Men, indeed, do practise it in England, the West Indies, and -elsewhere; and as Thalberg and Soyer are greatest among pianists and -cooks, so perhaps are the greatest adepts in this art to be found -among the male practitioners;—elsewhere, that is, than in the West -Indies. There are to be found ladies never equalled in this art by -any effort of manhood. I speak of the science of flirting.</p> - -<p>And be it understood that here among these happy islands no idea of -impropriety—perhaps remembering some of our starched people at home, -I should say criminality—is attached to the pursuit. Young ladies -flirt, as they dance and play, or eat and drink, quite as a matter of -course. There is no undutiful, unfilial idea of waiting till mamma's -back be turned; no uncomfortable fear of papa; no longing for -secluded corners, so that the world should not see. The doing of -anything that one is ashamed of is bad. But as regards flirting, -there is no such doing in the West Indies. Girls flirt not only with -the utmost skill, but with the utmost innocence also. Fanny Grey, -with her twelve admirers, required no retired corners, no place apart -from father, mother, brothers, or sisters. She would perform with all -the world around her as some other girl would sing, conscious that in -singing she would neither disgrace herself nor her masters.</p> - -<p>It may be said that the practice of this accomplishment will often -interfere with the course of true love. Perhaps so, but I doubt -whether it does not as often assist it. It seemed to me that young -ladies do not hang on hand in the West Indies. Marriages are made up -there with apparently great satisfaction on both sides; and then the -flirting is laid aside—put by, at any rate, till the days of -widowhood, should such evil days come. The flirting is as innocent as -it is open, and is confined to ladies without husbands.</p> - -<p>It is confined to ladies without husbands, but the victims are not -bachelors alone. No position, or age, or state of health secures a -man from being drawn, now into one and now into another Circean -circle, in which he is whirled about, sometimes in a most ridiculous -manner, jostled amongst a dozen neighbours, left without power to get -out or to plunge further in, pulled back by a skirt at any attempt to -escape, repulsed in the front at every struggle made to fight his way -through.</p> - -<p>Rolling about in these Charybdis pools are, perhaps, oftenest to be -seen certain wearers of red coats; wretches girt with tight sashes, -and with gilding on their legs and backs. To and fro they go, bumping -against each other without serious injury, but apparently in great -discomfort. And then there are black-coated strugglers, with white -neck-ties, very valiant in their first efforts, but often to be seen -in deep grief, with heads thoroughly submersed. And you may see -gray-haired sufferers with short necks, making little useless puffs, -puffs which would be so impotent were not Circe merciful to those -short-necked gray-haired sufferers.</p> - -<p>If there were, as perhaps there should be, a college in the West -Indies, with fellowships and professorships,—established with the -view of rewarding proficiency in this science—Fanny Grey should -certainly be elected warden, or principal, or provost of that -college. Her wondrous skill deserves more than mere praise, more than -such slight glory as my ephemeral pages can give her. Pretty, -laughing, brilliant, clever Fanny Grey! Whose cheeks ever were so -pink, whose teeth so white, whose eyes so bright, whose curling locks -so raven black! And then who ever smiled as she smiled? or frowned as -she can frown? Sharply go those brows together, and down beneath the -gurgling pool sinks the head of the red-coated wretch, while with -momentary joy up pops the head of another, who is received with a -momentary smile.</p> - -<p>Yes; oh my reader! it is too true, I also have been in that pool, -making, indeed, no wilful struggles, attempting no Leander feat of -swimming, sucked in as my steps unconsciously strayed too near the -dangerous margin; sucked in and then buffeted about, not altogether -unmercifully when my inaptitude for such struggling was discovered. -Yes; I have found myself choking in those Charybdis waters, have -glanced into the Circe cave. I have been seen in my insane struggles. -But what shame of that? All around me, from the old patriarch dean of -the island to the last subaltern fresh from Chatham, were there as -well as I.</p> - - -<p><a id="c12"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XII.</h3> -<h4>BRITISH GUIANA.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>When I settle out of England, and take to the colonies for good and -all, British Guiana shall be the land of my adoption. If I call it -Demerara perhaps I shall be better understood. At home there are -prejudices against it I know. They say that it is a low, swampy, -muddy strip of alluvial soil, infested with rattlesnakes, -gallinippers, and musquitoes as big as turkey-cocks; that yellow -fever rages there perennially; that the heat is unendurable; that -society there is as stagnant as its waters; that men always die as -soon as they reach it; and when they live are such wretched creatures -that life is a misfortune. Calumny reports it to have been ruined by -the abolition of slavery; milk of human kindness would forbid the -further exportation of Europeans to this white man's grave; and -philanthropy, for the good of mankind, would wish to have it drowned -beneath its own rivers. There never was a land so ill spoken of—and -never one that deserved it so little. All the above calumnies I -contradict; and as I lived there for a fortnight—would it could have -been a month!—I expect to be believed.</p> - -<p>If there were but a snug secretaryship vacant there—and these things -in Demerara are very snug—how I would invoke the goddess of -patronage; how I would nibble round the officials of the Colonial -Office; how I would stir up my friends' friends to write little notes -to their friends! For Demerara is the Elysium of the tropics—the -West Indian happy valley of Rasselas—the one true and actual Utopia -of the Caribbean Seas—the Transatlantic Eden.</p> - -<p>The men in Demerara are never angry, and the women are never cross. -Life flows along on a perpetual stream of love, smiles, champagne, -and small-talk. Everybody has enough of everything. The only persons -who do not thrive are the doctors; and for them, as the country -affords them so little to do, the local government no doubt provides -liberal pensions.</p> - -<p>The form of government is a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. The -Governor is the father of his people, and the Governor's wife the -mother. The colony forms itself into a large family, which gathers -itself together peaceably under parental wings. They have no noisy -sessions of Parliament as in Jamaica, no money squabbles as in -Barbados. A clean bill of health, a surplus in the colonial treasury, -a rich soil, a thriving trade, and a happy people—these are the -blessings which attend the fortunate man who has cast his lot on this -prosperous shore. Such is Demerara as it is made to appear to a -stranger.</p> - -<p>That custom which prevails there, of sending to all new comers a -deputation with invitations to dinner for the period of his sojourn, -is an excellent institution. It saves a deal of trouble in letters of -introduction, economizes one's time, and puts one at once on the -most-favoured-nation footing. Some may fancy that they could do -better as to the bestowal of their evenings by individual diplomacy; -but the matter is so well arranged in Demerara that such people would -certainly find themselves in the wrong.</p> - -<p>If there be a deficiency in Georgetown—it is hardly necessary to -explain that Georgetown is the capital of the province of Demerara, -and that Demerara is the centre province in the colony of British -Guiana; or that there are three provinces, Berbice, Demerara, and -Essequibo, so called from the names of the three great rivers of the -country—But if there be a deficiency in Georgetown, it is in respect -to cabs. The town is extensive, as will by-and-by be explained; and -though I would not so far militate against the feelings of the people -as to say that the weather is ever hot—I should be ungrateful as -well as incredulous were I to do so—nevertheless, about noonday -one's inclination for walking becomes subdued. Cabs would certainly -be an addition to the luxuries of the place. But even these are not -so essential as might at the first sight appear, for an invitation to -dinner always includes an offer of the host's carriage. Without a -carriage no one dreams of dragging on existence in British Guiana. In -England one would as soon think of living in a house without a -fireplace, or sleeping in a bed without a blanket.</p> - -<p>For those who wander abroad in quest of mountain scenery it must be -admitted that this colony has not much attraction. The country -certainly is flat. By this I mean to intimate, that go where you -will, travel thereabouts as far as you may, the eye meets no rising -ground. Everything stands on the same level. But then, what is the -use of mountains? You can grow no sugar on them, even with ever so -many Coolies. They are big, brown, valueless things, cumbering the -face of the creation; very well for autumn idlers when they get to -Switzerland, but utterly useless in a colony which has to count its -prosperity by the number of its hogsheads. Jamaica has mountains, and -look at Jamaica!</p> - -<p>Yes; Demerara is flat; and Berbice is flat; and so is Essequibo. The -whole of this land is formed by the mud which has been brought down -by these great rivers and by others. The Corentyne is the most -easterly, separating our colony from Dutch Guiana, or Surinam. Then -comes the Berbice. The next, counting only the larger rivers, is the -Demerara. Then, more to the west, the Essequibo, and running into -that the Mazarony and the Cuyuni; and then, north-west along the -coast, the Pomeroon; and lastly of our own rivers, the Guiana, though -I doubt whether for absolute purposes of colonization we have ever -gone so far as this. And beyond that are rolled in slow but turbid -volume the huge waters of the Orinoco. On its shores we make no -claim. Though the delta of the Orinoco is still called Guiana, it -belongs to the republic of Venezuela.</p> - -<p>These are our boundaries along the South American shore, which -hereabouts, as all men know, looks northward, with an easterly slant -towards the Atlantic. Between us and our Dutch friends on the right -hand the limits are clear enough. On the left hand, matters are not -quite so clear with the Venezuelians. But to the rear! To the rear -there is an eternity of sugar capability in mud running back to -unknown mountains, the wildernesses of Brazil, the river Negro, and -the tributaries of the Amazon—an eternity of sugar capability, to -which England's colony can lay claim if only she could manage so much -as the surveying of it. "Sugar!" said an enterprising Demerara -planter to me. "Are you talking of sugar? Give me my heart's desire -in Coolies, and I will make you a million of hogsheads of sugar -without stirring from the colony!" Now, the world's supply, some -twelve years ago, was about a million hogsheads. It has since -increased maybe by a tenth. What a land, then, is this of British -Guiana, flowing with milk and honey—with sugar and rum! A million -hogsheads can be made there, if we only had the Coolies. I state this -on the credit of my excellent enterprising friend. But then the -Coolies!</p> - -<p>Guiana is an enormous extent of flat mud, the alluvial deposit of -those mighty rivers which for so many years have been scraping -together earth in those wild unknown upland countries, and bringing -it down conveniently to the sea-board, so that the world might have -sugar to its tea. I really think my friend was right. There is no -limit to the fertility and extent of this region. The only limit is -in labour. The present culture only skirts the sea-board and the -riversides. You will hardly find an estate—I do not think that you -can find one—that has not a water frontage. This land formerly -belonged to the Dutch, and by them was divided out into portions -which on a map have about them a Euclidical appearance. Let A B C D -be a right-angled parallelogram, of which the sides A B and C D are -three times the length of the other sides A C and B D. 'Tis thus you -would describe a Demerara property, and the Q. E. D. would have -reference to the relative quantities of sugar, molasses, and rum -producible therefrom.</p> - -<p>But these strips of land, though they are thus marked out on the maps -with four exact lines, are presumed to run back to any extent that -the owner may choose to occupy. He starts from the water, and is -bounded on each side; but backwards! Backwards he may cultivate canes -up to the very Andes, if only he could get Coolies. Oh, ye -soft-hearted, philanthropic gentry of the Anti-Slavery Society, only -think of that; a million hogsheads of sugar—and you like cheap sugar -yourselves—if you will only be quiet, or talk on subjects that you -understand!</p> - -<p>The whole of this extent of mud, beyond the present very limited -sugar-growing limits, is covered by timber. One is apt to think of an -American forest as being as magnificent in its individual trees as it -is huge in its extent of surface. But I doubt much whether this is -generally the case. There are forest giants no doubt; but indigenous -primeval wood is, I take it, for the most part a disagreeable, -scrubby, bushy, sloppy, unequal, inconvenient sort of affair, to walk -through which a man should be either an alligator or a monkey, and to -make much way he should have a touch of both. There be no forest -glades there in which uncivilized Indian lovers walk at ease, with -their arms round each other's naked waists; no soft grass beneath the -well-trimmed trunk on which to lie and meditate poetical. But -musquitoes abound there; and grass flies, which locate themselves -beneath the toe-nails; and marabunters, a villanous species of wasp; -and gallinippers, the grandfathers of musquitoes; and from thence up -to the xagua and the boa constrictor all nature is against a cool -comfortable ramble in the woods.</p> - -<p>But I must say a word about Georgetown, and a word also about New -Amsterdam, before I describe the peculiarities of a sugar estate in -Guiana. A traveller's first thought is about his hotel; and I must -confess, much as I love Georgetown—and I do love Georgetown—that I -ought to have coupled the hotel with the cabs, and complained of a -joint deficiency. The Clarendon—the name at any rate is good—is a -poor affair; but poor as it is, it is the best.</p> - -<p>It is a ricket, ruined, tumble-down, wooden house, into which at -first one absolutely dreads to enter, lest the steps should fail and -let one through into unutterable abysses below. All the houses in -Georgetown are made of wood, and therefore require a good deal of -repair and paint. And all the houses seem to receive this care except -the hotel. Ah, Mrs. Lenny, Mrs. Lenny! before long you and your -guests will fall prostrate, and be found buried beneath a pile of -dust and a colony of cockroaches!</p> - -<p>And yet it goes against my heart to abuse the inn, for the people -were so very civil. I shall never forget that big black chambermaid; -how she used to curtsy to me when she came into my room in the -morning with a huge tub of water on her head! That such a weight -should be put on her poor black skull—a weight which I could not -lift—used to rend my heart with anguish. But that, so weighted, she -should think that manners demanded a curtsy! Poor, courteous, -overburdened maiden!</p> - -<p>"Don't, Sally; don't. Don't curtsy," I would cry. "Yes, massa," she -would reply, and curtsy again, oh, so painfully! The tub of water was -of such vast proportions! It was big enough—big enough for me to -wash in!</p> - -<p>This house, as I have said, was all in ruins, and among other ruined -things was my bedroom-door lock. The door could not be closed within, -except by the use of a bolt; and without the bolt would swing wide -open to the winds, exposing my arrangements to the public, and -disturbing the neighbourhood by its jarring. In spite of the -inconvenient difficulty of ingress I was forced to bolt it.</p> - -<p>At six every morning came Sally with the tub, knocking gently at the -door—knocking gently at the door with that ponderous tub upon her -skull! What could a man do when so appealed to but rush quickly from -beneath his musquito curtains to her rescue? So it was always with -me. But having loosed the bolt, time did not suffice to enable me to -take my position again beneath the curtain. A jump into bed I might -have managed—but then, the musquito curtain! So, under those -circumstances, finding myself at the door in my deshabille, I could -only open it, and then stand sheltered behind it, as behind a -bulwark, while Sally deposited her burden.</p> - -<p>But, no. She curtsied, first at the bed; and seeing that I was not -there, turned her head and tub slowly round the room, till she -perceived my whereabouts. Then gently, but firmly, drawing away the -door till I stood before her plainly discovered in my night-dress, -she curtsied again. She knew better than to enter a room without due -salutation to the guest—even with a tub of water on her head. Poor -Sally! Was I not dressed from my chin downwards, and was not that -enough for her? "Honi soit qui mal y pense."</p> - -<p>After that, how can I say ought against the hotel? And when I -complained loudly of the holes in the curtain, the musquitoes having -driven me to very madness, did not they set to work, Sunday as it -was, and make me a new curtain? Certainly without avail—for they so -hung it that the musquitoes entered worse than ever. But the -intention was no less good.</p> - -<p>And that waiter, David; was he not for good-nature the pink of -waiters? "David, this house will tumble down! I know it will—before -I leave it. The stairs shook terribly as I came up." "Oh no, massa," -and David laughed benignly. "It no tumble down last week, and -derefore it no tumble down next." It did last my time, and therefore -I will say no more.</p> - -<p>Georgetown to my eyes is a prepossessing city, flat as the country -round it is, and deficient as it is—as are all the West Indies—in -anything like architectural pretension. The streets are wide and -airy. The houses, all built of wood, stand separately, each a little -off the road; and though much has not been done in the way of their -gardens—for till the great coming influx of Coolies all labour is -engaged in making sugar—yet there is generally something green -attached to each of them. Down the centre of every street runs a wide -dyke. Of these dykes I must say something further when I come to -speak again of the sugar doings; for their importance in these -provinces cannot well be overrated.</p> - -<p>The houses themselves are generally without a hall. By that I mean -that you walk directly into some sitting-room. This, indeed, is -general through the West Indies; and now that I bethink me of the -fact, I may mention that a friend of mine in Jamaica has no door -whatsoever to his house. All ingress and egress is by the windows. My -bedroom had no door, only a window that opened. The sitting-rooms in -Georgetown open through to each other, so that the wind, let it come -which way it will, may blow through the whole house. For though it is -never absolutely hot in Guiana—as I have before -mentioned—nevertheless, a current of air is comfortable. One soon -learns to know the difference of windward and leeward when living in -British Guiana.</p> - -<p>The houses are generally of three stories; but the two upper only are -used by the family. Outer steps lead up from the little front garden, -generally into a verandah, and in this verandah a great portion of -their life is led. It is cooler than the inner rooms. Not that I mean -to say that any rooms in Demerara are ever hot. We all know the fine -burst with which Scott opens a certain canto in one of his -<span class="nowrap">poems:—</span></p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table style="margin: 0 auto; font-size: 90%;"><tr><td align="left"> -Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, -</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> -Who never to himself hath said, -</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> -<span class="ind2">This is my own, my native land?</span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="center"> -<span class="center">* * *</span><br /> -</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> -If such there breathe, go, mark him well. -</td></tr></table> -</div> - - -<p>At any rate, there breathes no such man in this pleasant colony. A -people so happily satisfied with their own position I never saw -elsewhere, except at Barbados. And how could they fail to be -satisfied, looking at their advantages? A million hogsheads of sugar -to be made when the Coolies come!</p> - -<p>They do not, the most of them, appeal to the land as being that of -their nativity, but they love it no less as that of their adoption. -"Look at me," says one; "I have been thirty years without leaving it, -and have never had a headache." I look and see a remarkably hale man, -of forty I should say, but he says fifty. "That's nothing," says -another, who certainly may be somewhat stricken in years: "I have -been here five-and-fifty years, and was never ill but once, when I -was foolish enough to go to England. Ugh! I shall never forget it. -Why, sir, there was frost in October!" "Yes," I said, "and snow in -May sometimes. It is not all sunshine with us, whatever it may be -with you."</p> - -<p>"Not that we have too much sunshine," interposed a lady. "You don't -think we have, do you?"</p> - -<p>"Not in the least. Who could ask more, madam, than to bask in such -sunshine as yours from year's end to year's end?"</p> - -<p>"And is commerce tolerably flourishing?" I asked of a gentleman in -trade.</p> - -<p>"Flourishing, sir! If you want to make money, here's your ground. -Why, sir, here, in this wretched little street, there has been more -money turned in the last ten years -than—than—<span class="nowrap">than—"</span> And he -rummaged among the half-crowns in his breeches-pocket for a simile, -as though not a few of the profits spoken of had found their way -thither.</p> - -<p>"Do you ever find it dull here?" I asked of a lady—perhaps not with -very good taste—for we Englishmen have sometimes an idea that there -is perhaps a little sameness about life in a small colony.</p> - -<p>"Dull! no. What should make us dull? We have a great deal more to -amuse us than most of you have at home." This perhaps might be true -of many of us. "We have dances, and dinner-parties, and private -theatricals. And then -<span class="nowrap">Mrs. ——!"</span> Now -<span class="nowrap">Mrs. ——</span> was the Governor's -wife, and all eulogiums on society in Georgetown always ended with a -eulogium upon her.</p> - -<p>I went over the hospital with the doctor there; for even in Demerara -they require a hospital for the negroes. "And what is the prevailing -disease of the colony?" I asked him. "Dropsy with the black men," he -answered; "and brandy with the white."</p> - -<p>"You don't think much of yellow fever?" I asked him.</p> - -<p>"No; very little. It comes once in six or seven years; and like -influenza or cholera at home, it requires its victims. What is that -to consumption, whose visits with you are constant, who daily demands -its hecatombs? We don't like yellow fever, certainly; but yellow -fever is not half so bad a fellow as the brandy bottle."</p> - -<p>Should this meet the eye of any reader in this colony who needs -medical advice, he may thus get it, of a very good quality, and -without fee. On the subject of brandy I say nothing myself, seeing -how wrong it is to kiss and tell.</p> - -<p>Excepting as regards yellow fever, I do not imagine that Demerara is -peculiarly unhealthy. And as regards yellow fever, I am inclined to -think that his Satanic majesty has in this instance been painted too -black. There are many at home—in England—who believe that yellow -fever rages every year in some of these colonies, and that half the -white population of the towns is swept off by it every August. As far -as I can learn it is hardly more fatal at one time of the year than -at another. It returns at intervals, but by no means regularly or -annually. Sometimes it will hang on for sixteen or eighteen months at -a time, and then it will disappear for five or six years. Those seem -to be most subject to it who have been out in the West Indies for a -year or so: after that, persons are not so liable to it. Sailors, and -men whose work keeps them about the sea-board and wharves, seem to be -in the greatest danger. White soldiers also, when quartered in -unhealthy places, have suffered greatly. They who are thoroughly -acclimatized are seldom attacked; and there seems to be an idea that -the white Creoles are nearly safe. I believe that there are instances -in which coloured people and even negroes have been attacked by -yellow fever. But such cases are very rare. Cholera is the negroes' -scourge.</p> - -<p>Nor do I think that this fever rages more furiously in Demerara than -among the islands. It has been very bad in its bad times at Kingston, -Jamaica, at Trinidad, at Barbados, among the shipping at St. Thomas, -and nowhere worse than at the Havana. The true secret of its fatality -I take to be this:—that the medical world has not yet settled what -is the proper mode of medical treatment. There are, I believe, still -two systems, each directly opposite to the other; but in the West -Indies they call them the French system and the English. In a few -years, no doubt, the matter will be better understood.</p> - -<p>From Georgetown, Demerara, to New Amsterdam, Berbice, men travel -either by steamer along the coast, or by a mail phaeton. The former -goes once a week to Berbice and back, and the latter three times. I -went by the mail phaeton and returned by the steamer. And here, -considering the prosperity of the colony, the well-being and comfort -of all men and women in it, the go-ahead principles of the place, and -the coming million hogsheads of sugar—the millennium of a West -Indian colony—considering all these great existing characteristics -of Guiana, I must say that I think the Governor ought to look to the -mail phaeton. It was a woful affair, crumbling to pieces along the -road in the saddest manner; very heart-rending to the poor fellow who -had to drive it, and body-rending to some of the five passengers who -were tossed to and fro as every fresh fragment deserted the parent -vehicle with a jerk. And then, when we had to send the axle to be -mended, that staying in the road for two hours and a half among the -musquitoes! Ohe! ohe! Ugh! ugh!</p> - -<p>It grieves me to mention this, seeing that rose colour was so clearly -the prevailing tint in all matters belonging to Guiana. And I would -have forgiven it had the phaeton simply broken down on the road. All -sublunar phaetons are subject to such accidents. Why else should they -have been named after him of the heavens who first suffered from such -mishaps? But this phaeton had broken down before it commenced its -journey. It started on a system of ropes, bandages, and patches which -were disgraceful to such a colony and such a Governor; and I should -intromit a clear duty, were I to allow it to escape the gibbet.</p> - -<p>But we did reach New Amsterdam not more than five hours after time. I -have but very little to say of the road, except this: that there is -ample scope for sugar and ample room for Coolies.</p> - -<p>Every now and then we came upon negro villages. All villages in this -country must be negro villages, one would say, except the few poor -remaining huts of the Indians, which are not encountered on the white -man's path. True; but by a negro village I mean a site which is now -the freehold possession of negroes, having been purchased by them -since the days of emancipation, with their own money, and for their -own purposes; so that they might be in all respects free; free to -live in idleness, or to do such work as an estated man may choose to -do for himself, his wife, his children, and his property.</p> - -<p>There are many such villages in Guiana, and I was told that when the -arrangements for the purchases were made the dollars were subscribed -by the negroes so quickly and in such quantities that they were taken -to the banks in wheelbarrows. At any rate, the result has been that -tracts of ground have been bought by these people and are now owned -by them in fee simple.</p> - -<p>It is grievous to me to find myself driven to differ on such points -as these from men with whose views I have up to this period generally -agreed. But I feel myself bound to say that the freeholding negroes -in Guiana do not appear to me to answer. In the first place it seems -that they have found great difficulty in dividing the land among -themselves. In all such combined actions some persons must be -selected as trustworthy; and those who have been so selected have not -been worthy of the trust. And then the combined action has ceased -with the purchase of the land, whereas, to have produced good it -should have gone much further. Combined draining would have been -essential; combined working has been all but necessary; combined -building should have been adopted. But the negroes, the purchase once -made, would combine no further. They could not understand that unless -they worked together at draining, each man's own spot of ground would -be a swamp. Each would work a little for himself; but none would work -for the community. A negro village therefore is not a picturesque -object.</p> - -<p>They are very easily known. The cottages, or houses—for some of them -have aspired to strong, stable, two-storied slated houses—stand in -extreme disorder, one here and another there, just as individual -caprice may have placed them. There seems to have been no attempt at -streets or lines of buildings, and certainly not at regularity in -building. Then there are no roads, and hardly a path to each -habitation. As the ground is not drained, in wet weather the whole -place is half drowned. Most of the inhabitants will probably have -made some sort of dyke for the immediate preservation of their own -dwellings; but as those dykes are not cut with any common purpose, -they become little more than overflowing ponds, among which the negro -children crawl and scrape in the mud; and are either drowned, or -escape drowning, as Providence may direct. The spaces between the -buildings are covered with no verdure; they are mere mud patches, and -are cracked in dry weather, wet, slippery, and filthy in the rainy -seasons.</p> - -<p>The plantation grounds of these people are outside the village, and -afford, I am told, cause for constant quarrelling. They do, however, -also afford means of support for the greater part of the year, so -that the negroes can live, some without work and some by working one -or two days in the week.</p> - -<p>It may perhaps be difficult to explain why a man should be expected -to work if he can live on his own property without working, and enjoy -such comforts as he desires. And it may be equally difficult to -explain why complaint should be made as to the wretchedness of any -men who do not themselves feel that their own state is wretched. But, -nevertheless, on seeing what there is here to be seen, it is -impossible to withstand the instinctive conviction that a village of -freeholding negroes is a failure; and that the community has not been -served by the process, either as regards themselves or as regards the -country.</p> - -<p>Late at night we did reach New Amsterdam, and crossed the broad -Berbice after dark in a little ferryboat which seemed to be -perilously near the water. At ten o'clock I found myself at the -hotel, and pronounce it to be, without hesitation, the best inn, not -only in that colony, but in any of these Western colonies belonging -to Great Britain. It is kept by a negro, one Mr. Paris Brittain, of -whom I was informed that he was once a slave. "O, si sic omnes!" But -as regards my experience, he is merely the exception which proves the -rule. I am glad, however, to say a good word for the energies and -ambition of one of the race, and shall be glad if I can obtain for -Mr. Paris Brittain an innkeeper's immortality.</p> - -<p>His deserts are so much the greater in that his scope for displaying -them is so very limited. No man can walk along the broad strand -street of New Amsterdam, and then up into its parallel street, so -back towards the starting-point, and down again to the sea, without -thinking of Knickerbocker and Rip van Winkle. The Dutchman who built -New Amsterdam and made it once a thriving town must be still -sleeping, as the New York Dutchman once slept, waiting the time when -an irruption from Paramaribo and Surinam shall again restore the -place to its old possessors.</p> - -<p>At present life certainly stagnates at New Amsterdam. Three persons -in the street constitute a crowd, and five collected for any purpose -would form a goodly club. But the place is clean and orderly, and the -houses are good and in good repair. They stand, as do the houses in -Georgetown, separately, each surrounded by its own garden or yard, -and are built with reference to the wished-for breeze from the -windows.</p> - -<p>The estates up the Berbice river, and the Canje creek which runs into -it, are, I believe, as productive as those on the coast, or on the -Demerara or Essequibo rivers, and are as well cultivated; but their -owners no longer ship their sugars from New Amsterdam. The bar across -the Berbice river is objectionable, and the trade of Georgetown has -absorbed the business of the colony. In olden times Berbice and -Demerara were blessed each with its own Governor, and the two towns -stood each on its own bottom as two capitals. But those halcyon -days—halcyon for Berbice—are gone; and Rip van Winkle, with all his -brethren, is asleep.</p> - -<p>I should have said, in speaking of my journey from Demerara to -Berbice, that the first fifteen miles were performed by railway. The -colony would have fair ground of complaint against me were I to omit -to notice that it has so far progressed in civilization as to own a -railway. As far as I could learn, the shares do not at present stand -at a high premium. From Berbice I returned in a coasting steamer. It -was a sleepy, dull, hot journey, without subject of deep interest. I -can only remember of it that they gave us an excellent luncheon on -board, and luncheons at such times are very valuable in breaking the -tedium of the day.</p> - -<p>And now a word as to the million hogsheads of sugar and as to the -necessary Coolies. Guiana has some reason to be proud, seeing that at -present it beats all the neighbouring British colonies in the -quantity of sugar produced. I believe that it also beats them all as -to the quantity of rum, though Jamaica still stands first as to the -quality. In round numbers the sugar exported from Guiana may be -stated at seventy thousand hogsheads.</p> - -<p>Barbados exports about fifty thousand, Trinidad and Jamaica under -forty thousand. No other British West Indian colony gives fifteen -thousand; but Guadaloupe and Martinique, two French islands, produce, -one over fifty thousand and the other nearly seventy thousand -hogsheads. In order to make this measurement intelligible, I may -explain that a hogshead is generally said to contain a ton weight of -sugar, but that, when reaching the market, it very rarely does come -up to that weight. I do not give this information as statistically -correct, but as being sufficiently so to guide the ideas of a man -only ordinarily anxious to be acquainted in an ordinary manner with -what is going on in the West Indies. I would not, therefore, -recommend any Member of Parliament to quote the above figures in the -House.</p> - -<p>Some twelve years ago the whole produce of sugar in the West Indies, -including Guiana and excluding the Spanish islands, was 275,000 -hogsheads. The amount which I have above recapitulated, in which the -smaller islands have been altogether omitted, exceeds 310,000. It may -therefore be taken as a fact that, on the whole, the evil days have -come to their worst, and that the tables are turned. It must however -be admitted that the above figures tell more for French than for -English prosperity.</p> - -<p>In these countries sugar and labour are almost synonymous; at any -rate, they are convertible substances. In none of the colonies named, -except Barbados, is the amount of sugar produced limited by any other -law than the amount of labour to be obtained, and in none of them, -with that one exception, can any prosperity be hoped for, excepting -by means of immigrating labour. What I mean to state is this: that -the extent of native work which can be obtained by the planters and -land-owners at terms which would enable them to grow their produce -and bring it to the market does not in any of these colonies suffice -for success. It can be worth no man's while to lay out his capital in -Jamaica, in Trinidad, or in Guiana, unless he has reasonable hope -that labouring men will be brought into those countries. The great -West Indian question is now this: Is there reasonable ground for such -hope?</p> - -<p>The Anti-Slavery Society tells us that we ought to have no such -hope—that it is simply hoping for a return of slavery; that black or -coloured labourers brought from other lands to the West Indies cannot -be regarded as free men; that labourers so brought will surely be -ill-used; and that the native negro labourer requires protection. As -to that question of the return to slavery I have already said what -few words I have to offer. In one sense, no dependent man working for -wages can be free. He must abide by the terms of his contract. But in -the usually accepted sense of the word freedom, the Coolie or -Chinaman immigrating to the West Indies is free.</p> - -<p>As to the charge of ill usage, it appears to me that these men could -not be treated with more tenderness, unless they were put separately, -each under his own glass case, with a piece of velvet on which to -lie. In England we know of no such treatment for field labourers. On -their arrival in Demerara they are distributed among the planters by -the Governor, to each planter according to his application, his means -of providing for them, and his willingness and ability to pay the -cost of the immigration by yearly instalments. They are sent to no -estate till a government officer shall have reported that there are -houses for them to occupy. There must be a hospital for them on the -estate, and a regular doctor with a sufficient salary. The rate of -their wages is stipulated, and their hours of work. Though the -contract is for five years, they can leave the estate at the end of -the first three, transferring their services to any other master, and -at the end of the five years they are entitled to a free passage -home.</p> - -<p>If there be no hardship in all this to the immigrating Coolie, it -may, perhaps, be thought that there is hardship to the planter who -receives him. He is placed very much at the mercy of the Governor, -who, having the power of giving or refusing Coolies, becomes -despotic. And then, when this stranger from Hindostan has been taught -something of his work, he can himself select another master, so that -one planter may bribe away the labourers of another. This, however, -is checked to a certain degree by a regulation which requires the -bribing interloper to pay a portion of the expense of immigration.</p> - -<p>As to the native negro requiring protection—protection, that is, -against competitive labour—the idea is too absurd to require any -argument to refute it. As it at present is, the competition having -been established, and being now in existence to a certain small -extent, these happy negro gentlemen will not work on an average more -than three days a week, nor for above six hours a day. I saw a gang -of ten or twelve negro girls in a cane-piece, lying idle on the -ground, waiting to commence their week's labour. It was Tuesday -morning. On the Monday they had of course not come near the field. On -the morning of my visit they were lying with their hoes beside them, -meditating whether or no they would measure out their work. The -planter was with me, and they instantly attacked him. "No, massa; we -no workey; money no nuff," said one. "Four bits no pay! no pay at -all!" said another. "Five bits, massa, and we gin morrow 'arly." It -is hardly necessary to say that the gentleman refused to bargain with -them. "They'll measure their work to-morrow," said he; "on Thursday -they will begin, and on Friday they will finish for the week." "But -will they not look elsewhere for other work?" I asked. "Of course -they will," he said; "occupy a whole day in looking for it; but -others cannot pay better than I do, and the end will be as I tell -you." Poor young ladies! It will certainly be cruel to subject them -to the evil of competition in their labour.</p> - -<p>In Guiana the bull has been taken by the horns, as in Jamaica it -unfortunately has not; and the first main difficulties of immigration -have, I think, been overcome. For some years past, both from India -and from China, labourers have been brought in freely, and during the -last twelve months the number has been very considerable. The women -also are coming now as well as the men, and they have learned to -husband their means and put money together.</p> - -<p>Such an affair as this—the regular exodus, that is, of a people to -another land—has always progressed with great rapidity when it has -been once established. The difficulty is to make a beginning. It is -natural enough that men should hesitate to trust themselves to a -future of which they know nothing; and as natural that they should -hasten to do so when they have heard of the good things which -Providence has in store for them. It required that some few should -come out and prosper, and return with signs of prosperity. This has -now been done, and as regards Guiana it will not, I imagine, be long -before negro labour is, if not displaced, made, at any rate, of -secondary consequence in the colony. As far as the workmen are -concerned, the million hogsheads will, I think, become a possibility, -though not perhaps in the days of my energetic hopeful friend.</p> - -<p>Both the Coolies and the Chinamen have aptitude in putting money -together; and when a man has this aptitude he will work as long as -good wages are to be earned. "Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa, &c." -We teach our children this lesson, intending them to understand that -it is pretty nearly the worst of all "amors," and we go on with the -"irritamenta malorum" till we come to the "Spernere fortior." It is -all, however, of no use. "Naturam expellas furcâ;" but the result is -still the same. Nature knows what she is about. The love of money is -a good and useful love. What would the world now be without it? Or is -it even possible to conceive of a world progressing without such a -love? Show me ten men without it, and I will show you nine who lack -zeal for improvement. Money, like other loved objects—women, for -instance—should be sought for with honour, won with a clean -conscience, and used with a free hand. Provided it be so guided, the -love of money is no ignoble passion.</p> - -<p>The negroes, as a class, have not this aptitude, consequently they -lie in the sun and eat yams, and give no profitable assistance -towards that saccharine millennium. "Spernere fortior!" That big -black woman would so say, she who is not contented with four bits, if -her education had progressed so far. And as she said it, how she -would turn up her African nose, and what contempt she would express -with her broad eyes! Doubtless she does so express herself among her -negro friends in some nigger patois—"Pernere forshaw." If so, her -philosophy does but little to assist the world, or herself.</p> - -<p>There is another race of men, and of women too, who have been and now -are of the greatest benefit to this colony, and with them the -"Spernere fortior" is by no means a favourite doctrine. There are the -Portuguese who have come to Demerara from Madeira. I believe that -they are not to be found in any of the islands; but here, in Guiana, -they are in great numbers, and thrive wonderfully. At almost every -corner of two streets in Georgetown is to be seen a small shop; and -those shops are, I think without exception, kept by Portuguese. -Nevertheless they all reached the Demerara river in absolute poverty, -intending to live on the wages of field labour, and certainly -prepared to do their work like men. As a rule, they are a steady, -industrious class, and have proved themselves to be good citizens. In -the future amalgamation of races, which will take place here as -elsewhere in the tropics, the Portugee-Madeira element will not be -the least efficient.</p> - -<p>I saw the works on three or four sugar estates in Demerara, and -though I am neither a sugar grower nor a mechanic, I am able to say -that the machinery and material of this colony much exceed anything I -have seen in any of our own West Indian islands; and in the point of -machinery, equals what I saw in Cuba. Everything is done on a much -larger scale, and in a more proficient manner than at—Barbados, we -will say. I instance Barbados because the planters there play so -excellent a melody on their own trumpets. In that island not one -planter in five, not one I believe in fifteen, has any steam -appliance on his estate. They trust to the wind for their motive -power, as did their great-great-grandfather. But there is steam on -every estate in Guiana. The vacuum pan and the centrifugal machine -for extracting the molasses are known only by name in Barbados, -whereas they are common appliances in Demerara. There two hundred -hogsheads is a considerable produce for one planter. Here they make -eight hundred hogsheads, a thousand, and twelve hundred. A Barbados -man will reply to this that the thing to be looked to is the profit, -or what he will call the clearance. The sugar-consuming world, -however, will know nothing about this, will hear nothing of -individual profits. But it will recognize the fact that the Demerara -sugar is of a better quality than that which comes from Barbados, and -will believe that the merchant or planter who does not use the latest -appliances of science, whether it be in manufacture or agriculture, -will before long go to the wall. Looking over a sugar estate and -sugar works is an exciting amusement certainly, but nevertheless it -palls upon one at last. I got quite into the way of doing it; and -used to taste the sugars and examine the crystals; make comparisons -and pronounce, I must confess as regards Barbados, a good deal of -adverse criticism. But this was merely to elicit the true tone of -Barbadian eloquence, the long-drawn nasal fecundity of speech which -comes forth so fluently when their old windmills are attacked.</p> - -<p>But the amusement, as I have said, does pall upon one. In spite of -the difference of the machinery, the filtering-bags and centrifugals -in one, the Gadsden pans in another, and the simple oscillators in a -third—(the Barbados estate stands for the third)—one does get weary -of walking up to a sugar battery, and looking at the various heated -caldrons, watching till even the inexperienced eye perceives that the -dirty liquor has become brown sugar, as it runs down from a dipper -into a cooling vat.</p> - -<p>I wonder whether I could make the process in any simple way -intelligible; or whether in doing so I should afford gratification to -a single individual? Were I myself reading such a book of travels, I -should certainly skip such description. Reader, do thou do likewise. -Nevertheless, it shall not exceed three or four pages.</p> - -<p>The cane must first be cut. As regards a planted cane, that is the -first crop from the plant—(for there are such things as ratoons, of -which a word or two will be found elsewhere)—as regards the planted -cane, the cutting, I believe, takes place after about fourteen -months' growth. The next process is that of the mill; the juice, that -is, has to be squeezed out of it. The cane should not lie above two -days before it is squeezed. It is better to send it to the mill the -day after it is cut, or the hour after; in fact, as soon indeed as -may be. In Demerara they are brought to the mill by water always; in -Barbados, by carts and mules; in Jamaica, by waggons and oxen; so -also in Cuba. The mill consists of three rollers, which act upon each -other like cogwheels. The canes are passed between two, an outside -one, say, and a centre one; and the refuse stalk, or trash (so called -in Jamaica), or magass (so called in Barbados and Demerara), comes -out between the same centre one and the other outside roller. The -juice meanwhile is strained down to a cistern or receptacle below. -These rollers are quite close, so that it would seem to be impossible -that the cane should go through; but it does go through with great -ease, if the mill be good and powerful; but frequently with great -difficulty, if the mill be bad and not powerful; for which latter -alternative vide Barbados. The canes give from sixty to seventy per -cent. of juice. Sometimes less than sixty, not often over seventy.</p> - -<p>The juice, which is then of a dirty-yellow colour, and apparently -about the substance of milk, is brought from the mill through a pipe -into the first vat, in which it is tempered. This is done with lime, -and the object is to remedy the natural acidity of the juice. In this -first vat it is warmed, but not more than warmed. It then runs from -these vats into boilers, or at any rate into receptacles in which it -is boiled. These in Barbados are called taches. At each of these a -man stands with a long skimmer, skimmering the juice as it were, and -scraping off certain skum which comes to the top. There are from -three to seven of these taches, and below them, last of all, is the -boiler, the veritable receptacle in which the juice becomes sugar. In -the taches, especially the first of them, the liquor becomes dark -green in colour. As it gets nearer the boiler it is thicker and more -clouded, and begins to assume its well-known tawny hue.</p> - -<p>Over the last boiler stands the man who makes the sugar. It is for -him to know what heat to apply and how long to apply it. The liquor -now ceases to be juice and becomes sugar. This is evident to the eye -and nose, for though the stuff in the boiler is of course still -liquid, it looks like boiled melted sugar, and the savour is the -savour of sugar. When the time has come, and the boiling is boiled, a -machine suspended from on high, and called a dipper, is let down into -the caldron. It nearly fits the caldron, being, as it were, in itself -a smaller caldron going into the other. The sugar naturally runs over -the side of this and fills it, some little ingenuity being exercised -in the arrangement. The dipper, full of sugar, is then drawn up on -high. At the bottom of it is a valve, so that on the pulling of a -rope, the hot liquid runs out. This dipper is worked like a crane, -and is made to swing itself from over the boiler to a position in -which the sugar runs from it through a wooden trough to the flat open -vats in which it is cooled.</p> - -<p>But at this part of the manufacture there are various different -methods. According to that which is least advanced the sugar is -simply cooled in the vat, then put into buckets in a half-solid -state, and thrown out of the buckets into the hogsheads.</p> - -<p>According to the more advanced method it runs from the dipper down -through filtering bags, is then pumped into a huge vacuum pan, a -utensil like a kettle-drum turned topsy-turvy, a kettle-drum that is -large enough to hold six tons of sugar. Then it is reheated, and then -put into open round boxes called centrifugals, the sides of which are -made of metal pierced like gauze. These are whisked round and round -by steam-power at an enormous rate, and the molasses flies out -through the gauze, leaving the sugar dry and nearly white. It is then -fit to go into the hogshead, and fit also to be shipped away.</p> - -<p>But in the simpler process, the molasses drains from the sugar in the -hogshead. To facilitate this, as the sugar is put into the cask, -reeds are stuck through it, which communicate with holes at the -bottom, so that there may be channels through which the molasses may -run. The hogsheads stand upon beams lying a foot apart from each -other, and below is a dark abyss into which the molasses falls. I -never could divest myself of the idea that the negro children -occasionally fall through also, and are then smothered and so -distilled into rum.</p> - -<p>There are various other processes, intermediate between the -highly-civilized vacuum pan and the simple cooling, with which I will -not trouble my reader. Nor will I go into the further mystery of -rum-making. That the rum is made from the molasses every one knows; -and from the negro children, as I suspect.</p> - -<p>The process of sugar-making is very rapid if the appliances be good. -A planter in Demerara assured me that he had cut his canes in the -morning, and had the sugar in Georgetown in the afternoon. Fudge! -however, was the remark made by another planter to whom I repeated -this. Whether it was fudge or not I do not know; but it was clearly -possible that such should be the case. The manufacture is one which -does not require any delay.</p> - -<p>In Demerara an acre of canes will on an average give over a ton and a -half of sugar. But an acre of cane ground will not give a crop once -in twelve months. Two crops in three years may perhaps be the -average. So much for the manufacture of sugar. I hope my account may -not be criticised by those who are learned in the art, as it is only -intended for those who are utterly unlearned.</p> - -<p>But if looking over sugar-works be at last fatiguing, what shall I -say to that labour of "going aback," which Guiana planters exact from -their visitors. Going aback in Guiana means walking from the house -and manufactory back to the fields where the canes grow. I have -described the shape of a Demerara estate. The house generally stands -not far from the water frontage, so that the main growth of the sugar -is behind. This going aback generally takes place before breakfast. -But the breakfast is taken at eleven; and a Demerara sun is in all -its glory for three hours before that. Remember, also, that there are -no trees in these fields, no grass, no wild flowers, no meandering -paths. Everything is straight, and open, and ugly; and everything has -a tendency to sugar, and no other tendency whatever, unless it be to -rum. Sugar-canes is the only growth. So that a walk aback, except to -a very close inquirer, is not delightful. It must however be -confessed that the subsequent breakfast makes up for a deal of -misery. There is no such breakfast going as that of a Guiana planter. -Talk of Scotland! Pooh! But one has to think of that doctor's -dictum—"The prevalent disease, sir? Brandy!" It seems, however, to -me to show itself more generally in the shape of champagne.</p> - -<p>There is one other peculiar characteristic of landed property in this -colony which I must mention. All the carriage is by water, not only -from the works to the town, but from the fields to the works, and -even from field to field. The whole country is intersected by drains, -which are necessary to carry off the surface waters; there is no -natural fall of water, or next to none, and but for its drains and -sluices the land would be flooded in wet weather. Parallel to these -drains are canals; there being, as nearly as I could learn, one canal -between each two drains. These different dykes are to a stranger -similar in appearance, but their uses are always kept distinct.</p> - -<p>Nor do these canals run only between wide fields, or at a -considerable distance from each other. They pierce every portion of -land, so that the canes when cut have never to be carried above a few -yards. The expense of keeping them in order is very great, but the -labour of making them must have been immense. It was done by the -Dutch. One may almost question whether any other race would have had -the patience necessary for such a work.</p> - -<p>I was told on one estate that there were no less than sixty-three -miles of these cuttings to be kept in order. But the gentleman who -told me was he to whom the other gentleman alluded, when he used our -old friend, Mr. Burchell's exclamation. There can be no doubt but -that these Guiana planters know each other.</p> - -<p>On the whole, I must express my conviction that this is a fine -colony, and will become of very great importance.</p> - -<p>Our great Thunderer the other day spoke of the governance of a sugar -island as a duty below a man's notice; as being almost worthy of -contempt. We cannot all be gods and forge thunderbolts. But we all -wish to consume sugar; and if we can do in one of our colonies -without slaves what Cuba is doing with slaves, the work I think will -not be contemptible, nor the land contemptible in which it is done. I -do look to see our free Cuba in Guiana, and even have my hopes as to -that million of hogsheads.</p> - -<p>I have said, in speaking of Jamaica, that I thought the negro had -hardly yet shown himself capable of understanding the teaching of the -Christian religion. As regards Guiana, what I heard on this matter I -heard chiefly from clergymen of the Church of England; and though -they would of course not agree with me—for it is not natural that a -man should doubt the efficacy of his own teaching—nevertheless, what -I gathered from them strengthens my former opinions.</p> - -<p>I do think that the Guiana negro is in this respect somewhat superior -to his brother in Jamaica. He is more intelligent, and comes nearer -to our idea of a thoughtful being. But still even here it seems to me -that he never connects his religion with his life; never reflects -that his religion should bear upon his conduct.</p> - -<p>Here, as in the islands, the negroes much prefer to belong to a -Baptist congregation, or to a so-called Wesleyan body. That -excitement is there allowed to them which is denied in our Church. -They sing and halloa and scream, and have revivals. They talk of -their "dear brothers" and "dear sisters," and in their ecstatic -howlings get some fun for their money. I doubt also whether those -disagreeable questions as to conduct are put by the Baptists which -they usually have to undergo from our clergymen. "So-called -Wesleyans," I say, because the practice of their worship here is -widely removed from the sober gravity of the Wesleyan churches in -England.</p> - -<p>I have said that the form of government in Guiana was a mild -despotism, tempered by sugar. The Governor, it must be understood, -has not absolute authority. There is a combined house, with a power -of voting, by whom he is controlled—at any rate in financial -matters. But of those votes he commands many as Governor, and as long -as he will supply Coolies quick enough—and Coolies mean sugar—he -may command them all.</p> - -<p>"We are not particular to a shade," the planters wisely say to him, -"in what way we are governed. If you have any fads of your own about -this or about that, by all means indulge them. Even if you want a -little more money, in God's name take it. But the business of a man's -life is sugar: there's the land; the capital shall be forthcoming, -whether begged, borrowed, or stolen;—do you supply the labour. Give -us Coolies enough, and we will stick at nothing. We are an ambitious -colony. There looms before us a great future—a million hogsheads of -sugar!"</p> - -<p>The form of government here is somewhat singular. There are two -Houses—Lords and Commons—but not acting separately as ours do. The -upper House is the Court of Policy. This consists of five official -members, whose votes may therefore be presumed to be at the service -of the Governor, and of five elected members. The Governor himself, -sitting in this court, has the casting vote. But he also has -something to say to the election of the other five. They are chosen -by a body of men called Kiezers—probably Dutch for choosers. There -is a college of Kiezers, elected for life by the tax-payers, whose -main privilege appears to be that of electing these members of the -Court of Policy. But on every occasion they send up two names, and -the Governor selects one; so that he can always keep out any one man -who may be peculiarly disagreeable to him. This Court of Policy acts, -I think, when acting by itself, more as a privy council to the -Governor than as a legislative body.</p> - -<p>Then there are six Financial Representatives; two from Berbice, one -from town and one from country; two from Demerara, one from town and -one from country; and two from Essequibo, both from the country, -there being no town. These are elected by the tax-payers. They are -assembled for purposes of taxation only, as far as I understood; and -even as regards this they are joined with the Court of Policy, and -thus form what is called the Combined Court. The Crown, therefore, -has very little to tie its hands; and I think that I am justified in -describing the government as a mild despotism, tempered by sugar.</p> - -<p>So much for British Guiana. I cannot end this crude epitome of crude -views respecting the colony without saying that I never met a -pleasanter set of people than I found there, or ever passed my hours -much more joyously.</p> - - -<p><a id="c13"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XIII.</h3> -<h4>BARBADOS.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>Barbados is a very respectable little island, and it makes a great -deal of sugar. It is not picturesquely beautiful, as are almost all -the other Antilles, and therefore has but few attractions for -strangers.</p> - -<p>But this very absence of scenic beauty has saved it from the fate of -its neighbours. A country that is broken into landscapes, that boasts -of its mountains, woods, and waterfalls, that is regarded for its -wild loveliness, is seldom propitious to agriculture. A portion of -the surface in all such regions defies the improving farmer. But, -beyond this, such ground under the tropics offers every inducement to -the negro squatter. In Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada, the -negro, when emancipated, could squat and make himself happy; but in -Barbados there was not an inch for him.</p> - -<p>When emancipation came there was no squatting ground for the poor -Barbadian. He had still to work and make sugar—work quite as hard as -he had done while yet a slave. He had to do that or to starve. -Consequently, labour has been abundant in this island, and in this -island only; and in all the West Indian troubles it has kept its head -above water, and made sugar respectably—not, indeed, showing much -sugar genius, or going ahead in the way of improvements, but paying -twenty shillings in the pound, supporting itself, and earning its -bread decently by the sweat of its brow. The pity is that the -Barbadians themselves should think so much of their own achievements.</p> - -<p>The story runs, that when Europe was convulsed by revolutions and -wars—when continental sovereigns were flying hither and thither, and -there was so strong a rumour that Napoleon was going to eat us—the -great Napoleon I mean—that then, I say, the Barbadians sent word -over to poor King George the Third, bidding him fear nothing. If -England could not protect him, Barbados would. Let him come to them, -if things looked really blue on his side of the channel It was a -fine, spirited message, but perhaps a little self glorious. That, I -should say, is the character of the island in general.</p> - -<p>As to its appearance, it is, as I have said, totally different from -any of the other islands, and to an English eye much less attractive -in its character. But for the heat its appearance would not strike -with any surprise an Englishman accustomed to an ordinary but ugly -agricultural country. It has not the thick tropical foliage which is -so abundant in the other islands, nor the wild, grassy dells. Happily -for the Barbadians every inch of it will produce canes; and, to the -credit of the Barbadians, every inch of it does so. A Barbadian has a -right to be proud of this, but it does not make the island -interesting. It is the waste land of the world that makes it -picturesque. But there is not a rood of waste land in Barbados. It -certainly is not the country for a gipsy immigration. Indeed, I doubt -whether there is even room for a picnic.</p> - -<p>The island is something over twenty miles long, and something over -twelve broad. The roads are excellent, but so white that they sadly -hurt the eye of a stranger. The authorities have been very particular -about their milestones, and the inhabitants talk much about their -journeys. I found myself constantly being impressed with ideas of -distance, till I was impelled to suggest a rather extended system of -railroads—a proposition which was taken in very good part. I was -informed that the population was larger than that of China, but my -informant of course meant by the square foot. He could hardly have -counted by the square mile in Barbados.</p> - -<p>And thus I was irresistibly made to think of the frog that would blow -itself out and look as large as an ox.</p> - -<p>Bridgetown, the metropolis of the island, is much like a second or -third rate English town. It has none of the general peculiarities of -the West Indies, except the heat. The streets are narrow, irregular, -and crooked, so that at first a stranger is apt to miss his way. They -all, however, converge at Trafalgar Square, a spot which, in -Barbados, is presumed to compete with the open space at Charing Cross -bearing the same name. They have this resemblance, that each contains -a statue of Nelson. The Barbadian Trafalgar Square contains also a -tree, which is more than can be said for its namesake. It can make -also this boast, that no attempt has been made within it which has -failed so grievously as our picture gallery. In saying this, however, -I speak of the building only—by no means of the pictures.</p> - -<p>There are good shops in Bridgetown—good, respectable, well-to-do -shops, that sell everything, from a candle down to a coffin, -including wedding-rings, corals, and widows' caps. But they are hot, -fusty, crowded places, as are such places in third-rate English -towns. But then the question of heat here is of such vital moment! A -purchase of a pair of gloves in Barbados drives one at once into the -ice-house.</p> - -<p>And here it may be well to explain this very peculiar, delightful, -but too dangerous West Indian institution. By-the-by, I do not know -that there was any ice-house in Kingston, Jamaica. If there be one -there, my friends were peculiarly backward, for I certainly was not -made acquainted with it. But everywhere else—at Demerara, Trinidad, -Barbados, and St. Thomas—I was duly introduced to the ice-house.</p> - -<p>There is something cool and mild in the name, which makes one fancy -that ladies would delight to frequent it. But, alas! a West Indian -ice house is but a drinking-shop—a place where one goes to liquor, -as the Americans call it, without the knowledge of the feminine -creation. It is a drinking-shop, at which the draughts are all cool, -are all iced, but at which, alas! they are also all strong. The -brandy, I fear, is as essential as the ice. A man may, it is true, -drink iced soda-water without any concomitant, or he may simply have -a few drops of raspberry vinegar to flavour it. No doubt many an -easy-tempered wife so imagines. But if so, I fear that they are -deceived. Now the ice-house in Bridgetown seemed to me to be -peculiarly well attended. I look upon this as the effect of the white -streets and the fusty shops.</p> - -<p>Barbados claims, I believe—but then it claims everything—to have a -lower thermometer than any other West Indian island—to be, in fact, -cooler than any of her sisters. As far as the thermometer goes, it -may be possible; but as regards the human body, it is not the fact. -Let any man walk from his hotel to morning church and back, and then -judge.</p> - -<p>There is a mystery about hotels in the British West Indies. They are -always kept by fat, middle-aged coloured ladies, who have no -husbands. I never found an exception except at Berbice, where my -friend Paris Brittain keeps open doors in the city of the sleepers. -These ladies are generally called Miss So-and-So; Miss Jenny This, or -Miss Jessy That; but they invariably seemed to have a knowledge of -the world, especially of the male hotel-frequenting world, hardly -compatible with a retiring maiden state of life. I only mention this. -I cannot solve the riddle. "Davus sum, non Œdipus." But it did -strike me as singular that the profession should always be in the -hands of these ladies, and that they should never get husbands.</p> - -<p>As a rule, there is not much to be said against these hotels, though -they will not come up to the ideas of a traveller who has been used -to the inns of Switzerland. The table is always plentifully supplied, -and the viands generally good. Of that at Barbados I can make no -complaint, except this; that the people over the way kept a gray -parrot which never ceased screaming day or night. I was deep in my -Jamaica theory of races, and this wretched bird nearly drove me wild.</p> - -<p>"Can anything be done to stop it, James?"</p> - -<p>"No, massa."</p> - -<p>"Nothing? Wouldn't they hang a cloth over it for a shilling?"</p> - -<p>"No, massa; him only make him scream de more to speak to him."</p> - -<p>I took this as final, though whether the "him" was the man or the -parrot, I did not know. But such a bird I never heard before, and the -street was no more than twelve feet broad. He was, in fact, just -under my window. Thrice had I to put aside my theory of races. -Otherwise than on this score, Miss Caroline Lee's hotel at Barbados -is very fair. And as for hot pickles—she is the very queen of them.</p> - -<p>Whether or no my informant was right in saying that the population of -Barbados is more dense than that of China, I cannot say; but -undoubtedly it is very great; and hence, as the negroes cannot get -their living without working, has come the prosperity of the island. -The inhabitants are, I believe, very nearly 150,000 in number. This -is a greater population than that of the whole of Guiana. The -consequence is, that the cane-pieces are cultivated very closely, and -that all is done that manual labour can do.</p> - -<p>The negroes here differ much, I think, from those in the other -islands, not only in manner, but even in form and physiognomy. They -are of heavier build, broader in the face, and higher in the -forehead. They are also certainly less good-humoured, and more -inclined to insolence; so that if anything be gained in intelligence -it is lost in conduct. On the whole, I do think that the Barbados -negroes are more intelligent than others that I have met. It is -probable that this may come from more continual occupation.</p> - -<p>But if the black people differ from their brethren of the other -islands, so certainly do the white people. One soon learns to know -a—Bim. That is the name in which they themselves delight, and -therefore, though there is a sound of slang about it, I give it here. -One certainly soon learns to know a Bim. The most peculiar -distinction is in his voice. There is always a nasal twang about it, -but quite distinct from the nasality of a Yankee. The Yankee's word -rings sharp through his nose; not so that of the first-class Bim. -There is a soft drawl about it, and the sound is seldom completely -formed. The effect on the ear is the same as that on the hand when a -man gives you his to shake, and instead of shaking yours, holds his -own still. When a man does so to me I always wish to kick him.</p> - -<p>I had never any wish to kick the Barbadian, more especially as they -are all stout men; but I cannot but think that if he were well shaken -a more perfect ring would come out of him.</p> - -<p>The Bims, as I have said, are generally stout fellows. As a rule they -are larger and fairer than other West Indian Creoles, less delicate -in their limbs, and more clumsy in their gait. The male graces are -not much studied in Barbados. But it is not only by their form or -voice that you may know them—not only by the voice, but by the -words. No people ever praised themselves so constantly; no set of men -were ever so assured that they and their occupations are the main -pegs on which the world hangs. Their general law to men would be -this: "Thou shalt make sugar in the sweat of thy brow, and make it as -it is made in Barbados." Any deviation from that law would be a -deviation from the highest duty of man.</p> - -<p>Of many of his sister colonies a Barbadian can speak with temper. -When Jamaica is mentioned philanthropic compassion lights up his -face, and he tells you how much he feels for the poor wretches there -who call themselves planters. St. Lucia also he pities, and Grenada; -and of St. Vincent he has some hope. Their little efforts he says are -praiseworthy; only, alas! they are so little! He does not think much -of Antigua; and turns up his nose at Nevis and St. Kitts, which in a -small way are doing a fair stroke of business. The French islands he -does not love, but that is probably patriotism: as the French islands -are successful sugar growers such patriotism is natural. But do not -speak to him of Trinadad; that subject is very sore. And as for -<span class="nowrap">Guiana—!</span> -One knows what to expect if one holds a red rag up to a -bull. Praise Guiana sugar-making in Bridgetown, and you will be -holding up a red rag to a dozen bulls, no one of which will refuse -the challenge. And thus you may always know a Bim.</p> - -<p>When I have met four or five together, I have not dared to try this -experiment, for they are wrathy men, and have rough sides to their -tongues; but I have so encountered two at a time.</p> - -<p>"Yes," I have said; "the superiority of Barbados cannot be doubted. -We all grant that. But which colony is second in the race?"</p> - -<p>"It is impossible to say," said A. "They are none of them well -circumstanced."</p> - -<p>"None of them have got any labour," said B.</p> - -<p>"They can't make returns," said A.</p> - -<p>"Just look at their clearances," said B; "and then look at ours."</p> - -<p>"Jamaica sugar is paying now," I remarked.</p> - -<p>"Jamaica, sir, has been destroyed root and branch," said A, well -pleased; for they delight to talk of Jamaica. "And no one can lament -it more than I do," said B. "Jamaica is a fine island, only utterly -ruined."</p> - -<p>"Magnificent! such scenery!" I replied.</p> - -<p>"But it can't make sugar," said B.</p> - -<p>"What of Trinidad?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Trinidad, sir, is a fine wild island; and perhaps some day we may -get our coal there."</p> - -<p>"But Demerara makes a little sugar," I ventured to remark.</p> - -<p>"It makes deuced little money, I know," said A.</p> - -<p>"Every inch of it is mortgaged," said B.</p> - -<p>"But their steam-engines," said I.</p> - -<p>"Look at their clearances," said A.</p> - -<p>"They have none," said B.</p> - -<p>"At any rate, they have got beyond windmills," I remarked, with -considerable courage.</p> - -<p>"Because they have got no wind," said A.</p> - -<p>"A low bank of mud below the sea-level," said B.</p> - -<p>"But a fine country for sugar," said I.</p> - -<p>"They don't know what sugar is," said A.</p> - -<p>"Look at their vacuum pans," said I.</p> - -<p>"All my eye," said B.</p> - -<p>"And their filtering-bags," said I.</p> - -<p>"Filtering-bags be -<span class="nowrap">d——,"</span> said A.</p> - -<p>"Centrifugal machines," said I, now nearly exhausted.</p> - -<p>"We've tried them, and abandoned them long ago," said B, only now -coming well on to the fight.</p> - -<p>"Their sugar is nearly white," said I; "and yours is a dirty brown."</p> - -<p>"Their sugar don't pay," said A, "and ours does."</p> - -<p>"Look at the price of our land," said B.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and the extent of it," said I.</p> - -<p>"Our clearances, sir! The clearances, sir, are the thing," said A.</p> - -<p>"The year's income," said B.</p> - -<p>"A hogshead to the acre," said I; "and that only got from guano."</p> - -<p>This was my last shot at them. They both came at me open-mouthed -together, and I confess that I retired, vanquished, from the field.</p> - -<p>It is certainly the fact that they do make their sugar in a very -old-fashioned way in Barbados, using wind-mills instead of steam, and -that you see less here of the improved machinery for the manufacture -than in Demerara, or Cuba, or Trinidad, or even in Jamaica. The great -answer given to objections is that the old system pays best. It may -perhaps do so for the present moment, though I should doubt even -that. But I am certain that it cannot continue to do so. No trade, -and no agriculture can afford to dispense with the improvements of -science.</p> - -<p>I found some here who acknowledged that the mere produce of the cane -from the land had been pressed too far by means of guano. A great -crop is thus procured, but it appears that the soil is injured, and -that the sugar is injured also. The canes, moreover, will not ratoon -as they used to do, and as they still do in other parts of the West -Indies. The cane is planted, and when ripe is cut. If allowed, -another cane will grow from the same plant, and that is a ratoon; and -again a third will grow, giving a third crop from the same plant; and -in many soils a fourth; and in some few many more; and one hears of -canes ratooning for twenty years.</p> - -<p>If the same amount and quality of sugar be produced, of course the -system of ratooning must be by far the cheapest and most profitable. -In I believe most of our colonies the second crop is as good as the -first, and I understand that it used to be so in Barbados. But it is -not so now. The ratoon almost always looks poor, and the second -ratoons appear to be hardly worth cutting. I believe that this is so -much the case that many Barbados planters now look to get but one -crop only from each planting. This falling off in the real fertility -of the soil is I think owing to the use of artificial manure, such as -guano.</p> - -<p>There is a system all through these sugar-growing countries of -burning the magass, or trash; this is the stalk of the cane, or -remnant of the stalk after it comes through the mill. What would be -said of an English agriculturist who burnt his straw? It is I believe -one of the soundest laws of agriculture that the refuse of the crop -should return to the ground which gave it.</p> - -<p>To this it will be answered that the English agriculturist is not -called on by the necessity of his position to burn his straw. He has -not to boil his wheat, nor yet his beef and mutton; whereas the -Barbados farmer is obliged to boil his crop. At the present moment -the Barbados farmer is under this obligation; but he is not obliged -to do it with the refuse produce of his fields. He cannot perhaps use -coals immediately under his boilers, but he can heat them with steam -which comes pretty much to the same thing.</p> - -<p>All this applies not to Barbados only, but to Guiana, Jamaica, and -the other islands also. At all of them the magass or trash is burnt. -But at none of them is manure so much needed as at Barbados. They -cannot there take into cultivation new fresh virgin soil when they -wish it, as they can in Guiana.</p> - -<p>And then one is tempted to ask the question, whether every owner of -land is obliged to undertake all the complete duties which now are -joined together at a sugar estate? It certainly is the case, that no -single individual could successfully set himself against the system. -But I do not see why a collection of individuals should not do so.</p> - -<p>A farmer in England does not grow the wheat, then grind it, and then -make the bread. The growing is enough for him. Then comes the miller, -and the baker. But on a sugar estate, one and the same man grows the -cane, makes the sugar, and distils the rum; thus altogether opposing -the salutary principle of the division of labour. I cannot see why -the grower should not sell his canes to a sugar manufacturer. There -can, I believe, be no doubt of this, that sugar can be made better -and cheaper in large quantities than in small.</p> - -<p>But the clearance, sir; that is the question. How would this affect -the clearance? The sugar manufacturer would want his profit. Of -course he would, as do the miller and the baker.</p> - -<p>They complain greatly at Barbados, as they do indeed elsewhere, that -they are compelled to make bad sugar by the differential duty. The -duty on good sugar is so much higher than that on bad sugar, that the -bad or coarse sugar pays them best. This is the excuse they give for -not making a finer article, and I believe that the excuse is true.</p> - -<p>I made one or two excursions in the island, and was allowed the -privilege of attending an agricultural breakfast, at which there were -some twenty or thirty planters. It seems that a certain number of -gentlemen living in the same locality had formed themselves into a -society, with the object of inspecting each other's estates. A -committee of three was named in each case by the president; and this -committee, after surveying the estate in question, and looking at the -works and stock, drew up a paper, either laudatory or the reverse, -which paper was afterwards read to the society. These readings took -place after the breakfast, and the breakfast was held monthly. To the -planter probably the reading of the documents was the main object. It -may not be surprising that I gave the preference to the breakfast, -which of its kind was good.</p> - -<p>But this was not the only breakfast of the sort at which I was -allowed to be a guest. The society has always its one great monthly -breakfast; but the absolute inspection gives occasions for further -breakfasts. I was also at one of these, and assisted in inspecting -the estate. There were, however, too many Barbadians present to -permit of my producing my individual views respecting the Guiana -improvements.</p> - -<p>The report is made at the time of the inspection, but it is read in -public at the monthly meeting. The effect no doubt is good, and the -publicity of the approval or disapproval stimulates the planter. But -I was amused with the true Barbadian firmness with which the -gentlemen criticised declared that they would not the less take their -own way, and declined to follow the advice offered to them in the -report. I heard two such reports read, and in both cases this -occurred.</p> - -<p>All this took place at Hookleton cliff, which the Barbadians regard -as the finest point for scenery in the island. The breakfast I own -was good, and the discourse useful and argumentative. But as regards -the scenery, there is little to be said for it, considering that I -had seen Jamaica, and was going to see Trinidad.</p> - -<p>Even in Barbados, numerous as are the negroes, they certainly live an -easier life than that of an English labourer, earn their money with -more facility, and are more independent of their masters. A gentleman -having one hundred and fifty families living on his property would -not expect to obtain from them the labour of above ninety men at the -usual rate of pay, and that for not more than five days a week. They -live in great comfort, and in some things are beyond measure -extravagant.</p> - -<p>"Do you observe," said a lady to me, "that the women when they walk -never hold up their dresses?"</p> - -<p>"I certainly have," I answered. "Probably they are but ill shod, and -do not care to show their feet."</p> - -<p>"Not at all. Their feet have nothing to do with it. But they think it -economical to hold up their petticoats. It betokens a stingy, saving -disposition, and they prefer to show that they do not regard a few -yards of muslin more or less."</p> - -<p>This is perfectly true of them. As the shopman in Jamaica said to -me—In this part of the world we must never think of little -economies. The very negroes are ashamed to do so.</p> - -<p>Of the coloured people I saw nothing, except that the shops are -generally attended by them. They seemed not to be so numerous as they -are elsewhere, and are, I think, never met with in the society of -white people. In no instance did I meet one, and I am told that in -Barbados there is a very rigid adherence to this rule. Indeed, one -never seems to have the alternative of seeing them; whereas in -Jamaica one has not the alternative of avoiding them. As regards -myself, I would much rather have been thrown among them.</p> - -<p>I think that in all probability the white settlers in Barbados have -kept themselves more distinct from the negro race, and have not at -any time been themselves so burdened with coloured children as is the -case elsewhere. If this be so, they certainly deserve credit for -their prudence.</p> - -<p>Here also there is a King, Lords, and Commons, or a governor, a -council, and an assembly. The council consists of twelve, and are -either chosen by the Crown, or enjoy their seat by virtue of office -held by appointment from the Crown. The Governor in person sits in -the council. The assembly consists of twenty-two, who are annually -elected by the parishes. None but white men do vote at these -elections, though no doubt a black man could vote, if a black man -were allowed to obtain a freehold. Of course, therefore, none but -white men can be elected. How it is decided whether a man be white or -not, that I did not hear. The greater part of the legislative -business of the island is done by committees, who are chosen from -these bodies.</p> - -<p>Here, as elsewhere through the West Indies, one meets with unbounded -hospitality. A man who dines out on Monday will receive probably -three invitations for Tuesday, and six for Wednesday. And they -entertain very well. That haunch of mutton and turkey which are now -the bugbear of the English dinner-giver do not seem to trouble the -minds or haunt the tables of West Indian hosts.</p> - -<p>And after all, Barbados—little England as it delights to call -itself—is and should be respected among islands. It owes no man -anything, pays its own way, and never makes a poor mouth. Let us say -what we will, self-respect is a fine quality, and the Barbadians -certainly enjoy that. It is a very fine quality, and generally leads -to respect from others. They who have nothing to say for themselves -will seldom find others to say much for them. I therefore repeat what -I said at first. Barbados is a very respectable little island, and -considering the limited extent of its acreage, it does make a great -deal of sugar.</p> - - -<p><a id="c14"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XIV.</h3> -<h4>TRINIDAD.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>No scenery can be more picturesque than that afforded by the entrance -to Port of Spain, the chief town in the island of Trinidad. Trinidad, -as all men doubtless know, is the southernmost of the West Indian -islands, and lies across the delta of the Orinoco river. The western -portion of the island is so placed that it nearly reaches with two -horns two different parts of the mainland of Venezuela, one of the -South American republics. And thus a bay is formed closed in between -the island and the mainland, somewhat as is the Gulf of Mexico by the -island of Cuba; only that the proportions here are much less in size. -This enclosed sea is called the Gulf of Paria.</p> - -<p>The two chief towns, I believe I may say the two only towns in -Trinidad are situated in this bay. That which is the larger, and the -seat of government, is called the Port of Spain, and lies near to the -northern horn. San Fernando, the other, which is surrounded by the -finest sugar districts of the island, and which therefore devotes its -best energies to the export of that article, is on the other side of -the bay and near the other horn.</p> - -<p>The passages into the enclosed sea on either side are called the -Bocas, or mouths. Those nearest to the delta of the Orinoco are the -Serpent's mouths. The ordinary approach from England or the other -islands is by the more northern entrance. Here there are three -passages, of which the middle is the largest one, the Boca Grande. -That between the mainland and a small island is used by the steamers -in fine weather, and is by far the prettiest. Through this, the Boca -di Mona, or monkey's mouth, we approached Port of Spain. These -northern entrances are called the Dragon's mouths. What may be the -nautical difference between the mouth of a dragon and that of a -serpent I did not learn.</p> - -<p>On the mainland, that is the land of the main island, the coast is -precipitous, but clothed to the very top with the thickest and most -magnificent foliage. With an opera-glass one can distinctly see the -trees coming forth from the sides of the rocks as though no soil were -necessary for them, and not even a shelf of stone needed for their -support And these are not shrubs, but forest trees, with grand -spreading branches, huge trunks, and brilliant coloured foliage. The -small island on the other side is almost equally wooded, but is less -precipitous. Here, however, there are open glades, and grassy -enclosures, which tempt one to wish that it was one's lot to lie -there in the green shade and eat bananas and mangoes. This little -island in the good old days, regretted by not a few, when planters -were planters, and slaves were slaves, produced cotton up to its very -hill-tops. Now I believe it yields nothing but the grass for a few -cattle.</p> - -<p>Our steamer as she got well into the boca drew near to the shore of -the large island, and as we passed along we had a succession of -lovely scenes. Soft-green smiling nooks made themselves visible below -the rocks, the very spots for picnics. One could not but long to be -there with straw hats and crinoline, pigeon pies and champagne -baskets. There was one narrow shady valley, into which a creek of the -sea ran up, that must have been made for such purposes, either for -that, or for the less noisy joys of some Paul of Trinidad with his -Creole Virginia.</p> - -<p>As we steamed on a little further we came to a whaling establishment. -Ideas of whaling establishments naturally connect themselves with -icebergs and the North Pole. But it seems that there are races of -whales as there are of men, proper to the tropics as well as to the -poles; and some of the former here render up their oily tributes. -From the look of the place I should not say that the trade was -flourishing. The whaling huts are very picturesque, but do not say -much for the commercial enterprise of the proprietors.</p> - -<p>From them we went on through many smaller islands to Port of Spain. -This is a large town, excellently well laid out, with the streets -running all at right angles to each other, as is now so common in new -towns. The spaces have been prepared for a much larger population -than that now existing, so that it is at present straggling, -unfilled, and full of gaps. But the time will come, and that before -long, when it will be the best town in the British West Indies. There -is at present in Port of Spain a degree of commercial enterprise -quite unlike the sleepiness of Jamaica or the apathy of the smaller -islands.</p> - -<p>I have now before me at the present moment of writing a debate which -took place in the House of Commons the other day—it is only the -other day as I now write—on a motion made by Mr. Buxton for a -committee to inquire into the British West Indies; and though -somewhat afraid of being tedious on the subject of immigration to -these parts, I will say a few words as to this motion in as far as it -affects not only Trinidad, but all those colonies. Of all subjects -this is the one that is of real importance to the West Indies; and it -may be expected that the sugar colonies will or will not prosper, as -that subject is or is not understood by its rulers.</p> - -<p>I think I may assume that the intended purport of Mr. Buxton's motion -was to throw impediments in the way of the immigration of Coolies -into Jamaica; and that in making it he was acting as the -parliamentary mouthpiece of the Anti-Slavery Society. The legislature -of Jamaica has at length passed a law with the object of promoting -this immigration, as it has been promoted at the Mauritius and in a -lesser degree in British Guiana and Trinidad; but the Anti-Slavery -Society have wished to induce the Crown to use its authority and -abstain from sanctioning this law, urging that it will be injurious -to the interests of the negro labourers.</p> - -<p>The "peculiar institution" of slavery is, I imagine, quite as little -likely to find friends in England now as it was when the question of -its abolition was so hotly pressed some thirty years since. And God -forbid that I should use either the strength or the weakness of my -pen in saying a word in favour of a system so abhorrent to the -feelings of a Christian Englishman. But may we not say that that -giant has been killed? Is it not the case that the Anti-Slavery -Society has done its work?—has done its work at any rate as regards -the British West Indies? What should we have said of the -Anti-Corn-Law League, had it chosen to sit in permanence after the -repeal of the obnoxious tax, with the view of regulating the fixed -price of bread?</p> - -<p>Such is the attempt now being made by the Anti-Slavery Society with -reference to the West Indian negroes. If any men are free, these men -are so. They have been left without the slightest constraint or bond -over them. In the sense in which they are free, no English labourer -is free. In England a man cannot select whether he will work or -whether he will let it alone. He, the poor Englishman, has that -freedom which God seems to have intended as good for man; but work he -must. If he do not do so willingly, compulsion is in some sort -brought to bear upon him. He is not free to be idle; and I presume -that no English philanthropists will go so far as to wish to endow -him with that freedom.</p> - -<p>But that is the freedom which the negro has in Jamaica, which he -still has in many parts of Trinidad, and which the Anti-Slavery -Society is so anxious to secure for him. It—but no; I will give the -Society no monopoly of such honour. We, we Englishmen, have made our -negroes free. If by further efforts we can do anything towards making -other black men free—if we can assist in driving slavery from the -earth, in God's name let us still be doing. Here may be scope enough -for an Anti-Slavery Society. But I maintain that these men are going -beyond their mark—that they are minding other than their own -business, in attempting to interfere with the labour of the West -Indian colonies. Gentlemen in the West Indies see at once that the -Society is discussing matters which it has not studied, and that -interests of the utmost importance to them are being played with in -the dark.</p> - -<p>Mr. Buxton grounded his motion on these two pleas:—Firstly, That the -distress of the West Indian planters had been brought about by their -own apathy and indiscretion. And secondly, That that distress was in -course of relief, would quickly be relieved, without any further -special measures for its mitigation. I think that he was -substantially wrong in both these allegations.</p> - -<p>That there were apathetic and indiscreet planters—that there were -absentees whose property was not sufficient to entitle them to the -luxury of living away from it, may doubtless have been true. But the -tremendous distress which came upon these colonies fell on them in -too sure a manner, with too sudden a blow, to leave any doubt as to -its cause. Slavery was first abolished, and the protective duty on -slave-grown sugar was then withdrawn. The second measure brought down -almost to nothing the property of the most industrious as well as -that of the most idle of the planters. Except in Barbados, where the -nature of the soil made labour compulsory, where the negro could no -more be idle and exist than the poor man can do in England, it became -impossible to produce sugar with a profit on which the grower could -live. It was not only the small men who fell, or they who may be -supposed to have been hitherto living on an income raised to an -unjustly high pitch. Ask the Gladstone family what proceeds have come -from their Jamaica property since the protective duty was abolished. -Let Lord Howard de Walden say how he has fared.</p> - -<p>Mr. Buxton has drawn a parallel between the state of Ireland at and -after the famine and that of the West Indies at and after the fall in -the price of sugar, of which I can by no means admit the truth. In -the one case, that of Ireland, the blow instantly effected the -remedy. A tribe of pauper landlords had grown up by slow degrees who, -by their poverty, their numbers, their rapacity, and their idleness, -had eaten up and laid waste the fairest parts of the country. Then -came the potato rot, bringing after it pestilence, famine, and the -Encumbered Estates Court; and lo! in three years the air was cleared, -the cloud had passed away, and Ireland was again prosperous. Land -bought at fifteen pounds the acre was worth thirty before three crops -had been taken from it. The absentees to whom Mr. Buxton alludes were -comparatively little affected. They were rich men whose backs were -broad enough to bear the burden for a while, and they stood their -ground. It is not their property which as a rule has changed hands, -but that of the small, grasping, profit-rent landlords whose lives -had been passed in exacting the last farthing of rent from the -cottiers. When no farthing of rent could any longer be exacted, they -went to the wall at once.</p> - -<p>There was nothing like this in the case of the West Indies. -Indiscretion and extravagance there may have been. These are vices -which will always be more or less found among men living with the -thermometer at eighty in the shade. But in these colonies, long and -painful efforts were made, year after year, to bear against the -weight which had fallen on them. In the West Indies the blow came -from man, and it was withstood on the whole manfully. In Ireland the -blow came from God, and submission to it was instantaneous.</p> - -<p>Mr. Buxton then argues that everything in the West Indies is already -righting itself, and that therefore nothing further need be done. The -facts of the case exactly refute this allegation. The four chief of -these colonies are Barbados, British Guiana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. -In Barbados, as has been explained, there was no distress, and of -course no relief has been necessary. In British Guiana and Trinidad -very special measures have been taken. Immigration of Coolies to a -great extent has been brought about—to so great an extent that the -tide of human beings across the two oceans will now run on in an -increasing current. But in Jamaica little or nothing has yet been -done. And in Jamaica, the fairest, the most extensive, the most -attractive of them all; in Jamaica, of all the islands on God's earth -the one most favoured by beauty, fertility, and natural gifts; in -Jamaica the earth can hardly be made to yield its natural produce.</p> - -<p>All this was excellently answered by Sir Edward Lytton, who, whatever -may have been his general merits as a Secretary of State, seems at -any rate to have understood this matter. He disposed altogether of -the absurdly erroneous allegations which had been made as to the -mortality of these immigrants on their passage. As is too usual in -such cases arguments had been drawn from one or two specially -unhealthy trips. Ninety-nine ships ride safe to port, while the -hundredth unfortunately comes to grief. But we cannot on that account -afford to dispense with the navigation of the seas. Sir Edward showed -that the Coolies themselves—for the Anti-Slavery Society is as -anxious to prevent this immigration on behalf of the Coolies, who in -their own country can hardly earn twopence a day, as it is on the -part of the negroes, who could with ease, though they won't, earn two -shillings a day—he showed that these Coolies, after having lived for -a few years on plenty in these colonies, return to their own country -with that which is for them great wealth. And he showed also that the -present system—present as regards Trinidad, and proposed as regards -Jamaica—of indenturing the immigrant on his first arrival is the -only one to which we can safely trust for the good usage of the -labourer. For the present this is clearly the case. When the Coolies -are as numerous in these islands as the negroes—and that time will -come—such rules and restrictions will no doubt be withdrawn. And -when these different people have learned to mix their blood—which in -time will also come—then mankind will hear no more of a lack of -labour, and the fertility of these islands will cease to be their -greatest curse.</p> - -<p>I feel that I owe an apology to my reader for introducing him to an -old, forgotten, and perhaps dull debate. In England the question is -one not generally of great interest. But here, in the West Indies, it -is vital. The negro will never work unless compelled to do so; that -is, the negro who can boast of pure unmixed African blood. He is as -strong as a bull, hardy as a mule, docile as a dog when conscious of -a master—a salamander as regards heat. He can work without pain and -without annoyance. But he will never work as long as he can eat and -sleep without it. Place the Coolie or Chinaman alongside of him, and -he must work in his own defence. If he do not, he will gradually -cease to have an existence.</p> - -<p>We are now speaking more especially of Trinidad. It is a large -island, great portions of which are but very imperfectly known; of -which but comparatively a very small part has been cultivated. During -the last eight or ten years, ten or twelve thousand immigrants, -chiefly Coolies from Madras and Calcutta, have been brought into -Trinidad, forming now above an eighth part of its entire population; -and the consequence has been that in two years, from 1855, namely, to -1857, its imports were increased by one-third, and its exports by -two-thirds! In other words, it produced, with its Coolies, three -hogsheads of sugar, where without them it only produced one. The -difference is of course that between absolute distress and absolute -prosperity. Such having hitherto been the result of immigration into -Trinidad, such also having been the result in British Guiana, it does -appear singular that men should congregate in Exeter Hall with the -view of preventing similar immigration into Jamaica!</p> - -<p>This would be altogether unintelligible were it not that similar -causes have produced similar effects in so many other cases. Men -cannot have enough of a good thing.</p> - -<p>Exactly the same process has taken place with reference to criminals -in England. Some few years since we ill used them, stowed them away -in unwholesome holes, gave them bad food for their bodies and none -for their minds, and did our best to send them devilwards rather than -Godwards. Philanthropists have now remedied this, and we are very -much obliged to them. But the philanthropists will not be content -unless they be allowed to pack all their criminals up in lavender. -They must be treated not only as men, but much better than men of -their own class who are not criminal.</p> - -<p>In this matter of the negroes, the good thing is negro-protection, -and our friends cannot have enough of that. The negroes in being -slaves were ill used; and now it is not enough that they should all -be made free, but each should be put upon his own soft couch, with -rose-leaves on which to lie. Now your Sybarite negro, when closely -looked at, is not a pleasing object. Distance may doubtless lend -enchantment to the view.</p> - -<p>As my sojourn in Trinidad did not amount to two entire days, I do not -feel myself qualified to give a detailed description of the whole -island. Very few, I imagine, are so qualified, for much of it is -unknown; there is a great want of roads, and a large proportion of it -has, I believe, never been properly surveyed.</p> - -<p>Immediately round Port of Spain the country is magnificent, and the -views from the town itself are very lovely. Exactly behind the town, -presuming the sea to be the front, is the Savanah, a large enclosed, -park-like piece of common, the race-course and Hyde Park of Trinidad. -I was told that the drive round it was three English miles in length; -but if it be so much, the little pony which took me that drive in a -hired buggy must have been a fast trotter.</p> - -<p>On the further side of this lives the Governor of the island, -immediately under the hills. When I was there the Governor's real -house was being repaired, and the great man was living in a cottage -hard by. Were I that great man I should be tempted to wish that my -great house might always be under repair, for I never saw a more -perfect specimen of a pretty spacious cottage, opening as a cottage -should do on all sides and in every direction, with a great -complexity as to doors and windows, and a delicious facility of -losing one's way. And then the necessary freedom from boredom, -etiquette, and Governor's grandeur, so hated by Governors themselves, -which must necessarily be brought about by such a residence! I could -almost wish to be a Governor myself, if I might be allowed to live in -such a cottage.</p> - -<p>On the other side of the Savanah nearest to the town, and directly -opposite to those lovely hills, are a lot of villa residences, and it -would be impossible, I imagine, to find a more lovely site in which -to fix one's house. With the Savanah for a foreground, the rising -gardens behind the Governor's house in the middle distance, and a -panorama of magnificent hills in the back of the picture, it is -hardly within the compass of a man's eye and imagination to add -anything to the scene. I had promised to call on -Major <span class="nowrap">——,</span> who was -then, and perhaps is still, in command of the detachment of white -troops in Trinidad, and I found him and his young wife living in this -spot.</p> - -<p>"And yet you abuse Trinidad," I said, pointing to the view.</p> - -<p>"Oh! people can't live altogether upon views," she answered; "and -besides, we have to go back to the barracks. The yellow fever is over -now."</p> - -<p>The only place at which I came across any vestiges of the yellow -fever was at Trinidad. There it had been making dreadful havoc, and -chiefly among the white soldiers. My visit was in March, and the -virulence of the disease was then just over. It had been raging, -therefore, not in the summer but during the winter months. Indeed, as -far as I could learn, summer and winter had very little to do with -the matter. The yellow fever pays its visit in some sort -periodically, though its periods are by no means understood. But it -pays them at any time of the year that may suit itself.</p> - -<p>At this time a part of the Savanah was covered with tents, to which -the soldiers had been moved out of their barracks. The barracks are -lower down, near the shore, at a place called St. James, and the -locality is said to be wretchedly unhealthy. At any rate, the men -were stricken with fever there, and the proportion of them that died -was very great. I believe, indeed, that hardly any recovered of those -on whom the fever fell with any violence. They were then removed into -these tents, and matters began to mend. They were now about to return -to their barracks, and were, I was told, as unwilling to do so as my -fair friend was to leave her pretty house.</p> - -<p>If it be necessary to send white troops to the West Indies—and I -take it for granted that it is necessary—care at any rate should be -taken to select for their barracks sites as healthy as may be found. -It certainly seems that this has not been done at Trinidad. They are -placed very low, and with hills immediately around them. The good -effect produced by removing them to the Savanah—a very -inconsiderable distance; not, as I think, much exceeding a -mile—proves what may be done by choosing a healthy situation. But -why should not the men be taken up to the mountains, as has been done -with the white soldiers in Jamaica? There they are placed in barracks -some three or four thousand feet above the sea, and are perfectly -healthy. This cannot be done in Barbados, for there are no mountains -to which to take them. But in Trinidad it may be done, quite as -easily, and indeed at a lesser distance, and therefore with less cost -for conveyance, than in Jamaica.</p> - -<p>At the first glance one would be inclined to say that white troops -would not be necessary in the West Indies, as we have regiments of -black soldiers, negroes dressed in Zouave costume, specially trained -for the service; but it seems that there is great difficulty in -getting these regiments filled. Why should a negro enlist any more -than work? Are there not white men enough—men and brothers—to do -the somewhat disagreeable work of soldiering for him? Consequently, -except in Barbados, it is difficult to get recruits. Some men have -been procured from the coast of Africa, but our philanthropy is -interfering even with this supply. Then the recruiting officers -enlisted Coolies, and these men made excellent soldiers; but when -interfered with or punished, they had a nasty habit of committing -suicide, a habit which it was quite possible the negro soldier might -himself assume; and therefore no more Coolies are to be enlisted.</p> - -<p>Under such circumstances white men must, I presume, do the work. A -shilling a day is an object to them, and they are slow to blow out -their own brains; but they should not be barracked in swamps, or made -to live in an air more pestilential than necessary.</p> - -<p>My hostess, the lady to whom I have alluded, had been attacked most -virulently by the yellow fever, and I had heard in the other islands -that she was dead. Her case had indeed been given up as hopeless.</p> - -<p>On the morning after my arrival I took a ride of some sixteen miles -through the country before breakfast, and the same lady accompanied -me. "We must start very early," she said; "so as to avoid the heat. I -will have coffee at half-past four, and we will be on horseback at -five."</p> - -<p>I have had something to say as to early hours in the West Indies -before, and hardly credited this. A morning start at five usually -means half-past seven, and six o'clock is a generic term for moving -before nine. So I meekly asked whether half-past four meant half-past -four. "No," said the husband. "Yes," said the wife. So I went away -declaring that I would present myself at the house at any rate not -after five.</p> - -<p>And so I did, according to my own very excellent watch, which had -been set the day before by the ship's chronometer. I rode up to the -door two minutes before five, perfectly certain that I should have -the pleasure of watching the sun's early manœuvres for at least an -hour. But, alas! my friend had been waiting for me in her -riding-habit for more than that time. Our watches were frightfully at -variance. It was perfectly clear to me that the Trinidadians do not -take the sun for their guide as to time. But in such a plight as was -then mine, a man cannot go into his evidence and his justification. -My only plea was for mercy; and I hereby take it on myself to say -that I do not know that I ever kept any lady waiting before—except -my wife.</p> - -<p>At five to the moment—by my watch—we started, and I certainly never -rode for three hours through more lovely scenery. At first, also, it -was deliciously cool, and as our road lay entirely through woods, it -was in every way delightful. We went back into the hills, and -returned again towards the sea-shore over a break in one of the spurs -of the mountain called the Saddle; from whence we had a distant view -into the island, as fine as any view I ever saw without the adjunct -of water.</p> - -<p>I should imagine that a tour through the whole of Trinidad would -richly repay the trouble, though, indeed, it would be troublesome. -The tourist must take his own provisions, unless, indeed, he provided -himself by means of his gun, and must take also his bed. The -musquitoes, too, are very vexatious in Trinidad, though I hardly -think that they come up in venom to their brethren in British Guiana.</p> - -<p>The first portion of our ride was delightful; but on our return we -came down upon a hot, dusty road, and then the loss of that hour in -the morning was deeply felt. I think that up to that time I had never -encountered such heat, and certainly had never met with a more -disagreeable, troublesome amount of dust, all which would have been -avoided had I inquired over-night into the circumstances of the -Trinidad watches. But the lady said never a word, and so heaped coals -of fire on my head in addition to the consuming flames of that -ever-to-be-remembered sun.</p> - -<p>As Trinidad is an English colony, one's first idea is that the people -speak English; and one's second idea, when that other one as to the -English has fallen to the ground, is that they should speak Spanish, -seeing that the name of the place is Spanish. But the fact is that -they all speak French; and, out of the town, but few of the natives -speak anything else. Whether a Parisian would admit this may be -doubted; but he would have to acknowledge that it was a French -patois.</p> - -<p>And the religion is Roman Catholic. The island of course did belong -to France, and in manners, habits, language, and religion is still -French. There is a Roman Catholic archbishop resident in Trinidad, -who is, I believe, at present an Italian. We pay him, I have been -told, some salary, which he declines to take for his own use, but -applies to purposes of charity. There is a Roman Catholic cathedral -in Port of Spain, and a very ugly building it is.</p> - -<p>The form of government also is different from that, or rather those, -which have been adopted in the other West Indian colonies, such as -Jamaica, Barbados, and British Guiana. As this was a conquered -colony, the people of the island are not allowed to have so potent a -voice in their own management. They have no House of Commons or -Legislative Assembly, but take such rules or laws as may be necessary -for their guidance direct from the Crown. The Governor, however, is -assisted by a council, in which sit the chief executive officers in -the island. That the fact of the colony having been conquered need -preclude it from the benefit (?) of self-government, one does not -clearly see. But one does see clearly enough, that as they are French -in language and habits, and Roman Catholic in religion, they would -make even a worse hash of it than the Jamaicans do in Jamaica.</p> - -<p>And it is devoutly to be hoped, for the island's sake, that it may be -long before it is endowed with a constitution. It would be impossible -now-a-days to commence a legislature in the system of electing which -all but white men should be excluded from voting. Nor would there be -white men enough to carry on an election. And may Providence defend -my friends there from such an assembly as would be returned by French -negroes and hybrid mulattoes!</p> - -<p>A scientific survey has just been completed of this island, with -reference to its mineral productions, and the result has been to show -that it contains a very large quantity of coal. I was fortunate -enough to meet one of the gentlemen by whom this was done, and he was -kind enough to put into my hand a paper showing the exact result of -their investigation. But, unfortunately, the paper was so learned, -and I was so ignorant, that I could not understand one word of it. -The whole matter also was explained to me verbally, but not in -language adapted to my child-like simplicity. So I am not able to say -whether the coal be good or bad—whether it would make a nice, hot, -crackling, Christmas fire, or fly away in slaty flakes and dirty -dust. It is a pity that science cannot be made to recognize the depth -of unscientific ignorance.</p> - -<p>There is also here in Trinidad a great pitch lake, of which all the -world has heard, and out of which that indefatigable old hero, Lord -Dundonald, tried hard to make wax candles and oil for burning. The -oil and candles, indeed, he did make, but not, I fear, the money -which should have been consequent upon their fabrication. I have no -doubt, however, that in time we shall all have our wax candles from -thence; for Lord Dundonald is one of those men who are born to do -great deeds of which others shall reap the advantages. One of these -days his name will be duly honoured, for his conquests as well as for -his candles.</p> - -<p>And so I speedily took my departure, and threaded my way back again -through the Bocas, in that most horrid of all steam-vessels, the -'Prince.'</p> - - -<p><a id="c15"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XV.</h3> -<h4>ST. THOMAS.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>All persons travelling in the West Indies have so much to do with the -island of St. Thomas, that I must devote a short chapter to it. My -circumstances with reference to it were such that I was compelled to -remain there a longer time, putting all my visits together, than in -any other of the islands except Jamaica.</p> - -<p>The place belongs to the Danes, who possess also the larger and much -more valuable island of Santa Cruz, as they do also the small island -of St. Martin. These all lie among the Virgin Islands, and are -considered as belonging to that thick cluster. As St. Thomas at -present exists, it is of considerable importance. It is an emporium, -not only for many of the islands, but for many also of the places on -the coast of South and Central America. Guiana, Venezuela, and New -Granada, deal there largely. It is a depôt for cigars, light dresses, -brandy, boots, and Eau de Cologne. Many men therefore of many nations -go thither to make money, and they do make it. These are men, -generally not of the tenderest class, or who have probably been -nursed in much early refinement. Few men will select St. Thomas as a -place of residence from mere unbiassed choice and love of the locale. -A wine merchant in London, doing a good trade there, would hardly -give up that business with the object of personally opening an -establishment in this island: nor would a well-to-do milliner leave -Paris with the same object. Men who settle at St. Thomas have most -probably roughed it elsewhere unsuccessfully.</p> - -<p>These St. Thomas tradesmen do make money I believe, and it is -certainly due to them that they should do so. Things ought not, if -possible, to be all bad with any man; and I cannot imagine what good -can accrue to a man at St. Thomas if it be not the good of amassing -money. It is one of the hottest and one of the most unhealthy spots -among all these hot and unhealthy regions. I do not know whether I -should not be justified in saying that of all such spots it is the -most hot and the most unhealthy.</p> - -<p>I have said in a previous chapter that the people one meets there may -be described as an Hispano-Dano-Niggery-Yankee-doodle population. In -this I referred not only to the settlers, but to those also who are -constantly passing through it. In the shops and stores, and at the -hotels, one meets the same mixture. The Spanish element is of course -strong, for Venezuela, New Granada, Central America, and Mexico are -all Spanish, as also is Cuba. The people of these lands speak -Spanish, and hereabouts are called Spaniards. To the Danes the island -belongs. The soldiers, officials, and custom-house people are Danes. -They do not, however, mix much with their customers. They affect, I -believe, to say that the island is overrun and destroyed by these -strange comers, and that they would as lief be without such visitors. -If they are altogether indifferent to money making, such may be the -case. The labouring people are all black—if these blacks can be -called a labouring people. They do coal the vessels at about a dollar -a day each—that is, when they are so circumstanced as to require a -dollar. As to the American element, that is by no means the slightest -or most retiring. Dollars are going there, and therefore it is of -course natural that Americans should be going also. I saw the other -day a map, "The United States as they now are, and in prospective;" -and it included all these places—Mexico, Central America, Cuba, St. -Domingo, and even poor Jamaica. It may be that the man who made the -map understood the destiny of his country; at any rate, he understood -the tastes of his countrymen.</p> - -<p>All these people are assembled together at St. Thomas, because St. -Thomas is the meeting-place and central depôt of the West Indian -steam-packets. That reason can be given easily enough; but why St. -Thomas should be the meeting-place of these packets,—I do not know -who can give me the reason for that arrangement. Tortola and Virgin -Gorda, two of the Virgin islands, both belong to ourselves, and are -situated equally well for the required purpose as is St. Thomas. I am -told also, that at any rate one, probably at both, good harbour -accommodation is to be found. It is certain that in other respects -they are preferable. They are not unhealthy, as is St. Thomas; and, -as I have said above, they belong to ourselves. My own opinion is -that Jamaica should be the head-quarters of these packets; but the -question is one which will not probably be interesting to the reader -of these pages.</p> - -<p>"They cannot understand at home why we dislike the inter-colonial -work so much," said the captain of one of the steam-ships to me. By -inter-colonial work he meant the different branch services from St. -Thomas. "They do not comprehend at home what it is for a man to be -burying one young officer after another; to have them sent out, and -then to see them mown down in that accursed hole of a harbour by -yellow fever. Such a work is not a very pleasant one."</p> - -<p>Indeed this was true. The life cannot be a very pleasant one. These -captains themselves and their senior officers are doubtless -acclimated. The yellow fever may reach them, but their chance of -escape is tolerably good; but the young lads who join the service, -and who do so at an early age, have at the first commencement of -their career to make St. Thomas their residence, as far as they have -any residence. They live of course on board their ships; but the -peculiarity of St. Thomas is this; that the harbour is ten times more -fatal than the town. It is that hole, up by the coaling wharves, -which sends so many English lads to the grave. If this be so, this -alone, I think, constitutes a strong reason why St. Thomas should not -be so favoured. These vessels now form a considerable fleet, and some -of them spend nearly a third of their time at this place. The number -of Englishmen so collected and endangered is sufficient to warrant us -in regarding this as a great drawback on any utility which the island -may have—if such utility there be.</p> - -<p>But we must give even the devil his due. Seen from the water St. -Thomas is very pretty. It is not so much the scenery of the island -that pleases as the aspect of the town itself. It stands on three -hills or mounts, with higher hills, green to their summit, rising -behind them. Each mount is topped by a pleasant, cleanly edifice, and -pretty-looking houses stretch down the sides to the water's edge. The -buildings do look pretty and nice, and as though chance had arranged -them for a picture. Indeed, as seen from the harbour, the town looks -like a panorama exquisitely painted. The air is thin and transparent, -and every line shows itself clearly. As so seen the town of St. Thomas -is certainly attractive. But it is like the Dead Sea fruit; all the -charm is gone when it is tasted. Land there, and the beauty vanishes.</p> - -<p>The hotel at St. Thomas is quite a thing of itself. There is no fair -ground for complaint as regards the accommodation, considering where -one is, and that people do not visit St. Thomas for pleasure; but the -people that one meets there form as strange a collection as may -perhaps be found anywhere. In the first place, all languages seem -alike to them. One hears English, French, German, and Spanish spoken -all around one, and apparently it is indifferent which. The waiters -seem to speak them all.</p> - -<p>The most of these guests I take it—certainly a large proportion of -them—are residents of the place, who board at the inn. I have been -there for a week at a time, and it seemed that all then around me -were so. There were ladies among them, who always came punctually to -their meals, and went through the long course of breakfast and long -course of dinner with admirable perseverance. I never saw eating to -equal that eating. When I was there the house was always full; but -the landlord told me that he found it very hard to make money, and I -can believe it.</p> - -<p>A hot climate, it is generally thought, interferes with the appetite, -affects the gastric juices with lassitude, gives to the stomach some -of the apathy of the body, and lessens at any rate the consumption of -animal food. That charge cannot be made against the air of St. -Thomas. To whatever sudden changes the health may be subject, no -lingering disinclination for food affects it. Men eat there as though -it were the only solace of their life, and women also. Probably it is -so.</p> - -<p>They never talk at meals. A man and his wife may interchange a word -or two as to the dishes; or men coming from the same store may -whisper a syllable as to their culinary desires; but in an ordinary -way there is no talking. I myself generally am not a mute person at -my meals; and having dined at sundry tables d'hôte, have got over in -a great degree that disinclination to speak to my neighbour which is -attributed—I believe wrongly—to Englishmen. But at St. Thomas I -took it into my head to wait till I was spoken to, and for a week I -sat, twice daily, between the same persons without receiving or -speaking a single word.</p> - -<p>I shall not soon forget the stout lady who sat opposite to me, and -who was married to a little hooked-nosed Jew, who always accompanied -her. Soup, fish, and then meat is the ordinary rule at such banquets; -but here the fashion is for the guests, having curried favour with -the waiters, to get their plates of food brought in and put round -before them in little circles; so that a man while taking his soup -may contemplate his fish and his roast beef, his wing of fowl, his -allotment of salad, his peas and potatoes, his pudding, pie, and -custard, and whatever other good things a benevolent and well-fee'd -waiter may be able to collect for him. This somewhat crowds the -table, and occasionally it becomes necessary for the guest to guard -his treasures with an eagle's eye;—hers also with an eagle's eye, -and sometimes with an eagle's talon.</p> - -<p>This stout lady was great on such occasions. "A bit of that," she -would exclaim, with head half turned round, as a man would pass -behind her with a dish, while she was in the very act of unloading -within her throat a whole knifeful charged to the hilt. The efforts -which at first affected me as almost ridiculous advanced to the -sublime as dinner went on. There was no shirking, no half measures, -no slackened pace as the breath became short. The work was daily done -to the final half-pound of cheese.</p> - -<p>Cheese and jelly, guava jelly, were always eaten together. This I -found to be the general fashion of St. Thomas. Some men dipped their -cheese in jelly; some ate a bit of jelly and then a bit of cheese; -some topped up with jelly and some topped up with cheese, all having -it on their plates together. But this lady—she must have spent years -in acquiring the exercise—had a knack of involving her cheese in -jelly, covering up by a rapid twirl of her knife a bit about an inch -thick, so that no cheesy surface should touch her palate, and then -depositing the parcel, oh, ever so far down, without dropping above a -globule or two of the covering on her bosom.</p> - -<p>Her lord, the Israelite, used to fight hard too; but the battle was -always over with him long before the lady showed even a sign of -distress. He was one of those flashy weedy animals that make good -running for a few yards and are then choked off. She was game up to -the winning-post. There were many animals running at those races, but -she might have given all the others the odds of a pound of solid -food, and yet have beaten them.</p> - -<p>But then, to see her rise from the table! Well; pace and extra weight -together will distress the best horse that ever was shod!</p> - -<p>Over and above this I found nothing of any general interest at St. -Thomas.</p> - - -<p><a id="c16"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XVI.</h3> -<h4>NEW GRANADA, AND THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMÁ.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>It is probably known to all that New Granada is the most northern of -the republics of South America; or it should rather be said that it -is the state nearest to the isthmus, of which indeed it comprehends a -considerable portion; the territory of the Gulf of Darien and the -district of Panamá all being within the limits of New Granada.</p> - -<p>It was, however, but the other day that New Granada formed only a -part of the republic of Columbia, the republic of which Bolivar was -the hero. As the inhabitants of Central America found it necessary to -break up their state into different republics, so also did the people -of Columbia. The heroes and patriots of Caracas and Quito could not -consent to be governed from Bogotá; and therefore three states were -formed out of one. They are New Granada, with its capital of Bogotá; -Venezuela, with its capital of Caracas, lying exactly to the east of -New Granada; and Ecuador—the state, that is, of Equator—lying to -the south of New Granada, having its seaport at Guayaquil on the -Pacific, with Quito, its chief city, exactly on the line.</p> - -<p>The district of Columbia was one of the grandest appanages of the -Spanish throne when the appanages of the Spanish throne were grand -indeed. The town and port of Cartagena, on the Atlantic, were -admirably fortified, as was also Panamá on the Pacific. Its interior -cities were populous, flourishing, and, for that age, fairly -civilized. Now the whole country has received the boon of Utopian -freedom; and the mind loses itself in contemplating to what lowest -pitch of human degradation the people will gradually fall.</p> - -<p>Civilization here is retrograding. Men are becoming more ignorant -than their fathers, are learning to read less, to know less, to have -fewer aspirations of a high order; to care less for truth and -justice, to have more and more of the contentment of a brute,—that -contentment which comes from a full belly and untaxed sinews; or even -from an empty belly, so long as the sinews be left idle.</p> - -<p>To what this will tend a prophet in these days can hardly see; or -rather none less than a prophet can pretend to see. That those lands -which the Spaniards have occupied, and to a great extent made -Spanish, should have no higher destiny than that which they have -already accomplished, I can hardly bring myself to think. That their -unlimited fertility and magnificent rivers should be given for -nothing; that their power of producing all that man wants should be -intended for no use, I cannot believe. At present, however, it would -seem that Providence has abandoned it. It is making no progress. Land -that was cultivated is receding from cultivation; cities that were -populous are falling into ruins; and men are going back into animals, -under the influence of unlimited liberty and universal suffrage.</p> - -<p>In 1851 emancipation from slavery was finally established in New -Granada; and so far, doubtless, a good deed was done. But it was -established at the same time that every man, emancipated slave or -other, let him be an industrial occupier of land, or idle occupier of -nothing, should have an equal vote in electing presidents and members -of the Federal Congress, and members of the Congress of the different -states; that, in short, all men should be equal for all state -purposes. And the result, as may be supposed, is not gratifying. As -far as I am able to judge, a negro has not generally those gifts of -God which enable one man to exercise rule and masterdom over his -fellow-men. I myself should object strongly to be represented, say in -the city of London, by any black man that I ever saw. "The -unfortunate nigger gone masterless," whom Carlyle so tenderly -commiserates, has not strong ideas of the duties even of -self-government, much less of the government of others. Universal -suffrage in such hands can hardly lead to good results. Let him at -any rate have first saved some sixty pounds in a savings-bank, or -made himself undoubted owner—an easy thing in New Granada—of a -forty-shilling freehold!</p> - -<p>Not that pure-blooded negroes are common through the whole of New -Granada. At Panamá and the adjacent districts they are so; but in the -other parts of the republic they are, I believe, few in number. At -Santa Martha, where I first landed, I saw few, if any. And yet the -trace of the negroes, the woolly hair and flat nose, were common -enough, mixed always with Indian blood, and of course to a great -extent with Spanish blood also.</p> - -<p>This Santa Martha is a wretched village—a city it is there -called—at which we, with intense cruelty, maintain a British Consul, -and a British post-office. There is a cathedral there of the old -Spanish order, with the choir removed from the altar down towards the -western door; and there is, I was informed, a bishop. But neither -bishop nor cathedral were in any way remarkable. There is there a -governor of the province, some small tradesman, who seemed to -exercise very few governing functions. It may almost be said that no -trade exists in the place, which seemed indeed to be nearly dead. A -few black or nearly black children run about the streets in a state -almost of nudity; and there are shops, from the extremities of which, -as I was told, crinoline and hats laden with bugles may be extracted.</p> - -<p>"Every one of my predecessors here died of fever," said the Consul to -me, in a tone of triumph. What could a man say to him on so terribly -mortal a subject? "And my wife has been down in fever thirteen -times!" Heavens, what a life! That is, as long as it is life.</p> - -<p>I rode some four or five miles into the country to visit the house in -which Bolivar died. It is a deserted little country villa or chateau, -called San Pedro, standing in a farm-yard, and now containing no -other furniture than a marble bust of the Dictator, with a few -wretchedly coloured French prints with cracked glass plates. The bust -is not a bad one, and seems to have a solemn and sad meaning in its -melancholy face, standing there in its solitary niche in the very -room in which the would-be liberator died.</p> - -<p>For Bolivar had grand ideas of freedom, though doubtless he had grand -ideas also of personal power and pre-eminence; as has been the case -with most of those who have moved or professed to move in the -vanguard of liberty. To free mankind from all injurious thraldom is -the aspiration of such men; but who ever thought that obedience to -himself was a thraldom that could be injurious?</p> - -<p>And here in this house, on the 17th December, 1830, Bolivar died, -broken-hearted, owing his shelter to charity, and relieved in his -last wants by the hands of strangers to his country. When the breath -was out of him and he was well dead, so that on such a matter he -himself could probably have no strong wish in any direction, they -took away his body, of course with all honour, to the district that -gave him birth, and that could afford to be proud of him now that he -was dead;—into Venezuela and reburied him at Caracas. But dying -poverty and funeral honours have been the fate of great men in other -countries besides Columbia.</p> - -<p>"And why did you come to visit such a region as this?" asked Bolivar, -when dying, of a Frenchman to whom in his last days he was indebted -for much. "For freedom," said the Frenchman. "For freedom!" said -Bolivar. "Then let me tell you that you have missed your mark -altogether; you could hardly have turned in a worse direction."</p> - -<p>Our ride from Santa Martha to the house had been altogether between -bushes, among which we saw but small signs of cultivation. Round the -house I saw none. On my return I learnt that the place was the -property of a rich man who possessed a large estate in its vicinity. -"But will nothing grow there?" I asked. "Grow there! yes; anything -would grow there. Some years since the whole district was covered -with sugar-canes." But since the emancipation in 1851 it had become -impossible to procure labour; men could not be got to work; and so -bush had grown up, and the earth gave none of her increase; except -indeed where half-caste Indians squatted here and there, and made -provision grounds.</p> - -<p>I then went on to Cartagena. This is a much better town than Santa -Martha, though even this is in its decadence. It was once a -flourishing city, great in commerce and strong in war. It was taken -by the English, not however without signal reverses on our part, and -by the special valour—so the story goes—of certain sailors who -dragged a single gun to the summit of a high abrupt hill called the -"Papa," which commands the town. If the thermometer stood in those -days as high at Cartagena as it does now, pretty nearly through the -whole of the year, those sailors ought to have had the Victoria -cross. But these deeds were done long years ago, in the time of Drake -and his followers; and Victoria crosses were then chiefly kept for -the officers.</p> - -<p>The harbour at Cartagena is singularly circumstanced. There are two -entrances to it, one some ten miles from the city and the other close -to it. This nearer aperture was blocked up by the Spaniards, who sank -ships across the mouth; and it has never been used or usable since. -The present entrance is very strongly fortified. The fortifications -are still there, bristling down to the water's edge; or they would -bristle, were it not that all the guns have been sold for the value -of the brass metal.</p> - -<p>Cartagena was hotter even than Santa Martha; but the place is by no -means so desolate and death-like. The shops there are open to the -streets, as shops are in other towns. Men and women may occasionally -be seen about the square; and there is a trade,—in poultry if in -nothing else.</p> - -<p>There is a cathedral here also, and I presume a bishop. The former is -built after the Spanish fashion, and boasts a so-called handsome, -large, marble pulpit. That it is large and marble, I confess; but I -venture to question its claims to the other epithet. There are -pictures also in the cathedral; of spirits in a state of torture -certainly; and if I rightly remember of beatified spirits also. But -in such pictures the agonies of the damned always excite more -attention and a keener remembrance than the ecstasies of the blest. I -cannot say that the artist had come up either to the spirit of Fra -Angelico, or to the strength of Orcagna.</p> - -<p>At Cartagena I encountered a family of native ladies and gentlemen, -who were journeying from Bogotá to Peru. Looking at the map, one -would say that the route from Bogotá to Buena-ventura on the Pacific -was both easy and short. The distance as the crow flies—the condor I -should perhaps more properly say—would not be much over two hundred -miles. And yet this family, of whom one was an old woman, had come -down to Cartagena, having been twenty days on the road, having from -thence a long sea journey to the isthmus, thence the passage over it -to Panamá, and then the journey down the Pacific! The fact of course -is that there are no means of transit in the country except on -certain tracks, very few in number; and that even on these all motion -is very difficult. Bogotá is about three hundred and seventy miles -from Cartagena, and the journey can hardly be made in less than -fourteen days.</p> - -<p>From Cartagena I went on to the isthmus; the Isthmus of Panamá, as it -is called by all the world, though the American town of Aspinwall -will gradually become the name best known in connexion with the -passage between the two oceans.</p> - -<p>This passage is now made by a railway which has been opened by an -American company between the town of Aspinwall, or Colon, as it is -called in England, and the city of Panamá. Colon is the local name -for this place, which also bears the denomination of Navy Bay in the -language of sailors. But our friends from Yankee-land like to carry -things with a high hand, and to have a nomenclature of their own. -Here, as their energy and their money and their habits are -undoubtedly in the ascendant, they will probably be successful; and -the place will be called Aspinwall in spite of the disgust of the New -Granadians, and the propriety of the English, who choose to adhere to -the names of the existing government of the country.</p> - -<p>A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and Colon or Aspinwall -will be equally vile however you may call it. It is a wretched, -unhealthy, miserably situated but thriving little American town, -created by and for the railway and the passenger traffic which comes -here both from Southampton and New York. That from New York is of -course immensely the greatest, for this is at present the main route -to San Francisco and California.</p> - -<p>I visited the place three times, for I passed over the isthmus on my -way to Costa Rica, and on my return from that country I went again to -Panamá, and of course back to Colon. I can say nothing in its favour. -My only dealing there was with a washerwoman, and I wish I could -place before my readers a picture of my linen in the condition in -which it came back from that artist's hands. I confess that I sat -down and shed bitter tears. In these localities there are but two -luxuries of life, iced soda-water and clean shirts. And now I was -debarred from any true enjoyment of the latter for more than a -fortnight.</p> - -<p>The Panamá railway is certainly a great fact, as men now-a-days say -when anything of importance is accomplished. The necessity of some -means of passing the isthmus, and the question as to the best means, -has been debated since, I may say, the days of Cortes. Men have -foreseen that it would become a necessity to the world that there -should be some such transit, and every conceivable point of the -isthmus has, at some period or by some nation, been selected as the -best for the purpose. This railway is certainly the first that can be -regarded as a properly organized means of travelling; and it may be -doubted whether it will not remain as the best, if not the only -permanent mode of transit.</p> - -<p>Very great difficulty was experienced in erecting this line. In the -first place, it was necessary that terms should be made with the -government of the country through which the line should pass, and to -effect this it was expedient to hold out great inducements. Among the -chief of these is an understanding that the whole line shall become -the absolute property of the New Granadian government when it shall -have been opened for forty-nine years. But who can tell what -government will prevail in New Granada in forty-nine years? It is not -impossible that the whole district may then be an outlying territory -belonging to the United States. At any rate, I should imagine that it -is very far from the intention of the American company to adhere with -rigid strictness to this part of the bargain. Who knows what may -occur between this and the end of the century?</p> - -<p>And when these terms were made there was great difficulty in -obtaining labour. The road had to be cut through one continuous -forest, and for the greater part of the way along the course of the -Chagres river. Nothing could be more unhealthy than such work, and in -consequence the men died very rapidly. The high rate of wages enticed -many Irishmen here, but most of them found their graves amidst the -works. Chinese were tried, but they were quite inefficacious for such -labour, and when distressed had a habit of hanging themselves. The -most useful men were to be got from the coast round Cartagena, but -they were enticed thither only by very high pay.</p> - -<p>The whole road lies through trees and bushes of thick tropical -growth, and is in this way pretty and interesting. But there is -nothing wonderful in the scenery, unless to one who has never before -witnessed tropical forest scenery. The growth here is so quick that -the strip of ground closely adjacent to the line, some twenty yards -perhaps on each side, has to be cleared of timber and foliage every -six months. If left for twelve months the whole would be covered with -thick bushes, twelve feet high. At intervals of four and a half miles -there are large wooden houses—pretty-looking houses they are, built -with much taste,—in each of which a superintendent with a certain -number of labourers resides. These men are supplied with provisions -and all necessaries by the company. For there are no villages here in -which workmen can live, no shops from which they can supply -themselves, no labour which can be hired as it may be wanted.</p> - -<p>From this it may be imagined that the line is maintained at a great -cost. But, nevertheless, it already pays a dividend of twelve and a -half per cent. So much at least is acknowledged; but those who -pretend to understand the matter declare that the real profit -accruing to the shareholders is hardly less than five-and-twenty per -cent. The sum charged for the passage is extremely high, being -twenty-five dollars, or five pounds for a single ticket. The distance -is under fifty miles. And there is no class but the one. Everybody -passing over the isthmus, if he pay his fare, must pay twenty-five -dollars. Steerage passengers from New York to San Francisco are at -present booked through for fifty dollars. This includes their food on -the two sea voyages, which are on an average of about eleven days -each. And yet out of this fifty dollars twenty-five are paid to the -railway for this conveyance over fifty miles! The charge for luggage, -too, is commensurately high. The ordinary kit of a travelling -Englishman—a portmanteau, bag, desk, and hat-box—would cost two -pounds ten shillings over and above his own fare.</p> - -<p>But at the same time, nothing can be more liberal than the general -management of the line. On passengers journeying from New York to -California, or from Southampton to Chili and Peru, their demand no -doubt is very high. But to men of all classes, merely travelling from -Aspinwall to Panamá for pleasure—or, apparently, on business, if -travelling only between those two places,—free tickets are given -almost without restriction. One train goes each way daily, and as a -rule most of the passengers are carried free, except on those days -when packets have arrived at either terminus. On my first passage -over I paid my fare, for I went across with other passengers out of -the mail packet. But on my return the superintendent not only gave me -a ticket, but asked me whether I wanted others for any friends. The -line is a single line throughout.</p> - -<p>Panamá has doubtless become a place of importance to Englishmen and -Americans, and its name is very familiar to our ears. But -nevertheless it is a place whose glory has passed away. It was a -large Spanish town, strongly fortified, with some thirty thousand -inhabitants. Now its fortifications are mostly gone, its churches are -tumbling to the ground, its old houses have so tumbled, and its old -Spanish population has vanished. It is still the chief city of a -State, and a congress sits there. There is a governor and a judge, -and there are elections; but were it not for the passengers of the -isthmus there would soon be but little left of the city of Panamá.</p> - -<p>Here the negro race abounds, and among the common people the negro -traits are stronger and more marked than those either of the Indians -or Spaniards. Of Spanish blood among the natives of the surrounding -country there seems to be but little. The negroes here are of course -free, free to vote for their own governors, and make their own laws; -and consequently they are often very troublesome, the country people -attacking those in the town, and so on. "And is justice ultimately -done on the offenders?" I asked. "Well, sir; perhaps not justice. But -some notice is taken; and the matter is smoothed over." Such was the -answer.</p> - -<p>There is a Spanish cathedral here also, in which I heard a very -sweet-toned organ, and one magnificent tenor voice. The old church -buildings still standing here are not without pretence, and are -interesting from the dark tawny colour of the stone, if from no other -cause. I should guess them to be some two centuries old. Their style -in many respects resembles that which is so generally odious to an -Englishman's eye and ear, under the title of Renaissance. It is -probably an offshoot of that which is called Plateresque in the south -of Spain.</p> - -<p>During the whole time that I was at Panamá the thermometer stood at -something above ninety. In Calcutta I believe it is often as high as -one hundred and ten, so that I have no right to speak of the extreme -heat. But, nevertheless, Panamá is supposed to be one of the hottest -places in the western world; and I was assured, while there, that -weather so continuously hot for the twenty-four hours had not been -known during the last nine years. The rainy season should have -commenced by this time—the early part of May. But it had not done -so; and it appeared that when the rain is late, that is the hottest -period of the whole year.</p> - -<p>The heat made me uncomfortable, but never made me ill. I lost all -pleasure in eating, and indeed in everything else. I used to feel a -craving for my food, but no appetite when it came. I was lethargic, -as though from repletion, when I did eat, and was always glad when my -watch would allow me to go to bed. But yet I was never ill.</p> - -<p>The country round the town is pretty, and very well adapted for -riding. There are large open savanahs which stretch away for miles -and miles, and which are kept as grazing-farms for cattle. These are -not flat and plain, but are broken into undulations, and covered here -and there with forest bushes. The horses here are taught to pace, -that is, move with the two off legs together and then with the two -near legs. The motion is exceedingly gentle, and well fitted for this -hot climate, in which the rougher work of trotting would be almost -too much for the energies of debilitated mankind. The same pace is -common in Cuba, Costa Rica, and other Spanish countries in the west.</p> - -<p>Off from Panamá, a few miles distant in the western ocean, there are -various picturesque islands. On two of these are the depôts of two -great steam-packet companies, that belonging to the Americans which -carries on the trade to California, and an English company whose -vessels run down the Pacific to Peru and Chili. I visited Toboga, in -which are the head-quarters of the latter. Here I found a small -English maritime colony, with a little town of their own, composed of -captains, doctors, engineers, officers, artificers, and sailors, -living together on the company's wages, and as regards the upper -classes, at tables provided by the company. But I saw there no women -of any description. I beg therefore to suggest to the company that -their servants would probably be much more comfortable if the -institution partook less of the monastic order.</p> - -<p>If, as is probable, this becomes one of the high-roads to Australia, -then another large ship company will have to fix its quarters here.</p> - - -<p><a id="c17"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XVII.</h3> -<h4>CENTRAL AMERICA—PANAMÁ TO SAN JOSÉ.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>I had intended to embark at Panamá in the American steam-ship -'Columbus' for the coast of Central America. In that case I should -have gone to San Juan del Sur, a port in Nicaragua, and made my way -from thence across the lake, down the river San Juan to San Juan del -Norte, now called Greytown, on the Atlantic. But I learnt that the -means of transit through Nicaragua had been so utterly destroyed—as -I shall by-and-by explain—that I should encounter great delay in -getting across the lake; and as I found that one of our men-of-war -steamers, the 'Vixen,' was immediately about to start from Panamá to -Punta-arenas, on the coast of Costa Rica, I changed my mind, and -resolved on riding through Costa Rica to Greytown. And accordingly I -did ride through Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>My first work was to make petition for a passage in the 'Vixen,' -which was accorded to me without difficulty. But even had I failed -here, I should have adhered to the same plan. The more I heard of -Costa Rica, the more I was convinced that that republic was better -worth a visit than Nicaragua. At this time I had in my hands a -pamphlet written by M. Belly, a Frenchman, who is, or says that he -is, going to make a ship canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. -According to him the only Paradise now left on earth is in this -republic of Costa Rica. So I shipped myself on board the 'Vixen.'</p> - -<p>I had never before been on the waters of the Pacific. Now when one -premeditates one's travels, sitting by the domestic fireside, one is -apt to think that all those advancing steps into new worlds will be -taken with some little awe, some feeling of amazement at finding -oneself in very truth so far distant from Hyde Park Corner. The -Pacific! I was absolutely there, on the ocean in which lie the -Sandwich Islands, Queen Pomare, and the Cannibals! But no; I had no -such feeling. My only solicitude was whether my clean shirts would -last me on to the capital of Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>And in travelling these are the things which really occupy the mind. -Where shall I sleep? Is there anything to eat? Can I have my clothes -washed? At Panamá I did have my clothes washed in a very short space -of time; but I had to pay a shilling apiece for them all round. In -all these ports, in New Granada, Central America, and even throughout -the West Indies, the luxury which is the most expensive in proportion -to its cost in Europe is the washing of clothes—the most expensive, -as it is also the most essential.</p> - -<p>But I must not omit to say that before shipping myself in the 'Vixen' -I called on the officers on board the United States frigate -'Merrimac,' and was shown over that vessel. I am not a very good -judge of ships, and can only say that the officers were extremely -civil, the sherry very good, and the guns very large. They were -coaling, the captain told me, and he professed to be very much -ashamed of the dirt. Had I not been told so I should not have known -that the ship was dirty.</p> - -<p>The 'Merrimac,' though rated only as a frigate, having guns on one -covered deck only, is one of their largest men-of-war, and has been -regarded by them, and by us, as a show vessel. But according to their -own account, she fails altogether as a steamer. The greatest pace her -engines will give is seven knots an hour; and this is felt to be so -insufficient for the wants of the present time, that it is intended -to take them out of her and replace them by a new set as soon as an -opportunity will allow. This will be done, although the vessel and -the engines are new. I mention this, not as reflecting in any way -disgracefully on the dockyard from whence she came; but to show that -our Admiralty is not the only one which may have to chop and change -its vessels after they are built. We hear much—too much perhaps—of -the misfortunes which attend our own navy; but of the misfortunes of -other navies we hear very little. It is a pity that we cannot have -some record of all the blunders committed at Cherbourg.</p> - -<p>The 'Merrimac' carries the flag of Flag-officer Long, on whom also we -called. He is a fine old gentleman, with a magnificent head and -forehead, looking I should say much more like an English nobleman -than a Yankee sailor. Flag-officer Long! Who will explain to us why -the Americans of the United States should persist in calling their -senior naval officers by so awkward an appellation, seeing that the -well-known and well-sounding title of admiral is very much at their -disposal?</p> - -<p>When I returned to the shore from the 'Merrimac' I had half an hour -to pack before I again started for the 'Vixen.' As it would be -necessary that I should return to Panamá, and as whatever luggage I -now took with me would have to be carried through the whole of Costa -Rica on mules' backs, it became expedient that I should leave the -greater part of my kit behind me. Then came the painful task of -selection, to be carried out with the thermometer at ninety, and to -be completed in thirty minutes! To go or not to go had to be asked -and answered as to every shirt and pair of trousers. Oh, those weary -clothes! If a man could travel as a dog, how delightful it would be -to keep moving from year's end to year's end!</p> - -<p>We steamed up the coast for two days quietly, placidly, and steadily. -I cannot say that the trip was a pleasant one, remembering how -intense was the heat. On one occasion we stopped for -practice-shooting, and it behoved me of course to mount the -paddle-box and see what was going on. This was at eleven in the -morning, and though it did not last for above an hour, I was brought -almost to fainting by the power of the sun.</p> - -<p>Punta-arenas—Sandy Point—is a small town and harbour situated in -Costa Rica, near the top of the Bay of Nicoya, The sail up the bay is -very pretty, through almost endless woods stretching away from the -shores to the hills. There is, however, nothing majestic or grand -about the scenery here. There are no Andes in sight, no stupendous -mountains such as one might expect to see after coming so far to see -them. It is all pretty quiet and ordinary; and on the whole perhaps -superior to the views from the sea at Herne Bay.</p> - -<p>The captain of the 'Vixen' had decided on going up to San José with -me, as at the last moment did also the master, San José being the -capital of Costa Rica. Our first object therefore was to hire a guide -and mules, which, with the assistance of the acting English consul, -we soon found. For even at Punta-arenas the English flag flies, and a -distressed British subject can claim protection.</p> - -<p>It is a small village lying along a creek of the sea, inside the -sandy point from whence it is named. Considerable business is done -here in the exportation of coffee, which is the staple produce of -Costa Rica. It is sent chiefly to England; but it seemed to me that -the money-making inhabitants of Punta-arenas were mostly Americans; -men who either had been to California or who had got so far on their -road thither and then changed their minds. It is a hot, dusty, -unattractive spot, with a Yankee inn, at which men may "liquor," and -a tram railroad running for twelve miles into the country. It abounds -in oysters and beer, on which we dined before we started on our -journey.</p> - -<p>I was thus for the first time in Central America. This continent, if -it may be so called, comprises the five republics of Guatemala, -Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. When this country -first broke away from Spanish rule in 1821, it was for a while -content to exist as one state, under the name of the Republic of -Guatemala; as it had been known for nearly three hundred years as a -Spanish province under the same denomination—that of Guatemala. -After a hard tussle with Mexico, which endeavoured to devour it, and -which forty years ago was more prone to annex than to be annexed, -this republic sat itself fairly going, with the city of Guatemala for -its capital. But the energies and ambition of the different races -comprised among the two million inhabitants of Central America would -not allow them to be governed except each in its own province. Some -ten years since, therefore, the five States broke asunder. Each -claimed to be sovereign and independent. Each chose its own president -and had its own capital; and consequently, as might be expected, no -part of the district in question has been able to enjoy those natural -advantages with which Providence has certainly endowed it. To these -States must be added, in counting up the countries of Central -America, British Honduras, consisting of Belize and the adjacent -district, and the Mosquito coast which so lately was under British -protection; and which <span class="nowrap">is—.</span> -But here I must be silent, or I may -possibly trench upon diplomatic subjects still unsettled.</p> - -<p>My visit was solely to Costa Rica, which has in some respects done -better than its neighbours. But this has been owing to the -circumstances of its soil and climate rather than to those of its -government, which seems to me to be as bad as any can be which -deserves that name. In Costa Rica there certainly is a government, -and a very despotic one it is.</p> - -<p>I am not much given to the sins of dandyism, but I must own I was not -a little proud of my costume as I left Punta-arenas. We had been told -that according to the weather our ride would be either dusty or muddy -in no ordinary degree, and that any clothes which we might wear -during the journey would be utterly useless as soon as the journey -was over. Consequently we purchased for ourselves, in an American -store, short canvas smock-frocks, which would not come below the -saddle, and coarse holland trousers. What class of men may usually -wear these garments in Costa Rica I cannot say; but in England I have -seen navvies look exactly as my naval friends looked; and I flatter -myself that my appearance was quite equal to theirs. I had procured -at Panamá a light straw hat, with an amazing brim, and had covered -the whole with white calico. I have before said that my beard had -become "poblada," so that on the whole I was rather gratified than -otherwise when I was assured by the storekeeper that we should -certainly be taken for three filibusters. Now the name of filibuster -means something serious in those localities, as I shall in a few -pages have to explain.</p> - -<p>We started on our journey by railroad, for there is a tramway that -runs for twelve miles through the forest. We were dragged along on -this by an excellent mule, till our course was suddenly impeded by a -tree which had fallen across the road. But in course of time this was -removed, and in something less than three hours we found ourselves at -a saw-mill in the middle of the forest.</p> - -<p>The first thing that met my view on stepping out of the truck was a -solitary Englishman seated on a half-sawn log of wood. Those who -remember Hood's Whims and Oddities may bear in mind a heart-rending -picture of the last man. Only that the times do not agree, I should -have said that this poor fellow must have sat for the picture. He was -undeniably an English labourer. No man of any other nation would have -had that face, or worn those clothes, or kicked his feet about in -that same awkward, melancholy humour.</p> - -<p>He was, he said, in charge of the saw-mill, having been induced to -come out into that country for three years. According to him, it was -a wretched, miserable place. "No man," he said, "ever found himself -in worse diggings." He earned a dollar and a half a day, and with -that he could hardly buy shoes and have his clothes washed. "Why did -he not go home?" I asked. "Oh, he had come for three years, and he'd -stay his three years out—if so be he didn't die." The saw-mill was -not paying, he said; and never would pay. So that on the whole his -account of Costa Rica was not encouraging.</p> - -<p>We had been recommended to stay the first night at a place called -Esparza, where there is a decent inn. But before we left Punta-arenas -we learnt that Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of the Republic, -was coming down the same road with a large retinue of followers to -inaugurate the commencement of the works of the canal. He would be on -his way to meet his brother-president of the next republic, -Nicaragua, at San Juan del Sur; and at a spot some little distance -from thence this great work was to be begun at once. He and his party -were to sleep at Esparza. Therefore we decided on going on further -before we halted; and in truth at that place we did meet Don Juan and -his retinue.</p> - -<p>As both Costa Rica and Nicaragua are chiefly of importance to the -eastern and western worlds, as being the district in which the -isthmus between the two Americas may be most advantageously pierced -by a canal—if it be ever so pierced—this subject naturally intrudes -itself into all matters concerning these countries. Till the opening -of the Panamá railway the transit of passengers through Nicaragua was -immense. At present the railway has it all its own way. But the -subject, connected as it has been with that of filibustering, mingles -itself so completely with all interests in Costa Rica, that nothing -of its present doings or politics can be well understood till -something is understood on this canal subject. Sooner or later I must -write a chapter on it; and it would almost be well if the reader -would be pleased to take it out of its turn and get through it at -once. The chapter, however, cannot well be brought in till these, -recording my travels in Costa Rica, are completed.</p> - -<p>Don Juan Mora and his retinue had arrived some hours before us, and -had nearly filled the little hotel. This was kept by a Frenchman, and -as far as provisions and beer were concerned seemed to be well kept. -Our requirements did not go beyond these. On entering the public -sitting-room a melodiously rich Irish brogue at once greeted my ears, -and I saw seated at the table, joyous in a semi-military uniform, The -O'Gorman Mahon, great as in bygone unemancipated days, when with head -erect and stentorian voice he would make himself audible to half the -County Clare. The head was still as erect, and the brogue as -unexceptionable.</p> - -<p>He speedily introduced us to a brother-workman in the same mission, -the Prince Polignac. With the President himself I had not the honour -of making acquaintance, for he speaks only Spanish, and my tether in -that language is unfortunately very short. But the captain of the -'Vixen' was presented to him. He seemed to be a courteous little -gentleman, though rather flustered by the magnitude of the work on -which he was engaged.</p> - -<p>There was something singular in the amalgamation of the three men who -had thus got themselves together in this place to do honour to the -coming canal. The President of the Republic, Prince Polignac, and The -O'Gorman Mahon! I could not but think of the heterogeneous heroes of -the 'Groves of Blarney.'</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table style="margin: 0 auto; font-size: 90%;"><tr><td align="left"> -"There were Nicodemus, and Polyphemus,<br /> - Oliver Cromwell, and Leslie <span class="nowrap">Foster."<a href="#f3">*</a></span> -</td></tr></table> -</div> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f3"></a>[*I am not quoting the words -rightly I fear; but the selection in the -true song is miscellaneous in the same degree.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>"And now, boys, ate a bit of what's going, and take a dhrop of -dhrink," said The O'Gorman, patting us on the shoulders with kind -patronage. We did as we were bid, ate and drank, paid the bill, and -went our way rejoicing. That night, or the next morning rather, at -about 2 <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span>, we reached a wayside inn called San Mateo, and there -rested for five or six hours. That we should obtain any such -accommodation along the road astonished me, and of such as we got we -were very glad. But it must not be supposed that it was of a very -excellent quality. We found three bedsteads in the front room into -which the door of the house opened. On these were no mattresses, not -even a palliasse. They consisted of flat boards sloping away a little -towards the feet, with some hard substance prepared for a pillow. In -the morning we got a cup of coffee without milk. For these luxuries -and for pasturage for the mules we paid about ten shillings a head. -Indeed, everything of this kind in Costa Rica is excessively dear.</p> - -<p>Our next day's journey was a very long one, and to my companions very -fatiguing, for they had not latterly been so much on horseback as had -been the case with myself. Our first stage before breakfast was of -some five hours' duration, and from the never-ending questions put to -the guide as to the number of remaining leagues, it seemed to be -eternal. The weather also was hot, for we had not yet got into the -high lands; and a continued seat of five hours on a mule, under a -burning sun, is not refreshing to a man who is not accustomed to such -exercise; and especially is not so when he is unaccustomed to the -half-trotting, half-pacing steps of the beast. The Spaniard sits in -the saddle without moving, and generally has his saddle well stuffed -and padded, and then covered with a pillion. An Englishman disdains -so soft a seat, and endeavours to rise in his stirrup at every step -of the mule, as he would on a trotting horse at home. In these -Hispano-American countries this always provokes the ridicule of the -guide, who does not hesitate to tell the poor wretch who is suffering -in his pillory that he does not know how to ride.</p> - -<p>With some of us the pillory was very bad, and I feared for a time -that we should hardly have been able to mount again after breakfast. -The place at which we were is called Atenas, and I must say in praise -of this modern Athens, and of the three modern Athenian girls who -waited on us, that their coffee, eggs, and grilled fowl were very -good. The houses of these people are exceedingly dirty, their modes -of living comfortless and slovenly in the extreme. But there seems to -be no lack of food, and the food is by no means of a bad description. -Along this road from Punta-arenas to San Jose we found it always -supplied in large quantities and fairly cooked. The prices demanded -for it were generally high. But then all prices are high; and it -seems that, even among the poorer classes, small sums of money are -not valued as with us. There is no copper coin. Half a rial, equal to -about threepence, is the smallest piece in use. A handful of rials -hardly seems to go further, or to be thought more of, than a handful -of pence with us; and a dollar, eight rials, ranks hardly higher in -estimation than a shilling does in England.</p> - -<p>At last, by the gradual use of the coffee and eggs, and by the -application, external and internal, of a limited amount of brandy, -the outward and the inward men were recruited; and we once more found -ourselves on the backs of our mules, prepared for another stage of -equal duration. These evils always lessen as we become more -accustomed to them, so that when we reached a place called -Assumption, at which we were to rest for the night, we all gallantly -informed the muleteer that we were prepared to do another stage. "Not -so the mules," said the muleteer; and as his words were law, we -prepared to spend the night at Assumption.</p> - -<p>Our road hitherto had been rising nearly the whole way, and had been -generally through a picturesque country. We ascended one long severe -hill, severe that is as a road, though to a professed climber of -mountains it would be as nothing. From the summit of this hill we had -a magnificent view down to the Pacific, Again, at a sort of fortress -through which we passed, and which must have been first placed there -by the old Spaniards to guard the hill-passes, we found a very lovely -landscape looking down into the valley. Here some show of a demand -was made for passports; but we had none to exhibit, and no opposition -was made to our progress. Except at these two places, the scenery, -which was always more or less, pretty, was never remarkable. And even -at the two points named there was nothing to equal the mountain -scenery of many countries in Europe.</p> - -<p>What struck me most was the constant traffic on the road or track -over which we passed. I believe I may call it a road, for the produce -of the country is brought down over it in bullock carts; and I think -that in South Wales I have taken a gig over one very much of the same -description. But it is extremely rude; and only fit for solid wooden -wheels—circles, in fact, of timber—such as are used, and for the -patient, slow step of the bullocks.</p> - -<p>But during the morning and evening hours the strings of these bullock -carts were incessant. They travel from four till ten, then rest till -three or four, and again proceed for four or five hours in the cool -of the evening. They are all laden with coffee, and the idea they -give is, that the growth of that article in Costa Rica must be much -more than sufficient to supply the whole world. For miles and miles -we met them, almost without any interval. Coffee, coffee, coffee; -coffee, coffee, coffee! It is grown in large quantities, I believe, -only in the high lands of San José; and all that is exported is sent -down to Punta-arenas, though by travelling this route it must either -pass across the isthmus railway at a vast cost, or else be carried -round the Horn. At present half goes one way and half the other. But -not a grain is carried, as it should all be carried, direct to the -Atlantic. When I come to speak of the road from San José to Greytown, -the reason for this will be understood.</p> - -<p>The bivouacs made on the roadside by the bullock drivers for their -night and noon accommodation are very picturesque when seen filled by -the animals. A piece of flat ground is selected by the roadside, -about half an acre in size, and close to a river or some running -water. Into this one or two hundred bullocks are taken, and then -released from their carts. But they are kept yoked together to -prevent their straying. Here they are fed exclusively on sugar-canes, -which the men carry with them, and buy along the road. The drovers -patiently cut the canes up with their knives, and the beasts -patiently munch them. Neither the men nor the animals roar, as they -would with us, or squabble for the use of the water-course, or curse -their own ill luck or the good luck of their neighbours. Drivers and -driven are alike orderly, patient, and slow, spending their lives in -taking coffee down to Punta-arenas, and in cutting and munching -thousands of sugar-canes.</p> - -<p>We passed some of those establishments by moonlight, and they looked -like large crowded fairs full of low small booths. The men, however, -do not put up tents, but sleep out in their carts.</p> - -<p>They told me that the soil in Costa Rica was very favourable to the -sugar-cane, and I looked out to see some sugar among the coffee. But -not a hogshead came that way. We saw patches of the cane growing by -the roadside; but no more was produced than what sufficed for the use -of the proprietor himself, and for such sale as the traffic on the -road afforded. Indeed, I found that they do not make sugar, so -called, in Costa Rica, but import what they use. The article -fabricated is called by them "dulce." It comes from their hands in -ugly round brown lumps, of the consistency of brick, looking, in -truth, much more like a large brickbat than any possible saccharine -arrangement. Nevertheless, the canes are fairly good, and the juice -as sweet as that produced in first-rate sugar-growing soils.</p> - -<p>It seemed that the only use made of this "dulce," excepting that of -sweetening the coffee of the peasants, is for distillation. A spirit -is made from it at San José, called by the generic name of -aguardiente; and this doubtless would give considerable impulse to -the growth of sugar-canes but for a little law made on the subject by -the present President of the republic. The President himself is a -cane-grower, and by this law it is enacted that the only person in -Costa Rica entitled to supply the distillery with dulce shall be Don -Juan Mora. Now, Don Juan Mora is the President.</p> - -<p>Before I left the country I came across an American who was desirous -of settling there with the view of producing cocoa. "Well," said I, -"and what do you think of it?"</p> - -<p>"Why, I like the diggings," said he; "and guess I could make things -fix well enough. But suppose the President should choose to grow all -the cocoa as well as all the gin! Where would my cacao-plants be -then?" At a discount, undoubtedly. These are the effects on a country -of despotism in a small way.</p> - -<p>On my way into San José I got off my mule to look at an old peasant -making dulce, or in other words grinding his sugar-canes by the -roadside. It was done in the most primitive manner. One bullock -turned the mill, which consisted of three vertical wooden rollers. -The juice trickled into a little cistern; and as soon as the old man -found that he had enough, he baled it out and boiled it down. And yet -I imagine that as good sugar may be made in Costa Rica as in British -Guiana. But who will put his capital into a country in which the -President can pass any law he pleases on his own behalf?</p> - -<p>In the neighbourhood of San José we began to come across the coffee -plantations. They certainly give the best existing proof of the -fertility and progress of the country. I had seen coffee plantations -in Jamaica, but there they are beautifully picturesque, placed like -hanging gardens on the steep mountain-sides. Some of these seem to be -almost inaccessible, and the plant always has the appearance of being -a hardy mountain shrub. But here in Costa Rica it is grown on the -plain. The secret, I presume, is that a certain temperature is -necessary, and that this is afforded by a certain altitude from the -sea. In Jamaica this altitude is only to be found among the -mountains, but it is attained in Costa Rica on the high plains of the -interior.</p> - -<p>And then we jogged slowly into San José on the third day after our -departure from Punta-arenas. Slowly, sorely, and with minds much -preoccupied, we jogged into San José. On leaving the saw-mill at the -end of the tramway my two friends had galloped gallantly away into -the forest, as though a brave heart and a sharp pair of spurs would -have sufficed to carry them right through to their journey's end. But -the muleteer with his pony and the baggage-mule then lingered far -behind. His heart was not so brave, nor were his spurs apparently so -sharp. The luggage, too, was slipping every ten minutes, for I -unfortunately had a portmanteau, of which no muleteer could ever make -anything. It has been condemned in Holy Land, in Jamaica, in Costa -Rica, wherever it has had to be fixed upon any animal's back. On this -occasion it nearly broke both the heart of the muleteer and the back -of the mule.</p> - -<p>But things were changed as we crept into San José. The muleteer was -all life, and led the way, driving before him the pack-mule, now at -length reconciled to his load. And then, at straggling intervals, our -jibes all silenced, our showy canters all done, rising wearily in our -stirrups at every step, shifting from side to side to ease the galls -"That patient merit of the unworthy takes"—for our merit had been -very patient, and our saddles very unworthy—we jogged into San José.</p> - - -<p><a id="c18"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XVIII.</h3> -<h4>CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA—SAN JOSÉ.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>All travellers when entering unknown towns for the first time have -felt that intense interest on the subject of hotel accommodation -which pervaded our hearts as we followed our guide through the -streets. We had been told that there were two inns in the town, and -that we were to go to the Hotel San José. And accordingly we went to -it.</p> - -<p>It was quite evident that the landlord at first had some little doubt -as to the propriety of admitting us; and but for our guide, whom he -knew, we should have had to explain at some length who we were. But -under his auspices we were taken in without much question.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards themselves are not in their own country at all famous -for their inns. No European nation has probably advanced so slowly -towards civilization in this respect as Spain has done. And -therefore, as these Costa Ricans are Spanish by descent and language, -and as the country itself is so far removed from European -civilization, we did not expect much. Had we fallen into the hands of -Spaniards we should probably have received less even than we -expected. But as it was we found ourselves in a comfortable -second-class little German inn. It was German in everything; its -light-haired landlord, frequently to be seen with a beer tankard in -hand; its tidy landlady, tidy at any rate in the evening, if not -always so in the morning; its early hours, its cookery, its drink, -and I think I may fairly add, its prices.</p> - -<p>On entering the first town I had visited in Central America, I had of -course looked about me for strange sights. That men should be found -with their heads under their shoulders, or even living in holes -burrowed in the ground, I had not ventured to hope. But when a man -has travelled all the way to Costa Rica, he does expect something -strange. He does not look to find everything as tame and flat and -uninteresting as though he were riding into a sleepy little borough -town in Wiltshire.</p> - -<p>We cannot cross from Dover to Ostend without finding at once that we -are among a set of people foreign to ourselves. The first glance of -the eye shows this in the architecture of the houses, and the costume -of the people. We find the same cause for excitement in France, -Switzerland, and Italy; and when we get as far as the Tyrol, we come -upon a genus of mankind so essentially differing from our own as to -make us feel that we have travelled indeed.</p> - -<p>But there is little more interest to be found in entering San José -than in driving through the little Wiltshire town above alluded to. -The houses are comfortable enough. They are built with very ordinary -doors and windows, of one or two stories according to the wealth of -the owners, and are decently clean outside, though apparently rather -dirty within. The streets are broad and straight, being all at right -angles to each other, and though not very well paved, are not rough -enough to elicit admiration. There is a square, the pláza, in which -stands the cathedral, the barracks, and a few of the best houses in -the town. There is a large and tolerably well-arranged market-place. -There is a really handsome set of public buildings, and there are two -moderately good hotels. What more can a man rationally want if he -travel for business? And if he travel for pleasure how can he -possibly find less?</p> - -<p>It so happened that at the time of my visit to Costa Rica Sir William -Ouseley was staying at San José with his family. He had been sent, as -all the world that knows anything doubtless knows very well, as -minister extraordinary from our Court to the governments of Central -America, with the view of settling some of those tough diplomatic -questions as to the rights of transit and occupation of territory, -respecting which such world-famous Clayton-Bulwer treaties and -Cass-Yrrisari treaties have been made and talked of. He had been in -Nicaragua, making no doubt an equally famous Ouseley-something -treaty, and was now engaged on similar business in the capital of -Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>Of the nature of this August work,—for such work must be very -august,—I know nothing. I only hope that he may have at least as -much success as those who went before him. But to me it was a great -stroke of luck to find so pleasant and hospitable a family in so -outlandish a place as San José. And indeed, though I have given -praise to the hotel, I have given it with very little personal -warrant as regards my knowledge either of the kitchen or cellar. My -kitchen and cellar were beneath the British flag at the corner of the -pláza, and I had reason to be satisfied with them in every respect.</p> - -<p>And I had abundant reason to be greatly gratified. For not only was -there at San José a minister extraordinary, but also, attached to the -mission, there was an extra-ordinary secretary of legation, a very -prince of good fellows. At home he would be a denizen of the Foreign -Office, and denizens of the Foreign Office are swells at home. But at -San José, where he rode on a mule, and wore a straw hat, and slept in -a linendraper's shop, he was as pleasant a companion as a man would -wish to meet on the western, or indeed on any other side of the -Atlantic.</p> - -<p>I shall never forget the hours I spent in that linendraper's shop. -The rooms over the shop, over that shop and over two or three others, -were occupied by Sir W. Ouseley and his family. There was a chemist's -establishment there, and another in the possession, I think, of a -hatter. They had been left to pursue their business in peace; but my -friend the secretary, finding no rooms sufficiently secluded for -himself in the upper mansion, had managed to expel the haberdasher, -and had located himself not altogether uncomfortably, among the -counters.</p> - -<p>Those who have spent two or three weeks in some foreign town in which -they have no ordinary pursuits, know what it is to have—or perhaps, -more unlucky, know what it is to be without—some pleasant accustomed -haunt, in which they can pretend to read, while in truth the hours -are passed in talking, with some few short intervals devoted to -contemplation and tobacco. Such to me was the shop of the expelled -linendraper at San José. In it, judiciously suspended among the -counters, hung a Panamá grass hammock, in which it was the custom of -my diplomatic friend to lie at length and meditate his despatches. -Such at least had been his custom before my arrival. What became of -his despatches during the period of my stay, it pains me to think; -for in that hammock I had soon located myself, and I fear that my -presence was not found to be a salutary incentive to composition.</p> - -<p>The scenery round San José is certainly striking, but not -sufficiently so to enable one to rave about it. I cannot justly go -into an ecstasy and sing of Pelion or Ossa; nor can I talk of deep -ravines to which the Via Mala is as nothing. There is a range of -hills, respectably broken into prettinesses, running nearly round the -town, though much closer to it on the southern than on the other -sides. Two little rivers run by it, which here and there fall into -romantic pools, or pools which would be romantic if they were not so -very distant from home; if having travelled so far, one did not -expect so very much. There are nice walks too, and pretty rides; only -the mules do not like fast trotting when the weight upon them is -heavy. About a mile and a half from the town, there is a Savanah, -so-called, or large square park, the Hyde Park of San José; and it -would be difficult to imagine a more pleasant place for a gallop. It -is quite large enough for a race-course, and is open to everybody. -Some part of the mountain range as seen from here is really -beautiful.</p> - -<p>The valley of San José, as it is called, is four thousand five -hundred feet above the sea; and consequently, though within the -tropics, and only ten degrees north of the line, the climate is good, -and the heat, I believe, never excessive. I was there in April, and -at that time, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, and -that only on some days, there was nothing like tropical heat. Within -ten days of my leaving San José I heard natives at Panamá complaining -of the heat as being altogether unendurable. But up there, on that -high plateau, the sun had no strength that was inconvenient even to -an Englishman.</p> - -<p>Indeed, no climate can, I imagine, be more favourable to fertility -and to man's comfort at the same time than that of the interior of -Costa Rica. The sugar-cane comes to maturity much quicker than in -Demerara or Cuba. There it should be cut in about thirteen or -fourteen months from the time it is planted; in Nicaragua and Costa -Rica it comes to perfection in nine or ten. The ground without manure -will afford two crops of corn in a year. Coffee grows in great -perfection, and gives a very heavy crop. The soil is all volcanic, -or, I should perhaps more properly say, has been the produce of -volcanoes, and is indescribably fertile. And all this has been given -without that intensity of heat which in those southern regions -generally accompanies tropical fertility, and which makes hard work -fatal to a white man; while it creates lethargy and idleness, and -neutralizes gifts which would otherwise be regarded as the fairest -which God has bestowed on his creatures. In speaking thus, I refer to -the central parts of Costa Rica only, to those which lie some -thousand feet above the level of the sea. Along the sea-shores, both -of the Atlantic and Pacific, the heat is as great, and the climate as -unwholesome as in New Granada or the West Indies. It would be -difficult to find a place worse circumstanced in this respect than -Punta-arenas.</p> - -<p>But though the valley or plateau of San José, and the interior of the -country generally is thus favourably situated, I cannot say that the -nation is prosperous. It seems to be God's will that highly-fertile -countries should not really prosper. Man's energy is brought to its -highest point by the presence of obstacles to be overcome, by the -existence of difficulties which are all but insuperable. And -therefore a Scotch farm will give a greater value in produce than an -equal amount of land in Costa Rica. When nature does so much, man -will do next to nothing!</p> - -<p>Those who seem to do best in this country, both in trade and -agriculture, are Germans. Most of those who are carrying on business -on a large scale are foreigners,—that is, not Spanish by descent. -There are English here, and Americans, and French, but I think the -Germans are the most wedded to the country. The finest coffee -properties are in the hands of foreigners, as also are the -plantations of canes, and saw-mills for the preparation of timber. -But they have a very uphill task. Labour is extremely scarce, and -very dear. The people are not idle as the negroes are, and they love -to earn and put by money; but they are very few in number; they have -land of their own, and are materially well off. In the neighbourhood -of San José, a man's labour is worth a dollar a day, and even at that -price it is not always to be had.</p> - -<p>It seems to be the fact that in all countries in which slavery has -existed and has been abolished, this subject of labour offers the -great difficulty in the way of improvement. Labour becomes unpopular, -and is regarded as being in some sort degrading. Men will not -reconcile it with their idea of freedom. They wish to work on their -own land, if they work at all; and to be their own masters; to grow -their own crops, be they ever so small; and to sit beneath their own -vine, be the shade ever so limited. There are those who will delight -to think that such has been the effect of emancipation; who will -argue,—and they have strong arguments on their side,—that God's -will with reference to his creatures is best carried out by such an -order of things. I can only say that the material result has not -hitherto been good. As far as we at present see, the struggle has -produced idleness and sensuality, rather than prosperity and -civilization.</p> - -<p>It is hardly fair to preach this doctrine, especially with regard to -Costa Rica, for the people are not idle. That, at least, is not -specially their character. They are a humdrum, contented, quiet, -orderly race of men; fond of money, but by no means fond of risking -it; living well as regards sufficiency of food and raiment, but still -living very close; anxious to effect small savings, and politically -contented if the security of those savings can be insured to them. -They seem to be little desirous, even among the upper classes, or -what we would call the tradespeople, of education, either religious -or profane; they have no enthusiasm, no ardent desires, no -aspirations. If only they could be allowed to sell their dulce to the -maker of aguardiente,—if they might be permitted to get their little -profit out of the manufacture of gin! That, at present, is the one -grievance that affects them, but even that they bear easily.</p> - -<p>It will perhaps be considered my duty to express an opinion whether -or no they are an honest people. In one respect, certainly. They -steal nothing; at any rate, make no great thefts. No one is attacked -on the roads; no life is in danger from violence; houses are not -broken open. Nay, a traveller's purse left upon a table is, I -believe, safe; nor will his open portmanteau be rifled. But when you -come to deal with them, the matter is different. Then their -conscience becomes elastic; and as the trial is a fair one between -man and man, they will do their best to cheat you. If they lie to -you, cannot you lie to them? And is it not reasonable to suppose that -you do do so? If they, by the aid of law, can get to the windy side -of you, is not that merely their success in opposition to your -attempt—for of course you do attempt—to get to the windy side of -them? And then bribes are in great vogue. Justice is generally to be -bought; and when that is in the market, trade in other respects is -not generally conducted in the most honest manner.</p> - -<p>Thus, on the whole, I cannot take upon myself to say that they are -altogether an honest people. But they have that kind of honesty which -is most essential to the man who travels in a wild country. They do -not knock out the traveller's brains, or cut his throat for the sake -of what he has in his pocket.</p> - -<p>Generally speaking, the inhabitants of Costa Rica are of course -Spanish by descent, but here, as in all these countries, the blood is -very much mixed: pure Spanish blood is now, I take it, quite an -exception. This is seen more in the physiognomy than in the colour, -and is specially to be noticed in the hair. There is a mixture of -three races, the Spanish, the native Indian, and the Negro; but the -traces of the latter are comparatively light and few. Negroes, men -and women, absolutely black, and of African birth or descent, are -very rare; and though traces of the thick lip and the woolly hair are -to be seen—to be seen in the streets and market-places—they do not -by any means form a staple of the existing race.</p> - -<p>The mixture is of Spanish and of Indian blood, in which the Spanish -no doubt much preponderates. The general colour is that of a white -man, but of one who is very swarthy. Occasionally this becomes so -marked that the observer at once pronounces the man or woman to be -coloured. But it is the colouring of the Indian, and not of the -negro; the hue is rich, and to a certain extent bright, and the lines -of the face are not flattened and blunted. The hair also is -altogether human, and in no wise sheepish.</p> - -<p>I do not think that the inhabitants of Costa Rica have much to boast -of in the way of personal beauty. Indeed, the descendant of the -Spaniard, out of his own country, seems to lose both the manly -dignity and the female grace for which old Spain is still so noted. -Some pretty girls I did see, but they could boast only the ordinary -prettiness which is common to all young girls, and which our friends -in France describe as being the special gift of the devil. I saw no -fine, flaming, flashing eyes; no brilliant figures, such as one sees -in Seville around the altar-rails in the churches: no profiles -opening upon me struck me with mute astonishment.</p> - -<p>The women were humdrum in their appearance, as the men are in their -pursuits. They are addicted to crinoline, as is the nature of women -in these ages; but so long as their petticoats stuck out, that seemed -to be everything. In the churches they squat down on the ground, in -lieu of kneeling, with their dresses and petticoats arranged around -them, looking like huge turnips with cropped heads—like turnips -that, by their persevering growth, had got half their roots above the -ground. Now women looking like turnips are not specially attractive.</p> - -<p>I was at San José during Passion Week, and had therefore an -opportunity of seeing the processions which are customary in Roman -Catholic countries at that period. I certainly should not say that -the Costa Ricans are especially a religious people. They are humdrum -in this as in other respects, and have no enthusiasm either for or -against the priesthood. Free-thinking is not the national sin; nor is -fanaticism. They are all Roman Catholics, most probably without an -exception. Their fathers and mothers were so before them, and it is a -thing of course.</p> - -<p>There used to be a bishop of Costa Rica; indeed, they never were -without one till the other day. But not long since the father of -their church in some manner displeased the President: he had, I -believe, taken it into his sacred head that he, as bishop, might make -a second party in the state, and organize an opposition to the -existing government; whereupon the President banished him, as the -President can do to any one by his mere word, and since that time -there has been no bishop. "And will they not get another?" I asked. -"No; probably not; they don't want one. It will be so much money -saved." Looking at the matter in this light, there is often much to -be said for the expediency of reducing one's establishment. "And who -manages the church?" "It does not require much management. It goes on -in the old way. When they want priests they get them from Guatemala." -If we could save all our bishoping, and get our priests as we want -them from Guatemala, or any other factory, how excellent would be the -economy!</p> - -<p>The cathedral of San José is a long, low building, with side aisles -formed by very rickety-looking wooden pillars—in substance they are -hardly more than poles—running from the ground to the roof. The -building itself is mean enough, but the internal decorations are not -badly arranged, and the general appearance is neat, orderly, and -cool. We all know the usual manner in which wooden and waxen virgins -are dressed and ornamented in such churches. There is as much of this -here as elsewhere; but I have seen it done in worse taste both in -France and Italy. The façade of the church, fronting the pláza is -hardly to be called a portion of the church; but is an adjunct to it, -or rather the church has been fixed on to the façade, which is not -without some architectural pretension.</p> - -<p>In New Granada—Columbia that was—the cathedrals are arranged as -they are in old Spain. The choir is not situated round the altar, or -immediately in front of it, as is the custom in Christian churches -in, I believe, all other countries, but is erected far down the -centre aisle, near the western entrance. This, however, was not the -case in any church that I saw in Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>During the whole of Passion Week there was a considerable amount of -religious activity, in the way of preaching and processions, which -reached its acme on Good Friday. On that day the whole town was -processioning from morning—which means four o'clock—till -evening—which means two hours after sunset. They had three figures, -or rather three characters,—for two of them appeared in more than -one guise and form,—each larger than life; those, namely, of our -Saviour, the Virgin, and St. John. These figures are made of wax, and -the faces of some of them were excellently moulded. These are -manufactured in Guatemala—as the priests are; and the people there -pride themselves on their manufacture, not without reason.</p> - -<p>The figures of our Saviour and the Virgin were in different dresses -and attitudes, according to the period of the day which it was -intended to represent; but the St. John was always represented in the -dress of a bishop of the present age. The figures were supported on -men's shoulders, and were carried backwards and forwards through -every portion of the town, till at last, having been brought forth in -the morning from the cathedral, they were allowed at night to rest in -a rival, and certainly better built, though smaller church.</p> - -<p>I must notice one particularity in the church-going population of -this country. The women occupy the nave and centre aisle, squatting -on the ground, and looking, as I have said, like turnips; whereas the -men never advance beyond the side aisles. The women of the higher -classes—all those, indeed, who make any pretence to dress and -finery—bring with them little bits of carpet, on which they squat; -but there are none of those chairs with which churches on the -Continent are so commonly filled.</p> - -<p>It seemed that there is nothing that can be called society among the -people of San José. They do not go out to each other's homes, nor -meet in public; they have neither tea-parties, nor dinner-parties, -nor dancing-parties, nor card-parties. I was even assured—though I -cannot say that the assurance reached my belief—that they never -flirt! Occasionally, on Sundays, for instance, and on holidays, they -put on their best clothes and call on each other. But even then there -is no conversation among them; they sit stiffly on each other's -sofas, and make remarks at intervals, like minute guns, about the -weather.</p> - -<p>"But what <i>do</i> they do?" I asked. "The men scrape money together, and -when they have enough they build a house, big or little according to -the amount that they have scraped: that satisfies the ambition of a -Costa Rican. When he wishes to amuse himself, he goes to a -cock-fight." "And the women?" "They get married early if their -fathers can give them a few ounces"—the ounce is the old doubloon, -worth here about three pounds eight shillings sterling—"and then -they cook, and have children." "And if the ounces be wanting, and -they don't get married?" "Then they cook all the same, but do not -have the children,—as a general rule." And so people vegetate in -Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>And now I must say a word or two about the form of government in this -country. It is a republic, of course, arranged on the model plan. A -president is elected for a term of years,—in this case six. He has -ministers who assist him in his government, and whom he appoints; and -there is a House of Congress, elected of course by the people, who -make the laws. The President merely carries them out, and so Utopia -is realized.</p> - -<p>Utopia might perhaps be realized in such republics, or at any rate -the realization might not be so very distant as it is at present, -were it not that in all of them the practice, by some accident, runs -so far away from the theory.</p> - -<p>In Costa Rica, Don Juan Rafael Mora, familiarly called Juanito, is -now the president, having been not long since re-elected (?) for the -third time. "We read in the 'Gazette' on Tuesday morning that the -election had been carried on Saturday, and that was all we knew about -it." It is thus they elect a president in Costa Rica; no one knows -anything about it, or troubles his head with the matter. If any one -suggested a rival president, he would be banished. But such a thing -is not thought of; no note is taken as to five years or six years. At -some period that pleases him, the President says that he has been -re-elected, and he is re-elected. Who cares? Why not Juanito as well -as any one else? Only it is a pity he will not let us sell our dulce -to the distillers!</p> - -<p>The President's salary is three thousand dollars a year; an income -which for so high a position is moderate enough. But then a further -sum of six thousand dollars is added to this for official -entertainment. The official entertainments, however, are not -numerous. I was informed that he usually gives one party every year. -He himself still lives in his private house, and still keeps a shop, -as he did before he was president. It must be remembered that there -is no aristocracy in this country above the aristocracy of the -shopkeepers.</p> - -<p>As far as I could learn, the Congress is altogether a farce. There is -a congress or collection of men sent up from different parts of the -country, some ten or dozen of whom sit occasionally round a table in -the great hall; but they neither debate, vote, nor offer opinions. -Some one man, duly instructed by the President, lets them know what -law is to be made or altered, and the law is made or altered. Should -any member of Congress make himself disagreeable, he would, as a -matter of course, be banished; taken, that is, to Punta-arenas, and -there told to shift for himself. Now this enforced journey to -Punta-arenas does not seem to be more popular among the Costa Ricans -than a journey to Siberia is among the Russians.</p> - -<p>Such is the model republic of Central America,—admitted, I am told, -to be the best administered of the cluster of republics there -established. This, at any rate, may certainly be said for it—that -life and property are safe. They are safe for the present, and will -probably remain so, unless the filibusters make their way into the -neighbouring state of Nicaragua in greater numbers and with better -leaders than they have hitherto had.</p> - -<p>And it must be told to the credit of the Costa Ricans, that it was by -them and their efforts that the invasion of Walker and the -filibusters into Central America was stopped and repelled. These -enterprising gentlemen, the filibusters, landed on the coast of -Nicaragua, having come down from California. Here they succeeded in -getting possession of a large portion of the country, that portion -being the most thickly populated and the richest; many of the towns -they utterly destroyed, and among them Granada, the capital. It seems -that at this time the whole state of Nicaragua was paralyzed, and -unable to strike any blow in its own defence.</p> - -<p>Having laid waste the upper or more northern country, Walker came -down south as far as Rivas, a town still in Nicaragua, but not far -removed from the borders of Costa Rica. His intention, doubtless, was -to take possession of Costa Rica, so that he might command the whole -transit across the isthmus.</p> - -<p>But at Rivas he was attacked by the soldiery of Costa Rica, under the -command of a brother of Don Juan Mora. This was in 1856, and it seems -that some three thousand Costa Ricans were taken as far as Rivas. But -few of them returned. They were attacked by cholera, and what with -that, and want, and the intense heat, to which of course must be -added what injuries the filibusters could do them, they were -destroyed, and a remnant only returned.</p> - -<p>But in 1857 the different states of Central America joined themselves -in a league, with the object of expelling these filibusters. I do not -know that either of the three northern states sent any men to Rivas, -and the weight of the struggle again fell upon Costa Rica. The Costa -Ricans and Nicaraguans together invested Rivas, in which five hundred -filibusters under Walker for some time maintained themselves. These -men were reduced to great straits, and might no doubt have been taken -bodily. But the Central Americans also had their difficulties to -contend with. They did not agree very well together, and they had but -slender means of supporting themselves. It ended in a capitulation, -under which Walker and his associates were to walk out with their -arms and all the honours of war; and by which, moreover, it was -stipulated that the five hundred were to be sent back to America at -the expense of the Central American States. The States, thinking no -doubt that it was good economy to build a golden bridge for a flying -enemy, did so send them back; and in this manner for a while Central -America was freed from the locusts.</p> - -<p>Such was the capitulation of Rivas; a subject on which all Costa -Ricans now take much pride to themselves. And indeed, honour is due -to them in this matter, for they evinced a spirit in the business -when their neighbours of Nicaragua failed to do so. They soon -determined that the filibusters would do them no good;—could indeed -by no possibility do them anything but harm; consequently, they -resolved to have the first blow, and they struck it manfully, though -not so successfully as might have been wished.</p> - -<p>The total population of Central America is, I believe, about two -millions, while that of Costa Rica does not exceed two hundred -thousand. Of the five states, Guatemala has by far the largest number -of inhabitants; and indeed the town of Guatemala may still be -regarded as the capital of all the isthmus territories. They -fabricate there not only priests and wax images, but doctors and -lawyers, and all those expensive luxuries for the production of which -the air of a capital is generally considered necessary. The President -of Guatemala is, they say, an Indian, nearly of pure descent; his -name is Carrera.</p> - -<p>I have spoken of the army of Costa Rica. In point of accoutrement and -outward show, they are on ordinary days somewhat like the troops that -were not fit to march through Coventry. They wear no regimentals, and -are only to be known when on duty by a very rusty-looking gun. On -Sundays, however, and holidays they do wear a sort of uniform, -consisting of a neat cap, and a little braiding upon their best -clothes. This dress, such as it is, they are obliged to find for -themselves. The clothing department, therefore, is not troublesome.</p> - -<p>These men are enrolled after the manner of our militia. The full -number should be nine thousand, and is generally somewhat above six -thousand. Of this number five hundred are kept in barracks, the men -taking it by turns, month by month. When in barracks they receive -about one shilling and sixpence a day; at other times they have no -pay.</p> - -<p>I cannot close my notice of San José without speaking somewhat more -specially of the range of public buildings. I am told that it was -built by a German, or rather by two Germans; the basement and the -upper story being the work of different persons. Be this as it may, -it is a handsome building, and would not disgrace any European -capital. There is in it a throne-room—in England, at least, we -should call it a throne; on this the President sits when he receives -ambassadors from foreign countries. The velvet and gilding were quite -unexceptionable, and the whole is very imposing. The sitting of -Congress is held in the same chamber; but that, as I have explained, -is not imposing.</p> - -<p>The chief produce of Costa Rica is coffee. Those who love statistics -may perhaps care to know that the average yearly export is something -under a hundred thousand quintals; now a quintal weighs a hundred -pounds, or rather, I believe, ninety-nine pounds exact.</p> - - -<p><a id="c19"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XIX.</h3> -<h4>CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA—MOUNT IRAZU.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>In the neighbourhood of San José there is a volcanic mountain, the -name of which is Irazu. I was informed that it still smoked, though -it had discontinued for the present the ejection of flames and lava. -Indeed, the whole country is full of such mountains. There is one, -the Monte Blanco, the summit of which has never yet been reached—so -rumour says in Costa Rica—far distant, enveloped among other -mountains, and to be reached only through dense aboriginal forests, -which still emits, and is always emitting fire and burning floods of -molten stones.</p> - -<p>Different excursions have been made with the object of ascending the -Monte Blanco, but hitherto in vain. Not long since it was attempted -by a French baron, but he and his guide were for twenty days in the -woods, and then returned, their provisions failing them.</p> - -<p>"You should ascend the Monte Blanco," said Sir William Ouseley to me. -"You are a man at large, with nothing to do. It is just the work for -you." This was Sir William's satire on the lightness of my ordinary -occupations. Light as they might be, however, I had neither time nor -courage for an undertaking such as that; so I determined to satisfy -myself with the Irazu.</p> - -<p>It happened, rather unfortunately for me, that at the moment of my -arrival at San José, a large party, consisting of Sir William's -family and others, were in the very act of visiting the mountain. -Those, therefore, who were anxious to see the sight, and willing to -undergo the labour, thus had their opportunity; and it became -impossible for me to make up a second party. One hope I had. The -Secretary of Legation had not gone. Official occupation, joined to a -dislike of mud and rough stones, had kept him at home. Perhaps I -might prevail. The intensity of that work might give way before a -week's unremitting labour, and that Sybarite propensity might be -overcome.</p> - -<p>But all my eloquence was of no avail. An absence of a day and a half -only was required; and three were spent in proving that this could -not be effected. The stones and mud too were becoming worse and -worse, for the rainy season had commenced. In fact, the Secretary of -Legation would not budge. "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle," said the -Secretary of Legation; whereupon he lighted another cigar, and took a -turn in the grass hammock. Now in my mind it must be a very bad game -indeed that is not worth the candle; and almost any game is better -than no game at all.</p> - -<p>I was thus in deep trouble, making up my mind to go alone, or rather -alone with my guide;—for the due appreciation of which state of -loneliness it must be borne in mind that, as I do not speak a word of -Spanish, I should have no possible means of communication with the -guide,—when a low and mild voice fell upon my ear, offering me its -proprietor as my companion.</p> - -<p>"I went up with Sir William last week," said the mild voice; "and if -you will permit me, I shall be happy to go with you. I should like to -see it twice; and I live at Cartago on the way."</p> - -<p>It was quite clear that the owner of the voice was sacrificing -himself, and offering to repeat this troublesome journey merely out -of good nature; but the service which he proposed to render me was -too essential, and I could not afford to reject the offer. He lived -in the country and spoke Spanish, and was, moreover, a mild, -kind-hearted little gentleman, very suitable as a companion, and not -given too pertinaciously to a will of his own. Now the Secretary of -Legation would have driven me mad half a score of times during the -journey. He would have deafened me with politics, and with such -politics too! So that on the whole I knew myself to be well off with -the mild voice.</p> - -<p>"You must go through Cartago," said the mild voice, "and I live -there. We will dine there at the inn to-morrow, and then do a portion -of our work the same evening." It was so arranged. I was to be with -him the next day at three, with a guide and two mules.</p> - -<p>On the next morning it rained provokingly. I ought to have started at -twelve; but at that time it was pouring, and neither the guide nor -the mules showed themselves. "You will never get there," said the -Secretary of Legation, looking up to the murky clouds with a gleam of -delight. "The game is never worth such a candle as that." "I shall -get there most assuredly," said I, rather sulkily, "let the candle -cost what it may." But still the mules did not come.</p> - -<p>Men have no idea of time in any country that is or has been connected -with Spain. "Yes, señor; you said twelve, and it is now only two! -Well, three. The day is long, señor; there is plenty of time. -Vaminos? Since you are in such a hurry, shall we make a start of it?"</p> - -<p>At half-past two o'clock so spoke—not my guide, for, as will be seen -by-and-by, he never spoke at all—but my guide's owner, who came -accompanying the mules. In huge hurry, with sundry mute exclamations, -uttered by my countenance since my tongue was unintelligible, and -with appeals to my watch which should have broken the man's heart as -I thrust it into his face, I clomb into my saddle. And then a -poor-looking, shoeless creature, with a small straw hat tied on to -his head by a handkerchief, with difficulty poised himself on the -other beast "Vamos," I exclaimed, and trotted down the street; for I -knew that in that direction lay the road to Cartago. "God be with -you," said the Secretary of Legation. "The rainy season has set in -permanently, I know; but perhaps you may have half an hour of -sunshine now and again. I hope you will enjoy yourself."</p> - -<p>It was not raining when I started, and in fact did not rain again the -whole afternoon. I trotted valiantly down the street, knowing my way -so far; but at the bottom of the town the roads divided, and I waited -for my guide. "Go on first," said I, pointing along the road. But he -did not understand me, and stood still. "Go on," said I, getting -behind his mule as though to drive him. But he merely stared, and -shuffled himself to the other side of the road. "Cartago," I shouted, -meaning that he was to show me the way there. "Si, señor," he -replied; and backed himself into the ditch out of my way. He was -certainly the stupidest man I ever met in my life, and I believe the -Secretary of Legation had selected him on purpose.</p> - -<p>I was obliged to choose my own road out of two, and luckily chose the -right one. Had I gone wrong, I doubt whether the man would have had -wit enough to put me right. I again trotted on; but in a quarter of -an hour was obliged to wait, for my attendant was behind me, out of -sight, and I felt myself bound to look after my traps, which were -fastened to his mule. "Come on," I shouted in good broad English as -soon as I saw him. "Why the mischief don't you come on?" And my voice -was so pitched, that on this occasion I think he did understand -something of what I meant.</p> - -<p>"Co-o-ome along," I repeated, as he gently drew up to me. And I hit -his mule sharply on the crupper with my stick. "Spur him," I said; -and I explained what I meant by sticking my own rowels into my own -beast. Whereupon the guide showed me that he had no spurs.</p> - -<p>Now if there be one rule of life more strictly kept in Costa Rica -than another, it is this, that no man ever mounts horse or mule -without spurs. A man in England would as soon think of hunting -without breeches. No muleteer was ever seen without them. And when a -mule is hired, if the hirer have no saddle, he may chance to have to -ride without one; but if he have no spurs, he will always be -supplied.</p> - -<p>I took off one of my own, which, by-the-by, I had borrowed out of the -Secretary of Legation's establishment, and offered it to the man, -remembering the well-known doctrine of Hudibras. He then showed me -that one of his hands was tied up, and that he could not put the spur -on. Consequently I was driven to dismount myself, and to act equerry -to this knight. Thrice on the road I had to do so, for twice the spur -slipped from off his naked foot. Even with this I could not bring him -on. It is four leagues, or about sixteen miles, from San José to -Cartago, and with all my hastening we were three hours on the road.</p> - -<p>The way lay through a rich and finely-cultivated country. The whole -of this is now called the valley of San José, and consists, in truth, -of a broad plateau, diversified by moderate hills and valleys, but -all being at a considerable height; that is, from three to four -thousand feet above the sea. The road also is fairly good; so good -that a species of omnibus runs on it daily, there being some -considerable traffic between the places; for Cartago is the second -town in the republic.</p> - -<p>Cartago is now the second town, but not long since it was the -capital. It was, however, destroyed by an earthquake; and though it -has been rebuilt, it has never again taken its former position. Its -present population is said to be ten thousand; but this includes not -only the suburbs, but the adjacent villages. The town covers a large -tract of ground, which is divided into long, broad, parallel streets, -with a large pláza in the middle; as though it had been expected that -a fine Utopian city would have sprung up. Alas! there is nothing fine -about it, and very little that is Utopian.</p> - -<p>Lingering near the hotel door, almost now in a state of despair, I -met him of the mild voice. "Yes; he had been waiting for three hours, -certainly," he mildly said, as I spurred my beast up to the door. -"Now that I was come it was all right; and on the whole he rather -liked waiting—that is, when it did not result in waiting for -nothing." And then we sat down to dinner at the Cartago hotel.</p> - -<p>This also was kept by a German, who after a little hesitation -confessed that he had come to the country as a filibuster. "You have -fallen on your legs pretty well," said I; for he had a comfortable -house, and gave us a decent dinner. "Yes," said he, rather dubiously; -"but when I came to Costa Rica I intended to do better than this." He -might, however, remember that not one in five hundred of them had -done so well.</p> - -<p>And then another guide had to be found, for it was clear that the one -I had brought with me was useless. And I had a visit to make; for my -friend lived with a widow lady, who would be grieved, he said, if I -passed through without seeing her. So I did call on her. I saw her -again on my return through Cartago, as I shall specify.</p> - -<p>With all these delays it was dark when we started. Our plan was to -ride up to an upland pasture farm at which visitors to the mountain -generally stop, to sleep there for a few hours, and then to start -between three and four so as to reach the top of the mountain by -sunrise. Now I perfectly well remember what I said with reference to -sunrises from mountain-tops on the occasion of that disastrous visit -to the Blue Mountain Peak in Jamaica; how I then swore that I would -never do another mountain sunrise, having always failed lamentably in -such attempts. I remember, and did remember this; and as far as the -sunrise was concerned would certainly have had nothing to do with the -Irazu at five o'clock, <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span></p> - -<p>But the volcano and the crater made the matter very different. They -were my attractions; and as the mild voice suggested an early hour, -it would not have become me to have hesitated. "Start at four?" -"Certainly," I said. "The beds at the potrero"—such was the name -they gave the place at which we stopped—"will not be soft enough to -keep us sleeping." "No," said the mild voice, "they are not soft." -And so we proceeded.</p> - -<p>Our road was very rough, and very steep; and the night was very dark. -It was rough at first, and then it became slippery, which was worse. -I had no idea that earth could be so slippery. My mule, which was a -very fine one, fell under me repeatedly, being altogether unable to -keep her footing. On these occasions she usually scrambled up, with -me still on her back. Once, however, near the beginning of my -difficulties, I thought to relieve her; and to do so I got off her. I -soon found my mistake. I immediately slipped down on my hands and -knees, and found it impossible to stand on my feet. I did not sink -into the mud, but slipped off it—down, down, down, as if I were -going back to Cartago, all alone in the dark. It was with difficulty -that I again mounted my beast; but when there, there I remained let -her fall as she would. At eleven o'clock we reached the potrero.</p> - -<p>The house here was little more than a rancho or hut; one of those log -farm buildings which settlers make when they first clear the timber -from a part of their selected lots, intending to replace them in a -year or two by such tidy little houses; but so rarely fulfilling -their intentions. All through Costa Rica such ranchos are common. On -the coffee plantations and in the more highly-cultivated part of the -country, round the towns for instance, and along the road to -Punta-arenas, the farmers have a better class of residence. They -inhabit long, low-built houses, with tiled roofs and a ground floor -only, not at all unlike farmers' houses in Ireland, only that there -they are thatched or slated. Away from such patches of cultivation, -one seldom finds any house better than a log-built rancho.</p> - -<p>But the rancho had a door, and that door was fastened; so we knocked -and hallooed—"Dito," cried the guide; such being, I presume, the -familiar sobriquet of his friend within. "Dito," sang out my mild -friend with all his small energy of voice. "Dito," shouted I; and I -think that my voice was the one which wakened the sleepers within.</p> - -<p>We were soon admitted into the hut, and found that we were by no -means the first comers. As soon as a candle was lighted we saw that -there were four bedsteads in the room, and that two of them were -occupied. There were, however, two left for my friend and myself. And -it appeared also that the occupiers were friends of my friend. They -were German savants, one by profession an architect and the other a -doctor, who had come up into the woods looking for birds, beasts, and -botanical treasures, and had already been there some three or four -days. They were amply supplied with provisions, and immediately -offered us supper. The architect sat up in bed to welcome us, and the -doctor got up to clear the two spare beds of his trappings.</p> - -<p>There is a luck in these things. I remember once clambering to the -top of Scafell-Pike, in Cumberland—if it chance to be in -Westmoreland I beg the county's pardon. I expected nothing more than -men generally look for on the tops of mountains; but to my great -surprise I found a tent. I ventured to look in, and there I saw two -officers of the Engineers, friends of my own, sharpening their knives -preparatory to the dissection of a roast goose. And beside the goose -stood a bottle of brandy. Now I always looked on that as a direct -dispensation of Providence. Walking down the mountain that same -evening to Whitehaven, I stopped at a small public-house on the side -of Enerdale, and called for some whisky and water. The article -produced was not good, and so I said, appealing to an elderly -gentleman in black, who sat by the hobside, very contemplative. "Ah," -said he; "you can't get good drink in these parts, sir; I know that -so well that I generally bring a bottle of my own." I immediately -opened a warm conversation with that gentleman. He was a clergyman of -a neighbouring parish; and in a few minutes a magnum of port had made -its appearance out of a neighbouring cupboard. That I thought was -another dispensation of Providence. It was odd that they should have -come together; but the facts are as I state them.</p> - -<p>I did venture on a glass of brandy and water and a slight morsel of -bread and meat, and then I prepared to throw myself on the bed -immediately opposite to the doctor's. As I did so I saw something -move inside the doctor's bed. "My wife is there," said the doctor, -seeing the direction of my eyes. "Oh!" said I; and I at once became -very moderate in the slight change which I made in my toilet.</p> - -<p>We were to start at four, and at four precisely I woke. As my friend -had said, there was little to tempt me to sleep. The great drawback -to the comfort of these ranchos is the quantity of dirt which -continually falls out of the roof into one's eyes. Then the boards -are hard of course, and of course, also, they are infested with -vermin. They tell you indeed of scorpions and centipedes, of -preternatural wasps, and musquitos as big as young ostriches; but I -found none of these large-looming beasts of prey. Of beasts of a -smaller size I did find more than plenty.</p> - -<p>At four I was up, but my friend was very unwilling to stir. It was -long before I could induce the mild voice to make itself heard in any -way. At that time it was fine, but it was long before I could get the -muleteer. When I had done so, and he had thrown their grass to the -beasts, it began to rain—of course. "It rains like the -<span class="nowrap">d——"</span> said -I, very crossly. "Does it?" said the mild voice from the bed. "I am -so sorry;" and in half a second he was again in the land of dreams. -The doctor snored; but from the furthest remote comer I could see the -eye of the doctor's wife looking out at me.</p> - -<p>It was between six and seven when we started. At that time it was not -raining, but the clouds looked as like rain as the Secretary of -Legation could have desired. And the two Germans were anything but -consolatory in their prophecies. "You'll not see a stick or a stone," -said the architect; "you'd better stop and breakfast with us." "It is -very dangerous to be wet in the mountains, very dangerous," said the -doctor. "It is a bad morning, certainly," pleaded the mild voice -piteously. The doctor's wife said nothing, but I could see her eyes -looking out at the weather. How on earth was she to get herself -dressed, it occurred to me then, if we should postpone our journey -and remain there?</p> - -<p>It ended in our starting just two hours after the prescribed time. -The road up from the potrero is very steep almost the whole way to -the summit, but it was not so muddy as that we had passed over on the -preceding evening. For some little way there were patches of -cultivation, the ground bearing sweet potatoes and Indian corn. Then -we came into a tract of beautiful forest scenery. The land, though -steep, was broken, and only partially covered with trees. The grass -in patches was as good as in an English park, and the views through -the open bits of the forest were very lovely. In four or five -different places we found the ground sufficiently open for all the -requirements of a picturesque country house, and no prettier site for -such a house could well be found. This was by far the finest scenery -that I had hitherto seen in Costa Rica; but even here there was a -want of water. In ascending the mountain we saw some magnificent -forest trees, generally of the kind called cotton-trees in Jamaica. -There were oaks also—so called there—very nearly approaching our -holm-oak in colour and foliage, but much larger than that tree is -with us. They were all more or less covered with parasite plants, and -those parasites certainly add greatly to the beauty of the supporting -trunk.</p> - -<p>By degrees we got into thick forest—forest I mean so thick that it -affords no views. You see and feel the trees that are close to you, -but see nothing else. And here the path became so steep that we were -obliged to dismount and let the beasts clamber up by themselves; and -the mist became very thick, so much so that we could hardly trace our -path; and then the guide said that he thought he had lost his way.</p> - -<p>"People often do come out and go back again without ever reaching the -crater at all, don't they?" said the mild voice.</p> - -<p>"Very often," said the guide.</p> - -<p>"But we won't be such people," said I.</p> - -<p>"Oh no!" said the mild voice. "Not if we can help it."</p> - -<p>"And we will help it. Allons; andiamos; vamos."</p> - -<p>The first word which an Englishman learns in any language is that -which signifies a determination to proceed.</p> - -<p>And we did proceed, turning now hither and now thither, groping about -in the mist, till at last the wood was all left behind us, and we -were out among long grass on a mountain-side. "And now," said the -guide, "unless the mist clears I can't say which way we ought to go."</p> - -<p>The words were hardly out of his mouth when the mist did clear itself -away altogether from one side of us. Looking down to the left, we -could see far away into the valleys beneath, over large forests, and -across a lower range of hills, till the eye could reach the -cultivated plateau below. But on the other side, looking up to a -mountain higher still than that on which we stood, all was not only -misty, but perfectly dark and inscrutable.</p> - -<p>The guide however now knew the spot. We were near the summit of -Irazu, and a further ride of a quarter of an hour took us there; and -indeed here there was no difficulty in riding. The side of the hill -was covered with grass, and not over steep. "There," said the mild -voice, pointing to a broad, bushy, stumpy tree, "there is the place -where Lady Ouseley breakfasted." And he looked at our modest -havresack. "And we will breakfast there too," I answered. "But we -will go down the crater first."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes; certainly," said the mild voice. "But perhaps—I don't -know—I am not sure I can go exactly down into the crater."</p> - -<p>The crater of the volcano is not at the top of the mountain, or -rather it is not at what is now the top of the mountain; so that at -first one has to look down upon it. I doubt even whether the volcano -has ever effected the absolute summit. I may as well state here that -the height of the mountain on which we were now standing is supposed -to be 11,500 feet above the sea-level.</p> - -<p>Luckily for us, though the mist reached to us where we stood, -everything to the left of us was clear, and we could look down, down -into the crater as into a basin. Everything was clear, so that we -could count the different orifices, eight in number, of which two, -however, had almost run themselves into one; and see, as far as it -was possible to see, how the present formation of the volcano had -been brought about.</p> - -<p>It was as though a very large excavation had been made on the side of -a hill, commencing, indeed, not quite from the summit, but very near -it, and leaving a vast hole—not deep in proportion to its -surface—sloping down the mountain-side. This huge excavation, which -I take to be the extent of the crater, for it has evidently been all -formed by the irruption of volcanic matter, is divided into two -parts, a broken fragment of a mountain now lying between them; and -the smaller of these two has lost all volcanic appearance. It is a -good deal covered with bush and scrubby forest trees, and seems to -have no remaining connection with sulphur and brimstone.</p> - -<p>The other part, in which the crater now absolutely in use is -situated, is a large hollow in the mountain-side, which might perhaps -contain a farm of six hundred acres. Not having been able to measure -it, I know no other way of describing what appeared to me to be its -size. But a great portion of this again has lost all its volcanic -appendages; except, indeed, that lumps of lava are scattered over the -whole of it, as they are, though more sparingly, over the mountain -beyond. There is a ledge of rock running round the interior of this -division of the excavation, half-way down it, like a row of seats in -a Roman amphitheatre, or an excrescence, if one can fancy such, -half-way down a teacup. The ground above this ledge is of course more -extensive than that below, as the hollow narrows towards the bottom. -The present working mouth of the volcanic, and all those that have -been working for many a long year—the eight in number of which I -have spoken—lie at the bottom of this lowest hollow. This I should -say might contain a farm of about two hundred acres.</p> - -<p>Such was the form of the land on which we looked down. The descent -from the top to the ledge was easy enough, and was made by myself and -my friend with considerable rapidity. I started at a pace which -convinced him that I should break my neck, and he followed, gallantly -resolving to die with me. "You'll surely kill yourself, Mr. Trollope; -you surely will," said the mild voice. And yet he never deserted me.</p> - -<p>"Sir William got as far as this," said he, when we were on the ledge, -but he got no further. "We will do better than Sir William," said I. -"We will go down into that hole where we see the sulphur." "Into the -very hole?" "Yes. If we get to windward, I think we can get into the -very hole. Look at the huge column of white smoke; how it comes all -in this direction! On the other side of the crater we should not feel -it."</p> - -<p>The descent below the ledge into my smaller farm was not made so -easily. It must be understood that our guide was left above with the -mules. We should have brought two men, whereas we had only brought -one; and had therefore to perform our climbing unassisted. I at first -attempted it in a direct line, down from where we stood; but I soon -found this to be impracticable, and was forced to reascend. The earth -was so friable that it broke away from me at every motion that I -made; and after having gone down a few feet I was glad enough to find -myself again on the ledge.</p> - -<p>We then walked round considerably to the right, probably for more -than a quarter of a mile, and there a little spur in the hillside—a -buttress as it were to the ledge of which I have spoken—made the -descent much easier, and I again tried.</p> - -<p>"Do not you mind following me," I said to my companion, for I saw -that he looked much aghast. "None of Sir William's party went down -there," he answered. "Are you sure of that?" I asked. "Quite sure," -said the mild voice. "Then what a triumph we will have over Sir -William!" and so saying I proceeded. "I think I'll come too," said -the mild voice. "If I do break my neck nobody'll be much the worse;" -and he did follow me.</p> - -<p>There was nothing very difficult in the clambering, but, -unfortunately, just as we got to the bottom the mist came pouring -down upon us, and I could not but bethink me that I should find it -very difficult to make my way up again without seeing any of the -landmarks. I could still see all below me, but I could see nothing -that was above. It seemed as though the mist kept at our own level, -and that we dragged it with us.</p> - -<p>We were soon in one of the eight small craters or mouths of which I -have spoken. Looking at them from above, they seemed to be nearly on -a level, but it now appeared that one or two were considerably higher -than the others. We were now in the one that was the highest on that -side of the excavation. It was a shallow basin, or rather saucer, -perhaps sixty yards in diameter, the bottom of which was composed of -smooth light-coloured sandy clay. In dry weather it would partake -almost of the nature of sand. Many many years had certainly rolled by -since this mouth had been eloquent with brimstone.</p> - -<p>The place at this time was very cold. My friend had brought a large -shawl with him, with which over and over again he attempted to cover -my shoulders. I, having meditated much on the matter, had left my -cloak above. At the present moment I regretted it sorely; but, as -matters turned out, it would have half smothered me before our walk -was over.</p> - -<p>We had now nothing for it but to wait till the mist should go off. -There was but one open mouth to this mountain—one veritable crater -from which a column of smoke and sulphur did then actually issue, and -this, though the smell of the brimstone was already oppressive, was -at some little distance. Gradually the mist did go off, or rather it -shifted itself continually, now ascending far above us, and soon -returning to our feet. We then advanced between two other mouths, and -came to that which was nearest to the existing crater.</p> - -<p>Here the aperture was of a very different kind. Though no smoke -issued from it, and though there was a small tree growing at the -bottom of it,—showing, as I presume, that there had been no eruption -from thence since the seed of that tree had fallen to the -ground,—yet the sides of the crater were as sharp and steep as the -walls of a house. Into those which we had hitherto visited we could -walk easily; into this no one could descend even a single foot, -unless, indeed, he descended somewhat more than a foot so as to dash -himself to pieces at the bottom. They were, when compared together, -as the interior of a plate compared to that of a tea-caddy. Now a -traveller travelling in such realms would easily extricate himself -from the plate, but the depths of the tea-caddy would offer him no -hope.</p> - -<p>Having walked round this mute volcano, we ascended to the side of the -one which was now smoking, for the aperture to this was considerably -higher than that of the last one mentioned. As we were then situated, -the smoke was bearing towards us, and every moment it became more -oppressive; but I saw, or thought I saw, that we could skirt round to -the back of the crater, so as not to get its full volume upon us; and -so I proceeded, he of the mild voice mildly expostulating, but always -following me.</p> - -<p>But when we had ascended to the level of the hole the wind suddenly -shifted, and the column of smoke dispersing enveloped us altogether. -Had it come upon us in all its thickest mass I doubt whether it would -not have first stupefied and then choked us. As it was, we ran for -it, and succeeded in running out of it. It affected me, I think, more -powerfully than it did my companion, for he was the first to regain -his speech. "Sir William, at any rate, saw nothing like that," said -he, coughing triumphantly.</p> - -<p>I hope that I may never feel or smell anything like it again. This -smoke is emitted from the earth at the bottom of a deep hole very -similar to that above described. The sides of it all round are so -steep that it is impossible to make even an attempt to descend it. By -holding each other's hands we could look over into it one at a time, -and see the very jaws in the rock from which the stream of sulphur -ascends. It comes out quite yellow, almost a dark yellow, but -gradually blanches as it expands in its course. These jaws in the -rock are not in the centre of the bottom of the pit, but in a sharp -angle, as it were, so that the smoke comes up against one side or -wall, and that side is perfectly encrusted with the sulphur. It was -at the end of the orifice, exactly opposite to this, that we knelt -down and looked over.</p> - -<p>The smoke when it struck upon us, immediately above this wall, was -hot and thick and full of brimstone. The stench for a moment was very -bad; but the effect went off at once, as soon as we were out of it.</p> - -<p>The mild voice grasped my hand very tightly as he crept to the edge -and looked over. "Ah!" he said, rejoicing greatly, "Sir William never -saw that, nor any of his party; I am so glad I came again with you. I -wonder whether anybody ever was here before." Hundreds doubtless have -been, and thousands will be. Nine out of every ten men in London, -between the ages of fifteen and fifty, would think little of the -trouble and less of the danger of getting there; but I could not -interfere with the triumph of my friend, so I merely remarked that it -certainly was a very singular place.</p> - -<p>And then we had to reascend. It was now past eleven o'clock, and as -yet we had had no breakfast, for I cannot call that cup of coffee -which we took at starting a breakfast, even though the German -architect handed to each of us from out of his bed a hunch of beef -and a crust of bread. Luckily the air was clear for a while, so that -we could see what we were about, and we began to climb up on the side -opposite to that by which we had descended.</p> - -<p>And here I happened to mention that Miss Ouseley had commissioned me -to get two bits of lava, one smooth and the other -rough—unfortunately, for at once the mild voice declared that he had -found two morsels which would exactly suit the lady's taste. I looked -round, and, lo! there was my small friend with two huge stones, each -weighing about twenty pounds, which, on the side of the mountain, he -was endeavouring to pack under his arms. Now, the mountain here was -very steep and very friable; the burnt shingle slipped from under our -feet at every step; and, to make matters worse, we were climbing in a -slanting direction.</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, it would kill you to carry those lumps to the top," -I said; "do not think of it."</p> - -<p>But he persevered. "There were no lumps of lava such as those," he -said, "to be found at the top. They were just what Miss Ouseley -wanted. He thought he would be able to manage with them. They were -not so very heavy, if only the ground did not slip so much." I said -what I could, but it was of no avail, and he followed me slowly with -his sore burden.</p> - -<p>I never knew the weather change with such rapidity. At this moment -the sun was bright and very hot, and I could hardly bear my coat on -my shoulders as I crept up that hill. How my little friend followed -with his shawl and the lava rocks I cannot conceive. But, to own the -truth, going down hill suits me better than going up. Years and -obesity tell upon the wind sooner than they do on the legs—so, at -least, it is with me. Now my mild friend hardly weighed fifteen -ounces, while <span class="nowrap">I—!</span></p> - -<p>And then, when we were again on the ridge, it began to rain most -gloriously. Hitherto we had had mist, but this was a regular -down-pour of rain—such moisture as the Secretary of Legation had -been praying for ever since we started. Again and again the mild -voice offered me the shawl, which, when I refused it, he wrapped -round the lumps of lava, scorning to be drier than his companion. -From the summit to the ledge we had come down fast enough, but the -ascent was very different. I, at any rate, was very tired, and my -friend was by no means as fresh as he had been. We were both in want -of food, and our clothes were heavy with wet. He also still carried -his lumps of lava.</p> - -<p>At last, all raining as it was, I sat down. How far we might still be -from the top I could not see; but be it far or be it near, nature -required rest. I threw myself on the ground, and the mild voice not -unwillingly crouched down close to me. "Now we can both have the -shawl," said he, and he put it over our joint shoulders; that is, he -put the shawl on mine while the fringe hung over his own. In half a -minute we were both asleep, almost in each other's arms.</p> - -<p>Men when they sleep thus on a mountain-side in the rain do not -usually sleep long. Forty winks is generally acknowledged. Our nap -may have amounted to eighty each, but I doubt whether it was more. We -started together, rubbed our eyes, jumped to our feet, and prepared -ourselves for work. But, alas! where was the lava?</p> - -<p>My impression is that in my sleep I must have kicked the stones and -sent them rolling. At any rate, they were gone. Dark and wet as it -was, we both went down a yard or two, but it was in vain; nothing -could be seen of them. The mild voice handed me the shawl, preparing -to descend in their search; but this was too much. "You will only -lose yourself," said I, laying hold of him, "and I shall have to look -for your bones. Besides, I want my breakfast! We will get other -specimens above."</p> - -<p>"And perhaps they will be just as good," said he, cheerfully, when he -found that he would not be allowed to have his way.</p> - -<p>"Every bit," said I. And so we trudged on, and at last reached our -mules. From this point men see, or think that they see, the two -oceans—the Atlantic and the Pacific—and this sight to many is one -of the main objects of the ascent. We saw neither the one ocean nor -the other.</p> - -<p>We got back to the potrero about three, and found our German friends -just sitting down to dinner. The architect was seated on his bed on -one side of the table arranging the viands, while the doctor on the -other scooped out the brains of a strange bird with a penknife. The -latter operation he performed with a view of stuffing, not himself, -but the animal. They pressed us to dine with them before we started, -and we did so, though I must confess that the doctor's occupation -rather set me against my food. "If it be not done at once," said he, -apologizing, "it can't he done well;" and he scraped, and scraped, -and wiped his knife against the edge of the little table on which the -dishes were placed. What had become of the doctor's wife I do not -know, but she was not at the potrero when we dined there.</p> - -<p>It was evening when we got into Cartago, and very tired we were. My -mind, however, was made up to go on to San José that night, and -ultimately I did so; but before starting, I was bound to repeat my -visit to the English lady with whom my mild friend lived. Mrs. -<span class="nowrap">X——</span> -was, and I suppose is, the only Englishwoman living in Cartago, and -with that sudden intimacy which springs up with more than tropical -celerity in such places, she told me the singular history of her -married life.</p> - -<p>The reader would not care that I should repeat it at length, for it -would make this chapter too long. Her husband had been engaged in -mining operations, and she had come out to Guatemala with him in -search of gold. From thence, after a period of partial success, he -was enticed away into Costa Rica. Some speculation there, in which he -or his partners were concerned, promised better than that other one -in Guatemala, and he went, leaving his young wife and children behind -him. Of course he was to return very soon, and of course he did not -return at all. Mrs. <span class="nowrap">X——</span> -was left with her children searching for -gold herself. "Every evening," she said, "I saw the earth washed -myself, and took up with me to the house the gold that was found." -What an occupation for a young Englishwoman, the mother of three -children! At this time she spoke no Spanish, and had no one with her -who spoke English.</p> - -<p>And then tidings came from her husband that he could not come to her, -and she made up her mind to go to him. She had no money, the -gold-washing having failed; her children were without shoes to their -feet; she had no female companion; she had no attendant but one -native man; and yet, starting from the middle of Guatemala, she made -her way to the coast, and thence by ship to Costa Rica.</p> - -<p>After that her husband became engaged in what, in those countries, is -called "transit." Now "transit" means the privilege of making money -by transporting Americans of the United States over the isthmus to -and from California, and in most hands has led to fraud, -filibustering, ruin, and destruction. Mr. -<span class="nowrap">X——,</span> like many others, -was taken in, and according to his widow's account, the matter ended -in a deputation being sent, from New York I think, to murder him. He -was struck with a life-preserver in the streets of San José, never -fully recovered from the blow, and then died.</p> - -<p>He had become possessed of a small estate in the neighbourhood of -Cartago, on the proceeds of which the widow was now living. "And will -you not return home?" I said. "Yes; when I have got my rights. Look -<span class="nowrap">here—"</span> and she brought down a ledger, showing me that she had all -manner of claims to all manner of shares in all manner of mines. -"Aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm!" As regards her, it certainly -would have been so.</p> - -<p>For a coined sovereign, or five-dollar piece, I have the most -profound respect. It is about the most faithful servant that a man -can have in his employment, and should be held as by no means subject -to those scurrilous attacks which a pharisaically moral world so -often levels at its head. But of all objects of a man's ambition, -uncoined gold, gold to be collected in sand, or picked up in nuggets, -or washed out of earth, is, to my thinking, the most delusive and -most dangerous! Who knows, or has known, or ever seen, any man that -has returned happy from the diggings, and now sits contented under -his own fig-tree?</p> - -<p>My friend Mrs. <span class="nowrap">X——</span> -was still hankering after the flesh-pots of -Egypt, the hidden gold of the Central American mountains. She slapped -her hands loudly together, for she was a woman of much energy, and -declared that she would have her rights. When she had gotten her -rights she would go home. Alas! alas! poor lady!</p> - -<p>"And you," said I, to the mild voice, "will not you return?"</p> - -<p>"I suppose so," said he, "when Mrs. -<span class="nowrap">X——</span> goes;" and he looked up to -the widow as though confessing that he was bound to her service, and -would not leave her; not that I think they had the slightest idea of -joining their lots together as men and women do. He was too mild for -that.</p> - -<p>I did ride back to San José that night, and a most frightful journey -I had of it. I resumed, of course, my speechless, useless, dolt of a -guide—the man whom the Secretary of Legation had selected for me -before I started. Again I put my spur on his foot, and endeavoured to -spirit him up to ride before me, so that I might know my way in the -dark; but it was in vain; nothing would move him out of a walk, and I -was obliged to leave him.</p> - -<p>And then it became frightfully dark—pitch dark as men say—dark so -that I could not see my mule's ears. I had nothing for it but to -trust to her; and soon found, by being taken down into the deep bed -of a river and through deep water, that we had left the road by which -I had before travelled. The beast did not live in San José I knew, -and I looked to be carried to some country rancho at which she would -be at home. But in a time sufficiently short, I found myself in San -José. The creature had known a shorter cut than that usually taken.</p> - - -<p><a id="c20"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XX.</h3> -<h4>CENTRAL AMERICA—SAN JOSÉ TO GREYTOWN.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>My purpose was to go right through Central America, from ocean to -ocean, and to accomplish this it was necessary that I should now make -my way down to the mouth of the San Juan river—to San Juan del Norte -as it was formerly called, or Greytown, as it is now named by the -English. This road, I was informed by all of whom I inquired, was -very bad,—so bad as to be all but impracticable to English -travellers.</p> - -<p>And then, just at that moment, an event occurred which added greatly -to the ill name of this route. A few days before I reached San José, -a gentleman resident there had started for England with his wife, and -they had decided upon going by the San Juan. It seems that the lady -had reached San José, as all people do reach it, by Panamá and -Punta-arenas, and had suffered on the route. At any rate, she had -taken a dislike to it, and had resolved on returning by the San Juan -and the Serapiqui rivers, a route which is called the Serapiqui road.</p> - -<p>To do this it is necessary for the traveller to ride on mules for -four, five, or six days, according to his or her capability. The -Serapiqui river is then reached, and from that point the further -journey is made in canoes down the Serapiqui river till it falls into -the San Juan, and then down that river to Greytown.</p> - -<p>This gentleman with his wife reached the Serapiqui in safety; though -it seems that she suffered greatly on the road. But when once there, -as she herself said, all her troubles were over. That weary work of -supporting herself on her mule, through mud and thorns and thick -bushes, of scrambling over precipices and through rivers, was done. -She had been very despondent, even from before the time of her -starting; but now, she said, she believed that she should live to see -her mother again. She was seated in the narrow canoe, among cloaks -and cushions, with her husband close to her, and the boat was pushed -into the stream. Almost in a moment, within two minutes of starting, -not a hundred yards from the place where she had last trod, the canoe -struck against a snag or upturned fragment of a tree and was overset. -The lady was borne by the stream among the entangled branches of -timber which clogged the river, and when her body was found life had -been long extinct.</p> - -<p>This had happened on the very day that I reached San José, and the -news arrived two or three days afterwards. The wretched husband, too, -made his way back to the town, finding himself unable to go on upon -his journey alone, with such a burden on his back. What could he have -said to his young wife's mother when she came to meet him at -Southampton, expecting to throw her arms round her daughter?</p> - -<p>I was again lucky in having a companion for my journey. A young -lieutenant of the navy, -<span class="nowrap">Fitzm——</span> by -name, whose vessel was lying at -Greytown, had made his way up to San José on a visit to the Ouseleys, -and was to return at the same time that I went down. He had indeed -travelled up with the bereaved man who had lost his wife, having read -the funeral service over the poor woman's grave on the lonely shores -of the Serapiqui. The road, he acknowledged, was bad, too bad, he -thought, for any female; but not more than sufficiently so to make -proper excitement for a man. He, at any rate, had come over it -safely; but then he was twenty-four, and I forty-four; and so we -started together from San José, a crowd of friends accompanying us -for the first mile or two. There was that Secretary of Legation -prophesying that we should be smothered in the mud; there was the -Consul and the Consul's brother; nor was female beauty wanting to -wish us well on our road, and maybe to fling an old shoe after us for -luck as we went upon our journey.</p> - -<p>We took four mules, that was one each for ourselves, and two for our -baggage; we had two guides or muleteers, according to bargain, both -of whom travelled on foot. The understanding was, that one mule -lightly laden with provisions and a pair of slippers and tooth-brush -should accompany us, one man also going with us; but that the -heavy-laden mule should come along after us at its own pace. Things, -however, did not so turn out: on the first day both the men and both -the mules lagged behind, and on one occasion we were obliged to wait -above an hour for them; but after that we all kept in a string -together, having picked up a third muleteer somewhere on the road. We -had also with us a distressed British subject, who was intrusted to -my tender mercies by the Consul at San José. He was not a good sample -of a Britisher; he had been a gold-finder in California, then a -filibuster, after that a teacher of the piano in the country part of -Costa Rica, and lastly an omnibus driver. He was to act as -interpreter for us, which, however, he did not do with much honesty -or zeal.</p> - -<p>Our road at first lay through the towns of Aredia and Barba, the -former of which is a pleasant-looking little village, where, however, -we found great difficulty in getting anything to drink. Up to this, -and for a few leagues further, the road was very fair, and the land -on each side of us was cultivated. We had started at -eight <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span>, and -at about three in the afternoon there seemed to be great doubt as to -where we should stop. The leading muleteer wished to take us to a -house of a friend of his own, whereas the lieutenant and I resolved -that the day's work had not been long enough. I take it that on the -whole we were right, and the man gave in with sufficient good humour; -but it ended in our passing the night in a miserable rancho. That at -the potrero, on the road to the volcanic mountain, had been a palace -to it.</p> - -<p>And here we got into the forest; we had hitherto been ascending the -whole way from San José, and had by degrees lost all appearance of -tillage. Still, however, there had been open spaces here and there -cleared for cattle, and we had not as yet found ourselves absolutely -enveloped by woods. This rancho was called Buena-vista; and certainly -the view from it was very pretty. It was pretty and extensive, as I -have seen views in Baden and parts of Bavaria; but again there was -nothing about which I could rave.</p> - -<p>I shall not readily forget the night in that rancho. We were, I -presume, between seven and eight thousand feet above the sea-level; -and at night, or rather early in the morning, the cold was very -severe. <span class="nowrap">Fitzm——</span> and -I shared the same bed; that is, we lay on the -same boards, and did what we could to cover ourselves with the same -blankets. In that country men commonly ride upon blankets, having -them strapped over the saddles as pillions, and we had come so -provided; but before the morning was over I heartily wished for a -double allowance.</p> - -<p>We had brought with us a wallet of provisions, certainly not too well -arranged by Sir William Ouseley's most reprehensible butler. -Travellers should never trust to butlers. Our piece de résistance was -a ham, and lo! it turned out to be a bad one. When the truth of this -fact first dawned upon us it was in both our minds to go back and -slay that butler: but there was still a piece of beef and some -chickens, and there had been a few dozen of hard-boiled eggs. But -<span class="nowrap">Fitzm——</span> -would amuse himself with eating these all along the road: I -always found when the ordinary feeding time came that they had not -had the slightest effect upon his appetite.</p> - -<p>On the next morning we again ascended for about a couple of leagues, -and as long as we did so the road was still good; the surface was -hard, and the track was broad, and a horseman could wish nothing -better. And then we reached the summit of the ridge over which we -were passing; this we did at a place called Desenganos, and from -thence we looked down into vast valleys all running towards the -Atlantic. Hitherto the fall of water had been into the Pacific.</p> - -<p>At this place we found a vast shed, with numberless bins and troughs -lying under it in great confusion. The facts, as far as I could -learn, were thus: Up to this point the government, that is Don Juan -Mora, or perhaps his predecessor, had succeeded in making a road fit -for the transit of mule carts. This shed had also been built to -afford shelter for the postmen and accommodation for the muleteers. -But here Don Juan's efforts had been stopped; money probably had -failed; and the great remainder of the undertaking will, I fear, be -left undone for many a long year.</p> - -<p>And yet this, or some other road from the valley of San José to the -Atlantic, would be the natural outlet of the country. At present the -coffee grown in the central high lands is carried down to -Punta-arenas on the Pacific, although it must cross the Atlantic to -reach its market; consequently, it is either taken round the Horn, -and its sale thus delayed for months, or it is transported across the -isthmus by railway, at an enormous cost. They say there is a point at -which the Atlantic may be reached more easily than by the present -route of the Serapiqui river; nothing, however, has as yet been done -in the matter. To make a road fit even for mule carts, by the course -of the present track, would certainly be a work of enormous -difficulty.</p> - -<p>And now our vexations commenced. We found that the path very soon -narrowed, so much so that it was with difficulty we could keep our -hats on our heads; and then the surface of the path became softer and -softer, till our beasts were up to their knees in mud. All motion -quicker than that of a walk became impossible; and even at this pace -the struggles in the mud were both frequent and uncomfortable. -Hitherto we had talked fluently enough, but now we became very -silent; we went on following, each at the other's tail, floundering -in the mud, silent, filthy, and down in the mouth.</p> - -<p>"I tell you what it is," said -<span class="nowrap">Fitzm——</span> at -last, stopping on the -road, for he had led the van, "I can't go any further without -breakfast." We referred the matter to the guide, and found that -Careblanco, the place appointed for our next stage, was still two -hours distant.</p> - -<p>"Two hours! Why, half an hour since you said it was only a league!" -But what is the use of expostulating with a man who can't speak a -word of English?</p> - -<p>So we got off our mules, and draped out our wallet among the bushes. -Our hard-boiled eggs were all gone, and it seemed as though the -travelling did not add fresh delights to the cold beef; so we -devoured another fowl, and washed it down with brandy and water.</p> - -<p>As we were so engaged three men passed us with heavy burdens on their -backs. They were tall, thin, muscular fellows, with bare legs, and -linen clothes,—one of them apparently of nearly pure Indian blood. -It was clear that the loads they carried were very weighty. They were -borne high up on the back, and suspended by a band from the forehead, -so that a great portion of the weight must have fallen on the muscles -of the neck. This was the post; and as they had left San José some -eight hours after us, and had come by a longer route, so as to take -in another town, they must have travelled at a very fast pace. It was -our object to go down the Serapiqui river in the same boat with the -post. We had some doubt whether we should be able to get any other, -seeing that the owner of one such canoe had been drowned, I believe -in an endeavour to save the unfortunate lady of whom I have spoken; -and any boat taken separately would be much more expensive.</p> - -<p>So, as quick as might be, we tied up our fragments and proceeded. It -was after this that I really learned how all-powerful is the force of -mud. We came at last to a track that was divided crossways by ridges, -somewhat like the ridges of ploughed ground. Each ridge was perhaps a -foot and a half broad, and the mules invariably stepped between them, -not on them. Stepping on them they could not have held their feet. -Stepping between them they came at each step with their belly to the -ground, so that the rider's feet and legs were trailing in the mud. -The struggles of the poor brutes were dreadful. It seemed to me -frequently impossible that my beast should extricate himself, laden -as he was. But still he went on patiently, slowly, and continuously; -splash, splash; slosh, slosh! Every muscle of his body was working; -and every muscle of my body was working also.</p> - -<p>For it is not very easy to sit upon a mule under such circumstances. -The bushes were so close upon me that one hand was required to guard -my face from the thorns; my knees were constantly in contact with the -stumps of trees, and when my knees were free from such difficulties, -my shins were sure to be in the wars. Then the poor animal rolled so -from side to side in his incredible struggles with the mud that it -was frequently necessary to hold myself on by the pommel of the -saddle. Added to this, it was essentially necessary to keep some sort -of guide upon the creature's steps, or one's legs would be absolutely -broken. For the mule cares for himself only, and not for his rider. -It is nothing to him if a man's knees be put out of joint against the -stump of a tree.</p> - -<p>Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! on we went in this way for hours, -almost without speaking. On such occasions one is apt to become -mentally cross, to feel that the world is too hard for one, that -one's own especial troubles are much worse than those of one's -neighbours, and that those neighbours are unfairly favoured. I could -not help thinking it very unjust that I should be fifteen stone, -while <span class="nowrap">Fitzm——</span> -was only eight. And as for that distressed Britisher, -he weighed nothing at all.</p> - -<p>Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! we were at it all day. At -Careblanco—the place of the <i>white-faced pigs</i> I understood it to -mean;—they say that there is a race of wild hogs with white faces -which inhabit the woods hereabouts—we overtook the post, and kept -close to them afterwards. This was a pasture farm in the very middle -of the forest, a bit of cleared land on which some adventurer had -settled himself and dared to live. The adventurer himself was not -there, but he had a very pretty wife, with whom my friend the -lieutenant seemed to have contracted an intimate acquaintance on his -previous journey up to San José.</p> - -<p>But at Careblanco we only stopped two minutes, during which, however, -it became necessary that the lieutenant should go into the rancho on -the matter of some article of clothes which had been left behind on -his previous journey; and then, again, on we went, slosh, slosh, -splash, splash! My shins by this time were black and blue, and I held -myself on to my mule chiefly by my spurs. Our way was still through -dense forest, and was always either up or down hill. And here we came -across the grandest scenery that I met with in the western world; -scenery which would admit of raving, if it were given to me to rave -on such a subject.</p> - -<p>We were travelling for the most part along the side of a volcanic -mountain, and every now and then the declivity would become so steep -as to give us a full view down into the ravine below, with the -prospect of the grand, steep, wooded hill on the other side, one huge -forest stretching up the mountain for miles. At the bottom of the -ravine one's eye would just catch a river, looking like a moving -thread of silver wire. And yet, though the descent was so great, -there would be no interruption to it. Looking down over the thick -forest trees which grew almost from the side of a precipice, the eye -would reach the river some thousand feet below, and then ascend on -the other side over a like unbroken expanse of foliage.</p> - -<p>Of course we both declared that we had never seen anything to equal -it. In moments of ecstasy one always does so declare. But there was a -monotony about it, and a want of grouping which forbids me to place -it on an equality with scenery really of the highest kind, with the -mountains, for instance, round Colico, with the head of the Lake of -the Four Cantons, or even with the views of the upper waters of -Killarney.</p> - -<p>And then, to speak the truth, we were too much engulfed in mud, too -thoughtful as to the troubles of the road, to enjoy it thoroughly. -"Wonderful that; isn't it?" "Yes, very wonderful; fine break; for -heaven's sake do get on." That is the tone which men are apt to adopt -under such circumstances. Five or six pounds of thick mud clinging -round one's boots and inside one's trousers do not add to one's -enjoyment of scenery.</p> - -<p>Mud, mud; mud, mud! At about five o'clock we splashed into another -pasture farm in the middle of the forest, a place called San Miguel, -and there we rested for that night. Here we found that our beef also -must be thrown away, and that our bread was all gone. We had picked -up some more hard-boiled eggs at ranchos on the road, but hard-boiled -eggs to my companion were no more than grains of gravel to a -barn-door fowl; they merely enabled him to enjoy his regular diet. At -this place, however, we were able to purchase fowls—skinny old hens -which were shot for us at a moment's warning. The price being, here -and elsewhere along the road, a dollar a head. Tea and candles a -ministering angel had given to me at the moment of my departure from -San José. But for them we should have indeed been comfortless, -thirsty, and in utter darkness. Towards evening a man gets tired of -brandy and water, when he has been drinking it since six in the -morning.</p> - -<p>Our washing was done under great difficulties, as in these districts -neither nature nor art seems to have provided for such emergencies. -In this place I got my head into a tin pot, and could hardly -extricate it. But even inside the houses and ranchos everything -seemed to turn into mud. The floor beneath one's feet became mud with -the splashing of the water. The boards were begrimed with mud. We -were offered coffee that was mud to the taste and touch. I felt that -the blood in my veins was becoming muddy.</p> - -<p>And then we had another day exactly like the former, except that the -ground was less steep, and the vistas of scenery less grand. The -weather also was warmer, seeing that we were now on lower ground. -Monkeys chattered on the trees around us, and the little congo ape -roared like a lion. Macaws flew about, generally in pairs; and we saw -white turkeys on the trees. Up on the higher forests we had seen none -of these animals.</p> - -<p>There are wild hogs also in these woods, and ounces. The ounce here -is, I believe, properly styled the puma, though the people always -call them lions. They grow to about the size of a Newfoundland dog. -The wild cat also is common here, the people styling them tigers. The -xagua is, I take it, their proper name. None of these animals will, I -believe, attack a man unless provoked or pressed in pursuit; and not -even then if a way of escape be open to him.</p> - -<p>We again breakfasted at a forest clearing, paying a dollar each for -tough old hens, and in the evening we came to a cacao plantation in -the middle of the forest which had been laid out and settled by an -American of the United States residing in Central America. This place -is not far from the Serapiqui river, and is called Padregal. It was -here that the young lieutenant had read the funeral service over the -body of that unfortunate lady.</p> - -<p>I went with him to visit the grave. It was a spot in the middle of a -grass enclosure, fenced off rudely so as to guard it from beasts of -prey. The funeral had taken place after dusk. It had been attended by -some twelve or fourteen Costa Rican soldiers who are kept in a fort a -little below, on the banks of the Serapiqui. Each of these men had -held a torch. The husband was there, and another Englishman who was -travelling with him; as was also, I believe, the proprietor of the -place. So attended, the body of the Englishwoman was committed to its -strange grave in a strange country.</p> - -<p>Here we picked up another man, an American, who also had been looking -for gold, and perhaps doing a turn as a filibuster. Him too the world -had used badly, and he was about to return with all his golden dreams -unaccomplished.</p> - -<p>We had one more stage down to the spot at which we were to embark in -the canoe—the spot at which the lady had been drowned—and this one -we accomplished early in the morning. This place is called the -Muelle, and here there is a fort with a commandant and a small -company of soldiers. The business of the commandant is to let no one -up or down the river without a passport; and as a passport cannot be -procured anywhere nearer than San José, here may arise a great -difficulty to travellers. We were duly provided, but our -recently-picked-up American friend was not; and he was simply told -that he would not be allowed to get into a boat on the river.</p> - -<p>"I never seed such a <span class="nowrap">d——d</span> -country in my life," said the American. -"They would not let me leave San José till I paid every shilling I -owed; and now that I have paid, I ain't no better off. I wish I -hadn't paid a <span class="nowrap">d——d</span> cent."</p> - -<p>I advised him to try what some further operation in the way of -payment would do, and with this view he retired with the commandant. -In a minute or two they both returned, and the commandant said he -would look at his instructions again. He did so, and declared that he -now found it was compatible with his public duty to allow the -American to pass. "But I shall not have a cent left to take me home," -said the American to me. He was not a smart man, though he talked -smart. For when the moment of departure came all the places in the -boat were taken, and we left him standing on the shore. "Well, I'm -darned!" he said; and we neither heard nor saw more of him.</p> - -<p>That passage down the Serapiqui was not without interest, though it -was somewhat monotonous. Here, for the first time in my life, I found -my bulk and size to be of advantage to me. In the after part of the -canoe sat the master boatman, the captain of the expedition, steering -with a paddle. Then came the mails and our luggage, and next to them -I sat, having a seat to myself, being too weighty to share a bench -with a neighbour. I therefore could lean back among the luggage; and -with a cigar in my mouth, with a little wooden bicher of weak brandy -and water beside me, I found that the position had its charms.</p> - -<p>On the next thwart sat, cheek by jowl, the lieutenant and the -distressed Britisher. Unfortunately they had nothing on which to -lean, and I sincerely pitied my friend, who, I fear, did not enjoy -his position. But what could I do? Any change in our arrangements -would have upset the canoe. And then close in the bow of the boat sat -the two natives paddling; and they did paddle without cessation all -that day, and all the next till we reached Greytown.</p> - -<p>The Serapiqui is a fine river; very rapid, but not so much so as to -make it dangerous, if care be taken to avoid the snags. There is not -a house or hut on either side of it; but the forest comes down to the -very brink. Up in the huge trees the monkeys hung jabbering, shaking -their ugly heads at the boat as it went down, or screaming in anger -at this invasion of their territories. The macaws flew high over -head, making their own music, and then there was the constant little -splash of the paddle in the water. The boatmen spoke no word, but -worked on always, pausing now and again for a moment to drink out of -the hollow of their hands. And the sun became hotter and hotter as we -neared the sea; and the musquitoes began to bite; and cigars were lit -with greater frequency. 'Tis thus that one goes down the waters of -the Serapiqui.</p> - -<p>About three we got into the San Juan. This is the river by which the -great lake of Nicaragua empties itself into the sea; which has been -the channel used by the transit companies who have passed from ocean -to ocean through Nicaragua; which has been so violently interfered -with by filibusters, till all such transit has been banished from its -waters; and which has now been selected by M. Belly as the course for -his impossible canal. It has seen dreadful scenes of cruelty, wrong, -and bloodshed. Now it runs along peaceably enough, in its broad, -shallow, swift course, bearing on its margin here and there the -rancho and provision-ground of some wild settler who has sought to -overcome</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table style="margin: 0 auto; font-size: 90%;"><tr><td align="center"> -"The whips and scorns of time—<br /> - The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely," -</td></tr></table> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent">by looking for bread and shelter on those sad, -sunburnt, and solitary banks.</p> - -<p>We landed at one such place to dine, and at another to sleep, -selecting in each place some better class of habitation. At neither -place did we find the owner there, but persons left in charge of the -place. At the first the man was a German; a singularly handsome and -dirty individual, who never shaved or washed himself, and lived -there, ever alone, on bananas and musk-melons. He gave us fruit to -take into the boat with us, and when we parted we shook hands with -him. Out here every one always does shake hands with every one. But -as I did so I tendered him a dollar. He had waited upon us, bringing -water and plates; he had gathered fruit for us; and he was, after -all, no more than the servant of the river squatter. But he let the -dollar fall to the ground, and that with some anger in his face. The -sum was made up of the small silver change of the country, and I felt -rather little as I stooped under the hot sun to pick it up from out -the mud of the garden. Better that than seem to leave it there in -anger. It is often hard for a traveller to know when he is wished to -pay, and when he is wished not to pay. A poorer-looking individual in -raiment and position than that German I have seldom seen; but he -despised my dollar as though it had been dirt.</p> - -<p>We slept at the house of a Greytown merchant, who had maintained an -establishment up the river, originally with the view of supplying the -wants of the American travellers passing in transit across the -isthmus. The flat-bottom steamers which did some five or six years -since ply upon the river used to take in wood here and stop for the -night. And the passengers were wont to come on shore, and call for -rum and brandy; and in this way much money was made. Till after a -time filibusters came instead of passengers; men who took all the -wood that they could find there—hundreds of dollars' worth of sawn -wood, and brandy also—took it away with them, saying that they would -give compensation when they were established in the country, but made -no present payment. And then it became tolerably clear that the time -for making money in that locality had passed away.</p> - -<p>They came in great numbers on one such occasion, and stripped away -everything they could find. Sawn wood for their steam-boilers was -especially desirable, and they took all that had been prepared for -the usual wants of the river. Having helped themselves to this, and -such other chattels as were at the moment needed and at hand, they -went on their way, grimly rejoicing. On the following day most of -them returned; some without arms, some without legs, some even -without heads; a wretched, wounded, mutilated, sore-struck body of -filibusters. The boiler of their large steamer had burst, scattering -destruction far and near. It was current among the filibusters that -the logs of wood had been laden with gunpowder in order to effect -this damage. It is more probable, that being filibusters, rough and -ready as the phrase goes, they had not duly looked to their -engineering properties. At any rate, they all returned. On the whole, -these filibusters have suffered dire punishment for their sins.</p> - -<p>At any rate, the merchant under whose roof we slept received no -payment for his wood. Here we found two men living, not in such -squalid misery as that independent German, but nevertheless -sufficiently isolated from the world. One was an old Swedish sailor, -who seemed to speak every language under the sun, and to have been in -every portion of the globe, whether under the sun or otherwise. At -any rate, we could not induce him to own to not having been in any -place. Timbuctoo; yes, indeed, he had unfortunately been a captive -there for three years. At Mecca he had passed as an Arab among the -Arabs, having made the great pilgrimage in company with many children -of Mahomet, wearing the green turban as a veritable child of Mahomet -himself. Portsmouth he knew well, having had many a row about the -Head. We could not catch him tripping, though we put him through his -facings to the best of our joint geographical knowledge. At present -he was a poor gardener on the San Juan river, having begun life as a -lieutenant in the Swedish navy. <i>He</i> had seen too much of the world -to refuse the dollar which was offered to him.</p> - -<p>On the next morning we reached Greytown, following the San Juan river -down to that pleasant place. There is another passage out to the sea -by the Colorado, a branch river which, striking out from the San -Juan, runs into the ocean by a shorter channel. This also has been -thought of as a course for the projected canal, preferable to that of -the San Juan. I believe them to be equally impracticable. The San -Juan river itself is so shallow that we were frequently on the ground -even in our light canoe.</p> - -<p>And what shall I say of Greytown? We have a Consul-General there, or -at least had one when these pages were written; a Consul-General -whose duty it is, or was, to have under his special care the King of -Mosquitia—as some people are pleased to call this coast—of the -Mosquito coast as it is generally styled. Bluefields, further along -the coast, is the chosen residence of this sable tyrant; but Greytown -is the capital of his dominions. Now it is believed that, in -deference to the feelings of the United States, and to the American -reading of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and in deference, I may add, to -a very sensible consideration that the matter is of no possible -moment to ourselves, the protectorate of the Mosquito coast is to be -abandoned. What the king will do I cannot imagine; but it will be a -happy day I should think for our Consul when he is removed from -Greytown. Of all the places in which I have ever put my foot, I think -that is the most wretched. It is a small town, perhaps of two -thousand inhabitants, though this on my part is a mere guess, at the -mouth of the San Juan, and surrounded on every side either by water -or impassable forests. A walk of a mile in any direction would be -impossible, unless along the beach of the sea; but this is of less -importance, as the continual heat would prevent any one from thinking -of such exercise. Sundry Americans live here, worshipping the -almighty dollar as Americans do, keeping liquor shops and warehouses; -and with the Americans, sundry Englishmen and sundry Germans. Of the -female population I saw nothing except some negro women, and one -white, or rather red-faced owner of a rum shop. The native population -are the Mosquito Indians; but it seems that they are hardly allowed -to live in Greytown. They are to be seen paddling about in their -canoes, selling a few eggs and chickens, catching turtle, and not -rarely getting drunk. They would seem from their colour and -physiognomy to be a cross between the negro and the Indian; and such -I imagine to be the case. They have a language of their own, but -those on the coast almost always speak English also.</p> - -<p>My gallant young friend, -<span class="nowrap">Fitzm——,</span> was in command of a small -schooner inside the harbour of Greytown. As the accommodation of the -city itself was not inviting, I gladly took up my quarters under his -flag until the English packet, which was then hourly expected, should -be ready to carry me to Colon and St. Thomas. I can only say that if -I was commander of that schooner I would lie outside the harbour, so -as to be beyond the ill-usage of those frightful musquitoes. The -country has been well named Mosquitia.</p> - -<p>There was an American man-of-war and also an English -man-of-war—sloops-of-war both I believe technically—lying off -Greytown; and we dined on board them both, on two consecutive days. -Of the American I will say, speaking in their praise, that I never -ate such bacon and peas. It may be that the old hens up the Serapiqui -river had rendered me peculiarly susceptible to such delights; but -nevertheless, I shall always think that there was something peculiar -about the bacon and peas on board the American sloop-of-war 'St. -Louis.'</p> - -<p>And on the second day the steamer came in; the 'Trent,' Captain Moir; -we then dined on board of her, and on the same night she sailed for -Colon. And when shall I see that gallant young lieutenant again? -Putting aside his unjust, and I must say miraculous consumption of -hard-boiled eggs, I could hardly wish for a better travelling -companion.</p> - - -<p><a id="c21"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XXI.</h3> -<h4>CENTRAL AMERICA—RAILWAYS, CANALS, AND TRANSIT.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>How best to get about this world which God has given us is certainly -one of the most interesting subjects which men have to consider, and -one of the most interesting works on which men can employ themselves.</p> - -<p>The child when born is first suckled, then fed with a spoon; in his -next stage, his food is cut up for him, and he begins to help -himself; for some years after that it is still carved under parental -authority; and then at last he sits down to the full enjoyment of his -own leg of mutton, under his own auspices.</p> - -<p>Our development in travelling has been much of the same sort, and we -are now perhaps beginning to use our own knife and fork, though we -hardly yet understand the science of carving; or at any rate, can -hardly bring our hands to the duly dexterous use of the necessary -tools.</p> - -<p>We have at least got so far as this, that we perceive that the leg of -mutton is to be cooked and carved. We are not to eat hunks of raw -sheep cut off here and there. The meat to suit our palates should be -put on a plate in the guise of a cleanly slice, cut to a certain -thickness, and not exceeding a certain size.</p> - -<p>And we have also got so far as this, that we know that the world must -be traversed by certain routes, prepared for us originally not by -ourselves, but by the hand of God. We were great heroes when we first -got round the Cape of Good Hope, when we first crossed the Atlantic, -when we first doubled Cape Horn. We were then learning to pick up our -crumbs with our earliest knives and forks, and there was considerable -peril in the attempt. We have got beyond that now, and have perceived -that we may traverse the world without going round it. The road from -Europe to Asia is by Egypt and the Isthmus of Suez, not by the Cape -of Good Hope. So also is the road from Europe to the West of America, -and from the east of America to Asia by the isthmus of Central -America, and not by Cape Horn.</p> - -<p>We have found out this, and have, I presume, found out also that this -was all laid out for us by the hands of the Creator,—prepared -exactly as the sheep have been prepared. It has been only necessary -that we should learn to use the good things given us.</p> - -<p>That there are reasons why the way should not have been made -absolutely open we may well suppose, though we cannot perhaps at -present well understand. How currents of the sea might have run so as -to have impeded rather than have assisted navigation, had the two -Americas been disjoined; how pernicious winds might have blown, and -injurious waters have flowed, had the Red Sea opened into the -Mediterranean, we may imagine, though we cannot know. That the -world's surface, as formed by God, is best for God's purposes, and -therefore certainly best for man's purposes, that most of us must -believe.</p> - -<p>But it is for us to carve the good things which are put before us, -and to find out the best way in which they may be carved. We may, -perhaps, fairly think that we have done much towards acquiring this -knowledge, but we certainly know that there is more yet to be done. -We have lines of railways from London to Manchester; from Calais -across France and all the Germanies to Eastern Europe; from the coast -of Maine, through the Canadas, to the central territories of the -United States; but there are no lines yet from New York to -California, nor from the coast of the Levant to Bombay and Calcutta.</p> - -<p>But perhaps the two greatest points which are at this moment being -mooted, with reference to the carriage about the world of mankind and -man's goods, concern the mode in which we may most advantageously -pass across the isthmuses of Suez and Panama. These are the two land -obstacles in the way of navigation, of direct water carriage round -the earth's belt—obstacles as they appear to us, though in truth so -probably locks formed by the Almighty for the assistance of our -navigation.</p> - -<p>For many years, it is impossible to say how many, but for some few -centuries as regards Panama, and for many centuries as regards Suez, -this necessity has been felt, and the minds of men in those elder -days inclined naturally to canals. In the days of the old kings of -Egypt, antecedent to Cleopatra, attempts were made to cut through the -sands and shallow lakes from the eastern margin of the Nile's delta -to the Red Sea; and the idea of piercing Central America in some -point occurred to the Spaniards immediately on their discovering the -relative position of the two oceans. But in those days men were -infants, not as yet trusted with the carving-knife.</p> - -<p>The work which unsuccessfully filled the brains of so many thoughtful -men for so many years has now been done—at any rate to a degree. -Railways have been completed from Alexandria on the Mediterranean to -Suez on the Red Sea, and from Panama on the Pacific, to Aspinwall or -Colon on the Caribbean Sea. These railways are now at work, and -passengers are carried across with sufficient rapidity. The Isthmus -of Suez, over which the line of railway runs for something over two -hundred miles, creates a total delay to our Indian mails and -passengers of twenty-four hours only, and the lesser distance of the -American isthmus is traversed in three hours. Were rapidity here as -necessary as it is in the other case—and it will doubtless become -so—the conveyance from one sea to the other need not create a delay -of above twelve hours.</p> - -<p>But not the less are many men—good and scientific men too—keenly -impressed with the idea that the two isthmuses should be pierced with -canals, although these railways are at work. All mankind has heard -much of M. Lesseps and his Suez canal. On that matter I do not mean -to say much here. I have a very strong opinion that such canal will -not and cannot be made; that all the strength of the arguments -adduced in the matter are hostile to it; and that steam navigation by -land will and ought to be the means of transit through Egypt. But -that matter is a long way distant from our present subject. It is -with reference to the transit over the other isthmus that I propose -to say a few words.</p> - -<p>It is singular, or perhaps if rightly considered not singular, that -both the railways have been constructed mainly by Anglo-Saxon science -and energy, and under the pressure of Anglo-Saxon influence; while -both the canal schemes most prevalent at the present day owe their -repute to French eloquence and French enthusiasm. M. Lesseps is the -patron of the Suez canal, and M. Belly of that which is, or is not to -be, constructed from San Juan del Norte, or Greytown, to the shores -of the Pacific.</p> - -<p>There are three proposed methods of crossing the isthmus, that by -railway, that by canal, and a third by the ordinary use of such -ordinary means of conveyance as the land and the waters of the -country afford.</p> - -<p>As regards railway passage, one line being now open and at work, has -those nine points in its favour which possession gives. It does -convey men and goods across with great rapidity, and is a reality, -doing that which it pretends to do. Its charges, however, are very -high; and it would doubtless be well if competition, or fear of -competition, could be made to lower them. Five pound is charged for -conveying a passenger less than fifty miles; no class of passengers -can cross at a cheaper fare; and the rates charged for goods are as -high in comparison. On the other side, it may be said that the -project was one of great risk, that the line was from its -circumstances very costly, having been made at an expense of about -thirty-two thousand pounds a mile—I believe, however, that a -considerable portion of the London and Birmingham line was equally -expensive—and that trains by which money can be made cannot run -often, perhaps only six or seven times a month each way.</p> - -<p>It is, however, very desirous that the fares should be lowered, and -the great profits accruing to the railway prove that this may be -done. Eventually they doubtless will be lowered.</p> - -<p>The only other line of railway which now seems to be spoken of as -practicable for the passage of the isthmus is one the construction of -which has been proposed across the republic of Honduras, from a spot -called Port Cortez, in the Bay of Honduras, on the northern or -Atlantic side, to some harbour to be chosen in the Bay of Fonseca, on -the southern or Pacific side. Mr. Squier, who was Chargé d'Affaires -from the United States to Central America, and whose work on the -republics of Central America is well known, strongly advocates this -line, showing in the first place that from its position it would suit -the traffic of the United States much better than that of Panama; as -undoubtedly it would, seeing that the transit from New York to -California, viâ Panama, must go down south as far as latitude 7° -north; whereas, by the proposed route through Honduras it need not -descend below lat. 13° north, thus saving double that distance in the -total run each <span class="nowrap">way.<a href="#f4">*</a></span> -Mr. Squier then goes on to prove that the -country of Honduras is in every way suited for the purposes of a -railway; but here I am not sure that he carries me with him. The road -would have to ascend nearly three thousand feet above the sea-level; -and though it may be true that the grades themselves would not be -more severe than many that are now to be found on railways in full -work in other countries, nevertheless it must be felt that the -overcoming such an altitude in such a country, and the working over -it when overcome, would necessarily add greatly to the original cost -of the line, and the subsequent cost of running. The Panama line goes -through a country comparatively level. Then the distance across -Honduras is one hundred and fifty miles, and it is computed that the -line would be two hundred miles: the length of the Panama line is -forty-seven or forty-eight miles.</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f4"></a>[*Not that -we may take all that Mr. Squier says on this subject as -proved. His proposed route for the traffic of the United States is -from the western coast of Florida to the chosen port, Port Cortez, in -Honduras; and he attempts to show that this is pretty nearly the only -possible passage in those seas free from hurricanes and danger. But -this passage is right across the Gulf of Mexico, and vessels would -have to stem the full force of the gulf-stream on their passage down -from Florida.</p> - -<p class="blockquote">In all such -matters where a man becomes warm on a scheme he feels -himself compelled to prove that the gods themselves have pointed out -the plan as the only one fit for adoption, as the only one free from -all evil and blessed with every advantage. We are always over-proving -our points.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>The enormous cost of the Panama line arose from the difficulty of -obtaining the necessary sort of labour. The natives would not work as -they were wanted, and Europeans died there; so that, at last, labour -was imported from the coast of New Granada. At the high level named -as the summit of the Honduras route, the climate would no doubt be -comparatively mild, and labour easy to be borne; but near the coast -of the Bays, both of Honduras and Fonseca, the heat would be as great -as at Aspinwall and Panama, and the effects probably the same.</p> - -<p>As regards our British traffic, the route by the Isthmus of Panama is -the better situated of the two. Looking at a map of the world—and it -is necessary to take in the whole world, in order that the courses of -British trade may be seen—it does not seem to be of much -consequence, as regards distance, whether a bale of goods from London -to Sydney should pass the isthmus by Honduras or Panama; but in fact, -even for this route, the former would labour under great -disadvantages. A ship in making its way from Honduras up to Jamaica -has to fight against the trade winds. On this account our mail -steamer from Belize to Jamaica is timed only at four miles an hour, -though the mail to Honduras is timed at eight miles an hour. This -would be the direct route from the terminus of the Honduras line to -Europe, and matters would be made only worse if any other line were -taken. But the track from Panama to Jamaica is subject to what -sailors call a soldier's wind; even working to St. Thomas, and -thereby getting a stronger slant of the trade winds against them, our -mail steamers can make eight or nine miles an hour.</p> - -<p>As regards our trade to Chili and Peru, it is clear that Honduras is -altogether out of our way; and as regards our coming trade to Frazer -River and Vancouver's Island, though the absolute distance, via -Honduras, would be something shorter, that benefit would be -neutralized by the disadvantageous position of the Bay of Honduras as -above explained.</p> - -<p>But the great advantage which the Panama line enjoys is the fact of -its being already made. <i>It has the nine points which possession -gives it.</i> Its forty-eight miles cost one million six hundred -thousand pounds. It cannot be presumed that two hundred miles through -Honduras could be made for double that sum; and seeing that the -Honduras line would be in opposition to the other, and only be used -if running at fares lower than those of its rival, I cannot see how -it would pay, or where the money is to be procured. I am not aware -that the absolute cost of the proposed line through Honduras has been -accurately computed.</p> - -<p>As regards the public interest, two lines would no doubt be better -than one. Competition is always beneficial to the consumer; but in -this case, I do not expect to see the second line made in our days. -That there will in future days be a dozen ways of commodiously -crossing the isthmus—when we have thoroughly learned how best to -carve our leg of mutton—I do not at all doubt.</p> - -<p>It may be as well to state here that England is bound by a treaty -with Honduras, made in 1836, to assist in furthering the execution of -this work by our countenance, aid, and protection, on condition that -when made, we Britishers are to have the full use of it; as much so, -at least, as any other people or nation. And that, as I take it, is -the sole and only meaning of all those treaties made on our behalf -with Central America, or in respect to Central -America—Clayton-Bulwer treaty, new Ouseley treaty, and others; -namely, that we, who are desirous of excluding no person from the -benefits of this public world-road, are not ourselves to be excluded -on any consideration whatever. And may we not boast that this is the -only object looked for in all our treaties and diplomatic doings? Is -it not for that reason that we hold Gibraltar, are jealous about -Egypt, and resolved to have Perim in our power? Is it not true that -we would fain make all ways open to all men? that we would have them -open to ourselves, certainly; but not closed against any human being? -If that, and such like, be not what our diplomatists are doing, then -I, for one, misunderstand their trade.</p> - -<p>So much for the two railways, and now as to the proposed canals. Here -no happy undertaking can boast of the joys of possession. No canal is -as yet open carrying men and goods with, shall we say, twenty-five -per cent. profit on the outlay. Ah, that is an elysium which does not -readily repeat itself. Oh, thou thrice happy Colonel Totten, who hast -constructed a railway resulting in such celestial beatitude!</p> - -<p>The name of canals projected across the isthmus has been legion, and -the merits of them all have in their time been hotly pressed by their -special advocates. That most to the north, which was the passage -selected by Cortes, and pressed by him on the Spanish government, -would pass through Mexico. The line would be from the Gulf of -Campechay, up the river Coatzacoalcoz, to Tehuantepec, on the -Pacific. This was advocated as lately as 1845, but has now, I -believe, been abandoned as impracticable. Going south down the map, -the next proposition of which I can find mention is for a canal from -the head of the Lake of Dulce through the state of Guatemala; the -Lake or Gulf of Dulce being at the head of the Gulf of Honduras. This -also seems to have been abandoned. Then we come to the proposed -Honduras railway, of which mention has been made.</p> - -<p>Next below this we reach a cluster of canals, all going through the -great inland lake of Nicaragua. This scheme, or one of these schemes, -has also been in existence since the times of the early Spaniards; -and has been adhered to with more or less pertinacity ever since. -This Lake of Nicaragua was to be reached either direct by the river -San Juan, or by entering the river San Juan from the ocean by the -river Colorado, which is in effect a branch of the San Juan; the -projected canal would thus ascend to the lake. From thence to the -Pacific various passages for egress have been suggested; at first it -was intended, naturally, to get out at the nearest practicable point, -that being probably at San Juan del Sur. They have San Juans and San -Josés quite at pleasure about these countries.</p> - -<p>Then came the grand plan of the present French emperor, bearing at -least his name, and first published, I think, in 1846; this was a -very grand plan, of course. The route of "transit" was to be right up -the Lake of Nicaragua to its northern point; there the canal was to -enter the River Tipitapa, and come out again in the northern Lake of -Managua; from thence it was to be taken out to the Pacific at the -port of Realejo. This project included the building of an enormous -city, which was to contain the wealth of the new world, and to be, as -it were, a new Constantinople between the two lakes; but the scheme -has been abandoned as being too costly, too imperial.</p> - -<p>And now we have M. Belly's scheme; his scheme and pamphlet of which I -will say a few words just now, and therefore I pass on to the others.</p> - -<p>The line of the River Chargres, and from thence to the town of -Panama—being very nearly the line of the present railway—was long -contemplated with favour, but has now been abandoned as -impracticable; as has also the line over the Isthmus of Darien, which -was for a while thought to be the most feasible, as being the -shortest. The lie of the land, however, and the nature of the -obstacles to be overcome, have put this scheme altogether out of the -question.</p> - -<p>Next and last is the course of the River Atrato, which runs into the -Gulf of Darien, but which is, in fact, the first of the great rivers -of South America; first, that is, counting them as commencing from -the isthmus. It runs down from the Andes parallel to the coast of the -Pacific, and is navigable for many miles. The necessary surveys, -however, for connecting this river with the Pacific have never yet -been made; and even if this plan were practicable, the extremely low -latitude at which the Pacific ocean would be reached would make such -a line bad for our trade, and quite out of the question for the chief -portion of the American "transit."</p> - -<p>It appears, therefore, that there are insuperable objections to all -these canal routes, unless it be to some route passing through the -Lake of Nicaragua. By reference to a map of Central America it will -be seen that the waters of this lake, joined to those of the San Juan -river, comprise the breadth of nearly the whole isthmus, leaving a -distance not exceeding twenty miles to be conquered by a canal. At -first sight this appears to be very enticing, and M. Belly has been -enticed. He has been enticed, or at any rate writes as though this -were the case; anything worded more eloquently, energetically, and -grandiloquently, than his pamphlet in favour of this route I have not -met, even among French pamphlets.</p> - -<p>M. Felix Belly describes himself as a "publiciste," and chevalier of -the order of Saint Maurice and Lazarus, and of the order of Medjidie. -As such he has made a convention with Don Thomas Martinez, President -of the republic of Nicaragua, and with Don Juan Rafael Mora, -President of the republic of Costa Rica, in accordance with which he, -Chevalier Belly, is to cut a canal or water-route for ships through -the territories of those potentates, obtaining thereby certain vast -privileges, including the possession of no small portion of those -territories, and the right of levying all manner of tolls on the -world's commerce which is to pass through his canal. And the -potentates above named are in return to receive from M. Belly very -considerable subsidies out of these tolls. They bind themselves, -moreover, to permit no other traffic or transit through their -country, securing to M. Belly for ninety-nine years the monopoly of -the job; and granting to him the great diplomatic privilege of -constituting his canal, let it be here or there, the boundary of the -realms of these two potentates.</p> - -<p>What strikes me with the greatest wonder on reading—not the -pamphlet, for that is perhaps more wonderful in other respects—but -the articles of the convention, is, that these three persons, the -potentates aforesaid and the chevalier, should have among them the -power of doing all this; or that they should even have had the power -of agreeing to do all this; for really up to this period one seems -hardly to have heard in England much about any one of them.</p> - -<p>That there should be presidents of these two republics is supposed, -as there are also, doubtless, of San Salvador and Venezuela, and all -the other western republics; but it is to be presumed that as -presidents of republics they can have themselves no more power to -give away a ninety-nine years' possession of their lands and waters -than can any other citizen. Mr. Buchanan could hardly sell to any -Englishman, however enterprising, the right of making a railway from -New York to San Francisco. The convention does certainly bear two -other signatures, which purport to be those of the ministers of -foreign affairs attached to those two republics; but even this hardly -seems to give us a sufficient guarantee of power. What if we should -put our money into the canal, and future presidents should refuse to -be bound by the agreement?</p> - -<p>But M. Belly's name stands on his side alone. No foreign minister or -aide-de-camp is necessary to back his signature. The two potentates -having agreed to give the country, he will agree to make the -canal—he, M. Belly, Publiciste and Chevalier. It is to cost -altogether, according to his account, 120,000,000 francs—say, four -million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling. Of a company, -chairman, and directors we hear nothing. We cannot find that the -shares are in the market. Probably they may be too valuable. On our -own Stock Exchange the matter does not seem to be much known, nor do -we perceive that it is quoted among French prices. Nevertheless, M. -Belly has the four million eight hundred thousand pounds already in -his breeches-pockets, and he will make the canal. I wonder whether he -would drain London for us if we were to ask him.</p> - -<p>But wonderful as is the fact that these three gentlemen should be -about to accomplish this magnificent undertaking for the world, the -eloquence of the language in which the undertaking is described is -perhaps more wonderful still.</p> - -<p>"On the first of May, 1858, at Rivas, in Nicaragua, in the midst of a -concourse of circumstances full of grandeur, a convention was signed -which opens to civilization a new view and unlimited horizons. The -hour has come for commencing with resolution this enterprise of -cutting the Isthmus of Panama. … The solution of the problem must -be no longer retarded. It belongs to an epoch which has given to -itself the mission of pulling down barriers and suppressing -distances. It must be regarded, not as a private speculation, but as -a creation of public interest—not as the work of this people or that -party, but as springing from civilization itself." Then M. Belly goes -on to say that this project, emanating from a man sympathetic with -the cause and a witness of the heroism of Central America, namely -himself, possesses advantages—which of course could not attach to -any scheme devised by a less godlike being.</p> - -<p>It may be seen that I have no great belief in the scheme of M. Belly; -neither have I in many other schemes of the present day emanating -from Englishmen, Americans, and others. But it is not that disbelief, -but my admiration for French eloquence which urges me to make the -above translation. Alas! I feel that I have lost so much of the -Gallic fragrance! The Parisian aroma has escaped from the poor -English words!</p> - -<p>Is not this peculiar eloquence used in propagating all French -projects for increased civilization? From the invention of a new -constitution to that of a new shirt is it even wanting? We, with our -stupid, unimaginative platitudes, know no better than to write up -"Eureka" when we think we have discovered anything; but a Frenchman -tells his countrymen that they need no longer be mortals; a new era -has come; let them wear his slippers and they will walk as gods walk. -How many new eras have there not been? Who is not sick of the -grandiloquence of French progress? "Now—now we have taken the one -great step. The dove at length may nestle with the kite, the lamb -drink with the wolf. Men may share their goods, certain that others -will share with them. Labour and wages, work and its reward, shall be -systematized. Now we have done it, and the world shall be happy." -Well; perhaps the French world is happy. It may be that the liberty -which they have propagated, the equality which they enjoy, and the -fraternity which they practise, is fit for them!</p> - -<p>But when has truly mighty work been heralded by magniloquence? Did we -have any grand words from old George Stephenson, with his "vera -awkward for the cou"? Was there aught of the eloquent sententiousness -of a French marshal about the lines of Torres Vedras? Was Luther apt -to speak with great phraseology? If words ever convey to my ears a -positive contradiction of the assertion which they affect to make, it -is when they are grandly antithetical and magnificently verbose. If, -in addition to this, they promise to mankind "new epochs, new views, -and unlimited horizons," surely no further proof can be needed that -they are vain, empty, and untrue.</p> - -<p>But the language in which this proposal for a canal is couched is -hardly worth so much consideration—would be worth no consideration -at all, did it not come before us now as an emblem of that which at -this present time is the most pernicious point in the French -character; a false boasting of truth and honesty, with little or no -relish for true truth and true honesty.</p> - -<p>The present question is whether M. Belly's canal scheme be feasible; -and, if feasible, whether he has or can attain the means of carrying -it out.</p> - -<p>In the first place, it has already come to pass that the convention -signed with such unlimited horizons has proved to be powerless. It is -an undoubted fact that it was agreed to by the two presidents; and as -far as one of them is concerned, it is, I fear, a fact also that for -the present he has sufficient power in his own territory to bind his -countrymen, at any rate for a time, by his unsupported signature. Don -Juan Rafael Mora, in Costa Rica, need care for no congress. If he -were called dictator instead of president, the change would only be -in the word. But this is not exactly so in Nicaragua. There, it -seems, the congress has refused to ratify the treaty as originally -made. But they have, I believe, ratified another, in which M. Belly's -undertaking to make the canal is the same as before, but from which -the enormous grant of land, and the stipulations as to the boundary -line of the territories are excluded.</p> - -<p>In M. Belly's pamphlet he publishes a letter which he has received -from Lord Malmesbury, as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—or -rather a French translation of such a letter. It is this letter which -appears to have given in Central America the strongest guarantee that -something is truly intended by M. Belly's project. Both in the -pamphlet, and in the convention itself, repeated reference is made to -the French government; but no document is given, nor even is any -positive assertion made, that the government of the emperor in any -way recognizes the scheme. But if this letter be true, and truly -translated, Lord Malmesbury has done so to a certain extent. "And I -am happy," says the letter, "to be able to assure you that the -stipulations of the treaty made between Great Britain and the United -States, commonly called the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, are in my opinion -applicable to your project, if you put it in -<span class="nowrap">execution."<a href="#f6">*</a></span> And then -this letter, written to a private gentleman holding no official -position, is signed by the Secretary of State himself. M. Belly holds -no official position, but he is addressed in his translation of Lord -Malmesbury's letter as "Concessionnaire du Canal de Nicaragua.</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f6"></a>[*See note to page 29, -12th edition. I have not happened to meet with any earlier -edition of the work.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>Such a letter from such a quarter has certainly been very useful to -M. Belly. In the minds of the presidents of the republics of Central -America it must have gone far to prove that England at any rate -regards M. Belly as no adventurer. There are many of the clauses of -the convention to which I should have imagined that the English -Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs would not have given an -assent, although he might not be called on to express dissent. In the -26th Article it is stipulated that during the making of the -canal—which if it were to be made at all would be protracted over -many years—two French ships of war should lie in the Lake of -Nicaragua; it having been stipulated by Art. 24 that no other ships -of war should be admitted; thus giving to France a military -occupation of the country. And by Art. 28 it is agreed that any -political squabble relative to this convention should be referred to -a tribunal of seven; two to be named by the company, and one each by -France, England, the United States, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It is, -I imagine, hardly probable that the English government would send one -member to such a tribunal, in which France would have three voices to -her one, two of which voices would be wholly irresponsible.</p> - -<p>Of course the letter does not bind Lord Malmesbury or any secretary -for foreign affairs to the different articles of the convention; but -if it be a genuine letter, I cannot but think it to have been -<span class="nowrap">imprudent.<a href="#f7">*</a></span></p> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f7"></a>[*M. Belly speaks of -his convention as having been adopted by France, -England, and the United States. "Adopted, as it already is, by the -United States, by England, and by France, and as it soon will be by -the contracting Powers of the Treaty of Paris, it will become"—the -saviour of the world, &c. &c. What basis there is for this statement, -as regards France and the United States, I do not know. As regards -England, I presume Lord Malmesbury's letter affords that basis.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>The assistance of Lord Malmesbury has been obtained by the easy -progress of addressing a letter to him. But to seduce the presidents -of Central America a greater effort has been made. They are told that -they are the wisest of the earth's potentates. "Carrera, of -Guatemala, though an Indian and uneducated, is a man of natural -genius, and has governed for fifteen years with a wisdom which has -attracted to him the unanimous adherence of his colleagues." "Don -Juan Mora, of Costa Rica, the hero of Rivas, has not had to spill a -drop of blood in maintaining in his cities an order much more perfect -than any to be found in Europe. He is a man, 'hors de ligne,' -altogether out of the common; and although he counts scarcely forty -years, but few political examples of old Europe can be compared to -him." And as for General Martinez, President of Nicaragua, "since he -has arrived at the direction of affairs there, he would have healed -all the wounds of the country—had not the fatal influence of North -American spirit paralyzed all his efforts." What wonder that -Presidents so spoken of should sign away their lands and waters?</p> - -<p>But presuming all political obstacles to be removed, and that as -regards the possession of the land, and the right of making a canal -through it, everything had been conceded, there remain two -considerable difficulties. In the first place, the nature of the -waters and land, which seems to prohibit the cutting of a canal, -except at an expense much more enormous than any that has been ever -named; and secondly, the amount of money to be collected, even if M. -Belly's figures be correct. He states that he can complete the work -for four million eight hundred thousand pounds. From whence is that -sum to be procured?</p> - -<p>As regards the first difficulty, I, from my own knowledge, can say -nothing, not being an engineer, and having seen only a small portion -of the projected route. I must therefore refer to M. Belly's -engineer, and those who hold views differing from M. Belly. M. -Belly's engineer-in-chief is M. Thomé de Gamond, who, in the pamphlet -above alluded to, puts forward his calculations, and sends in his -demand for the work at four million eight hundred thousand pounds. -The route is by the river San Juan, a portion of which is so shallow -that canoes in their course are frequently grounded when the waters -are low, and other parts of which consist of rapids. It then goes -through the lake, a channel through which must be dredged or cleared -with gunpowder before it can carry deep-sea ships, and then out to -the Pacific by a canal which must be cut through the mountains. There -is nothing in the mere sound of all this to make a man, who is -ignorant on the subject as I and most men are, feel that the work -could not be done for the sum named. But before investing cash in the -plan, one would like to be sure of the engineer, and to know that he -has made his surveys very accurately.</p> - -<p>Now it appears that M. Thomé de Gamond has never set foot in Central -America; or, if he has done so now—and I do not know whether he has -or has not—he never had done so when he drew out his project. Nor, -as it would appear, has he even done his work, trusting to the eyes -and hands of others. As far as one can learn, no surveys whatsoever -have been taken for this gigantic scheme.</p> - -<p>The engineer tells us that he has used marine charts and -hydrographical drawings made by officers of various nations, which -enable him to regard his own knowledge as sufficiently exact as far -as shores and levels of the rivers, &c., are concerned; and that with -reference to the track of his canal, he has taken into his -service—"utilisé"—the works of various surveying engineers, among -them Colonel Child, the American. They, to be sure, do leave him at a -loss as to the interior plateau of the Mosquito country, and some -regions to the east and south of the lake—the canal must enter the -lake by the south-east;—but this is a matter of no moment, seeing -that all these countries are covered by virgin forests, and can -therefore easily be arranged! Gentlemen capitalists, will you on this -showing take shares in the concern?</p> - -<p>The best real survey executed with reference to any kindred project -was that made by Colonel Child, an officer of engineers belonging to -the United States. I believe I may say this without hesitation; and -it is to Colonel Child's survey that M. Belly most frequently refers. -But the facts, as stated by Colonel Child, prove the absolute -absurdity of M. Belly's plan. He was employed in 1851 by an American -company, which, as it went to the considerable expense of having such -work absolutely done, was no doubt in earnest in its intentions with -reference to a canal. Colonel Child did not actually report against -the canal. He explained what could be done for a certain sum of -money, leaving it to others to decide whether, in effecting so much, -that sum of money would be well laid out. He showed that a canal -seventeen feet deep might be made—taking the course of the San Juan -and that of the lake, as suggested by M. Belly—for a sum of -thirty-one millions of dollars, or six million two hundred thousand -pounds.</p> - -<p>But when the matter came to be considered by men versed in such -concerns, it was seen that a canal with a depth of only seventeen -feet of water would not admit of such vessels as those by which alone -such a canal could be beneficially used. Passengers, treasure, and -light goods can easily be transhipped and carried across by railway. -The canal, if made at all, must be made for the passage of large -vessels built for heavy goods. For such vessels a canal must hold not -less than twenty-five feet of water. It was calculated that a cutting -of such depth would cost much more than double the sum needed for -that intended to contain seventeen feet—more, that is, than twelve -million four hundred thousand pounds. The matter was then abandoned, -on the conviction that no ship canal made at such a cost could by any -probability become remunerative. In point of time it could never -compete with the railway. Colonel Child had calculated that a delay -of two days would take place in the locks; and even as regards heavy -goods, no extreme freight could be levied, as saving of expense with -them would be of much greater object than saving of time.</p> - -<p>That this decision was reached on good grounds, and that the project, -then, at any rate, was made bonâ fide there can, I believe, be no -doubt. In opposition to such a decision, made on such grounds, and -with no encouragement but that given by the calculations of an -engineer who has himself made no surveys, I cannot think it likely -that this new plan will ever be carried out The eloquence even of M. -Belly, backed by such arguments, will hardly collect four million -eight hundred thousand pounds; and even if it did, the prudence of M, -Belly would hardly throw such an amount of treasure into the San Juan -river.</p> - -<p>As I have before said, there appears to have been no company formed. -M. Belly is the director, and he has a bureau of direction in the Rue -de Provence. But though deficient as regards chairmen, directors, and -shareholders, he is magnificently provided with high-sounding -officials. Then again there comes a blank. Though the corps of -officers was complete when I was in Costa Rica, at any rate as -regards their names, the workmen had not arrived; not even the -skilled labourers who were to come in detachments of forty-five by -each mail packet. The mail packets came, but not the skilled -labourers.</p> - -<p>Shortly before my arrival at San José, there appeared in the journal -published in that town a list of officers to be employed by M. Felix -Belly, the Director-General "De la Compañie Del Canal -Atlantico-Pacifico." The first of these is Don Andres Le Vasseur, -Minister Plenipotentiary, Veteran Officer of the Guard Imperial, -Commander of the Legion of Honour, and Knight of the Order of St. -Gregory. He is Secretary-General of the Direction. Then there are -other secretaries. In the first place, Prince Polignac, Veteran -Officer of the Cavalry of the Cazadores in Africa, &c. He at any rate -is a fact! for did I not meet him and the O'Gorman Mahon—Nicodemus -and Polyphemus—not "standing naked in the open air," but drinking -brandy and water at the little inn at Esparza? "Arcades ambo!" The -next secretary is Don Henrique Le Vasseur. He is Dibujador fotografo, -which I take to mean photographical artist; and then Don Andres -L'Heritier; he is the private secretary.</p> - -<p>We next come to the engineers. With reference to geology and -mineralogy, M. Belly has employed Don José Durocher, whose titles, -taken from the faculty of science at Rennes, the Legion of Honour, -&c., are too long to quote. Don Eugénio Ponsard, who also is not -without his titles, is the working engineer on these subjects. And -then joined to them as adjutant-engineer is Don Henrique Peudifer, -whose name is also honoured with various adjuncts.</p> - -<p>The engineers who are to be intrusted with the surveys and works of -the canals are named next. There are four such, to whom are joined -five conductors of the works and eight special masters of the men.</p> - -<p>All these composed an expedition which left Southampton on the 17th -of February, 1859,—or which should so have left it, had they acted -up to M. Belly's promises.</p> - -<p>Then by the packet of the 2nd of March, 1859, there came—or at least -there should have come, for we are told that they sailed—another -expedition. I cannot afford to give all the names, but they are -full-sounding and very honourable. Among them there was a maker of -bricks, who in his own country had been a chief of the works in the -imperial manufactory of porcelain at Sèvres. Having enticed him from -so high a position, it is to be hoped that M. Belly will treat him -well in Central America. There are, or were, hydrographical engineers -and agricultural engineers, master carpenters, and masters of various -other specialties.</p> - -<p>I fear all these gentlemen came to grief on the road, for I think I -may say that no such learned troops came through with the mail -packets which left Southampton on the days indicated.</p> - -<p>Then by the following steamers there would, it is stated, be -despatched in succession an inspector of telegraphs, an engineer for -making gas, an engineer to be charged with the fabrication of the -iron way, an agriculturist-in-chief, a scientific commission for -geology, mineralogy, meteorology, and natural history in general. And -attached to all the engineers will come—or now long since should -have come—the conductors of works and special masters of men, who -are joined with them in their operations. These are to consist -principally of veteran soldiers of the Engineers and the Artillery.</p> - -<p>These gentlemen also must, I fear, have been cast away between -Southampton and St. Thomas, if they left the former port by either of -the two mail steamers following those two specially indicated. I -think I may say positively that no such parties were forwarded from -St. Thomas.</p> - -<p>The general inspection of the works will be intrusted ultimately to a -French and to an English engineer. The Frenchman will of course be M. -Thomé de Gamond. The Englishman is to be "Mr. Locke, Member of -Parliament." If, indeed, this latter assertion were true! But I think -I may take upon myself to say that it is untrue.</p> - -<p>All the above certainly sounds very grand, especially when given at -full length in the Spanish language. Out there, in Central America, -the list is effective. Here, in England, we should like to see the -list of the directors as well, and to have some idea how much money -has been subscribed. Mankind perhaps can trust M. Belly for much, but -not for everything.</p> - -<p>In the month of May Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of Costa -Rica, left his dominions and proceeded to Rivas, in Nicaragua, to -assist at the inauguration of the opening of the works of the canal. -When I and my companion met him at Esparza, accompanied by Nicodemus -and Polyphemus, he was making this journey. M. Belly has already -described in eloquent language how on a previous occasion this -potentate condescended to leave his own kingdom and visit that of a -neighbour; thus sacrificing individual rank for the benefit of -humanity and civilization. He was willing to do this even once again. -Having borrowed a French man-of-war to carry him from Punta-arenas, -in his own territories, to St. Juan del Sur, in the territory of -Nicaragua, he started with his suite, of whom the Prince and the -O'Gorman were such distinguished members. But, lo! when he arrived at -Rivas, a few miles up from San Juan del Sur—at Rivas, where with -gala holiday triumph the canal was to be inaugurated—the canal from -whence were to come new views and unlimited horizons—lo! when he -there arrived, no brother-president was there to meet him, no M. -Belly, attended by engineers-in-chief and brickmakers from Sèvres, to -do him honour. There was not even one French pupil from the -Polytechnic School to turn a sod with a silver spade. In lieu of -this, some custom-house officer of Nicaragua called upon poor Don -Juan to pay the usual duty on bringing his portmanteau into Rivas. -Other new views, and other unlimited horizons had, it seems, been -dawning on M. Belly.</p> - -<p>One of the first words of which a man has to learn the meaning on -reaching these countries is "transit." Central America can only be -great in the world—as Egypt can be only great—by being a passage -between other parts of the world which are in themselves great. We -Englishmen all know Crewe; Crewe has become a town of considerable -importance, as being a great railway junction. Men must reach Crewe -and leave Crewe continually, and the concourse there has rendered -labour necessary; labourers of all sorts must live in houses, and -require bakers and grocers to supply them. So Crewe has grown up and -grown important; and so will Central America become important. -Aspinwall—Colon, as we call it—has become a town in this way within -the last ten years.</p> - -<p>"Transit" in these parts means the trade of carrying people across -Central America; and a deal of "transit" has been done and money made -by carrying people across Nicaragua by way of the great lake. This -has hitherto been effected by shallow-bottomed boats. I will say one -word or so on the subject when I have done, as I very soon shall have -done, with M. Belly.</p> - -<p>Now it is very generally thought that M. Belly when he speaks of this -canal means "transit." There can be no question but that a great -carrying trade might be opened, much to the advantage of Nicaragua, -and to the advantage of Costa Rica also though not to the same -extent. If all this canal grandiloquence would pave the way to -"transit," might it not be well? What if another agreement could be -made, giving to M. Belly and his company the sole right of "transit" -through Nicaragua, till the grand canal should be completed—a very -long lease; might not something be done in this way? But Don Juan -Mora there, Don Juan of Costa Rica, that man altogether "hors de -ligne," grand as he is, need know nothing about this. Let him, left -quite in darkness as to this new view, these altered unlimited -horizons, go to Rivas if he will, and pay his custom dues.</p> - -<p>It may be that I have written at too great length, and with an energy -disproportionate to the subject, on this matter of the Nicaraguan -canal scheme. I do not know that the English public generally, or at -any rate that portion of it which may perhaps read my book, is very -deeply interested in the subject. We hear now and then something of -the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and a word or two is said about the Panama -route to Australia, but the subject is not generally interesting to -us, as is that of the passage through Egypt. We can reach Australia -by another and a shorter route; and as for Vancouver's Island and -Frazer River, they as yet are very young.</p> - -<p>But the matter will become of importance. And to a man in Central -America, let his visit to that country be ever so short, it becomes -at once important. To me it was grievous to find a work so necessary -to the world as this of opening a way over the isthmus, tampered -with, and to a degree hindered by a scheme which I cannot but regard -as unreal. But unreal as it may be, this project has reached -dimensions which make it in some way worthy of notice. A French ship -of war was sent to take the President Mora and his suite on their -unfortunate journey to Rivas; and an English ship of war was sent to -bring them back. The extension of such privileges to the president of -a republic in Central America may be very well; but men, seeing on -what business this president was travelling, not unnaturally regarded -the courtesy as an acknowledgment of the importance of M. Belly's -work.</p> - -<p>I do not wish to use hard names, but I cannot think that the project -of which I have been speaking covers any true intention of making a -canal. And such schemes, if not real, if not true in the outward -bearings which they show to the world, go far to deter others which -might be real. And now I will say nothing further about M. Belly.</p> - -<p>As I have before stated, there was some few years since a -considerable passenger traffic through Central America by the route -of the Lake of Nicaragua. This of course was in the hands of the -Americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming -between the Eastern States and California. They came down to -Greytown, at the mouth of the San Juan river, in steamers from New -York, and I believe from various American ports, went up the San Juan -river in other steamers with flat bottoms prepared for those waters, -across the lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the -intervening neck of land between the lake and the Pacific.</p> - -<p>Of course the Panama railway has done much to interfere with this. In -the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though I doubt -whether it would be a quicker route from New York to California if -the way by the Lake were well organized. And then the company -possessing the line of steamers running to Aspinwall from New York -has been able to buy off the line which would otherwise run to -Greytown.</p> - -<p>But this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage -of the Nicaraguan route. The filibusters came into that land and -destroyed everything. They dropped down from California on Realejo, -Leon, Manaqua, Granada, and all the western coast of Nicaragua. Then -others came from the South-Eastern States, from Mobile and New -Orleans, and swarmed up the San Juan river, devouring everything -before them. There can be no doubt that Walker's idea, in his attempt -to possess himself of this country, was that he could thus become -master of the passage across the isthmus. He saw, as so many others -have seen, the importance of the locality in this point of view; and -he probably felt that if he could make himself lord of the soil by -his own exertions, and on his own bottom, his mother country, the -United States, would not be slow to recognize him. "I," he would have -said, "have procured for you the ownership of the road which is so -desirable for you. Pay me, by making me your lieutenant here, and -protecting me in that position."</p> - -<p>The idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically -unjust. It was a contemplated filching of the road. And Walker found, -as all men do find, that he could not easily get good tools to do bad -work. He tried the job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, -though he has done much harm to others, he has done very little good -to himself. I do not think that we shall hear much more of him.</p> - -<p>And among the worst of the injuries which he has done is this -disturbance of the Lake traffic. This route has been altogether -abandoned. There, in the San Juan river, is to be seen one old -steamer with its bottom upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their -destruction. All along the banks tales are told of their injustice -and sufferings. How recklessly they robbed on their journey up the -country, and how they returned back to Greytown—those who did -return, whose bones are not whitening the Lake shores—wounded, -maimed, and miserable.</p> - -<p>Along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves, men -prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats -with fuel for their steam. An end for the present has been put to all -this. The weak governments of the country have been able to afford no -protection to these men, and placed as they were, beyond the -protection of England or the United States, they have been completely -open to attack. The filibusters for a while have destroyed the -transit through Nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that -the presidents of that and the neighbouring republics should catch at -any scheme which proposes to give them back this advantage, -especially when promise is made of the additional advantage of -effectual protection.</p> - -<p>It is much to be desired, on all accounts, that this route should be -again opened. Here, I think, is to be found the best chance of -establishing an immediate competition with the Panama railway. For -although such a route will not offer the comfort of the Panama line, -or, till it be well organized, the same rapidity, it would -nevertheless draw to it a great portion of the traffic, and men and -women going in numbers would be carried at cheaper rates; and these -cheaper rates in Nicaragua would probably at once lessen the fares -now charged by the Panama railway. Competition would certainly be -advantageous, and for the present I see no other opening for a -competitive route.</p> - -<p>A railway along the banks of the San Juan would, I fear, be too -expensive. The distance is above one hundred and fifty miles, and the -line would be very costly. But a line of rails from the Lake to the -Pacific might be made comparatively at a small outlay, and would -greatly add to the comfort and rapidity of the passage.</p> - -<p>To us Englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the -transit may be, so long as it is free, and open to all the world; so -long as a difference of nationality creates no difference in the -fares charged or in the facilities afforded. For our own purposes, I -have no doubt the Panama line is the best, and will be the route we -shall use. But we should be delighted to see a second line opened. If -Mr. Squier can accomplish his line through Honduras, we will give him -great honour, and acknowledge that he has done the world a service. -In the mean time, we shall be very happy to see the Lake transit -re-established.</p> - - -<p><a id="c22"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XXII.</h3> -<h4>THE BERMUDAS.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>In May I returned from Greytown and the waters of the San Juan to St. -Thomas, spending a few days at Aspinwall and Panama on my journey, as -I have before explained; and on this occasion, that of my fourth -visit to St. Thomas, I was happy enough to escape without any long -stay there. My course now lay to the Bermudas, to which islands a -steamer runs once a month from that disagreeable little depôt of -steam navigation. But as this boat is fitted to certain arrivals and -despatches, not at St. Thomas, but at Halifax, and as we reached St. -Thomas late on the night of the day on which she should have sailed, -and as my missing that vessel would have entailed on me another -month's sojourn, and that a summer month, among those islands, it may -be imagined that I was rather lively on entering the harbour;—keenly -lively to ascertain whether the 'Delta,' such is the name of the -Bermuda boat, was or was not gone on her mission.</p> - -<p>"I see her red funnel right across the harbour," said the chief -officer, looking through infinite darkness. I disbelieved him, and -accused him of hoaxing me. "Look yourself," said he, handing me his -glass. But all the glasses in the world won't turn darkness into -light. I know not by what educational process the eyes of sailors -become like those of cats. In this instance the chief officer had -seen aright, and then, after a visit to the 'Delta,' made at -<span class="smallcaps">2 a.m.</span>, -I went to bed a happy man.</p> - -<p>We started the next day at 2 <span class="smallcaps">p.m.</span>, or rather I should say the same -day, and I did no more than breakfast on shore. I then left that -favoured island, I trust for the last time, an island which I believe -may be called the white man's grave with quite as much truth as any -place on the coast of Africa. We steamed out, and I stood on the -stern taking a last look at the three hills of the panorama. It is -certainly a very pretty place seen from a moderate and safe distance, -and seen as a picture. But it should be seen in that way, and in no -other.</p> - -<p>We started, and I, at any rate, with joy. But my joy was not of long -duration, for the 'Delta' rolled hideously. Screw boats—propellers -as the Americans call them with their wonted genteel -propriety—always do roll, and have been invented with the view of -making sea passages more disagreeable than they were. Did any one of -my readers ever have a berth allotted to him just over the screw? If -so, he knows exactly the feeling of being brayed in a mortar.</p> - -<p>In four days we reached Bermuda, and made our way into St. George's -harbour. Looking back at my fortnight's sojourn there it seems to me -that there can be no place in the world as to which there can be less -to be said than there is about this island,—sayings at least of the -sort in which it is my nature to express itself. Its geological -formation is, I have no doubt, mysterious. It seems to be made of -soft white stone, composed mostly of little shells; so soft, indeed, -that you might cut Bermuda up with a handsaw. And people are cutting -Bermuda up with handsaws. One little island, that on which the -convicts are established, has been altogether so cut up already. When -I visited it, two fat convicts were working away slowly at the last -fragment.</p> - -<p>But I am no geologist, and can give no opinion favourable or -otherwise as to that doctrine that these islands are the crater of an -extinct volcano; only, if so, the seas in those days must have held a -distance much more respectful than at present. Every one of course -knows that there are three hundred and sixty-five of these islands, -all lying within twenty miles in length and three in breadth. They -are surrounded too by reefs, or rocks hidden by water, which stretch -out into the sea in some places for eight or ten miles, making the -navigation very difficult; and, as it seemed to me, very perilous.</p> - -<p>Nor am I prepared to say whether or no the Bermudas was the scene of -Ariel's tricksy doings. They were first discovered in 1522, by -Bermudez, a Spaniard; and Shakespere may have heard of them some -indistinct surmises, sufficient to enable him to speak of the "still -vexed Bermoothes." If these be the veritable scenes of Prospero's -incantations, I will at any rate say this—that there are now to be -found stronger traces of the breed of Caliban than of that of Ariel. -Strong, however, of neither; for though Caliban did not relish -working for his master more keenly than a Bermudian of the present -day, there was nevertheless about him a sort of energy which is -altogether wanting in the existing islanders.</p> - -<p>A gentleman has lately written a book—I am told a very good -book—called "Bermuda as a Colony, a Fortress, and a Prison." This -book I am sure gives accurately all the information which research -could collect as to these islands under the headings named. I made no -research, and pretend only to state the results of cursory -observation.</p> - -<p>As a fortress, no doubt it is very strong. I have no doubt on the -matter, seeing that I am a patriotic Englishman, and as such believe -all English fortifications to be strong. It is, however, a matter on -which the opinion of no civilian can be of weight, unless he have -deeply studied the subject, in which case he so far ceases to be a -civilian. Everything looked very clean and apple-pie; a great many -flags were flying on Sundays and the Queen's birthday; and all seemed -to be ship-shape. Of the importance to us of the position there can -be no question. If it should ever come to pass that we should be -driven to use an armed fleet in the Western waters, Bermuda will be -as serviceable to us there, as Malta is in the Mediterranean. So much -for the fortress.</p> - -<p>As to the prison I will say a word or two just now, seeing that it is -in that light that the place was chiefly interesting to me. But first -for the colony.</p> - -<p>Snow is not prevalent in Bermuda, at least not in the months of May -and June; but the first look of the houses in each of its two small -towns, and indeed all over the island, gives one the idea of a snow -storm. Every house is white, up from the ground to the very point of -the roof. Nothing is in so great demand as whitewash. They whitewash -their houses incessantly, and always include the roofs. This becomes -a nuisance, from the glare it occasions; and is at last painful to -the eyes. They say there that it is cleanly and cheap, and no one can -deny that cleanliness and economy are important domestic virtues.</p> - -<p>There are two towns, situated on different islands, called St. George -and Hamilton. The former is the head-quarters of the military; the -latter of the governor. In speaking of the place as a fortress I -should have said that it is the summer head-quarters of the admiral -in command of the Halifax station. The dock-yard, which is connected -with the convict establishment, is at an island called Ireland; but -the residence of the admiral is not far from Hamilton, on that which -the Bermudians call the "Continent."</p> - -<p>I spent a week in each of these towns, and I can hardly say which I -found the most triste. The island, or islands, as one must always -say—using the plural number—have many gifts of nature to recommend -them. They are extremely fertile. The land, with a very moderate -amount of cultivation, will give two crops of ordinary potatoes, and -one crop of sweet potatoes in the year. Most fruits will grow here, -both those of the tropics and of the more northern latitudes. Oranges -and lemons, peaches and strawberries, bananas and mulberries thrive, -or <i>would</i> thrive equally well, if they were even slightly encouraged -to do so.</p> - -<p>No climate in the world probably is better adapted for beetroot, -potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. The place is so circumstanced -geographically that it should be the early market-garden for New -York—as to a certain small extent it is. New York cannot get her -early potatoes—potatoes in May and June—from her own soil; but -Bermuda can give them to her in any quantity.</p> - -<p>Arrowroot also grows here to perfection. The Bermudians claim to say -that their arrowroot is the best in the world; and I believe that -none bears a higher price. Then the land produces barley, oats, and -Indian corn; and not only produces them, but produces two, sometimes -three crops a year. Let the English farmer with his fallow field -think of that.</p> - -<p>But with all their advantages Bermuda is very poor. Perhaps, I should -add, that on the whole, she is contented with her poverty. And if so, -why disturb such contentment?</p> - -<p>But, nevertheless, one cannot teach oneself not to be desirous of -progress. One cannot but feel it sad to see people neglecting the -good things which are under their feet. Lemons and oranges there are -now none in Bermuda. The trees suffered a blight some year or two -since, and no effort has been made to restore them. I saw no fruit of -any description, though I am told I was there in the proper season, -and heard much of the fruit that there used to be in former days. I -saw no vegetables but potatoes and onions, and was told that as a -rule the people are satisfied with them. I did not once encounter a -piece of meat fit to be eaten, excepting when I dined on rations -supplied by the Convict establishment. The poultry was somewhat -better than the meat, but yet of a very poor description. Both bread -and butter are bad; the latter quite uneatable. English people whom I -met declared that they were unable to get anything to eat. The -people, both white and black, seemed to be only half awake. The land -is only half cultivated; and hardly half is tilled of that which -might be tilled.</p> - -<p>The reason of this neglect, for I maintain that it is neglect, should -however be explained. Nearly all the islands are covered with small -stunted bushy cedar trees. Not cedars such as those of Lebanon, not -the cedar trees of Central America, nor those to which we are -accustomed in our gardens at home. In Bermuda they are, as I have -said, low bushy trees, much resembling stunted firs. But the wood, -when it can be found large enough, is, they say, good for -shipbuilding; and as shipbuilding has for years been a trade in these -islands, the old owners of the property do not like to clear their -land.</p> - -<p>This was all very well as long as the land had no special virtue—as -long as a market, such as that afforded by New York, was wanting. But -now that the market has been opened there can be no doubt—indeed, -nobody does doubt—that if the land were cleared its money value -would be greatly more than it now is. Every one to whom I spoke -admitted this, and complained of the backwardness of the island in -improvements. But no one tries to remedy this now.</p> - -<p>They had a Governor there some years ago who did much to cure this -state of things, who did show them that money was to be made by -producing potatoes and sending them out of the island. This was Sir -W. Reid, the man of storms. He seems to have had some tolerably -efficient idea of what a Governor's duty should be in such a place as -Bermuda. To be helped first at every table, and to be called "Your -Excellency," and then to receive some thousands a year for undergoing -these duties is all very well; is very nice for a military gentleman -in the decline of years. It is very well that England can so provide -for a few of her old military gentlemen. But when the military -gentlemen selected can do something else besides, it does make such a -difference! Sir W. Reid did do much else; and if there could be found -another Sir W. Reid or two to take their turns in Bermuda for six -years each, the scrubby bushes would give way, and the earth would -bring forth her increase.</p> - -<p>The sleepiness of the people appeared to me the most prevailing -characteristic of the place. There seemed to be no energy among the -natives, no idea of going a-head, none of that principle of constant -motion which is found so strongly developed among their great -neighbours in the United States. To say that they live for eating and -drinking would be to wrong them. They want the energy for the -gratification of such vicious tastes. To live and die would seem to -be enough for them. To live and die as their fathers and mothers did -before them, in the same houses, using the same furniture, nurtured -on the same food, and enjoying the same immunity from the dangers of -excitement.</p> - -<p>I must confess that during the short period of my sojourn there, I -myself was completely overtaken by the same sort of lassitude. I -could not walk a mile without fatigue. I was always anxious to be -supine, lying down whenever I could find a sofa; ever anxious for a -rocking-chair, and solicitous for a quick arrival of the hour of bed, -which used to be about half-past nine o'clock. Indeed this feeling -became so strong with me that I feared I was ill, and began to -speculate as to the effects and pleasures of a low fever and a -Bermuda doctor. I was comforted, however, by an assurance that -everybody was suffering in the same way. "When the south wind blows -it is always so." "The south wind must be very prevalent then," I -suggested. I was told that it was very prevalent. During the period -of my visit it was all south wind.</p> - -<p>The weather was not hot—not hot at least to me who had just come up -from Panama, and the fiery furnace of Aspinwall. But the air was damp -and muggy and disagreeable. To me it was the most trying climate that -I had encountered. They have had yellow fever there twice within the -last eight years, and on both occasions it was very fatal. Singularly -enough on its latter coming the natives suffered much more than -strangers. This is altogether opposed to the usual habits of the -yellow fever, which is imagined to be ever cautious in sparing those -who are indigenous to the land it visits.</p> - -<p>The working population here are almost all negroes. I should say that -this is quite as much a rule here as in any of the West Indies. Of -course there are coloured people—men and women of mixed breed; but -they are not numerous as in Jamaica; or, if so, they are so nearly -akin to the negro as not to be observed. There are, I think, none of -those all but white ladies and gentlemen whose position in life is so -distressing.</p> - -<p>The negroes are well off; as a rule they can -earn 2<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> a day, -from that to 3<i>s</i>. For exceptional jobs, men cannot be had under a -dollar, or 4<i>s.</i> 2<i>d</i>. On these wages they can live well by working -three days a week, and such appears to be their habit. It seems to me -that no enfranchised negro entertains an idea of daily work. Work to -them is an exceptional circumstance, as to us may be a spell of -fifteen or sixteen hours in the same day. We do such a thing -occasionally for certain objects, and for certain objects they are -willing to work occasionally.</p> - -<p>The population is about eleven thousand. That of the negroes and -coloured people does not much exceed that of the whites. That of the -females greatly exceeds that of the males, both among the white and -coloured people. Among the negroes I noticed this, that if not more -active than their brethren in the West Indies, they are at least more -civil and less sullen in their manner. But then again, they are -without the singular mixture of fun and vanity which makes the -Jamaica negro so amusing for a while.</p> - -<p>These islands are certainly very pretty; or I should perhaps say that -the sea, which forms itself into bays and creeks by running in among -them, is very pretty. The water is quite clear and transparent, there -being little or no sand on those sides on which the ocean makes its -entrance; and clear water is in itself so beautiful. Then the -singular way in which the land is broken up into narrow necks, -islands, and promontories, running here and there in a capricious, -half-mysterious manner, creating a desire for amphibiosity, -necessarily creates beauty. But it is mostly the beauty of the sea, -and not of the land. The islands are flat, or at any rate there is no -considerable elevation in them. They are covered throughout with -those scrubby little trees; and, although the trees are green, and -therefore when seen from the sea give a freshness to the landscape, -they are uninteresting and monotonous on shore.</p> - -<p>I must not forget the oleanders, which at the time of my visit were -in full flower; which, for aught I know, may be in full flower during -the whole year. They are so general through all the islands, and the -trees themselves are so covered with the large straggling, but bright -blossoms, as to give quite a character to the scenery. The Bermudas -might almost be called the oleander isles.</p> - -<p>The government consists of a Governor, Council, and House of -Assembly; King, Lords, and Commons again. Twenty years ago I should -thoroughly have approved of this; but now I am hardly sure whether a -population of ten or twelve thousand individuals, of whom much more -than half are women, and more than half the remainder are negroes, -require so composite a constitution. Would not a strict Governor, -with due reference to Downing Street, do almost as well? But then to -make the change; that would be difficulty.</p> - -<p>"We have them pretty well in hand," a gentleman whispered to me who -was in some shape connected with the governing powers. He was -alluding, I imagine, to the House of Assembly. Well, that is a -comfort. A good majority in the Lower House is a comfort to all -men—except the minority.</p> - -<p>There are nine parishes, each returning four members to this House of -Assembly. But though every parish requires four members, I observe -that half a clergyman is enough for most of them. But then the -clergymen must be paid. The council here consists chiefly of -gentlemen holding government offices, or who are in some way -connected with the government; so that the Crown can probably -contrive to manage its little affairs. If I remember rightly -Gibraltar and Malta have no Lords or Commons. They are fortresses, -and as such under military rule; and so is Bermuda a fortress. -Independently of her purely military importance, her size and -population is by no means equal to that of Malta. The population of -Malta is chiefly native, and foreign to us;—and the population of -Bermuda is chiefly black.</p> - -<p>But then Malta is a conquered colony, whereas Bermuda was "settled" -by Britons, as the word goes. That makes all the difference. That -such a little spot as Bermuda would in real fact be better without a -constitution of its own, if the change could only be managed, that I -imagine will be the opinion of most men who have thought about the -matter.</p> - -<p>And now for the convict establishment. I received great kindness and -hospitality from the controller of it; but this, luckily, does not -prevent my speaking freely on the matter. He had only just then newly -arrived from England, had but now assumed his new duties, and was -therefore neither responsible for anything that was amiss, or -entitled to credit for what had been permanently established there on -a good footing. My own impression is that of the latter there was -very little.</p> - -<p>In these days our penal establishments, and gaol arrangements -generally, are, certainly, matters of very vital importance to us. In -olden times, and I include the last century and some part of this -among olden times, we certainly did not manage these matters well. -Our main object then was to get rid of our ruffians; to punish them -also, certainly; but, as a chief matter, to get rid of them. The idea -of making use of them, present or future use, had hardly occurred to -us; nor had we begun to reflect whether the roguery of coming years -might not be somewhat lessened by curing the rogues—by making them -not rogues. Now-a-days, we are reflecting a good deal on this -question.</p> - -<p>Our position now has been all altered. Circumstances have done much -to alter it; we can no longer get rid of the worst class of criminals -by sending them to Botany Bay. Botany Bay has assumed a will of its -own, and won't have them at any price. But philanthropy has done more -even than circumstances, very much more. We have the will, the -determination as well as the wish, to do well by our rogues, even if -we have not as yet found the way; and this is much. In this, as in -everything else, the way will follow the will, sooner or later.</p> - -<p>But in the mean time we have been trying various experiments, with -more or less success; forgiving men half their terms of punishment on -good behaviour; giving them tickets of leave; crank-turning; solitary -confinement; pietising—what may be called a system of gaol sanctity, -perhaps the worst of all schemes, as being a direct advertisement for -hypocrisy; work without result, the most distressing punishment -going, one may say, next to that of no work at all; enforced -idleness, which is horrible for human nature to contemplate; work -with result, work which shall pay; good living, pound of beef, pound -of bread, pound of potatoes, ounce of tea, glass of grog, pipe of -tobacco, resulting in much fat, excellent if our prisoners were -stalled oxen to be eaten; poor living, bread and water, which has its -recommendations also, though it be so much opposed to the material -humanity of the age; going to school, so that life if possible may be -made to recommence; very good also, if life would recommence; -corporal punishment, flogging of the body, horrible to think of, -impossible to be looked at; spirit punishment, flogging of the soul, -best of all if one could get at the soul so as to do it effectually.</p> - -<p>All these schemes are being tried; and as I believe that they are -tried with an honest intent to arrive at that which is best, so also -do I believe that we shall in time achieve that which is, if not -heavenly best, at any rate terrestrially good;—shall at least get -rid certainly of all that is hellishly bad. At present, however, we -are still groping somewhat uncertainly. Let us try for a moment to -see what the Bermuda groping has done.</p> - -<p>I do not in the least doubt that the intention here also has been -good; the intention, that is, of those who have been responsible for -the management of the establishment. But I do not think that the -results have been happy.</p> - -<p>At Bermuda there are in round numbers fifteen hundred convicts. As -this establishment is one of penal servitude, of course it is to be -presumed that those sent there are either hardened thieves, whose -lives have been used to crime, or those who have committed heavy -offences under the impulse of strong temptation. In dealing with such -men I think we have three things to do. Firstly, to rid ourselves of -them from amongst us, as we do of other nuisances. This we should do -by hanging them; this we did do when we sent them to Botany Bay; this -we certainly do when we send them to Bermuda. But this, I would say, -is the lightest of the three duties. The second is with reference to -the men themselves; to divest them, if by any means it may be -possible, of their roguery; to divest them even of a little of their -roguery, if so much as that can be done; to teach them that trite -lesson, of honesty being the best policy,—so hard for men to learn -when honesty has been, as it were, for many years past out of their -sight, and even beyond their understanding. This is very important, -but even this is not the most important. The third and most important -object is the punishment of these men; their punishment, sharp, hard -to bear, heavy to body and mind, disagreeable in all ways, to be -avoided on account of its odiousness by all prudent men; their -condign punishment, so that the world at large may know and see, and -clearly acknowledge,—even the uneducated world,—that honesty is the -best policy.</p> - -<p>That the first object is achieved, I have said. It is achieved as -regards those fifteen hundred, and, as far as I know, at a moderate -cost. Useful work for such men is to be found at Bermuda. We have -dockyards there, and fortifications which cannot be made too strong -and weather-tight. At such a place works may be done by convict -labour which could not be done otherwise. Whether the labour be -economically used is another question; but at any rate the fifteen -hundred rogues are disposed of, well out of the way of our pockets -and shop windows.</p> - -<p>As to the second object, that of divesting these rogues of their -roguery, the best way of doing that is the question as to which there -is at the present moment so much doubt. As to what may be the best -way I do not presume to give an opinion; but I do presume to doubt -whether the best way has as yet been found at Bermuda. The proofs at -any rate were not there. Shortly before my arrival a prisoner had -been killed in a row. After that an attempt had been made to murder a -warder. And during my stay there one prisoner was deliberately -murdered by two others after a faction fight between a lot of Irish -and English, in which the warders were for some minutes quite unable -to interfere. Twenty-four men were carried to the hospital -dangerously wounded, as to the life of some of whom the doctor almost -despaired. This occurred on a day intervening between two visits -which I made to the establishment. Within a month of the same time -three men had escaped, of whom two only were retaken; one had got -clear away, probably to America. This tells little for the -discipline, and very little for the moral training of the men.</p> - -<p>There is no wall round the prison. I must explain that the convicts -are kept on two islands, those called Boaz and Ireland. At Boaz is -the parent establishment, at which live the controller, chaplains, -doctors, and head officers. But here is the lesser number of -prisoners, about six hundred. They live in ordinary prisons. The -other nine hundred are kept in two hulks, old men-of-war moored by -the breakwaters, at the dockyard establishment in Ireland. It was in -one of these that the murder was committed. The labour of these nine -hundred men is devoted to the dockyard works. There is a bridge -between the two islands over which runs a public road, and from this -road there are ways equally public, as far as the eye goes, to all -parts of the prison. A man has only to say that he is going to the -chaplain's house, and he may pass all through the prison,—with -spirits in his pocket if it so please him. That the prisoners should -not be about without warders is no doubt a prison rule; but where -everything is done by the prisoners, from the building of stores to -the picking of weeds and lighting of lamps, how can any moderate -number of warders see everything, even if they were inclined? There -is nothing to prevent spirits being smuggled in after dark through -the prison windows. And the men do get rum, and drunkenness is a -common offence. Prisoners may work outside prison walls; but I -remember no other prison that is not within walls—that looks from -open windows on to open roads, as is here the case.</p> - -<p>"And who shaves them?" I happened to ask one of the officers. "Oh, -every man has his own razor; and they have knives too, though it is -not allowed." So these gentlemen who are always ready for faction -fights, whose minds are as constantly engaged on the family question -of Irish <i>versus</i> English, which means Protestant against Catholic, -as were those of Father Tom Maguire and Mr. Pope, are as well armed -for their encounters as were those reverend gentlemen.</p> - -<p>The two murderers will I presume be tried, and if found guilty -probably hanged; but the usual punishment for outbreaks of this kind -seems to be, or to have been, flogging. A man would get some seventy -lashes; the Governor of the island would go down and see it done; and -then the lacerated wretch would be locked up in idleness till his -back would again admit of his bearing a shirt. "But they'll venture -their skin," said the officer; "they don't mind that till it comes." -"But do they mind being locked up alone?" I asked. He admitted this, -but said that they had only six—I think six—cells, of which two or -three were occupied by madmen; they had no other place for lunatics. -Solitary confinement is what these men do mind, what they do fear; -but here there is not the power of inflicting that punishment.</p> - -<p>What a piece of work for a man to step down upon;—the amendment of -the discipline of such a prison as this! Think what the feeling among -them will be when knives and razors are again taken from them, when -their grog is first stopped, their liberty first controlled. They -sleep together, a hundred or more within talking distance, in -hammocks slung at arm's length from each other, so that one may -excite ten, and ten fifty. Is it fair to put warders among such men, -so well able to act, so ill able to control their actions?</p> - -<p>"It is a sore task," said the controller who had fallen down new upon -this bit of work; "it is dreadful to have to add misery to those who -are already miserable." It is a very sore task; but at the moment I -hardly sympathized with his humanity.</p> - -<p>So much for the Bermuda practice of divesting these rogues of their -roguery. And now a word as to the third question; the one question -most important, as I regard it, of their punishment. Are these men so -punished as to deter others by the fear of similar treatment? I -presume it may be taken for granted that the treatment, such as it -is, does become known and the nature of it understood among those at -home who are, or might be, on the path towards it.</p> - -<p>Among the lower classes, from which these convicts do doubtless -mostly come, the goods of life are chiefly reckoned as being food, -clothing, warm shelter, and hours of idleness. It may seem harsh to -say so thus plainly; but will any philanthropical lover of these -lower classes deny the fact? I regard myself as a philanthropical -lover of those classes, and as such I assert the fact; nay, I might -go further and say that it is almost the same of some other classes. -That many have knowledge of other good things, wife-love and -children-love—heart-goods, if I may so call them; knowledge of -mind-goods, and soul-goods also, I do not deny. That such knowledge -is greatly on the increase I verily believe; but with most among us -back and belly, or rather belly and back, are still supreme. On belly -and back must punishment fall, when sinners such as these are to be -punished.</p> - -<p>But with us—very often I fear elsewhere, but certainly at that -establishment of which we are now speaking—there is no such -punishment at all. In scale of dietary among subjects of our Queen, I -should say that honest Irish labourers stand the lowest; they eat -meat twice a year, potatoes and milk for six months, potatoes without -milk for six, and fish occasionally if near the shore. Then come -honest English labourers; they generally have cheese, sometimes -bacon. Next above them we may probably rank the inhabitants of our -workhouses; they have fresh meat perhaps three times a week. Whom -shall we name next? Without being anxious to include every shade of -English mankind, we may say soldiers, and above them sailors; then, -perhaps, ordinary mechanics. There must be many another ascending -step before we come to the Bermuda convict, but it would be long to -name them; but now let us see what the Bermuda convict eats and -drinks every day.</p> - -<p>He has a pound of meat; he has good meat too, lucky dog, while those -wretched Bermudians are tugging out their teeth against tough -carcasses! He has a pound and three ounces of bread; the amount may -be of questionable advantage, as he cannot eat it all; but he -probably sells it for drink. He has a pound of fresh vegetables; he -has tea and sugar; he has a glass of grog—exactly the same amount -that a sailor has; and he has an allowance of tobacco-money, with -permission to smoke at midday and evening, as he sits at his table or -takes his noontide pleasant saunter. So much for belly.</p> - -<p>Then as to back, under which I include a man's sinews. The convict -begins the day by going to chapel at a quarter-past seven: his -prayers do not take him long, for the chaplain on the occasion of my -visit read small bits out of the Prayer-book here and there, without -any reference to church rule or convict-establishment reason. At -half-past seven he goes to his work, if it does not happen to rain, -in which case he sits till it ceases. He then works till five, with -an hour and a half interval for his dinner, grog, and tobacco. He -then has the evening for his supper and amusements. He thus works for -eight hours, barring the rain, whereas in England a day labourer's -average is about ten. As to the comparative hardness of their labour -there will of course be no doubt. The man who must work for his wages -will not get any wages unless he works hard. The convict will at any -rate get his wages, and of course spares his sinews.</p> - -<p>As to clothes, they have, and should have exactly what is best suited -to health. Shoes when worn out are replaced. The straw hat is always -decent, and just what one would wish to wear oneself in that climate. -The jacket and trousers have the word "Boaz" printed over them in -rather ugly type; but one would get used to that. The flannel shirts, -&c., are all that could be desired.</p> - -<p>Their beds are hammocks like those of sailors, only not subject to be -swung about by the winds, and not hung quite so closely as those of -some sailors. Did any of my readers ever see the beds of an Irish -cotters establishment in county Cork? Ah! or of some English cotter's -establishments in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire?</p> - -<p>The hospital arrangements and attendance are excellent as regards the -men's comfort; though the ill-arrangement of the buildings is -conspicuous, and must be conspicuous to all who see them.</p> - -<p>And then these men, when they take their departure, have the wages of -their labour given to them,—so much as they have not spent either -licitly in tobacco, or illicitly in extra grog. They will take home -with them sixteen pounds, eighteen pounds, or twenty pounds. Such is -convict life in Bermuda,—unless a man chance to get murdered in a -faction fight.</p> - -<p>As to many of the comforts above enumerated, it will of course be -seen that they are right. The clothes, the hospital arrangements, and -sanitary provision are, and should be, better in a prison than they -can, unfortunately, be at present among the poor who are not -prisoners. But still they must be reckoned among the advantages which -convicted crime enjoy.</p> - -<p>It seems to be a cruel task, that of lessening the comforts of men -who are, at any rate, in truth not to be envied—are to be pitied -rather, with such deep, deep pity! But the thing to look to, the one -great object, is to diminish the number of those who must be sent to -such places. Will such back and belly arrangements as those I have -described deter men from sin by the fear of its consequences?</p> - -<p>Why should not those felons—for such they all are, I presume, till -the term of their punishment be over—why should they sleep after -five? why should their diet be more than strong health requires? why -should their hours of work be light? Why that drinking of spirits and -smoking of tobacco among men whose term of life in that prison should -be a term of suffering? Why those long twelve hours of bed and rest, -spent in each other's company, with noise, and singing, and jollity? -Let them eat together, work together, walk together if you will; but -surely at night they should be separated! Faction fights cannot take -place unless the fighters have time and opportunity to arrange them.</p> - -<p>I cannot but think that there should be great changes in this -establishment, and that gradually the punishment, which undoubtedly -is intended, should be made to fall on the prisoners. "Look at the -prisoners' rations!" the soldiers say in Bermuda when they complain -of their own; and who can answer them?</p> - -<p>I cannot understand why the island governor should have authority in -the prison. He from his profession can know little or nothing about -prisons, and even for his own work,—or no work, is generally -selected either from personal favour or from military motives, -whereas the prison governor is selected, probably with much care, for -his specialities in that line. And it must be as easy and as quick -for the prison governor to correspond with the Home Office as for the -island governor to correspond with the Colonial Office. There has -undoubtedly been mischief done by the antagonism of different -authorities. It would seem reasonable that all such establishments -should be exclusively under the Home Office.</p> - - -<p><a id="c23"></a> </p> -<p> </p> -<h3>CHAPTER XXIII.</h3> -<h4>CONCLUSION.<br /> </h4> - - -<p>From Bermuda I took a sailing vessel to New York, in company with a -rather large assortment of potatoes and onions. I had declared during -my unlucky voyage from Kingston to Cuba that no consideration should -again tempt me to try a sailing vessel, but such declarations always -go for nothing. A man in his misery thinks much of his misery; but as -soon as he is out of it it is forgotten, or becomes matter for mirth. -Of even a voyage in a sailing vessel one may say that at some future -time it will perhaps be pleasant to remember that also. And so I -embarked myself along with the potatoes and onions on board the good -ship 'Henrietta.'</p> - -<p>Indeed, there is no other way of getting from Bermuda to New York; or -of going anywhere from Bermuda—except to Halifax and St. Thomas, to -which places a steamer runs once a month. In going to Cuba I had been -becalmed, starved, shipwrecked, and very nearly quaranteened. In -going to New York I encountered only the last misery. The doctor who -boarded us stated that a vessel had come from Bermuda with a sick -man, and that we must remain where we were till he had learnt what -was the sick man's ailment. Our skipper, who knew the vessel in -question, said that one of their crew had been drunk in Bermuda for -two or three days, and had not yet worked it off. But the doctor -called again in the course of the day, and informed us that it was -intermittent fever. So we were allowed to pass. It does seem strange -that sailing vessels should be subjected to such annoyances. I hardly -think that one of the mail steamers going into New York would be -delayed because there was a case of intermittent fever on board -another vessel from Liverpool.</p> - -<p>It is not my purpose to give an Englishman's ideas of the United -States, or even of New York, at the fag end of a volume treating -about the West Indies. On the United States I should like to write a -volume, seeing that the government and social life of the people -there—of that people who are our children—afford the most -interesting phenomena which we find as to the new world;—the best -means of prophesying, if I may say so, what the world will next be, -and what men will next do. There, at any rate, a new republic has -become politically great and commercially active; whereas all other -new republics have failed in those points, as in all others. But this -cannot be attempted now.</p> - -<p>From New York I went by the Hudson river to Albany, and on by the New -York Central Railway to Niagara; and though I do not mean to make any -endeavour to describe that latter place as such descriptions should -be—and doubtless are and have been—written, I will say one or two -words which may be of use to any one going thither.</p> - -<p>The route which I took from New York would be, I should think, the -most probable route for Englishmen. And as travellers will naturally -go up the Hudson river by day, and then on from Albany by night -<span class="nowrap">train,<a href="#f8">*</a></span> -seeing that there is nothing to be seen at Albany, and that -these trains have excellent sleeping accommodation—a lady, or indeed -a gentleman, should always take a double sleeping-berth, a single one -costs half a dollar, and a double one a dollar. This outlay has -nothing to do with the travelling ticket;—it will follow that he, -she, or they will reach Niagara at about -4 <span class="smallcaps">a.m.</span></p> - - -<blockquote> -<p class="blockquote"><a id="f8"></a>[*It would be well, however, -to visit Trenton Falls by the way, which I did not do. They are -but a short distance from Utica, a town on -this line of railway.]</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p>In that case let them not go on to what is called the Niagara Falls -station, but pass over at a station called the Suspension -Bridge—very well known on the road—to the other or Canada side of -the water, and thence go to the Clifton Hotel. There can be no doubt -as to this being the site at which tourists should stop. It is one of -those cases in which to see is to be sure. But if the traveller be -carried on to Niagara Falls station, he has a long and expensive -journey to make back; and the United States side of the water will be -antagonistic to him in doing so. The ticket from Albany to Niagara -cost me six dollars; the carriage from Niagara to the Clifton Hotel -cost me five. It was better to pay the five than to remain where I -was; but it would have been better still to have saved them. I -mention this as passengers to the Falls have no sort of intimation -that they should get out at the Suspension Bridge; though they are -all duly shaken out of their berths, and inquired of whether or not -they be going west.</p> - -<p>Nothing ever disappointed me less than the Falls of Niagara—but my -raptures did not truly commence for the first half-day. Their charms -grow upon one like the conversation of a brilliant man. Their depth -and breadth and altitude, their music, colour, and brilliancy are not -fully acknowledged at the first moment. It may be that my eye is -slow; but I can never take in to its full enjoyment any view or any -picture at the first glance. I found this to be especially the case -at Niagara. It was only by long gazing and long listening that I was -able to appreciate the magnitude of that waste of waters.</p> - -<p>My book is now complete, and I am not going to "do the Falls," but I -must bid such of my readers as may go there to place themselves -between the rocks and the waters of the Horse-shoe Fall after -sunset—well after sunset; and there remain—say for half an hour. -And let every man do this alone; or if fortune have kindly given him -such a companion, with one who may leave him as good as alone. But -such companions are rare.</p> - -<p>The spot to which I allude will easily make itself known to him, nor -will he have any need of a guide. He will find it, of course, before -the sun shall set. And, indeed, as to guides, let him eschew them, -giving a twenty-five cent piece here and there, so that these men be -not ruined for want of custom. Into this spot I made my way, and -stood there for an hour, dry enough. The spray did reach my coat, and -the drops settled on my hair; but nevertheless, as a man not over -delicate, I was dry enough. Then I went up, and when there was -enticed to put myself into a filthy oil-skin dress, hat, coat, and -trousers, in order that I might be conducted under the Falls. Under -the Falls! Well I had been under the Falls; but still, wishing to see -everything, I allowed myself to be caparisoned.</p> - -<p>A sable conductor took me exactly to the spot where I had been -before. But he took me also ten yards further, during which little -extra journey I became soaking wet through, in spite of the dirty -oil-cloth. The ducking cost me sixty cents, or half a crown.</p> - -<p>But I must be allowed one word as to that visit after sunset; one -word as to that which an obedient tourist will then see. In the spot -to which I allude the visitor stands on a broad safe path, made of -shingles, between the rock over which the water rushes and the -rushing water. He will go in so far that the spray rising back from -the bed of the torrent does not incommode him. With this exception, -the further he can go the better; but here also circumstances will -clearly show him the spot. Unless the water be driven in by a very -strong wind, five yards make the difference between a comparatively -dry coat and an absolutely wet one.</p> - -<p>And then let him stand with his back to the entrance, thus hiding the -last glimmer of the expiring day. So standing he will look up among -the falling waters, or down into the deep misty pit, from which they -reascend in almost as palpable a bulk. The rock will be at his right -hand, high and hard, and dark and straight, like the wall of some -huge cavern, such as children enter in their dreams. For the first -five minutes he will be looking but at the waters of a cataract,—at -the waters, indeed, of such a cataract as we know no other, and at -their interior curves, which elsewhere we cannot see. But by-and-by -all this will change. He will no longer be on a shingly path beneath -a waterfall; but that feeling of a cavern wall will grow upon him, of -a cavern deep, deep below roaring seas, in which the waves are there, -though they do not enter in upon him; or rather not the waves, but -the very bowels of the deep ocean. He will feel as though the floods -surrounded him, coming and going with their wild sounds, and he will -hardly recognize that though among them he is not in them. And they, -as they fall with a continual roar, not hurting the ear, but musical -withal, will seem to move as the vast ocean waters may perhaps move -in their internal currents. He will lose the sense of one continued -descent, and think that they are passing round him in their appointed -courses. The broken spray that rises from the depth below, rises so -strongly, so palpably, so rapidly, that the motion in every direction -will seem equal. And then, as he looks on, strange colours will show -themselves through the mist; the shades of gray will become green and -blue, with ever and anon a flash of white; and then, when some gust -of wind blows in with greater violence, the sea-girt cavern will -become all dark and black. Oh, my friend, let there be no one there -to speak to thee then; no, not even a heart's brother. As you stand -there speak only to the waters.</p> - -<p>So much for Niagara. From thence, I went along Lake Ontario, and by -the St. Lawrence to Montreal, being desirous of seeing the new -tubular railway bridge which is being erected there over the St. -Lawrence close to that town. Lake Ontario is uninteresting, being -altogether too large for scenery, and too foggy for sight-seeing if -there were anything to see. The travelling accommodation, however, is -excellent. The points of interest in the St. Lawrence are the -thousand islands, among which the steamer glides as soon as it enters -the river; and the rapids, of which the most singularly rapid is the -one the vessel descends as it nears Montreal. Both of these are very -well, but they do not require to be raved about. The Canadian towns -at which one touches are interesting as being clean and large, and -apparently prosperous;—also as being English, for we hardly reach -the French part of Canada till we get down to Montreal.</p> - -<p>This tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence, which will complete the -whole trunk line of railway from Portland on the coast of Maine, -through the two Canadas, to the States of Michigan and Wisconsin, -will certainly be one of the most wonderful works of scientific art -in the world. It is to consist of different tubes, resting on piers -placed in the river bed at intervals sufficient to provide for the -free navigation of the water. Some of these, including the centre and -largest one, are already erected. This bridge will be over a mile and -a half in length, and will cost the enormous sum of one million four -hundred thousand pounds, being but two hundred thousand pounds short -of the whole cost of the Panama railway. I only wish that the -shareholders may have as good a dividend.</p> - -<p>From Montreal I went down Lake Champlain to Saratoga Springs, the -great resort of New Yorkers when the weather in the city becomes too -hot for endurance. I was there late in June, but was very glad at -that time to sit with my toes over a fire. The country about Saratoga -is by no means pretty. The waters, I do not doubt, are very healthy, -and the hotels very good. It must, I should think, be a very dull -place for persons who are not invalids.</p> - -<p>From Saratoga I returned to New York, and from New York sailed for -Liverpool in the exceedingly good ship 'Africa,' Captain Shannon. I -have sailed in many vessels, but never in one that was more -comfortable or better found.</p> - -<p>And on board this most comfortable of vessels I have now finished my -book, as I began it on board that one, of all the most uncomfortable, -which carried me from Kingston in Jamaica to Cien Fuegos in the -island of Cuba.</p> - - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 55100-h.htm or 55100-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/5/1/0/55100">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/1/0/55100</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org</p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - -</body> -</html> - diff --git a/old/55100-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/55100-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ed152d3..0000000 --- a/old/55100-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/55100-h/images/map-t.jpg b/old/55100-h/images/map-t.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4577276..0000000 --- a/old/55100-h/images/map-t.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/55100-h/images/map.jpg b/old/55100-h/images/map.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1f03d53..0000000 --- a/old/55100-h/images/map.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/55100.txt b/old/55100.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d100e9d..0000000 --- a/old/55100.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12187 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The West Indies and the Spanish Main, by -Anthony Trollope - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The West Indies and the Spanish Main - - -Author: Anthony Trollope - - - -Release Date: July 15, 2017 [eBook #55100] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH -MAIN*** - - -E-text prepared by Joseph E. Loewenstein, M.D., from page images -generously made available by the Google Books Library Project -(https://books.google.com) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original map. - See 55100-h.htm or 55100-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55100/55100-h/55100-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55100/55100-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - the Google Books Library Project. See - https://books.google.com/books?id=Ir8NAAAAQAAJ&hl=en - - - - - -[Illustration: Map of the Caribbean Sea] - - -THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN. - -by - -ANTHONY TROLLOPE, - -Author of "Barchester Towers," "Doctor Thorne," -"The Bertrams," etc. - - - - - - -London: -Chapman & Hall, 193, Piccadilly. -1859. - -[The right of translation is reserved.] - -London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street - - - - -CONTENTS. - - Chapter - - I.--Introductory - - II.--Jamaica--Town - - III.--Jamaica--Country - - IV.--Jamaica--Black Men - - V.--Jamaica--Coloured Men - - VI.--Jamaica--White Men - - VII.--Jamaica--Sugar - - VIII.--Jamaica--Emperor Soulouque - - IX.--Jamaica--Government - - X.--Cuba - - XI.--The Passage of the Windward Islands - - XII.--British Guiana - - XIII.--Barbados - - XIV.--Trinidad - - XV.--St. Thomas - - XVI.--New Granada, and the Isthmus of Panama - - XVII.--Central America. Panama to San Jose - - XVIII.--Central America. Costa Rica--San Jose - - XIX.--Central America. Costa Rica--Mount Irazu - - XX.--Central America. San Jose to Greytown - - XXI.--Central America. Railways, Canals, and Transit - - XXII.--The Bermudas - - XXIII.--Conclusion - - - - -THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH MAIN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -INTRODUCTORY. - - -I am beginning to write this book on board the brig ----, trading -between Kingston, in Jamaica, and Cien Fuegos, on the southern coast -of Cuba. At the present moment there is not a puff of wind, neither -land breeze nor sea breeze; the sails are flapping idly against the -masts; there is not motion enough to give us the command of the -rudder; the tropical sun is shining through upon my head into the -miserable hole which they have deluded me into thinking was a cabin. -The marine people--the captain and his satellites--are bound to -provide me; and all that they have provided is yams, salt pork, -biscuit, and bad coffee. I should be starved but for the small -ham--would that it had been a large one--which I thoughtfully -purchased in Kingston; and had not a kind medical friend, as he -grasped me by the hand at Port Royal, stuffed a box of sardines into -my pocket. He suggested two boxes. Would that I had taken them! - -It is now the 25th January, 1859, and if I do not reach Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, all this misery will have been in vain. I might as -well in such case have gone to St. Thomas, and spared myself these -experiences of the merchant navy. Let it be understood by all men -that in these latitudes the respectable, comfortable, well-to-do -route from every place to every other place is via the little Danish -island of St. Thomas. From Demerara to the Isthmus of Panama, you go -by St. Thomas. From Panama to Jamaica and Honduras, you go by St. -Thomas. From Honduras and Jamaica to Cuba and Mexico, you go by St. -Thomas. From Cuba to the Bahamas, you go by St. Thomas--or did when -this was written. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company dispense all -their branches from that favoured spot. - -But I was ambitious of a quicker transit and a less beaten path, -and here I am lying under the lee of the land, in a dirty, hot, -motionless tub, expiating my folly. We shall never make Cien Fuegos -by the 28th, and then it will be eight days more before I can reach -the Havana. May God forgive me all my evil thoughts! - -Motionless, I said; I wish she were. Progressless should have been -my word. She rolls about in a nauseous manner, disturbing the two -sardines which I have economically eaten, till I begin to fear that -my friend's generosity will become altogether futile. To which -result greatly tends the stench left behind it by the cargo of salt -fish with which the brig was freighted when she left St. John, New -Brunswick, for these ports. "We brought but a very small quantity," -the skipper says. If so, that very small quantity was stowed -above and below the very bunk which has been given up to me as a -sleeping-place. Ugh! - -"We are very poor," said the blue-nosed skipper when he got me on -board. "Well; poverty is no disgrace," said I, as one does when -cheering a poor man. "We are very poor indeed; I cannot even offer -you a cigar." My cigar-case was immediately out of my pocket. After -all, cigars are but as coals going to Newcastle when one intends to -be in Cuba in four days. - -"We are very poor indeed, sir," said the blue-nosed skipper again -when I brought out my solitary bottle of brandy--for I must -acknowledge to a bottle of brandy as well as to the small ham. "We -have not a drop of spirits of any kind on board." Then I altered my -mind, and began to feel that poverty was a disgrace. What business -had this man to lure me into his stinking boat, telling me that he -would take me to Cien Fuegos, and feed me on the way, when he had not -a mouthful to eat, or a drop to drink, and could not raise a puff of -wind to fill his sails? "Sir," said I, "brandy is dangerous in these -latitudes, unless it be taken medicinally; as for myself, I take -no other kind of physic." I think that poverty on shipboard is a -disgrace, and should not be encouraged. Should I ever be on shore -again, my views may become more charitable. - -Oh, for the good ship 'Atrato,' which I used to abuse with such -objurgations because the steward did not come at my very first call; -because the claret was only half iced; because we were forced to -close our little whist at 11 p.m., the serjeant-at-arms at that -hour inexorably extinguishing all the lights! How rancorous were -our tongues! "This comes of monopoly," said a stern and eloquent -neighbour at the dinner-table, holding up to sight a somewhat -withered apple. "And dis," said a grinning Frenchman from Martinique -with a curse, exhibiting a rotten walnut--"dis, dis! They give me -dis for my moneys--for my thirty-five pounds!" And glancing round -with angry eye, he dropped the walnut on to his plate. - -Apples! and walnuts!! What would I give for the 'Atrato' now; for my -berth, then thought so small; for its awning; for a bottle of its -soda water; for one cut from one of all its legs of mutton; for -two hours of its steam movement! And yet it is only now that I am -learning to forgive that withered apple and that ill-iced claret. - -Having said so much about my present position, I shall be glad to -be allowed to say a few words about my present person. There now -exists an opportunity for doing so, as I have before me the Spanish -passport, for which I paid sixteen shillings in Kingston the day -before I left it. It is simply signed Pedro Badan. But it is headed -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca, which sounds to me very much as -though I were to call myself Mr. Anthony Trollope Ben Jonson. To this -will be answered that such might have been my name. But then I should -not have signed myself Anthony Trollope. The gentleman, however, -has doubtless been right according to his Spanish lights; and the -name sounds very grand, especially as there is added to it two -lines declaring how that Don Pedro Badan is a Caballero. He was as -dignified a personage as a Spanish Don should be, and seemed somewhat -particular about the sixteen shillings, as Spanish and other Dons -generally are. - -He has informed me as to my "Talla," that it is Alta. I rather like -the old man on the whole. Never before this have I obtained in a -passport any more dignified description of my body than robust. I -certainly like the word "Alta." Then my eyes are azure. This he -did not find out by the unassisted guidance of personal inspection. -"Ojos, blue," he suggested to me, trying to look through my -spectacles. Not understanding "Ojos," I said "Yes." My "cejas" are -"castanas," and so is my cabello also. Castanas must be chestnut, -surely--cejas may mean eyebrows--cabello is certainly hair. Now any -but a Spaniard would have declared that as to hair, I was bald; and -as to eyebrows, nothing in particular. My colour is sano. There is -great comfort in that. I like the word sano. "Mens sana in corpore -sano." What has a man to wish for but that? I thank thee once more, -Don Pedro Badan Calderon de la Barca. - -But then comes the mystery. If I have any personal vanity, it is -wrapped up in my beard. It is a fine, manly article of dandyism, that -wears well in all climates, and does not cost much, even when new. -Well, what has the Don said of my beard? - -It is poblada. I would give five shillings for the loan of a Spanish -dictionary at this moment. Poblada! Well, my first effort, if ever -I do reach Cuba, shall be made with reference to that word. - -Oh; we are getting into the trade-winds, are we? Let Aeolus be -thanked at last. I should be glad to get into a monsoon or a simoom -at the present moment, if there be monsoons and simooms in these -parts. Yes; it comes rippling down upon us with a sweet, cool, airy -breeze; the sails flap rather more loudly, as though they had some -life in them, and then fill themselves with a grateful motion. -Our three or four sailors rise from the deck where they have been -snoring, and begin to stretch themselves. "You may put her about," -says the skipper; for be it known that for some hours past her head -has been lying back towards Port Royal. "We shall make fine track -now, sir," he says, turning to me. "And be at Cien Fuegos on the -28th?" I demanded. "Perhaps, sir; perhaps. We've lost twenty-four -hours, sir, doing nothing, you know." - -Oh, wretched man that I am! the conveyance from Cien Fuegos to the -Havana is but once a week. - -The sails are still flopping against the yard. It is now noon on -the 29th of January, and neither captain, mate, crew, nor the one -solitary passenger have the least idea when the good brig ---- will -reach the port of Cien Fuegos; not even whether she will reach -it at all. Since that time we have had wind enough in all -conscience--lovely breezes as the mate called them. But we have -oversailed our mark; and by how much no man on board this vessel -can tell. Neither the captain nor the mate were ever in Cien Fuegos -before; and I begin to doubt whether they ever will be there. No one -knows where we are. An old stove has, it seems, been stowed away -right under the compass, giving a false bias to the needle, so that -our only guide guides us wrong. There is not a telescope on board. I -very much doubt the skipper's power of taking an observation, though -he certainly goes through the form of holding a machine like a brazen -spider up to his eye about midday. My brandy and cigars are done; and -altogether we are none of us jolly. - -Flap, flap, flap! roll, roll, roll! The time passes in this way -very tediously. And then there has come upon us all a feeling -not expressed, though seen in the face of all, of utter want of -confidence in our master. There is none of the excitement of danger, -for the land is within a mile of us; none of the exhaustion of work, -for there is nothing to do. Of pork and biscuits and water there is, -I believe, plenty. There is nothing tragic to be made out of it. But -comic misery wears one quite as deeply as that of a sterner sort. - -It is hardly credible that men should be sent about a job for which -they are so little capable, and as to which want of experience must -be so expensive! Here we are, beating up the coast of Cuba against -the prevailing wind, knowing nothing of the points which should guide -us, and looking out for a harbour without a sea-glass to assist our -eyes. When we reach port, be it Cien Fuegos or any other, the first -thing we must do will be to ask the name of it! It is incredible to -myself that I should have found my way into such circumstances. - -I have been unable not to recount my present immediate troubles, they -press with such weight upon my spirits; but I have yet to commence my -journeyings at their beginning. Hitherto I have but told under what -circumstances I began the actual work of writing. - -On the 17th of November, 1858, I left the port of Southampton in -the good ship 'Atrato.' My purposed business, O cherished reader! -was not that of writing these pages for thy delectation; but the -accomplishment of certain affairs of State, of import grave or -trifling as the case may be, with which neither thou nor I shall have -further concern in these pages. So much it may be well that I should -say, in order that my apparently purposeless wanderings may be -understood to have had some method in them. - -And in the good ship 'Atrato' I reached that emporium of travellers, -St. Thomas, on the 2nd of December. We had awfully bad weather, of -course, and the ship did wonders. When men write their travels, the -weather has always been bad, and the ship has always done wonders. -We thought ourselves very uncomfortable--I, for one, now know -better--and abused the company, and the captain, and the purser, and -the purveyor, and the stewards every day at breakfast and dinner; not -always with the eloquence of the Frenchman and his walnut, but very -frequently with quite equal energy. But at the end of our journey we -were all smiles, and so was the captain. He was tender to the ladies -and cordial to the gentlemen; and we, each in our kind, reciprocated -his attention. On the whole, O my readers! if you are going to the -West Indies, you may do worse than go in the 'Atrato.' But do not -think too much of your withered apples. - -I landed at St. Thomas, where we lay for some hours; and as I put -my foot on the tropical soil for the first time, a lady handed me a -rose, saying, "That's for love, dear." I took it, and said that it -should be for love. She was beautifully, nay, elegantly dressed. Her -broad-brimmed hat was as graceful as are those of Ryde or Brighton. -The well-starched skirts of her muslin dress gave to her upright -figure that look of easily compressible bulk, which, let 'Punch' do -what it will, has become so sightly to our eyes. Pink gloves were on -her hands. "That's for love, dear." Yes, it shall be for love; for -thee and thine, if I can find that thou deservest it. What was it to -me that she was as black as my boot, or that she had come to look -after the ship's washing? - -I shall probably have a word or two to say about St. Thomas; but not -now. It is a Niggery-Hispano-Dano-Yankee-Doodle place; in which, -perhaps, the Yankee-Doodle element, declaring itself in nasal twang -and sherry cobblers, seems to be of the strongest flavour; as -undoubtedly will be the case in many of these parts as years go on -revolving. That nasal twang will sound as the Bocca Romana in coming -fashionable western circles; those sherry cobblers will be the -Falernian drink of a people masters of half the world. I dined at the -hotel, but should have got a better dinner on board the 'Atrato,' in -spite of the withered apples. - -From St. Thomas we went to Kingston, Jamaica, in the 'Derwent.' We -were now separated from the large host of Spaniards who had come with -us, going to Peru, the Spanish Main, Mexico, Cuba, or Porto Rico; -and, to tell the truth, we were not broken-hearted on the occasion. -Spaniards are bad fellow-travellers; the Spaniard, at least, of the -Western hemisphere. They seize the meats upon the table somewhat -greedily; their ablutions are not plentiful; and their timidity makes -them cumbersome. That they are very lions when facing an enemy on -terra firma, I do not doubt. History, I believe, tells so much for -them. But half a gale of wind lays them prostrate, at all hours -except feeding-time. - -We had no Spaniards in the 'Derwent,' but a happy jovial little crew -of Englishmen and Englishwomen--or of English subjects rather, for -the majority of them belonged to Jamaica. The bad weather was at an -end, and all our nautical troubles nearly over; so we ate and drank -and smoked and danced, and swore mutual friendship, till the officer -of the Board of Health visited us as we rounded the point at Port -Royal, and again ruffled our tempers by delaying us for some thirty -minutes under a broiling sun. - -Kingston harbour is a large lagune, formed by a long narrow bank of -sand which runs out into the sea, commencing some three or four miles -above the town of Kingston, and continuing parallel with the coast -on which Kingston is built till it reaches a point some five or six -miles below Kingston. This sandbank is called "The Palisades," and -the point or end of it is Port Royal. This is the seat of naval -supremacy for Jamaica, and, as far as England is concerned, for the -surrounding islands and territories. And here lies our flag-ship; -and here we maintain a commodore, a dock-yard, a naval hospital, -a pile of invalided anchors, and all the usual adjuncts of such -an establishment. Some years ago--I am not good at dates, but say -seventy, if you will--Port Royal was destroyed by an earthquake. - -Those who are geographically inclined should be made to understand -that the communication between Port Royal and Kingston, as, indeed, -between Port Royal and any other part of the island, is by water. -It is, I believe, on record that hardy Subs, and hardier Mids, have -ridden along the Palisades, and not died from sun-stroke in the -effort. But the chances are much against them. The ordinary ingress -and egress is by water. The ferry boats usually take about an hour, -and the charge is a shilling. The writer of these pages, however, has -been two hours and a quarter in the transit. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -JAMAICA--TOWN. - - -Were it arranged by Fate that my future residence should be in -Jamaica, I should certainly prefer the life of a country mouse. The -town mice, in my mind, have but a bad time of it. Of all towns that -I ever saw, Kingston is perhaps, on the whole, the least alluring, -and is the more absolutely without any point of attraction for the -stranger than any other. - -It is built down close to the sea--or rather, on the lagune which -forms the harbour, has a southern aspect, and is hot even in winter. -I have seen the thermometer considerably above eighty in the shade in -December, and the mornings are peculiarly hot, so that there is no -time at which exercise can be taken with comfort. At about 10 a.m., -a sea breeze springs up, which makes it somewhat cooler than it is -two hours earlier--that is, cooler in the houses. The sea breeze, -however, is not of a nature to soften the heat of the sun, or to make -it even safe to walk far at that hour. Then, in the evening, there is -no twilight, and when the sun is down it is dark. The stranger will -not find it agreeable to walk much about Kingston in the dark. - -Indeed, the residents in the town, and in the neighbourhood of the -town, never walk. Men, even young men, whose homes are some mile or -half-mile distant from their offices, ride or drive to their work as -systematically as a man who lives at Watford takes the railway. - -Kingston, on a map--for there is a map even of Kingston--looks -admirably well. The streets all run in parallels. There is a fine -large square, plenty of public buildings, and almost a plethora of -places of worship. Everything is named with propriety, and there -could be no nicer town anywhere. But this word of promise to the -ear is strangely broken when the performance is brought to the test. -More than half the streets are not filled with houses. Those which -are so filled, and those which are not, have an equally rugged, -disreputable, and bankrupt appearance. The houses are mostly of wood, -and are unpainted, disjointed, and going to ruin. Those which are -built with brick not unfrequently appear as though the mortar had -been diligently picked out from the interstices. - -But the disgrace of Jamaica is the causeway of the streets -themselves. There never was so odious a place in which to move. -There is no pathway or trottoir to the streets, though there is very -generally some such--I cannot call it accommodation--before each -individual house. But as these are all broken from each other by -steps up and down, as they are of different levels, and sometimes -terminate abruptly without any steps, they cannot be used by the -public. One is driven, therefore, into the middle of the street. But -the street is neither paved nor macadamized, nor prepared for traffic -in any way. In dry weather it is a bed of sand, and in wet weather it -is a watercourse. Down the middle of this the unfortunate pedestrian -has to wade, with a tropical sun on his head; and this he must do in -a town which, from its position, is hotter than almost any other in -the West Indies. It is no wonder that there should be but little -walking. - -But the stranger does not find himself naturally in possession of a -horse and carriage. He may have a saddle-horse for eight shillings; -but that is expensive as well as dilatory if he merely wishes to call -at the post-office, or buy a pair of gloves. There are articles which -they call omnibuses, and which ply cheap enough, and carry men to any -part of the town for sixpence; that is, they will do so if you can -find them. They do not run from any given point to any other, but -meander about through the slush and sand, and are as difficult to -catch as the musquitoes. - -The city of Havana, in Cuba, is lighted at night by oil-lamps. The -little town of Cien Fuegos, in the same island, is lighted by gas. -But Kingston is not lighted at all! - -We all know that Jamaica is not thriving as once it throve, and that -one can hardly expect to find there all the energy of a prosperous -people. But still I think that something might be done to redeem this -town from its utter disgrace. Kingston itself is not without wealth. -If what one hears on such subjects contains any indications towards -the truth, those in trade there are still doing well. There is a -mayor, and there are aldermen. All the paraphernalia for carrying -on municipal improvements are ready. If the inhabitants have about -themselves any pride in their locality, let them, in the name of -common decency, prepare some sort of causeway in the streets; with -some drainage arrangement, by which rain may run off into the sea -without lingering for hours in every corner of the town. Nothing -could be easier, for there is a fall towards the shore through the -whole place. As it is now, Kingston is a disgrace to the country that -owns it. - -One is peculiarly struck also by the ugliness of the buildings--those -buildings, that is, which partake in any degree of a public -character--the churches and places of worship, the public offices, -and such like. We have no right, perhaps, to expect good taste so -far away from any school in which good taste is taught; and it may, -perhaps, be said by some that we have sins enough of our own at home -to induce us to be silent on this head. But it is singular that any -man who could put bricks and stones and timber together should put -them together in such hideous forms as those which are to be seen -here. - -I never met a wider and a kinder hospitality than I did in Jamaica, -but I neither ate nor drank in any house in Kingston except my -hotel, nor, as far as I can remember, did I enter any house except -in the way of business. And yet I was there--necessarily there, -unfortunately--for some considerable time. The fact is, that hardly -any Europeans, or even white Creoles, live in the town. They have -country seats, pens as they call them, at some little distance. They -hate the town, and it is no wonder they should do so. - -That which tends in part to the desolation of Kingston--or rather, -to put the proposition in a juster form, which prevents Kingston -from enjoying those advantages which would naturally attach to the -metropolis of the island--is this: the seat of government is not -there, but at Spanish Town. Then our naval establishment is at Port -Royal. - -When a city is in itself thriving, populous, and of great commercial -importance, it may be very well to make it wholly independent of the -government. New York, probably, might be no whit improved were the -National Congress to be held there; nor Amsterdam, perhaps, if the -Hague were abandoned; but it would be a great thing for Kingston if -Spanish Town were deserted. - -The Governor lives at the latter place, as do also those satellites -or moons who revolve round the larger luminary--the secretaries, -namely, and executive officers. These in Jamaica are now so reduced -in size that they could not perhaps do much for any city; but they -would do a little, and to Kingston any little would be acceptable. -Then the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly sit at Spanish -Town, and the members--at any rate of the latter body--are obliged -to live there during some three months of the year, not generally in -very comfortable lodgings. - -Respectable residents in the island, who would pay some attention to -the Governor if he lived at the principal town, find it impossible -to undergo the nuisance of visiting Spanish Town, and in this way -go neither to the one nor the other, unless when passing through -Kingston on their biennial or triennial visits to the old country. - -And those visits to Spanish Town are indeed a nuisance. In saying -this, I reflect in no way on the Governor or the Governor's people. -Were Gabriel Governor of Jamaica, with only five thousand pounds -a year, and had he a dozen angels with him as secretaries and -aides-de-camp, mortal men would not go to them at Spanish Town after -they had once seen of what feathers their wings were made. - -It is like the city of the dead. There are long streets there in -which no human inhabitant is ever seen. In others a silent old -negro woman may be sitting at an open door, or a child playing, -solitary, in the dust. The Governor's house--King's House as it is -called--stands on one side of a square; opposite is the house of the -Assembly; on the left, as you come out from the Governor's, are the -executive offices and house of the Council, and on the right some -other public buildings. The place would have some pretension about -it did it not seem to be stricken with an eternal death. All the -walls are of a dismal dirty yellow, and a stranger cannot but think -that the colour is owing to the dreadfully prevailing disease of the -country. In this square there are no sounds; men and women never -frequent it; nothing enters it but sunbeams--and such sunbeams! The -glare from those walls seems to forbid that men and women should come -there. - -The parched, dusty, deserted streets are all hot and perfectly -without shade. The crafty Italians have built their narrow streets -so that the sun can hardly enter them, except when he is in the mid -heaven; but there has been no such craft at Spanish Town. The houses -are very low, and when there is any sun in the heavens it can enter -those streets; and in those heavens there is always a burning, -broiling sun. - -But the place is not wholly deserted. There is here the most -frightfully hideous race of pigs that ever made a man ashamed to own -himself a bacon-eating biped. I have never done much in pigs myself, -but I believe that pigly grace consists in plumpness and comparative -shortness--in shortness, above all, of the face and nose. The -Spanish Town pigs are never plump. They are the very ghosts of swine, -consisting entirely of bones and bristles. Their backs are long, -their ribs are long, their legs are long, but, above all, their heads -and noses are hideously long. These brutes prowl about in the sun, -and glare at the unfrequent strangers with their starved eyes, as -though doubting themselves whether, by some little exertion, they -might not become beasts of prey. - -The necessity which exists for white men going to Spanish Town to see -the Governor results, I do not doubt, in some deaths every year. I -will describe the first time I was thus punished. Spanish Town is -thirteen miles from Kingston, and the journey is accomplished by -railway in somewhat under an hour. The trains run about every four -hours. On my arrival a public vehicle took me from the station up -to King's House, and everything seemed to be very convenient. The -streets, certainly, were rather dead, and the place hot; but I was -under cover, and the desolation did not seem to affect me. When I was -landed on the steps of the government-house, the first idea of my -coming sorrows flitted across my mind. "Where shall I call for you?" -said the driver; "the train goes at a quarter past four." It was -then one: and where was he to call for me? and what was I to do with -myself for three hours? "Here," I said; "on these steps." What other -place could I name? I knew no other place in Spanish Town. - -The Governor was all that was obliging--as Governors now-a-days -always are--and made an appointment for me to come again on the -following day, to see some one or say something, who or which could -not be seen or said on that occasion. Thus some twenty minutes were -exhausted, and there remained two hours and fifty minutes more upon -my hands. - -How I wished that the big man's big men had not been so rapidly -courteous--that they had kept me waiting for some hour or so, to -teach me that I was among big people, as used to be done in the good -old times! In such event, I should at any rate have had a seat, -though a hard one, and shelter from the sun. But not a moment's grace -had been afforded me. At the end of twenty minutes I found myself -again standing on those glaring steps. - -What should I do? Where should I go? Looking all around me, I did -not see as much life as would serve to open a door if I asked for -shelter. I stood upon those desolate steps till the perspiration ran -down my face with the labour of standing. Where was I to go? What was -I to do? "Inhospitalem caucasum!" I exclaimed, as I slowly made my -way down into the square. - -When an Englishman has nothing to do, and a certain time to wait, -his one resource is to walk about. A Frenchman sits down and lights -a cigar, an Italian goes to sleep, a German meditates, an American -invents some new position for his limbs as far as possible asunder -from that intended for them by nature, but an Englishman always takes -a walk. I had nothing to do. Even under the full fury of the sun -walking is better than standing still. I would take a walk. - -I moved slowly round the square, and by the time that I had reached -an opposite corner all my clothes were wet through. On I went, -however, down one dead street and up another. I saw no one but the -pigs, and almost envied them their fleshlessness. I turned another -corner, and I came upon the square again. That seemed to me to be the -lowest depth of all that fiery Pandemonium, and with a quickened step -I passed through but a corner of it. But the sun blazed even fiercer -and fiercer. Should I go back and ask for a seat, if it were but on a -bench in the government scullery, among the female negroes? - -Something I must do, or there would soon be an end of me. There -must be some inn in the place, if I could only find it. I was not -absolutely in the midst of the Great Sahara. There were houses on -each side of me, though they were all closed. I looked at my watch, -and found that ten minutes had passed by since I had been on my legs. -I thought I had wandered for an hour. - -And now I saw an old woman--the first human creature I had seen since -I left the light of the Governor's face; the shade I should say, -meaning to speak of it in the most complimentary terms. "Madam," -said I, "is there an inn here; and if so, where may it be?" "Inn!" -repeated the ancient negress, looking at me in a startled way. "Me -know noting, massa;" and so she passed on. Inns in Jamaica are called -lodging-houses, or else taverns; but I did not find this out till -afterwards. - -And then I saw a man walking quickly with a basket across the street, -some way in advance of me. If I did not run I should miss him; so I -did run; and I hallooed also. I shall never forget the exertion. "Is -there a public-house," I exclaimed, feverishly, "in this ---- place?" -I forget the exact word which should fill up the blank, but I think -it was "blessed." - -"Pubberlic-house, massa, in dis d----m place," said the grinning -negro, repeating my words after me, only that I know _he_ used the -offensive phrase which I have designated. "Pubberlic-house! what -dat?" and then he adjusted his basket on his head, and proceeded to -walk on. - -By this time I was half blind, and my head reeled through the effects -of the sun. But I could not allow myself to perish there, in the -middle of Spanish Town, without an effort. It behoved me as a man to -do something to save my life. So I stopped the fellow, and at last -succeeded in making him understand that I would give him sixpence if -he would conduct me to some house of public entertainment. - -"Oh, de Vellington tavern," said he; and taking me to a corner three -yards from where we stood, he showed me the sign-board. "And now de -two quatties," he said. I knew nothing of quatties then, but I gave -him the sixpence, and in a few minutes I found myself within the -"Wellington." - -It was a miserable hole, but it did afford me shelter. Indeed, it -would not have been so miserable had I known at first, as I did some -few minutes before I left, that there was a better room up stairs. -But the people of the house could not suppose but what every one knew -the "Wellington;" and thought, doubtless, that I preferred remaining -below in the dirt. - -I was over two hours in this place, and even that was not pleasant. -When I went up into the fashionable room above, I found there, among -others, a negro of exceeding blackness. I do not know that I ever saw -skin so purely black. He was talking eagerly with his friends, and -after a while I heard him say, in a voice of considerable dignity, "I -shall bring forward a motion on de subject in de house to-morrow." So -that I had not fallen into bad society. - -But even under these circumstances two hours spent in a tavern -without a book, without any necessity for eating or drinking, is not -pleasant; and I trust that when I next visit Jamaica I may find the -seat of government moved to Kingston. The Governor would do Kingston -some good; and it is on the cards that Kingston might return the -compliment. - -The inns in Kingston rejoice in the grand name of halls. Not that you -ask which is the best hall, or inquire at what hall your friend is -staying; but such is the title given to the individual house. One -is the Date-tree Hall, another Blundle's Hall, a third Barkly Hall, -and so on. I took up my abode at Blundle Hall, and found that the -landlady in whose custody I had placed myself was a sister of good -Mrs. Seacole. "My sister wanted to go to India," said my landlady, -"with the army, you know. But Queen Victoria would not let her; her -life was too precious." So that Mrs. Seacole is a prophet, even in -her own country. - -Much cannot be said for the West Indian hotels in general. By far -the best that I met was at Cien Fuegos, in Cuba. This one, kept by -Mrs. Seacole's sister, was not worse, if not much better, than the -average. It was clean, and reasonable as to its charges. I used to -wish that the patriotic lady who kept it could be induced to abandon -the idea that beefsteaks and onions, and bread and cheese and beer -composed the only diet proper for an Englishman. But it is to be -remarked all through the island that the people are fond of English -dishes, and that they despise, or affect to despise, their own -productions. They will give you ox-tail soup when turtle would be -much cheaper. Roast beef and beefsteaks are found at almost every -meal. An immense deal of beer is consumed. When yams, avocado -pears, the mountain cabbage, plaintains, and twenty other delicious -vegetables may be had for the gathering, people will insist on eating -bad English potatoes; and the desire for English pickles is quite -a passion. This is one phase of that love for England which is so -predominant a characteristic of the white inhabitants of the West -Indies. - -At the inns, as at the private houses, the household servants are -almost always black. The manners of these people are to a stranger -very strange. They are not absolutely uncivil, except on occasions; -but they have an easy, free, patronizing air. If you find fault -with them, they insist on having the last word, and are generally -successful. They do not appear to be greedy of money; rarely ask for -it, and express but little thankfulness when they get it. At home, -in England, one is apt to think that an extra shilling will go a -long way with boots and chambermaid, and produce hotter water, more -copious towels, and quicker attendance than is ordinary. But in the -West Indies a similar result does not follow in a similar degree. -And in the West Indies it is absolutely necessary that these people -should be treated with dignity; and it is not always very easy to -reach the proper point of dignity. They like familiarity, but are -singularly averse to ridicule; and though they wish to be on good -terms with you, they do not choose that these shall be reached -without the proper degree of antecedent ceremony. - -"Halloo, old fellow! how about that bath?" I said one morning to -a lad who had been commissioned to see a bath filled for me. He -was cleaning boots at the time, and went on with his employment, -sedulously, as though he had not heard a word. But he was over -sedulous, and I saw that he heard me. - -"I say, how about that bath?" I continued. But he did not move a -muscle. - -"Put down those boots, sir," I said, going up to him; "and go and do -as I bid you." - -"Who you call fellor? You speak to a gen'lman gen'lmanly, and den he -fill de bath." - -"James," said I, "might I trouble you to leave those boots, and see -the bath filled for me?" and I bowed to him. - -"'Es, sir," he answered, returning my bow; "go at once." And so -he did, perfectly satisfied. Had he imagined, however, that I was -quizzing him, in all probability he would not have gone at all. - -There will be those who will say that I had received a good lesson; -and perhaps I had. But it would be rather cumbersome if we were -forced to treat our juvenile servants at home in this manner--or even -those who are not juvenile. - -I must say this for the servants, that I never knew them to steal -anything, or heard of their doing so from any one else. If any one -deserves to be robbed, I deserve it; for I leave my keys and my -money everywhere, and seldom find time to lock my portmanteau. -But my carelessness was not punished in Jamaica. And this I think -is the character of the people as regards absolute personal -property--personal property that has been housed and garnered--that -has, as it were, been made the possessor's very own. There can be no -more diligent thieves than they are in appropriating to themselves -the fruits of the earth while they are still on the trees. They will -not understand that this is stealing. Nor can much be said for their -honesty in dealing. There is a great difference between cheating and -stealing in the minds of many men, whether they be black or white. - -There are good shops in Kingston, and I believe that men in trade -are making money there. I cannot tell on what principle prices -range themselves as compared with those in England. Some things are -considerably cheaper than with us, and some much, very much dearer. A -pair of excellent duck trousers, if I may be excused for alluding to -them, cost me eighteen shillings when made to order. Whereas, a pair -of evening white gloves could not be had under four-and-sixpence. -That, at least, was the price charged, though I am bound to own that -the shop-boy considerately returned me sixpence, discount for ready -money. - -The men in the shops are generally of the coloured race, and they are -also extremely free and easy in their manners. From them this is more -disagreeable than from the negroes. "Four-and-sixpence for white -gloves!" I said; "is not that high?" "Not at all, sir; by no means. -We consider it rather cheap. But in Kingston, sir, you must not think -about little economies." And he leered at me in a very nauseous -manner as he tied his parcel. However, I ought to forgive him, for -did he not return to me sixpence discount, unasked? - -There are various places of worship in Kingston, and the negroes -are fond of attending them. But they love best that class of -religion which allows them to hear the most of their own voices. -They are therefore fond of Baptists; and fonder of the Wesleyans -than of the Church of England. Many also are Roman Catholics. Their -singing-classes are constantly to be heard as one walks through the -streets. No religion is worth anything to them which does not offer -the allurement of some excitement. - -Very little excitement is to be found in the Church-of-England -Kingston parish church. The church itself, with its rickety pews, and -creaking doors, and wretched seats made purposely so as to render -genuflexion impossible, and the sleepy, droning, somnolent service -are exactly what was so common in England twenty years since; but -which are common no longer, thanks to certain much-abused clerical -gentlemen. Not but that it may still be found in England if -diligently sought for. - -But I must not finish my notice on the town of Kingston without -a word of allusion to my enemies, the musquitoes. Let no -European attempt to sleep there at any time of the year without -musquito-curtains. If he do, it will only be an attempt; which will -probably end in madness and fever before morning. - -Nor will musquito-curtains suffice unless they are brushed out -with no ordinary care, and then tucked in; and unless, also, the -would-be-sleeper, after having cunningly crept into his bed at the -smallest available aperture, carefully pins up that aperture. Your -Kingston musquito is the craftiest of insects, and the most deadly. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -JAMAICA--COUNTRY. - - -I have spoken in disparaging terms of the chief town in Jamaica, -but I can atone for this by speaking in very high terms of the -country. In that island one would certainly prefer the life of the -country mouse. There is scenery in Jamaica which almost equals that -of Switzerland and the Tyrol; and there is also, which is more -essential, a temperature among the mountains in which a European can -live comfortably. - -I travelled over the greater part of the island, and was very much -pleased with it. The drawbacks on such a tour are the expensiveness -of locomotion, the want of hotels, and the badness of the roads. As -to cost, the tourist always consoles himself by reflecting that he is -going to take the expensive journey once, and once only. The badness -of the roads forms an additional excitement; and the want of hotels -is cured, as it probably has been caused, by the hospitality of the -gentry. - -And they are very hospitable--and hospitable, too, under adverse -circumstances. In olden times, when nobody anywhere was so rich as a -Jamaica planter, it was not surprising that he should be always glad -to see his own friends and his friends' friends, and their friends. -Such visits dissipated the ennui of his own life, and the expense was -not appreciable--or, at any rate, not undesirable. An open house was -his usual rule of life. But matters are much altered with him now. -If he be a planter of the olden days, he will have passed through -fire and water in his endeavours to maintain his position. If, as is -more frequently the case, he be a man of new date on his estate, he -will probably have established himself with a small capital; and he -also will have to struggle. But, nevertheless, the hospitality is -maintained, perhaps not on the olden scale, yet on a scale that by no -means requires to be enlarged. - -"It is rather hard on us," said a young planter to me, with whom I -was on terms of sufficient intimacy to discuss such matters--"We send -word to the people at home that we are very poor. They won't quite -believe us, so they send out somebody to see. The somebody comes, -a pleasant-mannered fellow, and we kill our little fatted calf for -him; probably it is only a ewe lamb. We bring out our bottle or two -of the best, that has been put by for a gala day, and so we make -his heart glad. He goes home, and what does he say of us? These -Jamaica planters are princes--the best fellows living; I liked them -amazingly. But as for their poverty, don't believe a word of it. -They swim in claret, and usually bathe in champagne. Now that is -hard, seeing that our common fare is salt fish and rum and water." -I advised him in future to receive such inquirers with his ordinary -fare only. "Yes," said he, "and then we should get it on the other -cheek. We should be abused for our stinginess. No Jamaica man could -stand that." - -It is of course known that the sugar-cane is the chief production of -Jamaica; but one may travel for days in the island and only see a -cane piece here and there. By far the greater portion of the island -is covered with wild wood and jungle--what is there called bush. -Through this, on an occasional favourable spot, and very frequently -on the roadsides, one sees the gardens or provision-grounds of the -negroes. These are spots of land cultivated by them, for which they -either pay rent, or on which, as is quite as common, they have -squatted without payment of any rent. - -These provision-grounds are very picturesque. They are not filled, as -a peasant's garden in England or in Ireland is filled, with potatoes -and cabbages, or other vegetables similarly uninteresting in their -growth; but contain cocoa-trees, breadfruit-trees, oranges, mangoes, -limes, plantains, jack fruit, sour-sop, avocado pears, and a score of -others, all of which are luxuriant trees, some of considerable size, -and all of them of great beauty. The breadfruit-tree and the mango -are especially lovely, and I know nothing prettier than a grove of -oranges in Jamaica. In addition to this, they always have the yam, -which is with the negro somewhat as the potato is with the Irishman; -only that the Irishman has nothing else, whereas the negro generally -has either fish or meat, and has also a score of other fruits besides -the yam. - -The yam, too, is picturesque in its growth. As with the potato, the -root alone is eaten, but the upper part is fostered and cared for -as a creeper, so that the ground may be unencumbered by its thick -tendrils. Support is provided for it as for grapes or peas. Then one -sees also in these provision-grounds patches of coffee and arrowroot, -and occasionally also patches of sugar-cane. - -A man wishing to see the main features of the whole island, and -proceeding from Kingston as his head-quarters, must take two distinct -tours, one to the east and the other to the west. The former may be -best done on horseback, as the roads are, one may say, non-existent -for a considerable portion of the way, and sometimes almost worse -than non-existent in other places. - -One of the most remarkable characteristics of Jamaica is the -copiousness of its rivers. It is said that its original name, -Xaymaca, signifies a country of streams; and it certainly is not -undeserved. This copiousness, though it adds to the beauty, as no -doubt it does also to its salubrity and fertility, adds something -too to the difficulty of locomotion. Bridges have not been built, or, -sad to say, have been allowed to go to destruction. One hears that -this river or that river is "down," whereby it is signified that the -waters are swollen; and some of the rivers when so down are certainly -not easy of passage. Such impediments are more frequent in the east -than elsewhere, and on this account travelling on horseback is the -safest as well as the most expeditious means of transit. I found four -horses to be necessary, one for the groom, one for my clothes, and -two for myself. A lighter weight might have done with three. - -An Englishman feels some bashfulness in riding up to a stranger's -door with such a cortege, and bearing as an introduction a message -from somebody else, to say that you are to be entertained. But I -always found that such a message was a sufficient passport. "It is -our way," one gentleman said to me, in answer to my apology. "When -four or five come in for dinner after ten o'clock at night, we do -think it hard, seeing that meat won't keep in this country." - -Hotels, as an institution, are, on the whole, a comfortable -arrangement. One prefers, perhaps, ordering one's dinner to asking -for it; and many men delight in the wide capability of finding fault -which an inn affords. But they are very hostile to the spirit of -hospitality. The time will soon come when the backwoodsman will have -his tariff for public accommodation, and an Arab will charge you a -fixed price for his pipe and cup of coffee in the desert. But that -era has not yet been reached in Jamaica. - -Crossing the same river four-and-twenty times is tedious; especially -if this is done in heavy rain, when the road is a narrow track -through thickly-wooded ravines, and when an open umbrella is -absolutely necessary. But so often had we to cross the Waag-water in -our route from Kingston to the northern shore. - -It was here that I first saw the full effect of tropical vegetation, -and I shall never forget it. Perhaps the most graceful of all the -woodland productions is the bamboo. It grows either in clusters, like -clumps of trees in an English park, or, as is more usual when found -in its indigenous state, in long rows by the riversides. The trunk -of the bamboo is a huge hollow cane, bearing no leaves except at its -head. One such cane alone would be uninteresting enough. But their -great height, the peculiarly graceful curve of their growth, and -the excessive thickness of the drooping foliage of hundreds of them -clustered together produce an effect which nothing can surpass. - -The cotton-tree is almost as beautiful when standing alone. The trunk -of this tree grows to a magnificent height, and with magnificent -proportions: it is frequently straight; and those which are most -beautiful throw out no branches till they have reached a height -greater than that of any ordinary tree with us. Nature, in order -to sustain so large a mass, supplies it with huge spurs at the -foot, which act as buttresses for its support, connecting the roots -immediately with the trunk as much as twenty feet above the ground. -I measured more than one, which, including the buttresses, were over -thirty feet in circumference. Then from its head the branches break -forth in most luxurious profusion, covering an enormous extent of -ground with their shade. - -But the most striking peculiarity of these trees consists in the -parasite plants by which they are enveloped, and which hang from -their branches down to the ground with tendrils of wonderful -strength. These parasites are of various kinds, the fig being the -most obdurate with its embraces. It frequently may be seen that the -original tree has departed wholly from sight, and I should imagine -almost wholly from existence; and then the very name is changed, -and the cotton-tree is called a fig-tree. In others the process of -destruction may be observed, and the interior trunk may be seen to be -stayed in its growth and stunted in its measure by the creepers which -surround it. This pernicious embrace the natives describe as "The -Scotchman hugging the Creole." The metaphor is sufficiently satirical -upon our northern friends, who are supposed not to have thriven badly -in their visits to the Western islands. - -But it often happens that the tree has reached its full growth -before the parasites have fallen on it, and then, in place of being -strangled, it is adorned. Every branch is covered with a wondrous -growth--with plants of a thousand colours and a thousand sorts. Some -droop with long and graceful tendrils from the boughs, and so touch -the ground; while others hang in a ball of leaves and flowers, which -swing for years, apparently without changing their position. - -The growth of these parasite plants must be slow, though it is so -very rich. A gentleman with whom I was staying, and in whose grounds -I saw by far the most lovely tree of this description that met my -sight, assured me that he had watched it closely for more than -twenty years, and that he could trace no difference in the size or -arrangement of the parasite plants by which it was surrounded. - -We went across the island to a little village called Annotta Bay, -traversing the Waag-water twenty-four times, as I have said; and -from thence, through the parishes of Metcalf and St. George, to Port -Antonio. "Fuit ilium et ingens gloria." This may certainly be said -of Port Antonio and the adjacent district. It was once a military -station, and the empty barracks, standing so beautifully over the -sea, on an extreme point of land, are now waiting till time shall -reduce them to ruin. The place is utterly desolate, though not yet -broken up in its desolation, as such buildings quickly become when -left wholly untenanted. A rusty cannon or two still stand at the -embrasures, watching the entrance to the fort; and among the grass -we found a few metal balls, the last remains of the last ordnance -supplies. - -But Port Antonio was once a goodly town, and the country round it, -the parish of Portland, is as fertile as any in the island. But now -there is hardly a sugar estate in the whole parish. It is given -up to the growth of yams, cocoas, and plantains. It has become a -provision-ground for negroes, and the palmy days of the town are of -course gone. - -Nevertheless, there was a decent little inn at Port Antonio, which -will always be memorable to me on account of the love sorrows of a -young maiden whom I chanced to meet there. The meeting was in this -wise:-- - -I was sitting in the parlour of the inn, after dinner, when a young -lady walked in, dressed altogether in white. And she was well -dressed, and not without the ordinary decoration of crinoline and -ribbons. She was of the coloured race; and her jet black, crisp, yet -wavy hair was brushed back in a becoming fashion. Whence she came or -who she was I did not know, and never learnt. That she was familiar -in the house I presumed from her moving the books and little -ornaments on the table, and arranging the cups and shells upon a -shelf. "Heigh-ho!" she ejaculated, when I had watched her for about a -minute. - -I hardly knew how to accost her, for I object to the word Miss, as -standing alone; and yet it was necessary that I should accost her. -"Ah, well: heigh-ho!" she repeated. It was easy to perceive that she -had a grief to tell. - -"Lady," said I--I felt that the address was somewhat stilted, but in -the lack of any introduction I knew not how else to begin--"Lady, I -fear that you are in sorrow?" - -"Sorrow enough!" said she. "I'se in de deepest sorrow. Heigh-ho me! -Well, de world will end some day," and turning her face full upon -me, she crossed her hands. I was seated on a sofa, and she came and -sat beside me, crossing her hands upon her lap, and looking away to -the opposite wall. I am not a very young man; and my friends have -told me that I show strongly that steady married appearance of a -paterfamilias which is so apt to lend assurance to maiden timidity. - -"It will end some day for us all," I replied. "But with you, it has -hardly yet had its beginning." - -"'Tis a very bad world, and sooner over de better. To be treated so's -enough to break any girl's heart; it is! My heart's clean broke, I -know dat." And as she put both her long, thin dark hands to her side, -I saw that she had not forgotten her rings. - -"It is love then that ails you?" - -"No!" She said this very sharply, turning full round upon me, and -fixing her large black eyes upon mine. "No, I don't love him one bit; -not now, and never again. No, not if he were down dere begging." And -she stamped her little foot upon the ground as though she had an -imaginary neck beneath her heel. - -"But you did love him?" - -"Yes." She spoke very softly now, and shook her head gently. "I did -love him--oh, so much! He was so handsome, so nice! I shall never see -such a man again: such eyes; such a mouth! and then his nose! He was -a Jew, you know." - -I had not known it before, and received the information perhaps with -some little start of surprise. - -"Served me right; didn't it? And I'se a Baptist, you know. They'd -have read me out, I know dat. But I didn't seem to mind it den." And -then she gently struck one hand with the other, as she smiled sweetly -in my face. The trick is customary with the coloured women in the -West Indies when they have entered upon a nice familiar, pleasant bit -of chat. At this period I felt myself to be sufficiently intimate -with her to ask her name. - -"Josephine; dat's my name. D'you like dat name?" - -"It's as pretty as its owner--nearly." - -"Pretty! no; I'se not pretty. If I was pretty, he'd not have left me -so. He used to call me Feeny." - -"What! the Jew did." I thought it might be well to detract from the -merit of the lost admirer. "A girl like you should have a Christian -lover." - -"Dat's what dey all says." - -"Of course they do: you ought to be glad it's over." - -"I ain't tho'; not a bit; tho' I do hate him so. Oh, I hate him; I -hate him! I hate him worse dan poison." And again her little foot -went to work. I must confess that it was a pretty foot; and as for -her waist, I never saw one better turned, or more deftly clothed. Her -little foot went to work upon the floor, and then clenching her small -right hand, she held it up before my face as though to show me that -she knew how to menace. - -I took her hand in mine, and told her that those fingers had not -been made for threats. "You are a Christian," said I, "and should -forgive." - -"I'se a Baptist," she replied; "and in course I does forgive him: I -does forgive him; but--! He'll be wretched in this life, I know; and -she--she'll be wretcheder; and when he dies--oh-h-h-h!" - -In that prolonged expression there was a curse as deep as any that -Ernulphus ever gave. Alas! such is the forgiveness of too many a -Christian! - -"As for me, I wouldn't demean myself to touch de hem of her garment! -Poor fellow! What a life he'll have; for she's a virgo with a -vengeance." This at the moment astonished me; but from the whole -tenor of the lady's speech I was at once convinced that no satirical -allusion was intended. In the hurry of her fluttering thoughts she -had merely omitted the letter "a." It was her rival's temper, not her -virtue, that she doubted. - -"The Jew is going to be married then?" - -"He told her so; but p'raps he'll jilt her too, you know." It was -easy to see that the idea was not an unpleasant one. - -"And then he'll come back to you?" - -"Yes, yes; and I'll spit at him;" and in the fury of her mind she -absolutely did perform the operation. "I wish he would; I'd sit so, -and listen to him;" and she crossed her hands and assumed an air of -dignified quiescence which well became her. "I'd listen every word -he say; just so. Every word till he done; and I'd smile"--and she -did smile--"and den when he offer me his hand"--and she put out her -own--"I'd spit at him, and leave him so." And rising majestically -from her seat she stalked out of the room. - -As she fully closed the door behind her, I thought that the interview -was over, and that I should see no more of my fair friend; but in -this I was mistaken. The door was soon reopened, and she again seated -herself on the sofa beside me. - -"Your heart would permit of your doing that?" said I; "and he with -such a beautiful nose?" - -"Yes; it would. I'd 'spise myself to take him now, if he was ever so -beautiful. But I'se sure of this, I'll never love no oder man--never -again. He did dance so genteelly." - -"A Baptist dance!" I exclaimed. - -"Well; it wasn't de ting, was it? And I knew I'd be read out; oh, but -it was so nice! I'll never have no more dancing now. I've just taken -up with a class now, you know, since he's gone." - -"Taken up with a class?" - -"Yes; I teaches the nigger children; and I has a card for the -minister. I got four dollars last week, and you must give me -something." - -Now I hate Baptists--as she did her lover--like poison; and even -under such pressure as this I could not bring myself to aid in their -support. - -"You very stingy man! Caspar Isaacs"--he was her lost lover--"gave me -a dollar." - -"But perhaps you gave him a kiss." - -"Perhaps I did," said she. "But you may be quite sure of this, quite; -I'll never give him anoder," and she again slapped one hand upon the -other, and compressed her lips, and gently shook her head as she made -the declaration, "I'll never give him anoder kiss--dat's sure as -fate." - -I had nothing further to say, and began to feel that I ought not to -detain the lady longer. We sat together, however, silent for a while, -and then she arose and spoke to me standing. "I'se in a reg'lar -difficulty now, however; and it's just about that I am come to ask -you." - -"Well, Josephine, anything that I can do to help you--" - -"'Tain't much; I only want your advice. I'se going to Kingston, you -see." - -"Ah, you'll find another lover there." - -"It's not for dat den, for I don't want none; but I'se going anyways, -'cause I live dere." - -"Oh, you live at Kingston?" - -"Course I does. And I'se no ways to go but just in de droger"--the -West Indian coasting vessels are so called. - -"Don't you like going in the droger?" I asked. - -"Oh, yes; I likes it well enough." - -"Are you sea-sick?" - -"Oh, no." - -"Then what's the harm of the droger?" - -"Why, you see"--and she turned away her face and looked towards the -window--"why you see, Isaacs is the captain of her, and 'twill be so -odd like." - -"You could not possibly have a better opportunity for recovering all -that you have lost." - -"You tink so?" - -"Certainly." - -"Den you know noting about it. I will never recover noting of him, -never. Bah! But I tell you what I'll do. I'll pay him my pound for -my passage; and den it'll be a purely 'mercial transaction." - -On this point I agreed with her, and then she offered me her hand -with the view of bidding me farewell. "Good-bye, Josephine," I said; -"perhaps you would be happier with a Christian husband." - -"P'raps I would; p'raps better with none at all. But I don't tink -I'll ever be happy no more. 'Tis so dull: good-bye." Were I a girl, I -doubt whether I also would not sooner dance with a Jew than pray with -a Baptist. - -"Good-bye, Josephine." I pressed her hand, and so she went, and I -never saw nor heard more of her. - -There was not about my Josephine all the pathos of Maria; nor can -I tell my story as Sterne told his. But Josephine in her sorrow was -I think more true to human nature than Maria. It may perhaps be -possible that Sterne embellished his facts. I, at any rate, have not -done that. - -I had another adventure at Port Antonio. About two o'clock in the -morning there was an earthquake, and we were all nearly shaken out of -our beds. Some one rushed into my room, declaring that not a stone -would be left standing of Port Royal. There were two distinct blows, -separated by some seconds, and a loud noise was heard. I cannot say -that I was frightened, as I had not time to realize the fact of the -earthquake before it was all over. No harm was done, I believe, -anywhere, beyond the disseverance of a little plaster from the walls. - -The largest expanse of unbroken cane-fields in Jamaica is at the -extreme south-east, in the parish of St. George's in the East. Here -I saw a plain of about four thousand acres under canes. It looked to -be prosperous; but I was told by the planter with whom I was staying -that the land had lately been deluged with water; that the canes -were covered with mud; and that the crops would be very short. Poor -Jamaica! It seems as though all the elements are in league against -her. - -I was not sorry to return to Kingston from this trip, for I was -tired of the saddle. In Jamaica everybody rides, but nobody seems to -get much beyond a walk. Now to me there is no pace on horseback so -wearying as an unbroken walk. I did goad my horse into trotting, but -it was clear that the animal was not used to it. - -Shortly afterwards I went to the west. The distances here were -longer, but the journey was made on wheels, and was not so fatiguing. -Moreover, I stayed some little time with a friend in one of the -distant parishes of the island. The scenery during the whole -expedition was very grand. The road goes through Spanish Town, and -then divides itself, one road going westward by the northern coast, -and the other by that to the south. I went by the former, and began -my journey by the bog or bogue walk, a road through a magnificent -ravine, and then over Mount Diabolo. The Devil assumes to himself all -the finest scenery in all countries. Of a delicious mountain tarn he -makes his punch-bowl; he loves to leap from crag to crag over the -wildest ravines; he builds picturesque bridges in most impassable -sites; and makes roads over mountains at gradients not to be -attempted by the wildest engineer. The road over Mount Diabolo is -very fine, and the view back to Kingston very grand. - -From thence I went down into the parish of St. Anns, on the northern -side. They all speak of St. Anns as being the most fertile district -in the island. The inhabitants are addicted to grazing rather than -sugarmaking, and thrive in that pursuit very well. But all Jamaica is -suited for a grazing-ground, and all the West Indies should be the -market for their cattle. - -On the northern coast there are two towns, Falmouth and Montego Bay, -both of which are, at any rate in appearance, more prosperous than -Kingston. I cannot say that the streets are alive with trade; but -they do not appear to be so neglected, desolate, and wretched as the -metropolis or the seat of government. They have jails and hospitals, -mayors and magistrates, and are, except in atmosphere, very like -small country towns in England. - -The two furthermost parishes of Jamaica are Hanover and Westmoreland, -and I stayed for a short time with a gentleman who lives on the -borders of the two. I certainly was never in a more lovely country. -He was a sugar planter; but the canes and sugar, which, after -all, are ugly and by no means savoury appurtenances, were located -somewhere out of sight. As far as I myself might know, from what I -saw, my host's ordinary occupations were exactly those of a country -gentleman in England. He fished and shot, and looked after his -estate, and acted as a magistrate; and over and above this, was -somewhat particular about his dinner, and the ornamentation of the -land immediately round his house. I do not know that Fate can give a -man a pleasanter life. If, however, he did at unseen moments inspect -his cane-holes, and employ himself among the sugar hogsheads and rum -puncheons, it must be acknowledged that he had a serious drawback on -his happiness. - -Country life in Jamaica certainly has its attractions. The day is -generally begun at six o'clock, when a cup of coffee is brought in by -a sable minister. I believe it is customary to take this in bed, or -rather on the bed; for in Jamaica one's connection with one's bed -does not amount to getting into it. One gets within the musquito net, -and then plunges about with a loose sheet, which is sometimes on and -sometimes off. With the cup of coffee comes a small modicum of dry -toast. - -After that the toilet progresses, not at a rapid pace. A tub of cold -water and dilettante dressing will do something more than kill an -hour, so that it is half-past seven or eight before one leaves one's -room. When one first arrives in the West Indies, one hears much of -early morning exercise, especially for ladies; and for ladies, early -morning exercise is the only exercise possible. But it appeared to -me that I heard more of it than I saw. And even as regards early -travelling, the eager promise was generally broken. An assumed start -at five a.m. usually meant seven; and one at six, half-past eight. -This, however, is the time of day at which the sugar grower is -presumed to look at his canes, and the grazier to inspect his kine. -At this hour--eight o'clock, that is--the men ride, and _sometimes_ -also the ladies. And when the latter ceremony does take place, there -is no pleasanter hour in all the four-and-twenty. - -At ten or half-past ten the nation sits down to breakfast; not to a -meal, my dear Mrs. Jones, consisting of tea and bread and butter, -with two eggs for the master of the family and one for the mistress; -but a stout, solid banquet, consisting of fish, beefsteaks--a -breakfast is not a breakfast in the West Indies without beefsteaks -and onions, nor is a dinner so to be called without bread and cheese -and beer--potatoes, yams, plaintains, eggs, and half a dozen "tinned" -productions, namely, meats sent from England in tin cases. Though -they have every delicacy which the world can give them of native -production, all these are as nothing, unless they also have something -from England. Then there are tea and chocolate upon the table, and -on the sideboard beer and wine, rum and brandy. 'Tis so that they -breakfast at rural quarters in Jamaica. - -Then comes the day. Ladies may not subject their fair skin to the -outrages of a tropical sun, and therefore, unless on very special -occasions, they do not go out between breakfast and dinner. That they -occupy themselves well during the while, charity feels convinced. -Sarcasm, however, says that they do not sin from over energy. For -my own part, I do not care a doit for sarcasm. When their lords -reappear, they are always found smiling, well-dressed, and pretty; -and then after dinner they have but one sin--there is but one -drawback--they will go to bed at 9 o'clock. - -But by the men during the day it did not seem to me that the sun -was much regarded, or that it need be much regarded. One cannot and -certainly should not walk much; and no one does walk. A horse is -there as a matter of course, and one walks upon that; not a great -beast sixteen hands high, requiring all manner of levers between its -jaws, capricoling and prancing about, and giving a man a deal of work -merely to keep his seat and look stately; but a canny little quiet -brute, fed chiefly on grass, patient of the sun, and not inclined to -be troublesome. With such legs under him, and at a distance of some -twenty miles from the coast, a man may get about in Jamaica pretty -nearly as well as he can in England. - -I saw various grazing farms--pens they are here called--while I was -in this part of the country; and I could not but fancy that grazing -should in Jamaica be the natural and most beneficial pursuit of the -proprietor, as on the other side of the Atlantic it certainly is in -Ireland. I never saw grass to equal the guinea grass in some of the -parishes; and at Knockalva I looked at Hereford cattle which I have -rarely, if ever, seen beaten at any agricultural show in England. -At present the island does not altogether supply itself with meat; -but it might do so, and supply, moreover, nearly the whole of the -remaining West Indies. Proprietors of land say that the sea transit -is too costly. Of course it is at present; the trade not yet -existing; for indeed, at present there is no means of such transit. -But screw steamers now always appear quickly enough wherever freight -offers itself; and if the cattle were there, they would soon find -their way down to the Windward Islands. - -But I am running away from my day. The inspection of a pen or two, -perhaps occasionally of the sugar works when they are about, soon -wears through the hours, and at five preparations commence for the -six o'clock dinner. The dressing again is a dilettante process, even -for the least dandified of mankind. It is astonishing how much men -think, and must think, of their clothes when within the tropics. -Dressing is necessarily done slowly, or else one gets heated quicker -than one has cooled down. And then one's clothes always want airing, -and the supply of clean linen is necessarily copious, or, at any -rate, should be so. Let no man think that he can dress for dinner in -ten minutes because he is accustomed to do so in England. He cannot -brush his hair, or pull on his boots, or fasten his buttons at the -same pace he does at home. He dries his face very leisurely, and sits -down gravely to rest before he draws on his black pantaloons. - -Dressing for dinner, however, is _de rigeur_ in the West Indies. If -a black coat, &c., could be laid aside anywhere as barbaric, and -light loose clothing adopted, this should be done here. The soldiers, -at least the privates, are already dressed as Zouaves; and children -and negroes are hardly dressed at all. But the visitor, victim of -tropical fashionable society, must appear in black clothing, because -black clothing is the thing in England. "The Governor won't see you -in that coat," was said to me once on my way to Spanish Town, "even -on a morning." The Governor did see me, and as far as I could observe -did not know whether or no I had on any coat. Such, however, is the -feeling of the place. But we shall never get to dinner. - -This again is a matter of considerable importance, as, indeed, -where is it not? While in England we are all writing letters to the -'Times,' to ascertain how closely we can copy the vices of Apicius on -eight hundred pounds a year, and complaining because in our perverse -stupidity we cannot pamper our palates with sufficient variety, it is -not open to us to say a word against the luxuries of a West Indian -table. We have reached the days when a man not only eats his best, -but complains bitterly and publicly because he cannot eat better; -when we sigh out loud because no Horace will teach us where the -sweetest cabbage grows; how best to souse our living poultry, so that -their fibres when cooked may not offend our teeth. These lessons of -Horace are accounted among his Satires. But what of that? That which -was satire to Augustine Rome shall be simple homely teaching to the -subject of Victoria with his thousand a year. - -But the cook in the Jamaica country house is a person of importance, -and I am inclined to think that the lady whom I have accused of -idleness does during those vacant interlunar hours occasionally peer -into her kitchen. The results at any rate are good--sufficiently so -to break the hearts of some of our miserable eight hundred a year men -at home. - -After dinner no wine is taken--none, at least, beyond one glass with -the ladies, and, if you choose it, one after they are gone. Before -dinner, as I should have mentioned before, a glass of bitters is as -much _de rigeur_ as the black coat. I know how this will disgust many -a kindly friend in dear good old thickly-prejudiced native England. -Yes, ma'am, bitters! No, not gin and bitters, such as the cabmen take -at the gin-palaces; not gin and bitters at all, unless you specially -request it; but sherry and bitters; and a very pretty habit it is for -a warm country. If you don't drink your wine after dinner, why not -take it before? I have no doubt that it is the more wholesome habit -of the two. - -Not that I recommend, even in the warmest climate, a second bitter, -or a third. There are spots in the West Indies where men take third -bitters, and long bitters, in which the bitter time begins when the -soda water and brandy time ends--in which the latter commences when -the breakfast beer-bottles disappear. There are such places, but they -must not be named by me in characters plainly legible. To kiss and -tell is very criminal, as the whole world knows. But while on the -subject of bitters, I must say this: Let no man ever allow himself to -take a long bitter such as men make at ----. It is beyond the power -of man to stop at one. A long bitter duly swiggled is your true West -Indian syren. - -And then men and women saunter out on the verandah, or perhaps, if it -be starlight or moonlight, into the garden. Oh, what stars they are, -those in that western tropical world! How beautiful a woman looks by -their light, how sweet the air smells, how gloriously legible are -the constellations of the heavens! And then one sips a cup of coffee, -and there is a little chat, the lightest of the light, and a little -music, light enough also, and at nine one retires to one's light -slumbers. It is a pleasant life for a short time, though the flavour -of the _dolce far niente_ is somewhat too prevalent for Saxon -energies fresh from Europe. - -Such are the ordinary evenings of society; but there are occasions -when no complaint can be made of lack of energy. The soul of a -Jamaica lady revels in a dance. Dancing is popular in England--is -popular almost everywhere, but in Jamaica it is the elixir of life; -the Medea's cauldron, which makes old people young; the cup of Circe, -which neither man nor woman can withstand. Look at that lady who has -been content to sit still and look beautiful for the last two hours; -let but the sound of a polka meet her and she will awake to life as -lively, to motion as energetic, as that of a Scotch sportsman on the -12th of August. It is singular how the most listless girl who seems -to trail through her long days almost without moving her limbs, will -continue to waltz and polk and rush up and down a galopade from ten -till five; and then think the hours all too short! - -And it is not the girls only, and the boys--begging their pardon--who -rave for dancing. Steady matrons of five-and-forty are just as -anxious, and grave senators, whose years are past naming. See that -gentleman with the bald head and grizzled beard, how sedulously he is -making up his card! "Madam, the fourth polka," he says to the stout -lady in the turban and the yellow slip, who could not move yesterday -because of her rheumatism. "I'm full up to the fifth," she replies, -looking at the MS. hanging from her side; "but shall be so happy for -the sixth, or perhaps the second schottische." And then, after a -little grave conference, the matter is settled between them. - -"I hope you dance quick dances," a lady said to me. "Quick!" I -replied in my ignorance; "has not one to go by the music in Jamaica?" -"Oh, you goose! don't you know what quick dances are? I never -dance anything but quick dances, quadrilles are so deadly dull." I -could not but be amused at this new theory as to the quick and the -dead--new at least to me, though, alas! I found myself tabooed from -all the joys of the night by this invidious distinction. - -In the West Indies, polkas and the like are quick dances; quadrilles -and their counterparts are simply dead. A lady shows you no -compliment by giving you her hand for the latter; in that you have -merely to amuse her by conversation. Flirting, as any practitioner -knows, is spoilt by much talking. Many words make the amusement -either absurd or serious, and either alternative is to be avoided. - -And thus I soon became used to quick dances and long drinks--that -is, in my vocabulary. "Will you have a long drink or a short one?" -It sounds odd, but is very expressive. A long drink is taken from -a tumbler, a short one from a wine-glass. The whole extent of the -choice thus becomes intelligible. - -Many things are necessary, and many changes must be made before -Jamaica can again enjoy all her former prosperity. I do not know -whether the total abolition of the growth of sugar be not one of -them. But this I do know, that whatever be their produce, they must -have roads on which to carry it before they can grow rich. The roads -through the greater part of the island are very bad indeed; and those -along the southern coast, through the parishes of St. Elizabeth, -Manchester, and Clarendon, are by no means among the best. I returned -to Kingston by this route, and shall never forget some of my -difficulties. On the whole, the south-western portion of the island -is by no means equal to the northern. - -I took a third expedition up to Newcastle, where are placed the -barracks for our white troops, to the Blue Mountain peak, and to -various gentlemen's houses in these localities. For grandeur of -scenery this is the finest part of the island. The mountains are far -too abrupt, and the land too much broken for those lovely park-like -landscapes of which the parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover are -full, and of which Stuttlestone, the property of Lord Howard de -Walden, is perhaps the most beautiful specimen. But nothing can be -grander, either in colour or grouping, than the ravines of the Blue -Mountain ranges of hills. Perhaps the finest view in the island is -from Raymond Lodge, a house high up among the mountains, in which--so -local rumour says--'Tom Cringle's Log' was written. - -To reach these regions a man must be an equestrian--as must also -a woman. No lady lives there so old but what she is to be seen on -horseback, nor any child so young. Babies are carried up there on -pillows, and whole families on ponies. 'Tis here that bishops and -generals love to dwell, that their daughters may have rosy cheeks, -and their sons stalwart limbs. And they are right. Children that are -brought up among these mountains, though they live but twelve or -eighteen miles from their young friends down at Kingston, cannot be -taken as belonging to the same race. I can imagine no more healthy -climate than the mountains round Newcastle. - -I shall not soon forget my ride to Newcastle. Two ladies accompanied -me and my excellent friend who was pioneering me through the country; -and they were kind enough to show us the way over all the break-neck -passes in the country. To them and to their horses, these were like -easy highroads; but to me,--! It was manifestly a disappointment to -them that my heart did not faint visibly within me. - -I have hunted in Carmarthenshire, and a man who has done that ought -to be able to ride anywhere; but in riding over some of these -razorback crags, my heart, though it did not faint visibly, did -almost do so invisibly. However, we got safely to Newcastle, and -our fair friends returned over the same route with no other escort -than that of a black groom. In spite of the crags the ride was not -unpleasant. - -One would almost enlist as a full private in one of her Majesty's -regiments of the line if one were sure of being quartered for ever at -Newcastle--at Newcastle, Jamaica, I mean. Other Newcastles of which I -wot have by no means equal attraction. This place also is accessible -only by foot or on horseback; and is therefore singularly situated -for a barrack. But yet it consists now of a goodly village, in -which live colonels, and majors, and chaplains, and surgeons, and -purveyors, all in a state of bliss--as it were in a second Eden. It -is a military paradise, in which war is spoken of, and dinners and -dancing abound. If good air and fine scenery be dear to the heart of -the British soldier, he ought to be happy at Newcastle. Nevertheless, -I prefer the views from Raymond Lodge to any that Newcastle can -afford. - -And now I have a mournful story to tell. Did any man ever know of any -good befalling him from going up a mountain; always excepting Albert -Smith, who, we are told, has realized half a million by going up -Mont Blanc? If a man can go up his mountains in Piccadilly, it may -be all very well; in so doing he perhaps may see the sun rise, and -be able to watch nature in her wildest vagaries. But as for the -true ascent--the nasty, damp, dirty, slippery, boot-destroying, -shin-breaking, veritable mountain! Let me recommend my friends to -let it alone, unless they have a gift for making half a million in -Piccadilly. I have tried many a mountain in a small way, and never -found one to answer. I hereby protest that I will never try another. - -However, I did go up the Blue Mountain Peak, which ascends--so I was -told--to the respectable height of 8,000 feet above the sea level. -To enable me to do this, I provided myself with a companion, and he -provided me with five negroes, a supply of beef, bread, and water, -some wine and brandy, and what appeared to me to be about ten gallons -of rum; for we were to spend the night on the Blue Mountain Peak, in -order that the rising sun might be rightly worshipped. - -For some considerable distance we rode, till we came indeed to the -highest inhabited house in the island. This is the property of a -coffee-planter who lives there, and who divides his time and energies -between the growth of coffee and the entertainment of visitors to the -mountain. So hospitable an old gentleman, or one so droll in speech, -or singular in his mode of living, I shall probably never meet again. -His tales as to the fate of other travellers made me tremble for what -might some day be told of my own adventures. He feeds you gallantly, -sends you on your way with a God-speed, and then hands you down to -derision with the wickedest mockery. He is the gibing spirit of -the mountain, and I would at any rate recommend no ladies to trust -themselves to his courtesies. - -Here we entered and called for the best of everything--beer, brandy, -coffee, ringtailed doves, salt fish, fat fowls, English potatoes, -hot pickles, and Worcester sauce. "What, C----, no Worcester sauce! -Gammon; make the fellow go and look for it." 'Tis thus hospitality -is claimed in Jamaica; and in process of time the Worcester sauce -was forthcoming. It must be remembered that every article of food -has to be carried up to this place on mules' backs, over the tops of -mountains for twenty or thirty miles. - -When we had breakfasted and drunk and smoked, and promised our host -that he should have the pleasure of feeding us again on the morrow, -we proceeded on our way. The five negroes each had loads on their -heads and cutlasses in their hands. We ourselves travelled without -other burdens than our own big sticks. - -I have nothing remarkable to tell of the ascent. We soon got into -a cloud, and never got out of it. But that is a matter of course. -We were soon wet through up to our middles, but that is a matter -of course also. We came to various dreadful passages, which broke -our toes and our nails and our hats, the worst of which was called -Jacob's ladder--also a matter of course. Every now and then we -regaled the negroes with rum, and the more rum we gave them the more -they wanted. And every now and then we regaled ourselves with brandy -and water, and the oftener we regaled ourselves the more we required -to be regaled. All which things are matters of course. And so we -arrived at the Blue Mountain Peak. - -Our first two objects were to construct a hut and collect wood for -firing. As for any enjoyment from the position, that, for that -evening, was quite out of the question. We were wet through and -through, and could hardly see twenty yards before us on any side. -So we set the men to work to produce such mitigation of our evil -position as was possible. - -We did build a hut, and we did make a fire; and we did administer -more rum to the negroes, without which they refused to work at all. -When a black man knows that you want him, he is apt to become very -impudent, especially when backed by rum; and at such times they -altogether forget, or at any rate disregard, the punishment that may -follow in the shape of curtailed gratuities. - -Slowly and mournfully we dried ourselves at the fire; or rather did -not dry ourselves, but scorched our clothes and burnt our boots in -a vain endeavour to do so. It is a singular fact, but one which -experience has fully taught me, that when a man is thoroughly wet he -may burn his trousers off his legs and his shoes off his feet, and -yet they will not be dry--nor will he. Mournfully we turned ourselves -before the fire--slowly, like badly-roasted joints of meat; and the -result was exactly that: we were badly roasted--roasted and raw at -the same time. - -And then we crept into our hut, and made one of these wretched -repasts in which the collops of food slip down and get sat upon; in -which the salt is blown away and the bread saturated in beer; in -which one gnaws one's food as Adam probably did, but as men need -not do now, far removed as they are from Adam's discomforts. A man -may cheerfully go without his dinner and feed like a beast when he -gains anything by it; but when he gains nothing, and has his boots -scorched off his feet into the bargain, it is hard then for him to -be cheerful. I was bound to be jolly, as my companion had come there -merely for my sake; but how it came to pass that he did not become -sulky, that was the miracle. As it was, I know full well that he -wished me--safe in England. - -Having looked to our fire and smoked a sad cigar, we put ourselves -to bed in our hut. The operation consisted in huddling on all the -clothes we had. But even with this the cold prevented us from -sleeping. The chill damp air penetrated through two shirts, two -coats, two pairs of trousers. It was impossible to believe that we -were in the tropics. - -And then the men got drunk and refused to cut more firewood, and -disputes began which lasted all night; and all was cold, damp, -comfortless, wretched, and endless. And so the morning came. - -That it was morning our watches told us, and also a dull dawning of -muddy light through the constant mist; but as for sunrise--! The sun -may rise for those who get up decently from their beds in the plains -below, but there is no sunrising on Helvellyn, or Righi, or the Blue -Mountain Peak. Nothing rises there; but mists and clouds are for ever -falling. - -And then we packed up our wretched traps, and again descended. While -coming up some quips and cranks had passed between us and our sable -followers; but now all was silent as grim death. We were thinking -of our sore hands and bruised feet; were mindful of the dirt which -clogged us, and the damp which enveloped us; were mindful also a -little of our spoilt raiment, and ill-requited labours. Our wit did -not flow freely as we descended. - -A second breakfast with the man of the mountain, and a glorious bath -in a huge tank somewhat restored us, and as we regained our horses -the miseries of our expedition were over. My friend fervently and -loudly declared that no spirit of hospitality, no courtesy to a -stranger, no human eloquence should again tempt him to ascend the -Blue Mountains; and I cordially advised him to keep his resolution. -I made no vows aloud, but I may here protest that any such vows were -unnecessary. - -I afterwards visited another seat, Flamstead, which, as regards -scenery, has rival claims to those of Raymond Lodge. The views from -Flamstead were certainly very beautiful; but on the whole I preferred -my first love. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -JAMAICA--BLACK MEN. - - -To an Englishman who has never lived in a slave country, or in a -country in which slavery once prevailed, the negro population is of -course the most striking feature of the West Indies. But the eye soon -becomes accustomed to the black skin and the thick lip, and the ear -to the broken patois which is the nearest approach to English which -the ordinary negro ever makes. When one has been a week among them, -the novelty is all gone. It is only by an exercise of memory and -intellect that one is enabled to think of them as a strange race. - -But how strange is the race of Creole negroes--of negroes, that is, -born out of Africa! They have no country of their own, yet have they -not hitherto any country of their adoption; for, whether as slaves -in Cuba, or as free labourers in the British isles, they are in each -case a servile people in a foreign land. They have no language of -their own, nor have they as yet any language of their adoption; for -they speak their broken English as uneducated foreigners always speak -a foreign language. They have no idea of country, and no pride of -race; for even among themselves, the word "nigger" conveys their -worst term of reproach. They have no religion of their own, and can -hardly as yet be said to have, as a people, a religion by adoption; -and yet there is no race which has more strongly developed its own -physical aptitudes and inaptitudes, its own habits, its own tastes, -and its own faults. - -The West Indian negro knows nothing of Africa except that it is a -term of reproach. If African immigrants are put to work on the same -estate with him, he will not eat with them, or drink with them, -or walk with them. He will hardly work beside them, and regards -himself as a creature immeasurably the superior of the new comer. -But yet he has made no approach to the civilization of his white -fellow-creature, whom he imitates as a monkey does a man. - -Physically he is capable of the hardest bodily work, and that -probably with less bodily pain than men of any other race; but he -is idle, unambitious as to worldly position, sensual, and content -with little. Intellectually, he is apparently capable of but little -sustained effort; but, singularly enough, here he is ambitious. He -burns to be regarded as a scholar, puzzles himself with fine words, -addicts himself to religion for the sake of appearance, and delights -in aping the little graces of civilization. He despises himself -thoroughly, and would probably be content to starve for a month if he -could appear as a white man for a day; but yet he delights in signs -of respect paid to him, black man as he is, and is always thinking of -his own dignity. If you want to win his heart for an hour, call him -a gentleman; but if you want to reduce him to a despairing obedience, -tell him that he is a filthy nigger, assure him that his father -and mother had tails like monkeys, and forbid him to think that -he can have a soul like a white man. Among the West Indies one -may frequently see either course adopted towards them by their -unreasoning ascendant masters. - -I do not think that education has as yet done much for the black man -in the Western world. He can always observe, and often read; but he -can seldom reason. I do not mean to assert that he is absolutely -without mental power, as a calf is. He does draw conclusions, but he -carries them only a short way. I think that he seldom understands the -purpose of industry, the object of truth, or the results of honesty. -He is not always idle, perhaps not always false, certainly not always -a thief; but his motives are the fear of immediate punishment, or -hopes of immediate reward. He fears that and hopes that only. Certain -virtues he copies, because they are the virtues of a white man. -The white man is the god present to his eye, and he believes in -him--believes in him with a qualified faith, and imitates him with a -qualified constancy. - -And thus I am led to say, and I say it with sorrow enough, that -I distrust the negro's religion. What I mean is this: that in my -opinion they rarely take in and digest the great and simple doctrines -of Christianity, that they should love and fear the Lord their God, -and love their neighbours as themselves. - -Those who differ from me--and the number will comprise the whole -clergy of these western realms, and very many beside the clergy--will -ask, among other questions, whether these simple doctrines are obeyed -in England much better than they are in Jamaica. I would reply that -I am not speaking of obedience. The opinion which I venture to give -is, that the very first meaning of the terms does not often reach -the negro's mind, not even the minds of those among them who are -enthusiastically religious. To them religious exercises are in -themselves the good thing desirable. They sing their psalms, and -believe, probably, that good will result; but they do not connect -their psalms with the practice of any virtue. They say their prayers; -but, having said them, have no idea that they should therefore -forgive offences. They hear the commandments and delight in the -responses; but those commandments are not in their hearts connected -with abstinence from adultery or calumny. They delight to go to -church or meeting; they are energetic in singing psalms; they are -constant in the responses; and, which is saying much more for them, -they are wonderfully expert at Scripture texts; but--and I say it -with grief of heart, and with much trembling also at the reproaches -which I shall have to endure--I doubt whether religion does often -reach their minds. - -As I greatly fear being misunderstood on this subject, I must explain -that I by no means think that religious teaching has been inoperative -for good among the negroes. Were I to express such an opinion, I -should be putting them on the same footing with the slaves in Cuba, -who are left wholly without such teaching, and who, in consequence, -are much nearer the brute creation than their more fortunate -brethren. To have learnt the precepts of Christianity--even though -they be not learnt faithfully--softens the heart and expels its -ferocity. That theft is esteemed a sin; that men and women should -live together under certain laws; that blood should not be shed in -anger; that an oath should be true; that there is one God the Father -who made us, and one Redeemer who would willingly save us--these -doctrines the negro in a general way has learnt, and in them he has -a sort of belief. He has so far progressed that by them he judges of -the conduct of others. What he lacks is a connecting link between -these doctrines and himself--an appreciation of the fact that these -doctrines are intended for his own guidance. - -But, though he himself wants the link, circumstances have in some -measure produced it As he judges others, so he fears the judgment of -others; and in this manner Christianity has prevailed with him. - -In many respects the negro's phase of humanity differs much from that -which is common to us, and which has been produced by our admixture -of blood and our present extent of civilization. They are more -passionate than the white men, but rarely vindictive, as we are. The -smallest injury excites their eager wrath, but no injury produces -sustained hatred. In the same way, they are seldom grateful, though -often very thankful. They are covetous of notice as is a child or a -dog; but they have little idea of earning continual respect. They -best love him who is most unlike themselves, and they despise the -coloured man who approaches them in breed. When they have once -recognized a man as their master, they will be faithful to him; but -the more they fear that master, the more they will respect him. They -have no care for to-morrow, but they delight in being gaudy for -to-day. Their crimes are those of momentary impulse, as are also -their virtues. They fear death; but if they can lie in the sun -without pain for the hour they will hardly drag themselves to the -hospital, though their disease be mortal. They love their offspring, -but in their rage will ill use them fearfully. They are proud of -them when they are praised, but will sell their daughter's virtue -for a dollar. They are greedy of food, but generally indifferent -as to its quality. They rejoice in finery, and have in many cases -begun to understand the benefit of comparative cleanliness; but they -are rarely tidy. A little makes them happy, and nothing makes them -permanently wretched. On the whole, they laugh and sing and sleep -through life; and if life were all, they would not have so bad a time -of it. - -These, I think, are the qualities of the negro. Many of them are in -their way good; but are they not such as we have generally seen in -the lower spheres of life? - -Much of this is strongly opposed to the idea of the Creole negro -which has lately become prevalent in England. He has been praised for -his piety, and especially praised for his consistent gratitude to his -benefactors and faithful adherence to his master's interests. - -On such subjects our greatest difficulty is perhaps that of avoiding -an opinion formed by exceptional cases. That there are and have been -pious negroes I do not doubt. That many are strongly tinctured with -the language and outward bearing of piety I am well aware. I know -that they love the Bible--love it as the Roman Catholic girl loves -the doll of a Madonna which she dresses with muslin and ribbons. In -a certain sense this is piety, and such piety they often possess. - -And I do not deny their family attachments; but it is the attachment -of a dog. We have all had dogs whom we have well used, and have -prided ourselves on their fidelity. We have seen them to be wretched -when they lose us for a moment, and have smiled at their joy when -they again discover us. We have noted their patience as they wait -for food from the hand they know will feed them. We have seen with -delight how their love for us glistens in their eyes. We trust them -with our children as the safest playmates, and teach them in mocking -sport the tricks of humanity. In return for this, the dear brutes -give us all their hearts, but it is not given in gratitude; and they -abstain with all their power from injury and offence, but they do -not abstain from judgment. Let his master ill use his dog ever so -cruelly, yet the animal has no anger against him when the pain is -over. Let a stranger save him from such ill usage, and he has no -thankfulness after the moment. Affection and fidelity are things of -custom with him. - -I know how deep will be the indignation I shall draw upon my head -by this picture of a fellow-creature and a fellow-Christian. Man's -philanthropy would wish to look on all men as walking in a quick path -towards the perfection of civilization. And men are not happy in -their good efforts unless they themselves can see their effects. They -are not content to fight for the well-being of a race, and to think -that the victory shall not come till the victors shall for centuries -have been mingled with the dust. The friend of the negro, when he -puts his shoulder to the wheel, and tries to rescue his black brother -from the degradation of an inferior species, hopes to see his client -rise up at once with all the glories of civilization round his head. -"There; behold my work; how good it is!" That is the reward to -which he looks. But what if the work be not as yet good? What if -it be God's pleasure that more time be required before the work be -good--good in our finite sense of the word--in our sense, which -requires the show of an immediate effect? - -After all, what we should desire first, and chiefly--is it not the -truth? It will avail nothing to humanity to call a man a civilized -Christian if the name be not deserved. Philanthropy will gain little -but self-flattery and gratification of its vanity by applying to -those whom it would serve a euphemistic but false nomenclature. God, -for his own purposes--purposes which are already becoming more and -more intelligible to his creatures--has created men of inferior and -superior race. Individually, the state of an Esquimaux is grievous -to an educated mind: but the educated man, taking the world -collectively, knows that it is good that the Esquimaux should be, -should have been made such as he is; knows also, that that state -admits of improvement; but should know also that such cannot be done -by the stroke of a wand--by a speech in Exeter Hall--by the mere -sounds of Gospel truth, beautiful as those sounds are. - -We are always in such a hurry; although, as regards the progress of -races, history so plainly tells us how vain such hurry is! At thirty, -a man devotes himself to proselytizing a people; and if the people be -not proselytized when he has reached forty, he retires in disgust. In -early life we have aspirations for the freedom of an ill-used nation; -but in middle life we abandon our protege to tyranny and the infernal -gods. The process has been too long. The nation should have arisen -free, at once, upon the instant. It is hard for man to work without -hope of seeing that for which he labours. - -But to return to our sable friends. The first desire of a man in a -state of civilization is for property. Greed and covetousness are no -doubt vices; but they are the vices which have grown from cognate -virtues. Without a desire for property, man could make no progress. -But the negro has no such desire; no desire strong enough to induce -him to labour for that which he wants. In order that he may eat -to-day and be clothed to-morrow, he will work a little; as for -anything beyond that, he is content to lie in the sun. - -Emancipation and the last change in the sugar duties have made land -only too plentiful in Jamaica, and enormous tracts have been thrown -out of cultivation as unprofitable. And it is also only too fertile. -The negro, consequently, has had unbounded facility of squatting, -and has availed himself of it freely. To recede from civilization -and become again savage--as savage as the laws of the community will -permit--has been to his taste. I believe that he would altogether -retrograde if left to himself. - -I shall now be asked, having said so much, whether I think that -emancipation was wrong. By no means. I think that emancipation was -clearly right; but I think that we expected far too great and far too -quick a result from emancipation. - -These people are a servile race, fitted by nature for the hardest -physical work, and apparently at present fitted for little else. Some -thirty years since they were in a state when such work was their lot; -but their tasks were exacted from them in a condition of bondage -abhorrent to the feelings of the age, and opposed to the religion -which we practised. For us, thinking as we did, slavery was a sin. -From that sin we have cleansed ourselves. But the mere fact of -doing so has not freed us from our difficulties. Nor was it to be -expected that it should. The discontinuance of a sin is always the -commencement of a struggle. Few, probably, will think that Providence -has permitted so great an exodus as that which has taken place from -Africa to the West without having wise results in view. We may fairly -believe that it has been a part of the Creator's scheme for the -population and cultivation of the earth; a part of that scheme which -sent Asiatic hordes into Europe, and formed, by the admixture of -nations, that race to which it is our pride to belong. But that -admixture of blood has taken tens of centuries. Why should we think -that Providence should work more rapidly now in these latter ages? - -No Englishman, no Anglo-Saxon, could be what he now is but for that -portion of wild and savage energy which has come to him from his -Vandal forefathers. May it not then be fair to suppose that a time -shall come when a race will inhabit those lovely islands, fitted by -nature for their burning sun, in whose blood shall be mixed some -portion of northern energy, and which shall owe its physical powers -to African progenitors,--a race that shall be no more ashamed of the -name of negro than we are of the name of Saxon? - -But, in the mean time, what are we to do with our friend, lying as he -now is at his ease under the cotton-tree, and declining to work after -ten o'clock in the morning? "No, tankee, massa, me tired now; me no -want more money." Or perhaps it is, "No; workee no more; money no -'nuff; workee no pay." These are the answers which the suppliant -planter receives when at ten o'clock he begs his negro neighbours to -go a second time into the cane-fields and earn a second shilling, or -implores them to work for him more than four days a week, or solicits -them at Christmas-time to put up with a short ten days' holiday. -His canes are ripe, and his mill should be about; or else they are -foul with weeds, and the hogsheads will be very short if they be not -cleansed. He is anxious enough, for all his world depends upon it. -But what does the negro care? "No; me no more workee now." - -The busher (overseer; elide the o and change v into b, and the word -will gradually explain itself)--The busher, who remembers slavery -and former happy days, d----s him for a lazy nigger, and threatens -him with coming starvation, and perhaps with returning monkeydom. -"No, massa; no starve now; God send plenty yam. No more monkey now, -massa." The black man is not in the least angry, though the busher -is. And as for the canes, they remain covered with dirt, and the -return of the estate is but one hundred and thirty hogsheads instead -of one hundred and ninety. Let the English farmer think of that; and -in realizing the full story, he must imagine that the plenteous food -alluded to has been grown on his own ground, and probably planted at -his own expense. The busher was wrong to curse the man, and wrong to -threaten him with the monkey's tail; but it must be admitted that the -position is trying to the temper. - -And who can blame the black man? He is free to work, or free to let -it alone. He can live without work and roll in the sun, and suck -oranges and eat bread-fruit; ay, and ride a horse perhaps, and wear a -white waistcoat and plaited shirt on Sundays. Why should he care for -the busher? I will not dig cane-holes for half a crown a day; and why -should I expect him to do so? I can live without it; so can he. - -But, nevertheless, it would be very well if we could so contrive that -he should not live without work. It is clearly not Nature's intention -that he should be exempted from the general lot of Adam's children. -We would not have our friend a slave; but we would fain force him to -give the world a fair day's work for his fair day's provender if we -knew how to do so without making him a slave. The fact I take it is, -that there are too many good things in Jamaica for the number who -have to enjoy them. If the competitors were more in number, more -trouble would be necessary in their acquirement. - -And now, just at this moment, philanthropy is again busy in England -protecting the Jamaica negro. He is a man and a brother, and shall -we not regard him? Certainly, my philanthropic friend, let us regard -him well. He _is_ a man; and, if you will, a brother; but he is -the very idlest brother with which a hardworking workman was ever -cursed, intent only on getting his mess of pottage without giving -anything in return. His petitions about the labour market, my -excellently-soft-hearted friend, and his desire to be protected from -undue competition are--. Oh, my friend, I cannot tell you how utterly -they are--gammon. He is now eating his yam without work, and in that -privilege he is anxious to be maintained. And you, are you willing to -assist him in his views? - -The negro slave was ill treated--ill treated, at any rate, in that he -was a slave; and therefore, by that reaction which prevails in all -human matters, it is now thought necessary to wrap him up in cotton -and put him under a glass case. The wind must not blow on him too -roughly, and the rose-leaves on which he sleeps should not be -ruffled. He has been a slave; therefore now let him be a Sybarite. -His father did an ample share of work; therefore let the son be made -free from his portion in the primeval curse. The friends of the -negro, if they do not actually use such arguments, endeavour to carry -out such a theory. - -But one feels that the joke has almost been carried too far when one -is told that it is necessary to protect the labour market in Jamaica, -and save the negro from the dangers of competition. No immigration of -labourers into that happy country should be allowed, lest the rate of -wages be lowered, and the unfortunate labourer be made more dependent -on his master! But if the unfortunate labourers could be made to -work, say four days a week, and on an average eight hours a day, -would not that in itself be an advantage? In our happy England, men -are not slaves; but the competition of the labour market forces upon -them long days of continual labour. In our own country, ten hours of -toil, repeated six days a week, for the majority of us will barely -produce the necessaries of life. It is quite right that we should -love the negroes; but I cannot understand that we ought to love them -better than ourselves. - -But with the most sensible of those who are now endeavouring to -prevent immigration into Jamaica the argument has been, not the -protection of the Jamaica negro, but the probability of ill usage to -the immigrating African. In the first place, it is impossible not -to observe the absurdity of acting on petitions from the negroes of -Jamaica on such a pretence as this. Does any one truly imagine that -the black men in Jamaica are so anxious for the welfare of their -cousins in Africa, that they feel themselves bound to come forward -and express their anxiety to the English Houses of Parliament? Of -course nobody believes it. Of course it is perfectly understood that -those petitions are got up by far other persons, and with by far -other views; and that not one negro in fifty of those who sign them -understands anything whatever about the matter, or has any wish or -any solicitude on such a subject. - -Lord Brougham mentions it as a matter of congratulation, that so -large a proportion of the signatures should be written by the -subscribers themselves--that there should be so few marksmen; but is -it a matter of congratulation that this power of signing their names -should be used for so false a purpose? - -And then comes the question as to these immigrants themselves. Though -it is not natural to suppose that their future fellow-labourers in -Jamaica should be very anxious about them, such anxiety on the part -of others is natural. In the first place, it is for the government to -look to them; and then, lest the government should neglect its duty, -it is for such men as Lord Brougham to look to the government. That -Lord Brougham should to the last be anxious for the welfare of the -African is what all men would expect and all desire; but we would -not wish to confide even to him the power of absolutely consummating -the ruin of the Jamaica planter. Is it the fact that labourers -immigrating to the West Indies have been ill treated, whether they be -Portuguese from Madeira, Coolies from India, Africans from the -Western Coast, or Chinese? In Jamaica, unfortunately, their number is -as yet but scanty, but in British Guiana they are numerous. I think I -may venture to say that no labourers in any country are so cared for, -so closely protected, so certainly saved from the usual wants and -sorrows incident to the labouring classes. And this is equally so in -Jamaica as far as the system has gone. What would be the usage of -the African introduced by voluntary contribution may be seen in the -usage of him who has been brought into the country from captured -slave-ships. Their clothing, their food, their house accommodation, -their hospital treatment, their amount of work and obligatory period -of working with one master--all these matters are under government -surveillance; and the planter who has allotted to him the privilege -of employing such labour becomes almost as much subject to government -inspection as though his estate were government property. - -It is said that an obligatory period of labour amounts to slavery, -even though the contract shall have been entered into by the labourer -of his own free will. I will not take on myself to deny this, as I -might find it difficult to define the term slavery; but if this be -so, English apprentices are slaves, and so are indentured clerks; so -are hired agricultural servants in many parts of England and Wales; -and so, certainly, are all our soldiers and sailors. - -But in the ordinary acceptation of the word slavery, that acceptation -which comes home to us all, whether we can define it or no, men -subject to such contracts are not slaves. - -There is much that is prepossessing in the ordinary good humour of -the negro; and much also that is picturesque in his tastes. I soon -learned to think the women pretty, in spite of their twisted locks -of wool; and to like the ring of their laughter, though it is not -exactly silver-sounding. They are very rarely surly when spoken to; -and their replies, though they seldom are absolutely witty, contain, -either in the sound or in the sense, something that amounts to -drollery. The unpractised ear has great difficulty in understanding -them, and I have sometimes thought that this indistinctness has -created the fun which I have seemed to relish. The tone and look -are humorous; and the words, which are hardly heard, and are not -understood, get credit for humour also. - -Nothing about them is more astonishing than the dress of the women. -It is impossible to deny to them considerable taste and great power -of adaptation. In England, among our housemaids and even haymakers, -crinoline, false flowers, long waists, and flowing sleeves have -become common; but they do not wear their finery as though they were -at home in it. There is generally with them, when in their Sunday -best, something of the hog in armour. With the negro woman there is -nothing of this. In the first place she is never shame-faced. Then -she has very frequently a good figure, and having it, she knows how -to make the best of it. She has a natural skill in dress, and will -be seen with a boddice fitted to her as though it had been made and -laced in Paris. - -Their costumes on fete days and Sundays are perfectly marvellous. -They are by no means contented with coloured calicoes; but shine in -muslin and light silks at heaven only knows how much a yard. They -wear their dresses of an enormous fulness. One may see of a Sunday -evening three ladies occupying a whole street by the breadth of -their garments, who on the preceding day were scrubbing pots and -carrying weights about the town on their heads. And they will walk -in full-dress too as though they had been used to go in such attire -from their youth up. They rejoice most in white--in white muslin -with coloured sashes; in light-brown boots, pink gloves, parasols, -and broad-brimmed straw hats with deep veils and glittering bugles. -The hat and the veil, however, are mistakes. If the negro woman -thoroughly understood effect, she would wear no head-dress but the -coloured handkerchief, which is hers by right of national custom. - -Some of their efforts after dignity of costume are ineffably -ludicrous. One Sunday evening, far away in the country, as I was -riding with a gentleman, the proprietor of the estate around us, I -saw a young girl walking home from church. She was arrayed from head -to foot in virgin white. Her gloves were on, and her parasol was up. -Her hat also was white, and so was the lace, and so were the bugles -which adorned it. She walked with a stately dignity that was worthy -of such a costume, and worthy also of higher grandeur; for behind her -walked an attendant nymph, carrying the beauty's prayer-book--on her -head. A negro woman carries every burden on her head, from a tub of -water weighing a hundredweight down to a bottle of physic. - -When we came up to her, she turned towards us and curtsied. She -curtsied, for she recognized her 'massa;' but she curtsied with great -dignity, for she recognized also her own finery. The girl behind with -the prayer-book made the ordinary obeisance, crooking her leg up at -the knee, and then standing upright quicker than thought. - -"Who on earth is that princess?" said I. - -"They are two sisters who both work at my mill," said my friend. -"Next Sunday they will change places. Polly will have the parasol -and the hat, and Jenny will carry the prayer-book on her head behind -her." - -I was in a shoemaker's shop at St. Thomas, buying a pair of boots, -when a negro entered quickly and in a loud voice said he wanted a -pair of pumps. He was a labouring man fresh from his labour. He had -on an old hat--what in Ireland men would call a caubeen; he was -in his shirt-sleeves, and was barefooted. As the only shopman was -looking for my boots, he was not attended to at the moment. - -"Want a pair of pumps--directerly," he roared out in a very -dictatorial voice. - -"Sit down for a moment," said the shopman, "and I will attend to -you." - -He did sit down, but did so in the oddest fashion. He dropped himself -suddenly into a chair, and at the same moment rapidly raised his legs -from the ground; and as he did so fastened his hands across them just -below his knees, so as to keep his feet suspended from his arms. This -he contrived to do in such a manner that the moment his body reached -the chair his feet left the ground. I looked on in amazement, -thinking he was mad. - -"Give I a bit of carpet," he screamed out; still holding up his feet, -but with much difficulty. - -"Yes, yes," said the shopman, still searching for the boots. - -"Give I a bit of carpet directerly," he again exclaimed. The seat -of the chair was very narrow, and the back was straight, and the -position was not easy, as my reader will ascertain if he attempt it. -He was half-choked with anger and discomfort. - -The shopman gave him the bit of carpet. Most men and women will -remember that such bits of carpet are common in shoemakers' shops. -They are supplied, I believe, in order that they who are delicate -should not soil their stockings on the floor. - -The gentleman in search of the pumps had seen that people of dignity -were supplied with such luxuries, and resolved to have his value for -his money; but as he had on neither shoes nor stockings, the little -bit of carpet was hardly necessary for his material comfort. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -JAMAICA--COLOURED MEN. - - -If in speaking of the negroes I have been in danger of offending -my friends at home, I shall be certain in speaking of the coloured -men to offend my friends in Jamaica. On this subject, though I have -sympathy with them, I have no agreement. They look on themselves as -the ascendant race. I look upon those of colour as being so, or at -any rate as about to become so. - -In speaking of my friends in Jamaica, it is not unnatural that I -should allude to the pure-blooded Europeans, or European Creoles--to -those in whose veins there is no admixture of African blood. "Similia -similibus." A man from choice will live with those who are of his own -habits and his own way of thinking. But as regards Jamaica, I believe -that the light of their star is waning, that their ascendency is -over--in short, that their work, if not done, is on the decline. - -Ascendency is a disagreeable word to apply to any two different -races whose fate it may be to live together in the same land. It -has been felt to be so in Ireland, when used either with reference -to the Saxon Protestant or Celtic Roman Catholic; and it is so -with reference to those of various shades of colour in Jamaica. But -nevertheless it is the true word. When two rivers come together, the -waters of which do not mix, the one stream will be the stronger--will -over-power the other--will become ascendant And so it is with people -and nations. It may not be pretty-spoken to talk about ascendency; -but sometimes pretty speaking will not answer a man's purpose. - -It is almost unnecessary to explain that by coloured men I mean those -who are of a mixed race--of a breed mixed, be it in what proportion -it may, between the white European and the black African. Speaking of -Jamaica, I might almost say between the Anglo-Saxon and the African; -for there remains, I take it, but a small tinge of Spanish blood. Of -the old Indian blood there is, I imagine, hardly a vestige. - -Both the white men and the black dislike their coloured neighbours. -It is useless to deny that as a rule such is the case. The white men -now, at this very day, dislike them more in Jamaica than they do in -other parts of the West Indies, because they are constantly driven to -meet them, and are more afraid of them. - -In Jamaica one does come in contact with coloured men. They are to -be met at the Governor's table; they sit in the House of Assembly; -they cannot be refused admittance to state parties, or even to -large assemblies; they have forced themselves forward, and must be -recognized as being in the van. Individuals decry them--will not have -them within their doors--affect to despise them. But in effect the -coloured men of Jamaica cannot be despised much longer. - -It will be said that we have been wrong if we have ever despised -these coloured people, or indeed, if we have ever despised the -negroes, or any other race. I can hardly think that anything so -natural can be very wrong. Those who are educated and civilized and -powerful will always, in one sense, despise those who are not; and -the most educated and civilized and most powerful will despise those -who are less so. Euphuists may proclaim against such a doctrine; but -experience, I think, teaches us that it is true. If the coloured -people in the West Indies can overtop contempt, it is because they -are acquiring education, civilization, and power. In Jamaica they -are, I hope, in a way to do this. - -My theory--for I acknowledge to a theory--is this: that Providence -has sent white men and black men to these regions in order that from -them may spring a race fitted by intellect for civilization; and -fitted also by physical organization for tropical labour. The negro -in his primitive state is not, I think, fitted for the former; and -the European white Creole is certainly not fitted for the latter. - -To all such rules there are of course exceptions. In Porto Rico, -for instance, one of the two remaining Spanish colonies in the West -Indies, the Peons, or free peasant labourers, are of mixed Spanish -and Indian blood, without, I believe, any negro element. And there -are occasional negroes whose mental condition would certainly tend to -disprove the former of the two foregoing propositions, were it not -that in such matters exceptional cases prove and disprove nothing. -Englishmen as a rule are stouter than Frenchmen. Were a French -Falstaff and an English Slender brought into a room together, the -above position would be not a whit disproved. - -It is probable also that the future race who shall inhabit these -islands may have other elements than the two already named. There -will soon be here--in the teeth of our friends of the Anti-Slavery -Society--thousands from China and Hindostan. The Chinese and the -Coolies--immigrants from India are always called Coolies--greatly -excel the negro in intelligence, and partake, though in a limited -degree, of the negro's physical abilities in a hot climate. And -thus the blood of Asia will be mixed with that of Africa; and the -necessary compound will, by God's infinite wisdom and power, be -formed for these latitudes, as it has been formed for the colder -regions in which the Anglo-Saxon preserves his energy, and works. - -I know it will be said that there have been no signs of a mixture -of breed between the negro and the Coolie, and the negro and the -Chinese. The instances hitherto are, I am aware, but rare; but then -the immigration of these classes is as yet but recent; and custom -is necessary, and a language commonly understood, and habits, which -the similitude of position will also make common, before such races -will amalgamate. That they will amalgamate if brought together, all -history teaches us. The Anglo-Saxon and the negro have done so, and -in two hundred years have produced a population which is said to -amount to a fifth of that of the whole island of Jamaica, and which -probably amounts to much more. Two hundred years with us is a long -time; but it is not so in the world's history. From 1660 to 1860 A.D. -is a vast lapse of years; but how little is the lapse from the year -1660 to the year 1860, dating from the creation of the world; or -rather, how small appears such lapse to us! In how many pages is its -history written? and yet God's races were spreading themselves over -the earth then as now. - -Men are in such a hurry. They can hardly believe that that will come -to pass of which they have evidence that it will not come to pass in -their own days. - -But then comes the question, whether the mulatto is more capable of -being educated than the negro, and more able to work under a hot sun -than the Englishman; whether he does not rather lose the physical -power of the one, and the intellectual power of the other. There are -those in Jamaica who have known them long, and who think that as a -race they have deteriorated both in mind and body. I am not prepared -to deny this. They probably have deteriorated in mind and body; and -nevertheless my theory may be right. Nay, I will go further and say -that such deterioration on both sides is necessary to the correctness -of my theory. - -In what compound are we to look for the full strength of each -component part? Should punch be as strong as brandy, or as sweet as -sugar? Neither the one nor the other. But in order to be good and -efficient punch, it should partake duly of the strength of the spirit -and of the sweetness of the saccharine--according to the skill and -will of the gnostic fabricator, who in mixing knows his own purposes. -So has it even been also in the admixture of races. The same amount -of physical power is not required for all climates, nor the same -amount of mental energy. - -But the mulatto, though he has deteriorated from the black man in one -respect, and from the white in another, does also excel the black man -in one respect, and also excel the white in another. As a rule, he -cannot work as a negro can. He could not probably endure to labour in -the cane-fields for sixteen hours out of the twenty-four, as is done -by the Cuban slave; but he can work safely under a tropical sun, and -can in the day go through a fair day's work. He is not liable to -yellow fever, as is the white man, and enjoys as valid a protection -from the effects of heat as the heat of these regions requires. - -Nor, as far as we yet know, have Galileos, Shakespeares, or Napoleons -been produced among the mulattos. Few may probably have been produced -who are able even to form an accurate judgment as to the genius of -such men as these. But that the mulatto race partakes largely of the -intelligence and ambition of their white forefathers, it is I think -useless, and moreover wicked, to deny; wicked, because the denial -arises from an unjust desire to close against them the door of -promotion. - -Let any stranger go through the shops and stores of Kingston, and -see how many of them are either owned or worked by men of colour; -let him go into the House of Assembly, and see how large a proportion -of their debates is carried on by men of colour. I don't think much -of the parliamentary excellence of these debates, as I shall have to -explain by-and-by; but the coloured men at any rate hold their own -against their white colleagues. How large a portion of the public -service is carried on by them; how well they thrive, though the -prejudices of both white and black are so strong against them! - -I just now spoke of these coloured men as mulattos. I did so because -I was then anxious to refer to the exact and equal division of -black and white blood. Of course it is understood that the mulatto, -technically so called, is the child of parents one of whom is all -white and the other all black; and to judge exactly of the mixed -race, one should judge, probably, from such an equal division. But -no such distinction can be effectually maintained in speaking, or -even in thinking of these people. The various gradations of coloured -blood range from all but perfect white to all but perfect black; and -the dispositions and capabilities are equally various. In the lower -orders, among those who are nearest to the African stock, no attempts -I imagine are made to preserve an exact line. One is at first -inclined to think that the slightest infusion of white blood may -be traced in the complexion and hair, and heard in the voice; but -when the matter is closely regarded one often finds it difficult to -express an opinion even to oneself. Colour is frequently not the -safest guide. To an inquirer really endeavouring to separate the -races--should so thankless a task ever be attempted--the speech, I -think, and the intelligence would afford the sources of information -on which most reliance could be placed. - -But the distinction between the white and the coloured men is much -more closely looked into. And those are the unfortunate among the -latter who are tempted, by the closeness of their relationship to -Europe, to deny their African parentage. Many do, if not by lip, -at any rate by deed, stoutly make such denial; not by lip, for the -subject is much too sore for speech, but by every wile by which a -white quadroon can seek to deny his ancestry! Such denial is never -allowed. The crisp hair, the sallow skin, the known family history, -the thick lip of the old remembered granddam, a certain languor in -the eye; all or some, or perhaps but one of these tells the tale. But -the tale is told, and the life-struggle is made always, and always in -vain. - -This evil--for it is an evil--arises mainly from the white man's -jealousy. He who seeks to pass for other than he is makes a low -attempt; all attempts at falsehood must of necessity be low. But -I doubt whether such energy of repudiation be not equally low. Why -not allow the claim; or seem to allow it, if practicable? "White -art thou, my friend? Be a white man if thou wilt, or rather if -thou canst. All we require of thee is that there remains no negro -ignorance, no negro cunning, no negro apathy of brain. Forbear those -vain attempts to wash out that hair of thine, and make it lank and -damp. We will not regard at all, that little wave in thy locks; not -even that lisp in thy tongue. But struggle, my friend, to be open -in thy speech. Any wave there we cannot but regard. Speak out the -thought that is in thee; for if thy thoughts lisp negrowards, our -verdict must be against thee." Is it not thus that we should accept -their little efforts? - -But we do not accept them so. In lieu thereof, we admit no claim that -can by any evidence be rejected; and, worse than that, we impute -the stigma of black blood where there is no evidence to support -such imputation. "A nice fellow, Jones; eh? very intelligent, and -well mannered," some stranger says, who knows nothing of Jones's -antecedents. "Yes, indeed," answers Smith, of Jamaica; "a very decent -sort of fellow. They do say that he's coloured; of course you know -that." The next time you see Jones, you observe him closely, and -can find no trace of the Ethiop. But should he presently descant on -purity of blood, and the insupportable impudence of the coloured -people, then, and not till then, you would begin to doubt. - -But these are evils which beset merely the point of juncture between -the two races. With nine-tenths of those of mixed breed no attempts -at concealment are by any means possible; and by them, of course, -no such attempts are made. They take their lot as it is, and I think -that on the whole they make the most of it. They of course are -jealous of the assumed ascendency of the white men, and affect to -show, sometimes not in the most efficacious manner, that they are -his equal in external graces as in internal capacities. They are -imperious to the black men, and determined on that side to exhibit -and use their superiority. At this we can hardly be surprised. If we -cannot set them a better lesson than we do, we can hardly expect the -benefit which should arise from better teaching. - -But the great point to be settled is this: whether this race of -mulattos, quadroons, mustes, and what not, are capable of managing -matters for themselves; of undertaking the higher walks of life; of -living, in short, as an independent people with a proper share of -masterdom; and not necessarily as a servile people, as hewers of wood -and drawers of water? If not, it will fare badly for Jamaica, and -will probably also fare badly in coming years for the rest of the -West Indies. Whether other immigration be allowed or no, of one kind -of immigration the supply into Jamaica is becoming less and less. -Few European white men now turn thither in quest of fortune. Few -Anglo-Saxon adventurers now seek her shores as the future home of -their adoption. The white man has been there, and has left his mark. -The Creole children of these Europeans of course remain, but their -numbers are no longer increased by new comers. - -But I think there is no doubt that they are fit--these coloured -people, to undertake the higher as well as lower paths of human -labour. Indeed, they do undertake them, and thrive well in them now, -much to the disgust of the so-esteemed ascendant class. They do make -money, and enjoy it. They practise as statesmen, as lawyers, and -as doctors in the colony; and, though they have not as yet shone -brightly as divines in our English Church, such deficiency may be -attributed more to the jealousy of the parsons of that Church than to -their own incapacity. - -There are, they say, seventy thousand coloured people in the island, -and not more than fifteen thousand white people. As the former -increase in intelligence, it is not to be supposed that they will -submit to the latter. Nor are they at all inclined to submission. - -But they have still an up-hill battle before them. They are by no -means humble in their gait, and their want of meekness sets their -white neighbours against them. They are always proclaiming by their -voice and look that they are as good as the white man; but they are -always showing by their voice and look, also, that they know that -this is a false boast. - -And then they are by no means popular with the negro. A negro, as -a rule, will not serve a mulatto when he can serve a European or -a white Creole. He thinks that the mulatto is too near akin to -himself to be worthy of any respect. In his passion he calls him a -nigger--and protests that he is not, and never will be like buckra -man. - -The negroes complain that the coloured men are sly and cunning; that -they cannot be trusted as masters; that they tyrannize, bully, and -deceive; in short, that they have their own negro faults. There may, -doubtless, be some truth in this. They have still a portion of their -lesson to learn; perhaps the greater portion. I affirm merely that -the lesson is being learned. A race of people with its good and ill -qualities is not formed in a couple of centuries. - -And if it be fated that the Anglo-Saxon race in these islands is to -yield place to another people, and to abandon its ground, having -done its appointed work, surely such a decree should be no cause of -sorrow. To have done their appointed work, and done it well,--should -not this be enough for any men? - -But there are they who protest that such ideas as these with -reference to this semi-African people are unpatriotic; are unworthy -of an Englishman, who should foster the ascendency of his own race -and his own country. Such men will have it as an axiom, that when an -Englishman has been master once, he should be master always: that -his dominion should not give way to strange hands, or his ascendency -yield itself to strange races. It is unpatriotic, forsooth, to -suggest that these tawny children of the sun should get the better of -their British lords, and rule the roast themselves! - -Even were it so--should it even be granted that such an idea is -unpatriotic, one would then be driven back to ask whether patriotism -be a virtue. It is at any rate a virtue in consequence only of the -finite aspirations of mankind. To love the universe which God has -made, were man capable of such love, would be a loftier attribute -than any feeling for one's own country. The Gentile was as dear as -the Jew; the Samaritans as much prized as they of Galilee, or as the -children of Judah. - -The present position and prospects of the children of Great Britain -are sufficiently noble, and sufficiently extended. One need not -begrudge to others their limited share in the population and -government of the world's welfare. While so large a part of North -America and Australia remain still savage--waiting the white man's -foot--waiting, in fact, for the foot of the Englishman, there can -be no reason why we should doom our children to swelter and grow -pale within the tropics. A certain work has been ours to do there, -a certain amount of remaining work it is still probably our lot to -complete. But when that is done; when civilization, commerce, and -education shall have been spread; when sufficient of our blood shall -have been infused into the veins of those children of the sun; then, -I think, we may be ready, without stain to our patriotism, to take -off our hats and bid farewell to the West Indies. - -And be it remembered that I am here speaking of the general -ascendancy, not of the political power of these coloured races. -It may be that after all we shall still have to send out some -white Governor with a white aide-de-camp and a white private -secretary--some three or four unfortunate white men to support -the dignity of the throne of Queen Victoria's great-grandchild's -grandchild. Such may be, or may not be. To my thinking, it would be -more for our honour that it should not be so. If the honour, glory, -and well-being of the child be dear to the parents, Great Britain -should surely be more proud of the United States than of any of her -colonies. We Britishers have a noble mission. The word I know is -unpopular, for it has been foully misused; but it is in itself a good -word, and none other will supply its place. We have a noble mission, -but we are never content with it. It is not enough for us to beget -nations, civilize countries, and instruct in truth and knowledge the -dominant races of the coming ages. All this will not suffice unless -also we can maintain a king over them! What is it to us, or even to -them, who may be their king or ruler--or, to speak with a nearer -approach to sense, from what source they be governed--so long as they -be happy, prosperous, and good? And yet there are men mad enough to -regret the United States! Many men are mad enough to look forward -with anything but composure to the inevitable, happily inevitable -day, when Australia shall follow in the same path. - -We have risen so high that we may almost boast to have placed -ourselves above national glory. The welfare of the coming world is -now the proper care of the Anglo-Saxon race. - -The coloured people, I have said, have made their way into society in -Jamaica. That is, they have made a certain degree of impression on -the millstone; which will therefore soon be perforated through and -through, and then crumble to pieces like pumice-stone. Nay, they have -been or are judges, attorneys-general, prime ministers, leaders of -the opposition, and what not. The men have so far made their way. The -difficulty now is with the women. - -And in high questions of society here is always the stumbling-block. -All manners of men can get themselves into a room together without -difficulty, and can behave themselves with moderate forbearance to -each other when in it. But there are points on which ladies are -harder than steel, stiffer than their brocaded silks, more obdurate -than whalebone. - -"He wishes me to meet Mrs. So-and-So," a lady said to me, speaking of -her husband, "because Mr. So-and-So is a very respectable good sort -of man. I have no objection whatever to Mr. So-and-So; but if I begin -with her, I know there will be no end." - -"Probably not," I said; "when you once commence, you will doubtless -have to go on--in the good path." I confess that the last words were -said _sotto voce_. On that occasion the courage was wanting in me to -speak out my mind. The lady was very pretty, and I could not endure -to be among the unfavoured ones. - -"That is just what I have said to Mr. ----; but he never thinks about -such things; he is so very imprudent. If I ask Mrs. So-and-So here, -how can I keep out Mrs. Such-a-One? They are both very respectable, -no doubt; but what were their grandmothers?" - -Ah! if we were to think of their grandmothers, it would doubtless be -a dark subject. But what, O lady, of their grandchildren? That may -be the most important, and also most interesting side from whence to -view the family. - -"These people marry now," another lady said to me--a lady not old -exactly, but old enough to allude to such a subject; and in the tone -of her voice I thought I could catch an idea that she conceived them -in doing so to be trenching on the privileges of their superiors. -"But their mothers and grandmothers never thought of looking to that -at all. Are we to associate with the children of such women, and -teach our daughters that vice is not to be shunned?" - -Ah! dear lady--not old, but sufficiently old--this statement of yours -is only too true. Their mothers and grandmothers did not think much -of matrimony--had but little opportunity of thinking much of it. -But with whom did the fault chiefly lie? These very people of whom -we are speaking, would they not be your cousins but for the lack of -matrimony? Your uncle, your father, your cousins, your grandfather, -nay, your very brother, are they not the true criminals in this -matter--they who have lived in this unhallowed state with women of a -lower race? For the sinners themselves of either sex I would not ask -_your_ pardon; but you might forgive the children's children. - -The life of coloured women in Jamaica some years since was certainly -too often immoral. They themselves were frequently illegitimate, -and they were not unwilling that their children should be so also. -To such a one it was preferable to be a white man's mistress than -the wife of such as herself; and it did not bring on them the same -disgrace, this kind of life, as it does on women in England, or even, -I may say, on women in Europe, nor the same bitter punishment. Their -master, though he might be stern enough and a tyrant, as the owner of -slaves living on his own little principality might probably be, was -kinder to her than to the other females around her, and in a rough -sort of way was true to her. He did not turn her out of the house, -and she found it to be promotion to be the mother of his children -and the upper servant in his establishment. And in those days, -days still so near to us, the coloured woman was a slave herself, -unless specially manumitted either in her own generation or in that -immediately above her. It is from such alliances as these that the -coloured race of Jamaica has sprung. - -But all this, if one cannot already boast that it is changed, is -quickly changing. Matrimony is in vogue, and the coloured women know -their rights, and are inclined to claim them. - -Of course among them, as among us at home, and among all people, -there are various ranks. There are but few white labourers in -Jamaica, and but few negroes who are not labourers. But the coloured -people are to be found in all ranks, from that of the Prime -Minister--for they have a Prime Minister in Jamaica--down to the -worker in the cane-fields. Among their women many are now highly -educated, for they send their children to English schools. Perhaps if -I were to say fashionably educated, I might be more strictly correct -They love dearly to shine; to run over the piano with quick and loud -fingers; to dance with skill, which they all do, for they have good -figures and correct ears; to know and display the little tricks and -graces of English ladies--such tricks and graces as are to be learned -between fifteen and seventeen at Ealing, Clapham, and Homsey. - -But the coloured girls of a class below these--perhaps I should say -two classes below them--are the most amusing specimens of Jamaica -ladies. I endeavoured to introduce my readers to one at Port Antonio. -They cannot be called pretty, for the upper part of the face almost -always recedes; but they have good figures and well-turned limbs. -They are singularly free from _mauvaise honte_, and yet they are not -impertinent or ill-mannered. They are gracious enough with the pale -faces when treated graciously, but they can show a very high spirit -if they fancy that any slight is shown to them. They delight to talk -contemptuously of niggers. Those people are dirty niggers, and nasty -niggers, and mere niggers. I have heard this done by one whom I had -absolutely taken for a negro, and who was not using loud abusive -language, but gently speaking of an inferior class. - -With these, as indeed with coloured people of a higher grade, the -great difficulty is with their language. They cannot acquire the -natural English pronunciation. As far as I remember, I have never -heard but two negroes who spoke unbroken English; and the lower -classes of the coloured people, though they are not equally -deficient, are still very incapable of plain English articulation. -The "th" is to them, as to foreigners, an insuperable difficulty. -Even Josephine, it may be remembered, was hardly perfect in this -respect. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -JAMAICA--WHITE MEN. - - -It seems to us natural that white men should hold ascendency over -those who are black or coloured. Although we have emancipated our own -slaves, and done so much to abolish slavery elsewhere, nevertheless -we regard the negro as born to be a servant. We do not realize it -to ourselves that it is his right to share with us the high places -of the world, and that it should be an affair of individual merit -whether we wait on his beck or he on ours. We have never yet brought -ourselves so to think, and probably never shall. They still are to us -a servile race. Philanthropical abolitionists will no doubt deny the -truth of this; but I have no doubt that the conviction is strong with -them--could they analyze their own convictions--as it is with others. - -Where white men and black men are together, the white will order -and the black will obey, with an obedience more or less implicit -according to the terms on which they stand. When those terms are -slavery, the white men order with austerity, and the black obey with -alacrity. But such terms have been found to be prejudicial to both. -Each is brutalized by the contact. The black man becomes brutal -and passive as a beast of burden; the white man becomes brutal and -ferocious as a beast of prey. - -But there are various other terms on which they may stand as servants -and masters. There are those well-understood terms which regulate -employment in England and elsewhere, under which the poor man's -time is his money, and the rich man's capital his certain means of -obtaining labour. As far as we can see, these terms, if properly -carried out, are the best which human wisdom can devise for the -employment and maintenance of mankind. Here in England they are not -always properly carried out. At an occasional spot or two things will -run rusty for a while. There are strikes, and there are occasional -gluts of labour, very distressing to the poor man; and occasional -gluts of the thing laboured, very embarrassing to the rich man. But -on the whole, seeing that after all the arrangement is only human, -here in England it does work pretty well. We intended, no doubt, when -we emancipated our slaves in Jamaica, that the affair should work in -the same way there. - -But the terms there at present are as far removed from the English -system as they are from the Cuban, and are almost as abhorrent to -justice as slavery itself--as abhorrent to justice, though certainly -not so abhorrent to mercy and humanity. - -What would a farmer say in England if his ploughman declined to work, -and protested that he preferred going to his master's granary and -feeding himself and his children on his master's corn? "Measter, noa; -I beez a-tired thick day, and dunna mind to do no wark!" Then the -poorhouse, my friend, the poorhouse! And hardly that; starvation -first, and nakedness, and all manner of misery. In point of fact, our -friend the ploughman must go and work, even though his o'erlaboured -bones be tired, as no doubt they often are. He knows it, and does it, -and in his way is not discontented. And is not this God's ordinance? - -His ordinance in England and elsewhere, but not so, apparently, in -Jamaica. There we had a devil's ordinance in those days of slavery; -and having rid ourselves of that, we have still a devil's ordinance -of another sort. It is not perhaps very easy for men to change -devil's work into heavenly work at once. The ordinance that at -present we have existing there is that _far niente_ one of lying in -the sun and eating yams--"of eating, not your own yams, you lazy, -do-nothing, thieving darkee; but my yams; mine, who am being ruined, -root and branch, stock and barrel, house and homestead, wife and -bairns, because you won't come and work for me when I offer you due -wages; you thieving, do-nothing, lazy nigger." - -"Hush!" will say my angry philanthropist. "For the sake of humanity, -hush! Will coarse abuse and the calling of names avail anything? -Is he not a man and a brother?" No, my angry philanthropist; while -he will not work and will only steal, he is neither the one nor the -other, in my estimation. As for his being a brother, that we may say -is--fudge; and I will call no professional idler a man. - -But the abuse above given is not intended to be looked on as coming -out of my own mouth, and I am not, therefore, to be held responsible -for the wording of it. It is inserted there--with small inverted -commas, as you see--to show the language with which our angry white -friends in Jamaica speak of the extraordinary condition in which they -have found themselves placed. - -Slowly--with delay that has been awfully ruinous--they now bethink -themselves of immigration--immigration from the coast of Africa, -immigration from China, Coolie immigrants from Hindostan. When -Trinidad and Guiana have helped themselves, then Jamaica bestirs -itself. And what then? Then the negroes bestir themselves. "For -heaven's sake let us be looked to! Are we not to be protected from -competition? If labourers be brought here, will not these white -people again cultivate their grounds? Shall we not be driven from our -squatting patches? Shall we not starve; or, almost worse than that, -shall we not again fall under Adam's curse? Shall we not again be -slaves, in reality, if not in name? Shall we not have to work?" - -The negro's idea of emancipation was and is emancipation not from -slavery but from work. To lie in the sun and eat breadfruit and yams -is his idea of being free. Such freedom as that has not been intended -for man in this world; and I say that Jamaica, as it now exists, is -still under a devil's ordinance. - -One cannot wonder that the white man here should be vituperative in -his wrath. First came emancipation. He bore that with manful courage; -for it must be remembered that even in that he had much to bear. The -price he got for his slave was nothing as compared with that slave's -actual value. And slavery to him was not repugnant as it is to you -and me. One's trade is never repugnant to one's feelings. But so much -he did bear with manly courage. He could no longer make slave-grown -sugar, but he would not at any rate be compelled to compete with -those who could. The protective duties would save him there. - -Then free trade became the fashion, and protective duties on sugar -were abolished. I beg it may not be thought that I am an advocate -for such protection. The West Indians were, I think, thrown over in -a scurvy manner, because they were thrown over by their professed -friends. But that was, we all know, the way with Sir Robert Peel. -Well, free trade in sugar became the law of the land, and then the -Jamaica planter found the burden too heavy for his back. The money -which had flown in so freely came in such small driblets that he could -make no improvement. Portions of his estate went out of cultivation, -and then the negro who should have tilled the remainder squatted on -it, and said, "No, massa, me no workee to-day." - -And now, to complete the business, now that Jamaica is at length -looking in earnest for immigration--for it has long been looking for -immigration with listless dis-earnest--the planter is told that the -labour of the black man must be protected. If he be vituperative, who -can wonder at it? To speak the truth, he is somewhat vituperative. - -The white planter of Jamaica is sore and vituperative and -unconvinced. He feels that he has been ill used, and forced to go to -the wall; and that now he is there, he is meanly spoken of, as though -he were a bore and a nuisance--as one of whom the Colonial Office -would gladly rid itself if it knew how. In his heart of hearts -there dwells a feeling that after all slavery was not so vile an -institution--that that devil as well as some others has been painted -too black. In those old days the work was done, the sugar was made, -the workmen were comfortably housed and fed, and perhaps on his -father's estate were kindly treated. At any rate, such is his present -memory. The money came in, things went on pleasantly, and he cannot -remember that anybody was unhappy. But now--! Can it be wondered at -that in his heart of hearts he should still have a sort of yearning -after slavery? - -In one sense, at any rate, he has been ill used. The turn in the -wheel of Fortune has gone against him, as it went against the -hand-loom weavers when machinery became the fashion. Circumstances -rather than his own fault have brought him low. Well-disciplined -energy in all the periods of his adversity might perhaps have saved -him, as it has saved others; but there has been more against him than -against others. As regards him himself, the old-fashioned Jamaica -planter, the pure blooded white owner of the soil, I think that his -day in Jamaica is done. The glory, I fear, has departed from his -house. The hand-loom weavers have been swept into infinite space, and -their children now poke the engine fires, or piece threads standing -in a factory. The children of the old Jamaica planter must also push -their fortunes elsewhere. - -It is a thousand pities, for he was, I may still say is, the -prince of planters--the true aristocrat of the West Indies. He -is essentially different as a man from the somewhat purse-proud -Barbadian, whose estate of two hundred acres has perhaps changed -hands half a dozen times in the last fifty years, or the thoroughly -mercantile sugar manufacturer of Guiana. He has so many of the -characteristics of an English country gentleman that he does not -strike an Englishman as a strange being. He has his pedigree, and -his family house, and his domain around him. He shoots and fishes, -and some few years since, in the good days, he even kept a pack of -hounds. He is in the commission of the peace, and as such has much to -do. A planter in Demerara may also be a magistrate,--probably is so; -but the fact does not come forward as a prominent part of his life's -history. - -In Jamaica too there is scope for a country gentleman. They have -their counties and their parishes; in Barbados they have nothing but -their sugar estates. They have county society, local balls, and local -race-meetings. They have local politics, local quarrels, and strong -old-fashioned local friendships. In all these things one feels -oneself to be much nearer to England in Jamaica than in any other of -the West Indian islands. - -All this is beyond measure pleasant, and it is a thousand pities that -it should not last. I fear, however, that it will not last--that, -indeed, it is not now lasting. That dear lady's unwillingness to obey -her lord's behests, when he asked her to call on her brown neighbour, -nay, the very fact of that lord's request, both go to prove that this -is so. The lady felt that her neighbour was cutting the very ground -from under her feet. The lord knew "that old times were changed, old -manners gone." The game was almost up when he found himself compelled -to make such a request. - -At present, when the old planter sits on the magisterial bench, a -coloured man sits beside him; one probably on each side of him. At -road sessions he cannot carry out his little project because the -coloured men out-vote him. There is a vacancy for his parish in the -House of Assembly. The old planter scorns the House of Assembly, and -will have nothing to do with it. A coloured man is therefore chosen, -and votes away the white man's taxes; and then things worse and worse -arise. Not only coloured men get into office, but black men also. -What is our old aristocratic planter to do with a negro churchwarden -on one side, and a negro coroner on another? "Fancy what our state -is," a young planter said to me; "I dare not die, for fear I should -be sat upon by a black man!" - -I know that it will be thought by many, and probably said by some, -that these are distinctions to which we ought not to allude. But -without alluding to them in one's own mind it is impossible to -understand the state of the country; and without alluding to them in -speech it is impossible to explain the state of the country. The fact -is, that in Jamaica, at the present day, the coloured people do stand -on strong ground, and that they do not so stand with the goodwill -of the old aristocracy of the country. They have forced their way -up, and now loudly protest that they intend to keep it. I think that -they will keep it, and that on the whole it will be well for us -Anglo-Saxons to have created a race capable of living and working in -the climate without inconvenience. - -It is singular, however, how little all this is understood in -England. There it is conceived that white men and coloured men, white -ladies and coloured ladies, meet together and amalgamate without -any difference. The Duchess of This and Lord That are very happy -to have at their tables some intelligent dark gentleman, or even a -well-dressed negro, though he may not perhaps be very intelligent. -There is some little excitement in it, some change from the common; -and perhaps also an easy opportunity of practising on a small scale -those philanthropic views which they preach with so much eloquence. -When one hobnobs over a glass of champagne with a dark gentleman, he -is in some sort a man and a brother. But the duchess and the lord -think that because the dark gentleman is to their taste, he must -necessarily be as much to the taste of the neighbours among whom he -has been born and bred; of those who have been accustomed to see him -from his childhood. - -There never was a greater mistake. A coloured man may be a fine -prophet in London; but he will be no prophet in Jamaica, which is his -own country; no prophet at any rate among his white neighbours. - -I knew a case in which a very intelligent--nay, I believe, a -highly-educated young coloured gentleman, was sent out by certain -excellent philanthropic big-wigs to fill an official situation in -Jamaica. He was a stranger to Jamaica, never having been there -before. Now, when he was so sent out, the home big-wigs alluded -to, intimated to certain other big-wigs in Jamaica that their dark -protege would be a great acquisition to the society of the place. -I mention this to show the ignorance of those London big-wigs, not -as to the capability of the young gentleman, which probably was not -over-rated, but as to the manners and life of the place. I imagine -that the gentleman has hardly once found himself in that society -which it was supposed he would adorn. The time, however, will -probably come when he and others of the same class will have -sufficient society of their own. - -I have said elsewhere that the coloured people in Jamaica have -made their way into society; and in what I now say I may seem to -contradict myself. Into what may perhaps be termed public society -they have made their way. Those who have seen the details of colonial -life will know that there is a public society to which people are -admitted or not admitted, according to their acknowledged rights. -Governor's parties, public balls, and certain meetings which are -semi-official and semi-social, are of this nature. A Governor in -Jamaica would, I imagine, not conceive himself to have the power of -excluding coloured people from his table, even if he wished it. But -in Barbados I doubt whether a Governor could, if he wished it, do the -reverse. - -So far coloured people in Jamaica have made their footing good; and -they are gradually advancing beyond this. But not the less as a rule -are they disliked by the old white aristocracy of the country; in a -strong degree by the planters themselves, but in a much stronger by -the planters' wives. - -So much for my theory as to the races of men in Jamaica, and as to -the social condition of the white and coloured people with reference -to each other. Now I would say a word or two respecting the white man -as he himself is, without reference either to his neighbour or to his -prospects. - -A better fellow cannot be found anywhere than a gentleman of Jamaica, -or one with whom it is easier to live on pleasant terms. He is -generally hospitable, affable, and generous; easy to know, and -pleasant when known; not given perhaps to much deep erudition, but -capable of talking with ease on most subjects of conversation; fond -of society, and of pleasure, if you choose to call it so; but not -generally addicted to low pleasures. He is often witty, and has a -sharp side to his tongue if occasion be given him to use it. He is -not generally, I think, a hard-working man. Had he been so, the -country perhaps would not have been in its present condition. But he -is bright and clever, and in spite of all that he has gone through, -he is at all times good-humoured. - -No men are fonder of the country to which they belong, or prouder -of the name of Great Britain than these Jamaicans. It has been our -policy--and, as regards our larger colonies, the policy I have no -doubt has been beneficial--to leave our dependencies very much to -themselves; to interfere in the way of governing as little as might -be; and to withdraw as much as possible from any participation in -their internal concerns. This policy is anything but popular with -the white aristocracy of Jamaica. They would fain, if it were -possible, dispense altogether with their legislature, and be governed -altogether from home. In spite of what they have suffered, they -are still willing to trust the statesmen of England, but are most -unwilling to trust the statesmen of Jamaica. - -Nothing is more peculiar than the way in which the word "home" is -used in Jamaica, and indeed all through the West Indies, With the -white people, it always signifies England, even though the person -using the word has never been there. I could never trace the use of -the word in Jamaica as applied by white men or white women to the -home in which they lived, not even though that home had been the -dwelling of their fathers as well as of themselves. The word "home" -with them is sacred, and means something holier than a habitation in -the tropics. It refers always to the old country. - -In this respect, as in so many others, an Englishman differs greatly -from a Frenchman. Though our English, as a rule, are much more given -to colonize than they are; though we spread ourselves over the face -of the globe, while they have established comparatively but few -settlements in the outer world; nevertheless, when we leave our -country, we almost always do so with some idea, be it ever so vague, -that we shall return to it again, and again make it our home. But the -Frenchman divests himself of any such idea. He also loves France, or -at any rate loves Paris; but his object is to carry his Paris with -him; to make a Paris for himself, whether it be in a sugar island -among the Antilles, or in a trading town upon the Levant. - -And in some respects the Frenchman is the wiser man. He never looks -behind him with regret. He does his best to make his new house -comfortable. The spot on which he fixes is his home, and so he -calls it, and so regards it. But with an Englishman in the West -Indies--even with an English Creole--England is always his home. - -If the people in Jamaica have any prejudice, it is on the subject of -heat. I suppose they have a general idea that their island is hotter -than England; but they never reduce this to an individual idea -respecting their own habitation. - -"Come and dine with me," a man says to you; "I can give you a cool -bed." The invitation at first sounded strange to me, but I soon got -used to it; I soon even liked it, though I found too often that the -promise was not kept. How could it be kept while the quicksilver was -standing at eighty-five in the shade? - -And each man boasts that his house is ten degrees cooler than that of -his neighbours; and each man, if you contest the point, has a reason -to prove why it must be so. - -But a stranger, at any rate round Kingston, is apt to put the matter -in a different light. One place may be hotter than another, but cool -is a word which he never uses. On the whole, I think that the heat of -Kingston, Jamaica, is more oppressive than that of any other place -among the British West Indies. When one gets down to the Spanish -coast, then, indeed, one can look back even to Kingston with regret. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -JAMAICA--SUGAR. - - -That Jamaica was a land of wealth, rivalling the East in its means -of riches, nay, excelling it as a market for capital, as a place in -which money might be turned; and that it now is a spot on the earth -almost more poverty-stricken than any other--so much is known almost -to all men. That this change was brought about by the manumission of -the slaves, which was completed in 1838, of that also the English -world is generally aware. And there probably the usual knowledge -about Jamaica ends. And we may also say that the solicitude of -Englishmen at large goes no further. The families who are connected -with Jamaica by ties of interest are becoming fewer and fewer. -Property has been abandoned as good for nothing, and nearly -forgotten; or has been sold for what wretched trifle it would -fetch; or left to an overseer, who is hardly expected to send home -proceeds--is merely ordered imperatively to apply for no subsidies. -Fathers no longer send their younger sons to make their fortunes -there. Young English girls no longer come out as brides. Dukes and -earls do not now govern the rich gem of the west, spending their -tens of thousands in royal magnificence, and laying by other tens of -thousands for home consumption. In lieu of this, some governor by -profession, unfortunate for the moment, takes Jamaica with a groan, -as a stepping-stone to some better Barataria--New Zealand perhaps, or -Frazer River; and by strict economy tries to save the price of his -silver forks. Equerries, aides-de-camp, and private secretaries no -longer flaunt it about Spanish Town. The flaunting about Spanish Town -is now of a dull sort. Ichabod! The glory of that house is gone. The -palmy days of that island are over. - -Those who are failing and falling in the world excite but little -interest; and so it is at present with Jamaica. From time to time we -hear that properties which used to bring five thousand pounds a year -are not now worth five hundred pounds in fee simple. We hear it, -thank our stars that we have not been brought up in the Jamaica line, -and there's an end of it. If we have young friends whom we wish -to send forth into the world, we search the maps with them at our -elbows; but we put our hands over the West Indies--over the first -fruits of the courage and skill of Columbus--as a spot tabooed -by Providence. Nay, if we could, we would fain forget Jamaica -altogether. - -But there it is; a spot on the earth not to be lost sight of or -forgotten altogether, let us wish it ever so much. It belongs to us, -and must be in some sort thought of and managed, and, if possible, -governed. Though the utter sinking of Jamaica under the sea might -not be regarded as a misfortune, it is not to be thought of that -it should belong to others than Britain. How should we look at the -English politician who would propose to sell it to the United States; -or beg Spain to take it as an appendage to Cuba? It is one of the -few sores in our huge and healthy carcase; and the sore has been now -running so long, that we have almost given over asking whether it be -curable. - -This at any rate is certain--it will not sink into the sea, but will -remain there, inhabited, if not by white men, then by coloured men or -black; and must unfortunately be governed by us English. - -We have indulged our antipathy to cruelty by abolishing slavery. -We have made the peculiar institution an impossibility under the -British crown. But in doing so we overthrew one particular interest; -and, alas! we overthrew also, and necessarily so, the holders of -that interest. As for the twenty millions which we gave to the -slave-owners, it was at best but as though we had put down awls and -lasts by Act of Parliament, and, giving the shoemakers the price -of their tools, told them they might make shoes as they best could -without them; failing any such possibility, that they might live on -the price of their lost articles. Well; the shoemakers did their -best, and continued their trade in shoes under much difficulty. - -But then we have had another antipathy to indulge, and have indulged -it--our antipathy to protection. We have abolished the duty on -slave-grown sugar; and the shoemakers who have no awls and lasts have -to compete sadly with their happy neighbours, possessed of these -useful shoemaking utensils. - -Make no more shoes, but make something in lieu of shoes, we say to -them. The world wants not shoes only--make hats. Give up your sugar, -and bring forth produce that does not require slave labour. Could -the men of Jamaica with one voice speak out such words as the -experience of the world might teach them, they would probably answer -thus:--"Yes; in two hundred years or so we will do so. So long it -will take to alter the settled trade and habit of a community. In -the mean time, for ourselves, our living selves, our late luxurious -homes, our idle, softly-nurtured Creole wives, our children coming -and to come--for ourselves--what immediate compensation do you intend -to offer us, Mr. Bull?" - -Mr. Bull, with sufficient anger at such importunity; with sufficient -remembrance of his late twenty millions of pounds sterling; with some -plain allusions to that payment, buttons up his breeches-pocket and -growls angrily. - -Abolition of slavery is good, and free trade is good. Such little -insight as a plain man may have into the affairs around him seems to -me to suffice for the expression of such opinion. Nor will I presume -to say that those who proposed either the one law or the other -were premature. To get a good law passed and out of hand is always -desirable. There are from day to day so many new impediments! But the -law having been passed, we should think somewhat of the sufferers. - -Planters in Jamaica assert that when the abolition of slavery was -hurried on by the termination of the apprentice system before the -time first stipulated, they were promised by the government at -home that their interests should be protected by high duties on -slave-grown sugar. That such pledge was ever absolutely made, I do -not credit. But that, if made, it could be worth anything, no man -looking to the history of England could imagine. What minister can -pledge his successors? In Jamaica it is said that the pledge was -given and broken by the same man--by Sir Robert Peel. But when did -Sir Robert Peel's pledge in one year bind even his own conduct in the -next? - -The fact perhaps is this, that no one interest can ever be allowed to -stand in the way of national progress. We could not stop machinery -for the sake of the hand-loom weavers. The poor hand-loom weavers -felt themselves aggrieved; knew that the very bread was taken from -their mouths, their hard-earned cup from their lips. They felt, poor -weavers! that they could not take themselves in middle life to poking -fires and greasing wheels. Time, the eater of things, has now pretty -well eaten the hand-loom weavers--them and their miseries. Must it -not be so also with the Jamaica planters? - -In the mean time the sight, as regards the white man, is a sad one to -see; and almost the sadder in that the last three or four years have -been in a slight degree prosperous to the Jamaica sugar-grower; so -that this question of producing sugar in that island at a rate that -will pay for itself is not quite answered. The drowning man still -clings by a rope's end, though it be but by half an inch, and that -held between his teeth. Let go, thou unhappy one, and drown thyself -out of the way! Is it not thus that Great Britain, speaking to him -from the high places in Exeter Hall, shouts to him in his death -struggles? - -Are Englishmen in general aware that half the sugar estates in -Jamaica, and I believe more than half the coffee plantations, have -gone back into a state of bush?--that all this land, rich with the -richest produce only some thirty years since, has now fallen back -into wilderness?--that the world has hereabouts so retrograded?--that -chaos and darkness have reswallowed so vast an extent of the most -bountiful land that civilization had ever mastered, and that too -beneath the British government? - -And of those who are now growing canes in Jamaica a great portion are -gentlemen who have lately bought their estates for the value of the -copper in the sugar-boilers, and of the metal in the rum-stills. If -to this has been added anything like a fair value for wheels in the -machinery, the estate has not been badly sold. - -Some estates there are, and they are not many, which are still worked -by the agents--attorneys is the proper word--of rich proprietors -in England; of men so rich that they have been able to bear the -continual drain of properties that for years have been always -losing--of men who have had wealth and spirit to endure this. It is -hardly necessary to say that they are few; and that many whose spirit -has been high, but wealth insufficient, have gone grievously to the -wall in the attempt. - -And there are still some who, living on the spot, have hitherto -pulled through it all; who have watched houses falling and the -wilderness progressing, and have still stuck to their homes and -their work; men whose properties for ten years, counting from the -discontinuance of protection, have gradually grown less and less -beneath their eyes, till utter want has been close to them. And yet -they have held on. In the good times they may have made five hundred -hogsheads of sugar every year. It has come to that with them that in -some years they have made but thirty. But they have made that thirty -and still held on. All honour at least to them! For their sake, if -for that of no others, we would be tempted to pray that these few -years of their prosperity may be prolonged and grow somewhat fatter. - -The exported produce of Jamaica consists chiefly of sugar and rum. -The article next in importance is coffee. Then they export also -logwood, arrowroot, pimento, and ginger; but not in quantities to -make them of much national value. Mahogany is also cut here, and -fustic. But sugar and rum are still the staples of the island. Now -all the world knows that rum and sugar are made from the same plant. - -And yet every one will tell you that the cane can hardly be got to -thrive in Jamaica without slave labour; will tell you, also, that the -land of Jamaica is so generous that it will give forth many of the -most wonderful fruits of the world, almost without labour. Putting -these two things together, would not any simple man advise them to -abandon sugar? Ah! he would be very simple if he were to do so with a -voice that could make itself well heard, and should dare to do so in -Jamaica. - -Men there are generally tolerant of opinion on most matters, and -submit to be talked to on their own shortcomings and colonial -mismanagement with a decent grace. You may advise them to do this, -and counsel them to do that, referring to their own immediate -concerns, without receiving that rebuke which your interference might -probably deserve. But do not try their complaisance too far. Do not -advise them to give over making sugar. If you give such advice in a -voice loud enough to be heard, the island will soon be too hot to -hold you. Sugar is loved there, whether wisely loved or not. If not -wisely, then too well. - -When I hear a Jamaica planter talking of sugar, I cannot but think -of Burns, and his muse that had made him poor and kept him so. And -the planter is just as ready to give up his canes as the poet was to -abandon his song. - -The production of sugar and the necessary concomitant production of -rum--for in Jamaica the two do necessarily go together--is not, one -would say, an alluring occupation. I do not here intend to indulge my -readers with a detailed description of the whole progress, from the -planting or ratooning of the cane till the sugar and the rum are -shipped. Books there are, no doubt, much wiser than mine in which -the whole process is developed. But I would wish this much to be -understood, that the sugar planter, as things at present are, must -attend to and be master of, and practically carry out three several -trades. He must be an agriculturist, and grow his cane; and like all -agriculturists must take his crop from the ground and have it ready -for use; as the wheat grower does in England, and the cotton grower -in America. But then he must also be a manufacturer, and that in a -branch of manufacture which requires complicated machinery. The wheat -grower does not grind his wheat and make it into bread. Nor does the -cotton grower fabricate calico. But the grower of canes must make -sugar. He must have his boiling-houses and trash-houses; his water -power and his steam power; he must dabble in machinery, and, in fact, -be a Manchester manufacturer as well as a Kent farmer. And then, over -and beyond this, he must be a distiller. The sugar leaves him fit -for your puddings, and the rum fit for your punch--always excepting -the slight article of adulteration which you are good enough to add -afterwards yourselves. Such a complication of trades would not be -thought very alluring to a gentleman farmer in England. - -And yet the Jamaica proprietor holds faithfully by his sugar-canes. - -It has been said that sugar is an article which for its proper -production requires slave labour. That this is absolutely so is -certainly not the fact, for very good sugar is made in Jamaica -without it. That thousands of pounds could be made with slaves where -only hundreds are made--or, as the case may be, are lost--without it, -I do not doubt. The complaint generally resolves itself to this, that -free labour in Jamaica cannot be commanded; that it cannot be had -always, and up to a certain given quantity at a certain moment; that -labour is scarce, and therefore high priced, and that labour being -high priced, a negro can live on half a day's wages, and will not -therefore work the whole day--will not always work any part of the -day at all, seeing that his yams, his breadfruit, and his plantains -are ready to his hands. But the slaves!--Oh! those were the good -times! - -I have in another chapter said a few words about the negroes as at -present existing in Jamaica, I also shall say a few words as to -slavery elsewhere; and I will endeavour not to repeat myself. This -much, however, is at least clear to all men, that you cannot eat your -cake and have it. You cannot abolish slavery to the infinite good -of your souls, your minds, and intellects, and yet retain it for -the good of your pockets. Seeing that these men are free, it is -worse than useless to begrudge them the use of their freedom. If -I have means to lie in the sun and meditate idle, why, O my worthy -taskmaster! should you expect me to pull out at thy behest long -reels of cotton, long reels of law jargon, long reels of official -verbosity, long reels of gossamer literature--Why, indeed? Not having -means so to lie, I do pull out the reels, taking such wages as I -can get, and am thankful. But my friend and brother over there, my -skin-polished, shining, oil-fat negro, is a richer man than I. He -lies under his mango-tree, and eats the luscious fruit in the sun; -he sends his black urchin up for a breadfruit, and behold the family -table is spread. He pierces a cocoa-nut, and, lo! there is his -beverage. He lies on the grass surrounded by oranges, bananas, and -pine-apples. Oh, my hard taskmaster of the sugar-mill, is he not -better off than thou? why should he work at thy order? "No, massa, me -weak in me belly; me no workee to-day; me no like workee just 'em -little moment." Yes, Sambo has learned to have his own way; though -hardly learned to claim his right without lying. - -That this is all bad--bad nearly as bad can be--bad perhaps as -anything short of slavery, all men will allow. It will be quite -as bad in the long run for the negro as for the white man--worse, -indeed; for the white man will by degrees wash his hands of the whole -concern. But as matters are, one cannot wonder that the black man -will not work. The question stands thus: cannot he be made to do -so? Can it not be contrived that he shall be free, free as is the -Englishman, and yet compelled, as is the Englishman, to eat his bread -in the sweat of his brow? - -I utterly disbelieve in statistics as a science, and am never myself -guided by any long-winded statement of figures from a Chancellor -of the Exchequer or such like big-wig. To my mind it is an -hallucination. Such statements are "ignes fatui." Figures, when they -go beyond six in number, represent to me not facts, but dreams, or -sometimes worse than dreams. I have therefore no right myself to -offer statistics to the reader. But it was stated in the census taken -in 1844 that there were sixteen thousand white people in the island, -and about three hundred thousand blacks. There were also about -seventy thousand coloured people. Putting aside for the moment -the latter as a middle class, and regarding the black as the free -servants of the white, one would say that labour should not be so -deficient But what, if your free servants don't work; unfortunately -know how to live without working? - -The political question that presses upon me in viewing Jamaica, is -certainly this--Will the growth of sugar pay in Jamaica, or will it -not? I have already stated my conviction that a change is now taking -place in the very blood and nature of the men who are destined to be -the dominant classes in these western tropical latitudes. That the -white man, the white Englishman, or white English Creole, will ever -again be a thoroughly successful sugar grower in Jamaica I do not -believe. That the brown man may be so is very probable; but great -changes must first be made in the countries around him. - -While the "peculiar institution" exists in Cuba, Brazil, Porto -Rico, and the Southern States, it cannot, I think, come to pass. A -plentiful crop in Cuba may in any year bring sugar to a price which -will give no return whatever to the Jamaica grower. A spare crop in -Jamaica itself will have the same result; and there are many causes -for spare crops; drought, for instance, and floods, and abounding -rats, and want of capital to renew and manure the plants. At present -the trade will only give in good years a fair profit to those who -have purchased their land almost for nothing. A trade that cannot -stand many misfortunes can hardly exist prosperously. This trade has -stood very many; but I doubt whether it can stand more. - -The "peculiar institution," however, will not live for ever. The time -must come when abolition will be popular even in Louisiana. And when -it is law there, it will be the law in Cuba also. If that day shall -have arrived before the last sugar-mill in the island shall have been -stopped, Jamaica may then compete with other free countries. The -world will not do without sugar, let it be produced by slaves or free -men. - -But though a man may venture to foretell the abolition of slavery in -the States, and yet call himself no prophet, he must be a wiser man -than I who can foretell the time. It will hardly be to-morrow; nor -yet the next day. It will scarcely come so that we may see it. Before -it does come it may easily be that the last sugar-mill in poor -Jamaica will in truth have stopped. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -JAMAICA--EMPEROR SOULOUQUE. - - -We all remember the day when Mr. Smith landed at Newhaven and took up -his abode quietly at the inn there. Poor Mr. Smith! In the ripeness -of time he has betaken himself a stage further on his long journey, -travelling now probably without disguise, either that of a citizen -King or of a citizen Smith. - -And now, following his illustrious example, the ex-Emperor Soulouque -has sought the safety always to be found on English territories by -sovereigns out of place. In January, 1859, his Highness landed at -Kingston, Jamaica, having made his town of Port au Prince and his -kingdom of Hayti somewhat too hot to hold him. - -All the world probably knows that King Soulouque is a black man. One -blacker never endured the meridian heat of a tropical sun. - -The island, which was christened Hispaniola by Columbus, has -resumed its ancient name of Hayti. It is, however, divided into -two kingdoms--two republics one may now say. That to the east is -generally called St. Domingo, having borrowed the name given by -Columbus to a town. This is by far the larger, but at the same -time the poorer division of the island. That to the west is now -called Hayti, and over this territory Soulouque reigned as emperor. -He reigned as emperor, and was so styled, having been elected as -President; in which little change in his state he has been imitated -by a neighbour of ours with a success almost equal to his own. - -For some dozen years the success of Soulouque was very considerable. -He has had a dominion which has been almost despotic; and has, so -rumour says, invested some three or four hundred thousand pounds in -European funds. In this latter point his imitator has, I fear, hardly -equalled him. - -But a higher ambition fired the bosom of Soulouque, and he sighed -after the territories of his neighbours--not generously to bestow -them on other kings, but that he might keep them on his own behoof. -Soulouque desired to be emperor of the whole island, and he sounded -his trumpet and prepared his arms. He called together his army, and -put on the boots of Bombastes. He put on the boots of Bombastes and -bade his men meet him--at the Barleymow or elsewhere. - -But it seems that his men were slow in coming to the rendezvous. -Nothing that Soulouque could say, nothing that he could do, no -admonitions through his sternest government ministers, no reading -of the mutiny act by his commanders and generals, would induce them -actually to make an assault at arms. Then Soulouque was angry, and in -his anger he maltreated his army. He put his men into pits, and kept -them there without food; left them to be eaten by vermin--to be fed -upon while they could not feed; and played, upon the whole, such -a melodrama of autocratic tricks and fantasies as might have done -honour to a white Nero. Then at last black human nature could endure -no more, and Soulouque, dreading a pit for his own majesty, was -forced to run. - -In one respect he was more fortunate than Mr. Smith. In his dire -necessity an English troop-ship was found to be at hand. The -'Melbourne' was steaming home from Jamaica, and the officer in -command having been appealed to for assistance, consented to return -to Kingston with the royal suite. This she did, and on the 22nd of -January, Soulouque, with his wife and daughter, his prime minister, -and certain coal-black maids of honour, was landed at the quays. - -When under the aegis of British protection, the ex-emperor was of -course safe. But he had not exactly chosen a bed of roses for himself -in coming to Jamaica. It might be probable that a bed of roses -was not easily to be found at the moment. At Kingston there were -collected many Haytians, who had either been banished by Soulouque in -the plenitude of his power, or had run from him as he was now running -from his subjects. There were many whose brothers and fathers had -been destroyed in Hayti, whose friends had perished under the hands -of the tyrant's executioner, for whom pits would have been prepared -had they not vanished speedily. These refugees had sought safety also -in Jamaica, and for them a day of triumph had now arrived. They were -not the men to allow an opportunity for triumph to pass without -enjoying it. - -These were mostly brown men--men of a mixed race; men, and indeed -women also. With Soulouque and his government such had found no -favour. He had been glad to welcome white residents in his kingdom, -and of course had rejoiced in having black men as his subjects. -But of the coloured people he had endeavoured in every way to rid -himself. He had done so to a great extent, and many of them were now -ready to welcome him at Kingston. - -Kingston does not rejoice in public equipages of much pretensions; -nor are there to be hired many carriages fit for the conveyance of -royalty, even in its decadence. Two small, wretched vehicles were -however procured, such as ply in the streets there, and carry -passengers to the Spanish Town railway at sixpence a head. In one -of these sat Soulouque and his wife, with a British officer on the -box beside the driver, and with two black policemen hanging behind. -In another, similarly guarded, were packed the Countess Olive--that -being the name of the ex-emperor's daughter--and her attendants. And -thus travelling by different streets they made their way to their -hotel. - -One would certainly have wished, in despite of those wretched pits, -that they had been allowed to do so without annoyance; but such was -not the case. The banished Haytians had it not in their philosophy -to abstain from triumphing on a fallen enemy. They surrounded the -carriages with a dusky cloud, and received the fugitives with howls -of self-congratulation at their abasement. Nor was this all. When the -royal party was duly lodged at the Date-Tree tavern, the ex-Haytians -lodged themselves opposite. There they held a dignity ball in token -of their joy; and for three days maintained their position in order -that poor Soulouque might witness their rejoicings. - -"They have said a mass over him, the wretched being!" said the -landlady of my hotel to me, triumphantly. - -"Said a mass over him?" - -"Yes, the black nigger--king, indeed! said a mass over him 'cause -he's down. Thank God for that! And pray God keep him so. Him king -indeed, the black nigger!" All which could not have been comfortable -for poor Soulouque. - -The royal party had endeavoured in the first instance to take up -their quarters at this lady's hotel, or lodging-house, as they are -usually called. But the patriotic sister of Mrs. Seacole would listen -to no such proposition. "I won't keep a house for black men," she -said to me. "As for kings, I would despise myself to have a black -king. As for that black beast and his black women--Bah!" Now this -was certainly magnanimous, for Soulouque would have been prepared -to pay well for his accommodation. But the ordinary contempt which -the coloured people have for negroes was heightened in this case by -the presumption of black royalty--perhaps also by loyalty. "Queen -Victoria is my king," said Mrs. Seacole's sister. - -I must confess that I endeavoured to excite her loyalty rather than -her compassion. A few friends were to dine with me that day; and -where would have been my turtle soup had Soulouque and his suite -taken possession of the house? - -The deposed tyrant, when he left Hayti, published a short manifesto, -in which he set forth that he, Faustin the First, having been elected -by the free suffrages of his fellow countrymen, had endeavoured to -govern them well, actuated by a pure love of his country; that he had -remained at his post as long as his doing so had been pleasing to his -countrymen; but that now, having discovered by sure symptoms that his -countrymen desired to see him no longer on the throne, he voluntarily -and immediately abdicated his seat. From henceforth he could only -wish well to the prosperity of Hayti. - -Free suffrages of his people! Ah, me! Such farces strike us but as -farces when Hayti and such like lands are concerned. But when they -come nearer to us they are very sad. - -Soulouque is a stout, hale man, apparently of sixty-five or -sixty-eight years of age. It is difficult to judge of the expression -of a black man's face unless it be very plainly seen; but it appeared -to me to be by no means repulsive. He has been, I believe, some -twelve years Emperor of Hayti, and as he has escaped with wealth he -cannot be said to have been unfortunate. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -JAMAICA--THE GOVERNMENT. - - -Queen, Lords, and Commons, with the full paraphernalia of triple -readings, adjournments of the house, and counting out, prevails in -Jamaica as it does in Great Britain. - -By this it will be understood that there is a Governor, representing -the Crown, whose sanction or veto is of course given, as regards -important measures, in accordance with instructions from the Colonial -Office. The Governor has an Executive Committee, which tallies with -our Cabinet. It consists at present of three members, one of whom -belongs to the upper House and two to the lower. The Governor may -appoint a fourth member if it so please him. These gentlemen are paid -for their services, and preside over different departments, as do -our Secretaries of State, &c. And there is a Most Honourable Privy -Council, just as we have at home. Of this latter, the members may or -may not support the Governor, seeing that they are elected for life. - -The House of Lords is represented by the Legislative Council. This -quasi-peerage is of course not hereditary, but the members sit for -life, and are nominated by the Governor. They are seventeen in -number. The Legislative Council can of course put a veto on any bill. - -The House of Assembly stands in the place of the House of Commons. -It consists of forty-seven members, two being elected by nineteen -parishes, and three each by three other parishes, those, namely, -which contain the towns of Kingston, Spanish Town, and Port Royal. - -In one respect this House of Commons falls short of the privileges -and powers of our House at home. It cannot suggest money bills. No -honourable member can make a proposition that so much a year shall be -paid for such a purpose. The government did not wish to be driven to -exercise the invidious power of putting repeated vetos on repeated -suggestions for semi-public expenditure; and therefore this power has -been taken away. But any honourable member can bring before the House -a motion to the effect that the Governor be recommended himself to -propose, by one of the Executive Committee, such or such a money -bill; and then if the Governor decline, the House can refuse to pass -his supplies, and can play the "red devil" with his Excellency. So -that it seems to come pretty nearly to the same thing. - -At home in England, Crown, Lords, and Commons really seem to do very -well. Some may think that the system wants a little shove this way, -some the other. Reform may, or may not be, more or less needed. But -on the whole we are governed honestly, liberally, and successfully; -with at least a greater share of honesty, liberality, and success -than has fallen to the lot of most other people. Each of the three -estates enjoys the respect of the people at large, and a seat, either -among the Lords or the Commons, is an object of high ambition. The -system may therefore be said to be successful. - -But it does not follow that because it answers in England it should -answer in Jamaica; that institutions which suit the country which -is perhaps in the whole world the furthest advanced in civilization, -wealth, and public honesty, should suit equally well an island -which is unfortunately very far from being advanced in those good -qualities; whose civilization, as regards the bulk of the population, -is hardly above that of savages, whose wealth has vanished, and of -whose public honesty--I will say nothing. Of that I myself will -say nothing, but the Jamaicans speak of it in terms which are not -flattering to their own land. - -I do not think that the system does answer in Jamaica. In the first -place, it must be remembered that it is carried on there in a manner -very different from that exercised in our other West-Indian colonies. -In Jamaica any man may vote who pays either tax or rent; but by a -late law he must put in his claim to vote on a ten shilling stamp. -There are in round numbers three hundred thousand blacks, seventy -thousand coloured people, and fifteen thousand white; it may -therefore easily be seen in what hands the power of electing must -rest. Now in Barbados no coloured man votes at all. A coloured man or -negro is doubtless qualified to vote if he own a freehold; but then, -care is taken that such shall not own freeholds. In Trinidad, the -legislative power is almost entirely in the hands of the Crown. In -Guiana, which I look upon as the best governed of them all, this is -very much the case. - -It is not that I would begrudge the black man the right of voting -because he is black, or that I would say that he is and must be -unfit to vote, or unfit even to sit in a house of assembly; but the -amalgamation as at present existing is bad. The objects sought after -by a free and open representation of the people are not gained -unless those men are as a rule returned who are most respected in -the commonwealth, so that the body of which they are the units may -be respected also. This object is not achieved in Jamaica, and -consequently the House of Assembly is not respected. It does not -contain the men of most weight and condition in the island, and is -contemptuously spoken of even in Jamaica itself, and even by its own -members. - -Some there are, some few, who have gotten themselves to be elected, -in order that things which are already bad may not, if such can be -avoided, become worse. They, no doubt, are they who best do their -duty by the country in which their lot lies. But, for the most part, -those who should represent Jamaica will not condescend to take part -in the debates, nor will they solicit the votes of the negroes. - -It would appear from these observations as though I thought that the -absolute ascendency of the white man should still be maintained in -Jamaica. By no means. Let him be ascendant who can--in Jamaica or -elsewhere--who honestly can. I doubt whether such ascendency, the -ascendency of Europeans and white Creoles, can be longer maintained -in this island. It is not even now maintained; and for that reason -chiefly I hold that this system of Lords and Commons is not -compatible with the present genius of the place. Let coloured men -fill the public offices, and enjoy the sweets of official pickings. -I would by no means wish to interfere with any good things which -fortune may be giving them in this respect. But I think there would -be greater probability of their advancing in their new profession -honestly and usefully, if they could be made to look more to the -Colonial Office at home, and less to the native legislature. - -At home, no member of the House of Commons can hold a government -contract. The members of the House of Assembly in Jamaica have no -such prejudicial embargo attached to the honour of their seats. They -can hold the government contracts; and it is astonishing how many of -them are in their hands. - -The great point which strikes a stranger is this, that the House of -Assembly is not respected in the island. Jamaicans themselves have no -confidence in it. If the white men could be polled, the majority I -think would prefer to be rid of it altogether, and to be governed, as -Trinidad is governed, by a Governor with a council; of course with -due power of reference to the Colonial Office. - -Let any man fancy what England would be if the House of Commons were -ludicrous in the eyes of Englishmen; if men ridiculed or were ashamed -of all their debates. Such is the case as regards the Jamaica House -of Commons. - -In truth, there is not room for a machinery so complicated in this -island. The handful of white men can no longer have it all their own -way; and as for the negroes--let any warmest advocate of the "man and -brother" position say whether he has come across three or four of -the class who are fit to enact laws for their own guidance and the -guidance of others. - -It pains me to write words which may seem to be opposed to humanity -and a wide philanthropy; but a spade is a spade, and it is worse than -useless to say that it is something else. - -The proof of the truth of what I say with reference to this system -of Lords and Commons is to be found in the eating of the pudding. -It may not perhaps be fair to adduce the prosperity of Barbados, -and to compare it with the adversity of Jamaica, seeing that -local circumstances were advantageous to Barbados at the times of -emancipation and equalization of the sugar duties. Barbados was -always able to command a plentiful supply of labour. But it is quite -fair to compare Jamaica with Guiana or Trinidad. In both these -colonies the negro was as well able to shirk his work as in Jamaica. - -And in these two colonies the negro did shirk his work, just as he -did in Jamaica; and does still to a great extent. The limits of these -colonies are as extensive as Jamaica is, and the negro can squat. -They are as fertile as Jamaica is, and the negro can procure his -food almost without trouble. But not the less is it a fact that the -exportation of sugar from Guiana and Trinidad now exceeds the amount -exported in the time of slavery, while the exportation from Jamaica -is almost as nothing. - -But in Trinidad and Guiana they have no House of Commons, with Mr. -Speaker, three readings, motions for adjournment, and unlimited -powers of speech. In those colonies the governments--acting with -such assistance as was necessary--have succeeded in getting foreign -labour. In Jamaica they have as yet but succeeded in talking about -it. In Guiana and Trinidad they make much sugar, and boast loudly -of making more. In Jamaica they make but very little, and have not -self-confidence enough left with them to make any boast whatsoever. - -With all the love that an Englishman should have for a popular -parliamentary representation, I cannot think it adapted to a small -colony, even were that colony not from circumstances so peculiarly -ill fitted for it as is Jamaica. In Canada and Australia it is -no doubt very well; the spirit of a fresh and energetic people -struggling on into the world's eminence will produce men fit for -debating, men who can stand on their legs without making a house of -legislature ridiculous. But what could Lords and Commons do in Malta, -or in Jersey? What would they do in the Scilly Islands? What have -they been doing in the Ionian Islands? And, alas! what have they done -in Jamaica? - -Her roads are almost impassable, her bridges are broken down, her -coffee plantations have gone back to bush, her sugar estates have -been sold for the value of the sugar-boilers. Kingston as a town is -the most deplorable that man ever visited, unless it be that Spanish -Town is worse. And yet they have Lords and Commons with all but -unlimited powers of making motions! It has availed them nothing, and -I fear will avail them nothing. - -This I know may be said, that be the Lords and Commons there for -good or evil, they are to be moved neither by men nor gods. It is I -imagine true, that no power known to the British empire could deprive -Jamaica of her constitution. It has had some kind of a house of -assembly since the time of Charles II.; nay, I believe, since the -days of Cromwell; which by successive doctoring has grown to be such -a parody, as it now is, on our home mode of doing business. How all -this may now be altered and brought back to reason, perhaps no man -can say. Probably it cannot be altered till some further smash shall -come; but it is not on that account the less objectionable. - -The House of Assembly and the Chamber of the Legislative Council -are both situated in the same square with the Governor's mansion -in Spanish Town. The desolateness of this place I have attempted -to describe elsewhere, and yet, when I was there, Parliament -was sitting! What must the place be during the nine months when -Parliament does not sit? They are yellow buildings, erected -at considerable expense, and not without some pretence. But -nevertheless, they are ugly--ugly from their colour, ugly from the -heat, and ugly from a certain heaviness which seems natural to them -and to the place. - -The house itself in which the forty-seven members sit is comfortable -enough, and not badly adapted for its purposes. The Speaker sits at -one end all in full fig, with a clerk at the table below; opposite to -him, two-thirds down the room, a low bar, about four feet high, runs -across it. As far as this the public are always admitted; and when -any subject of special interest is under discussion twelve or fifteen -persons may be seen there assembled. Then there is a side room -opening from the house, into which members take their friends. Indeed -it is, I believe, generally open to any one wearing a decent coat. -There is the Bellamy of the establishment, in which honourable -members take such refreshment as the warmth of the debate may render -necessary. Their tastes seemed to me to be simple, and to addict -themselves chiefly to rum and water. - -I was throwing away my cigar as I entered the precincts of the house. -"Oh, you can smoke," said my friend to me; "only, when you stand -at the doorway, don't let the Speaker's eye catch the light; but -it won't much matter." So I walked on, and stood at the side door, -smoking my cigar indeed, but conscious that I was desecrating the -place. - -I saw five or six coloured gentlemen in the house, and two -negroes--sitting in the house as members. As far as the two latter -men were concerned, I could not but be gratified to see them in the -fair enjoyment of the objects of a fair ambition. Had they not by -efforts of their own made themselves greatly superior to others of -their race, they would not have been there. I say this, fearing that -it may be thought that I begrudge a black man such a position. I -begrudge the black men nothing that they can honestly lay hands on; -but I think that we shall benefit neither them nor ourselves by -attempting with a false philanthropy to make them out to be other -than they are. - -The subject under debate was a railway bill. The railway system is -not very extended in the island; but there is a railway, and the -talk was of prolonging it. Indeed, the house I believe had on some -previous occasion decided that it should be prolonged, and the -present fight was as to some particular detail. What that detail was -I did not learn, for the business being performed was a continual -series of motions for adjournment carried on by a victorious minority -of three. - -It was clear that the conquered majority of--say thirty--was very -angry. For some reason, appertaining probably to the tactics of the -house, these thirty were exceedingly anxious to have some special -point carried and put out of the way that night, but the three were -inexorable. Two of the three spoke continually, and ended every -speech with a motion for adjournment. - -And then there was a disagreement among the thirty. Some declared -all this to be "bosh," proposed to leave the house without any -adjournment, play whist, and let the three victors enjoy their barren -triumph. Others, made of sterner stuff, would not thus give way. One -after another they made impetuous little speeches, then two at a -time, and at last three. They thumped the table, and called each -other pretty names, walked about furiously, and devoted the three -victors to the infernal gods. - -And then one of the black gentlemen arose, and made a calm, -deliberate little oration. The words he spoke were about the wisest -which were spoken that night, and yet they were not very wise. He -offered to the house a few platitudes on the general benefit of -railways, which would have applied to any railway under the sun, -saying that eggs and fowls would be taken to market; and then he sat -down. On his behalf I must declare that there were no other words of -such wisdom spoken that night. But this relief lasted only for three -minutes. - -After a while two members coming to the door declared that it was -becoming unbearable, and carried me away to play whist. "My place is -close by," said one, "and if the row becomes hot we shall hear it. It -is dreadful to stay there with such an object, and with the certainty -of missing one's object after all." As I was inclined to agree with -him, I went away and played whist. - -But soon a storm of voices reached our ears round the card-table. -"They are hard at it now," said one honourable member. "That's -So-and-So, by the screech." The yell might have been heard at -Kingston, and no doubt was. - -"By heavens they are at it," said another. "Ha, ha, ha! A nice house -of assembly, isn't it?" - -"Will they pitch into one another?" I asked, thinking of scenes of -which I had read of in another country; and thinking also, I must -confess, that an absolute bodily scrimmage on the floor of the house -might be worth seeing. - -"They don't often do that," said my friend. "They trust chiefly to -their voices; but there's no knowing." - -The temptation was too much for me, so I threw down my cards and -rushed back to the Assembly. When I arrived the louder portion of -the noise was being made by one gentleman who was walking round and -round the chamber, swearing in a loud voice that he would resign the -very moment the Speaker was seated in the chair; for at that time -the house was in committee. The louder portion of the noise, I say, -for two other honourable members were speaking, and the rest were -discussing the matter in small parties. - -"Shameful, abominable, scandalous, rascally!" shouted the angry -gentleman over and over again, as he paced round and round the -chamber. "I'll not sit in such a house; no man should sit in such a -house. By G----, I'll resign as soon as I see the Speaker in that -chair. Sir, come and have a drink of rum and water." - -In his angry wanderings his steps had brought him to the door at -which I was standing, and these last words were addressed to me. -"Come and have a drink of rum and water," and he seized me with a -hospitable violence by the arm. I did not dare to deny so angry a -legislator, and I drank the rum and water. Then I returned to my -cards. - -It may be said that nearly the same thing does sometimes occur in our -own House of Commons--always omitting the threats of resignation and -the drink. With us at home a small minority may impede the business -of the house by adjournments, and members sometimes become loud and -angry. But in Jamaica the storm raged in so small a teapot! The -railway extension was to be but for a mile or two, and I fear would -hardly benefit more than the eggs and fowls for which the dark -gentleman pleaded. - -In heading this chapter I have spoken of the government, and it may -be objected to me that in writing it I have written only of the -legislature, and not at all of the mode of governing. But in truth -the mode of government depends entirely on the mode of legislature. - -As regards the Governor himself and his ministers, I do not doubt -that they do their best; but I think that their best might be much -better if their hands were not so closely tied by this teapot system -of Queen, Lords, and Commons. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -CUBA. - - -Cuba is the largest and the most westerly of the West Indian islands. -It is in the shape of a half-moon, and with one of its horns nearly -lies across the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. It belongs to the -Spanish crown, of which it is by far the most splendid appendage. So -much for facts--geographical and historical. - -The journey from Kingston to Cien Fuegos, of which I have said -somewhat in my first chapter, was not completed under better auspices -than those which witnessed its commencement. That perfidious bark, -built in the eclipse, was bad to the last, and my voyage took nine -days instead of three. My humble stock of provisions had long been -all gone, and my patience was nearly at as low an ebb. Then, as a -finale, the Cuban pilot who took us in hand as we entered the port, -ran us on shore just under the Spanish fort, and there left us. From -this position it was impossible to escape, though the shore lay close -to us, inasmuch as it is an offence of the gravest nature to land in -those ports without the ceremony of a visit from the medical officer; -and no medical officer would come to us there. And then two of our -small crew had been taken sick, and we had before us in our mind's -eye all the pleasures of quarantine. - -A man, and especially an author, is thankful for calamities if they -be of a tragic dye. It would be as good as a small fortune to be -left for three days without food or water, or to run for one's life -before a black storm on unknown seas in a small boat. But we had no -such luck as this. There was plenty of food, though it was not very -palatable; and the peril of our position cannot be insisted on, as -we might have thrown a baby on shore from the vessel, let alone a -biscuit. We did what we could to get up a catastrophe among the -sharks, by bathing off the ship's sides. But even this was in vain. -One small shark we did see. But in lieu of it eating us, we ate it. -In spite of the popular prejudice, I have to declare that it was -delicious. - -But at last I did find myself in the hotel at Cien Fuegos. And here I -must say a word in praise of the civility of the Spanish authorities -of that town--and, indeed, of those gentlemen generally wherever I -chanced to meet them. They welcome you with easy courtesy; offer you -coffee or beer; assure you at parting that their whole house is at -your disposal; and then load you--at least they so loaded me--with -cigars. - -"My friend," said the captain of the port, holding in his hand a huge -parcel of these articles, each about seven inches long--"I wish I -could do you a service. It would make me happy for ever if I could -truly serve you." - -"Senor, the service you have done me is inestimable in allowing me to -make the acquaintance of Don ----." - -"But at least accept these few cigars;" and then he pressed the -bundle into my hand, and pressed his own hand over mine. "Smoke one -daily after dinner; and when you procure any that are better, do a -fastidious old smoker the great kindness to inform him where they are -to be found." - -This treasure to which his fancy alluded, but in the existence of -which he will never believe, I have not yet discovered. - -Cien Fuegos is a small new town on the southern coast of Cuba, -created by the sugar trade, and devoted, of course, to commerce. It -is clean, prosperous, and quickly increasing. Its streets are lighted -with gas, while those in the Havana still depend upon oil-lamps. It -has its opera, its governor's house, its alameda, its military and -public hospital, its market-place, and railway station; and unless -the engineers deceive themselves, it will in time have its well. It -has also that institution which in the eyes of travellers ranks so -much above all others, a good and clean inn. - -My first object after landing was to see a slave sugar estate. I -had been told in Jamaica that to effect this required some little -management; that the owners of the slaves were not usually willing -to allow strangers to see them at work; and that the manufacture of -sugar in Cuba was as a rule kept sacred from profane eyes. But I -found no such difficulty. I made my request to an English merchant -at Cien Fuegos, and he gave me a letter of introduction to the -proprietor of an estate some fifteen miles from the town; and by -their joint courtesy I saw all that I wished. - -On this property, which consisted altogether of eighteen -hundred acres--the greater portion of which was not yet under -cultivation--there were six hundred acres of cane pieces. The average -year's produce was eighteen hundred hogsheads, or three hogsheads to -the acre. The hogshead was intended to represent a ton of sugar when -it reached the market, but judging from all that I could learn it -usually fell short of it by more than a hundredweight. The value of -such a hogshead at Cien Fuegos was about twenty-five pounds. There -were one hundred and fifty negro men on the estate, the average cash -value of each man being three hundred and fifty pounds; most of -the men had their wives. In stating this it must not be supposed -that either I or my informant insist much on the validity of their -marriage ceremony; any such ceremony was probably of rare occurrence. -During the crop time, at which period my visit was made, and which -lasts generally from November till May, the negroes sleep during six -hours out of the twenty-four, have two for their meals, and work -for sixteen! No difference is made on Sunday. Their food is very -plentiful, and of a good and strong description. They are sleek -and fat and large, like well-preserved brewers' horses; and with -reference to them, as also with reference to the brewers' horses, it -has probably been ascertained what amount of work may be exacted so -as to give the greatest profit. During the remainder of the year the -labour of the negroes averages twelve hours a day, and one day of -rest in the week is usually allowed to them. - -I was of course anxious to see what was the nature of the coercive -measures used with them. But in this respect my curiosity was not -indulged. I can only say that I saw none, and saw the mark and signs -of none. No doubt the whip is in use, but I did not see it. The -gentleman whose estate I visited had no notice of our coming, and -there was no appearance of anything being hidden from us. I could -not, however, bring myself to inquire of him as to their punishment. - -The slaves throughout the island are always as a rule baptized. Those -who are employed in the town and as household servants appear to -be educated in compliance with, at any rate the outward doctrines -of, the Roman Catholic church. But with the great mass of the -negroes--those who work on the sugar-canes--all attention to religion -ends with their baptism. They have the advantage, whatever it may -be, of that ceremony in infancy; and from that time forth they are -treated as the beasts of the stall. - -From all that I could hear, as well as from what I could see, I -have reason to think that, regarding them as beasts, they are well -treated. Their hours of labour are certainly very long--so long as to -appear almost impossible to a European workman. But under the system, -such as it is, the men do not apparently lose their health, though, -no doubt, they become prematurely old, and as a rule die early. The -property is too valuable to be neglected or ill used. The object of -course is to make that property pay; and therefore a present healthy -condition is cared for, but long life is not regarded. It is exactly -the same with horses in this country. - -When all has been said that can be said in favour of the slave-owner -in Cuba, it comes to this--that he treats his slaves as beasts of -burden, and so treating them, does it skilfully and with prudence. -The point which most shocks an Englishman is the absence of all -religion, the ignoring of the black man's soul. But this, perhaps, -may be taken as an excuse, that the white men here ignore their own -souls also. The Roman Catholic worship seems to be at a lower ebb in -Cuba than almost any country in which I have seen it. - -It is singular that no priest should even make any effort on the -subject with regard to the negroes; but I am assured that such is -the fact. They do not wish to do so; nor will they allow of any one -asking them to make the experiment. One would think that had there -been any truth or any courage in them, they would have declared the -inutility of baptism, and have proclaimed that negroes have no souls. -But there is no truth in them; neither is there any courage. - -The works at the Cuban sugar estate were very different from those I -had seen at Jamaica. They were on a much larger scale, in much better -order, overlooked by a larger proportion of white men, with a greater -amount of skilled labour. The evidences of capital were very plain in -Cuba; whereas, the want of it was frequently equally plain in our own -island. - -Not that the planters in Cuba are as a rule themselves very rich -men. The estates are deeply mortgaged to the different merchants -at the different ports, as are those in Jamaica to the merchants -of Kingston. These merchants in Cuba are generally Americans, -Englishmen, Germans, Spaniards from the American republics--anything -but Cubans; and the slave-owners are but the go-betweens, who secure -the profits of the slave-trade for the merchants. - -My friend at the estate invited us to a late breakfast after having -shown me what I came to see. "You have taken me so unawares," said -he, "that we cannot offer you much except a welcome." Well, it -was not much--for Cuba perhaps. A delicious soup, made partly of -eggs, a bottle of excellent claret, a pate de foie gras, some game -deliciously dressed, and half a dozen kinds of vegetables; that was -all. I had seen nothing among the slaves which in any way interfered -with my appetite, or with the cup of coffee and cigar which came -after the little nothings above mentioned. - -We then went down to the railway station. It was a peculiar station I -was told, and the tickets could not be paid for till we reached Cien -Fuegos. But, lo! on arriving at Cien Fuegos there was nothing more to -pay. "It has all been done," said some one to me. - -If one was but convinced that those sleek, fat, smiling bipeds were -but two legged beasts of burden, and nothing more, all would have -been well at the estate which we visited. - -All Cuba was of course full of the late message from the President of -the United States, which at the time of my visit was some two months -old there. The purport of what Mr. Buchanan said regarding Cuba -may perhaps be expressed as follows:--"Circumstances and destiny -absolutely require that the United States should be the masters of -that island. That we should take it by filibustering or violence -is not in accordance with our national genius. It will suit our -character and honesty much better that we should obtain it by -purchase. Let us therefore offer a fair price for it. If a fair price -be refused, that of course will be a casus belli. Spain will then -have injured us, and we may declare war. Under these circumstances we -should probably obtain the place without purchase; but let us hope -better things." This is what the President has said, either in plain -words or by inference equally plain. - -It may easily be conceived with what feeling such an announcement -has been received by Spain and those who hold Spanish authority in -Cuba. There is an outspoken insolence in the threat, which, by a -first-class power, would itself have been considered a cause for war. -But Spain is not a first-class power, and like the other weak ones of -the earth must either perish or live by adhering to and obeying those -who will protect her. Though too ignoble to be strong, she has been -too proud to be obedient. And as a matter of course she will go to -the wall. - -A scrupulous man who feels that he would fain regulate his course in -politics by the same line as that used for his ordinary life, cannot -but feel angry at the loud tone of America's audacious threat. But -even such a one knows that that threat will sooner or later be -carried out, and that humanity will benefit by its accomplishment. -Perhaps it may be said that scrupulous men should have but little -dealing in state policy. - -The plea under which Mr. Buchanan proposes to quarrel with Spain, if -she will not sell that which America wishes to buy, is the plea under -which Ahab quarrelled with Naboth. A man is, individually, disgusted -that a President of the United States should have made such an -utterance. But looking at the question in a broader point of view, in -one which regards future ages rather than the present time, one can -hardly refrain from rejoicing at any event which will tend to bring -about that which in itself is so desirable. - -We reprobate the name of filibuster, and have a holy horror of the -trade. And it is perhaps fortunate that with us the age of individual -filibustering is well-nigh gone by. But it may be fair for us to -consider whether we have not in our younger days done as much in this -line as have the Americans--whether Clive, for instance, was not a -filibuster--or Warren Hastings. Have we not annexed, and maintained, -and encroached; protected, and assumed, and taken possession in the -East--doing it all of course for the good of humanity? And why should -we begrudge the same career to America? - -That we do begrudge it is certain. That she purchased California and -took Texas went at first against the grain with us; and Englishmen, -as a rule, would wish to maintain Cuba in the possession of Spain. -But what Englishman who thinks about it will doubt that California -and Texas have thriven since they were annexed, as they never could -have thriven while forming part of the Mexican empire--or can doubt -that Cuba, if delivered up to the States, would gain infinitely by -such a change of masters? - -Filibustering, called by that or some other name, is the destiny of -a great portion of that race to which we Englishmen and Americans -belong. It would be a bad profession probably for a scrupulous man. -With the unscrupulous man, what stumbling-blocks there may be between -his deeds and his conscience is for his consideration and for God's -judgment. But it will hardly suit us as a nation to be loud against -it. By what other process have poor and weak races been compelled to -give way to those who have power and energy? And who have displaced -so many of the poor and weak, and spread abroad so vast an energy, -such an extent of power as we of England? - -The truth may perhaps be this:--that a filibuster needs expect no -good word from his fellow-mortals till he has proved his claim to it -by success. - -From such information as I could obtain, I am of opinion that the -Cubans themselves would be glad enough to see the transfer well -effected. How, indeed, can it be otherwise? At present they have no -national privilege except that of undergoing taxation. Every office -is held by a Spaniard. Every soldier in the island--and they say that -there are twenty-five thousand--must be a Spaniard. The ships of -war are commanded and manned by Spaniards. All that is shown before -their eyes of brilliancy and power and high place is purely Spanish. -No Cuban has any voice in his own country. He can never have the -consolation of thinking that his tyrant is his countryman, or reflect -that under altered circumstances it might possibly have been his -fortune to tyrannize. What love can he have for Spain? He cannot even -have the poor pride of being slave to a great lord. He is the lacquey -of a reduced gentleman, and lives on the vails of those who despise -his master. Of course the transfer would be grateful to him. - -But no Cuban will himself do anything to bring it about. To wish is -one thing; to act is another. A man standing behind his counter may -feel that his hand is restricted on every side, and his taxes alone -unrestricted; but he must have other than Hispano-Creole blood in -his veins if he do more than stand and feel. Indeed, wishing is too -strong a word to be fairly applicable to his state of mind. He would -be glad that Cuba should be American; but he would prefer that he -himself should lie in a dormant state while the dangerous transfer is -going on. - -I have ventured to say that humanity would certainly be benefited -by such a transfer. We, when we think of Cuba, think of it almost -entirely as a slave country. And, indeed, in this light, and in -this light only, is it peculiar, being the solitary land into which -slaves are now systematically imported out of Africa. Into that great -question of guarding the slave coast it would be futile here to -enter; but this I believe is acknowledged, that if the Cuban market -be closed against the trade, the trade must perish of exhaustion. At -present slaves are brought into Cuba in spite of us; and as we all -know, can be brought in under the American stars and stripes. But no -one accuses the American Government of systematically favouring an -importation of Africans into their own States. When Cuba becomes one -of them the trade will cease. The obstacle to that trade which is -created by our vessels of war on the coast of Africa may, or may not, -be worth the cost. But no man who looks into the subject will presume -to say that we can be as efficacious there as the Americans would be -if they were the owners of the present slave-market. - -I do not know whether it be sufficiently understood in England, -that though slavery is an institution of the United States, the -slave-trade, as commonly understood under that denomination, is as -illegal there as in England. That slavery itself would be continued -in Cuba under the Americans--continued for a while--is of course -certain. So is it in Louisiana and the Carolinas. But the horrors of -the middle passage, the kidnapping of negroes, the African wars which -are waged for the sake of prisoners, would of necessity come to an -end. - -But this slave-trade is as opposed to the laws of Spain and its -colonies as it is to those of the United States or of Great Britain. -This is true; and were the law carried out in Cuba as well as it is -in the United States, an Englishman would feel disinclined to look on -with calmness at the violent dismemberment of the Spanish empire. But -in Cuba the law is broken systematically. The Captain-General in Cuba -will allow no African to be imported into the island--except for a -consideration. It is said that the present Captain-General receives -only a gold doubloon, or about three pounds twelve shillings, on -every head of wool so brought in; and he has therefore the reputation -of being a very moderate man. O'Donnel required twice as large a -bribe. Valdez would take nothing, and he is spoken of as the foolish -Governor. Even he, though he would take no bribe, was not allowed -to throw obstacles in the way of the slave-trade. That such a bribe -is usually demanded, and as a matter of course paid, is as well -known--ay, much better known, than any other of the island port -duties. The fact is so notorious to all men, that it is almost as -absurd to insist on it as it would be to urge that the income of the -Queen of England is paid from the taxes. It is known to every one, -and among others is known to the government of Spain. Under these -circumstances, who can feel sympathy with her, or wish that she -should retain her colony? Does she not daily show that she is unfit -to hold it? - -There must be some stage in misgovernment which will justify the -interference of bystanding nations, in the name of humanity. That -rule in life which forbids a man to come between a husband and his -wife is a good rule. But nevertheless, who can stand by quiescent -and see a brute half murder the poor woman whom he should protect? - -And in other ways, and through causes also, humanity would be -benefited by such a transfer. We in England are not very fond of -a republic. We would hardly exchange our throne for a president's -chair, or even dispense at present with our House of Peers or our -Bench of Bishops. But we can see that men thrive under the stars -and stripes; whereas they pine beneath the red and yellow flag of -Spain. This, it may be said, is attributable to the race of the men -rather than to the government. But the race will be improved by the -infusion of new blood. Let the world say what chance there is of such -improvement in the Spanish government. - -The trade of the country is falling into the hands of -foreigners--into those principally of Americans from the States. The -Havana will soon become as much American as New Orleans. It requires -but little of the spirit of prophecy to foretell that the Spanish -rule will not be long obeyed by such people. - -On the whole I cannot see how Englishmen can refrain from -sympathizing with the desire of the United States to become possessed -of this fertile island. As far as we ourselves are concerned, it -would be infinitely for our benefit. We can trade with the United -States when we can hardly do so with Spain. Moreover, if Jamaica, -and the smaller British islands can ever again hold up their heads -against Cuba as sugar-producing colonies, it will be when the -slave-trade has been abolished. Till such time it can never be. - -And then where are our professions for the amelioration, and -especially for the Christianity of the human race? I have said what -is the religious education of the slaves in Cuba. I may also say that -in this island no place of Protestant worship exists, or is possible. -The Roman Catholic religion is alone allowed, and that is at its very -lowest point. "The old women of both sexes go to mass," a Spaniard -told me; "and the girls when their clothes are new." - -But above all things it behoves us to rid ourselves of the jealousy -which I fear we too often feel towards American pretension. "Jonathan -is getting bumptious," we are apt to say; "he ought to have--" this -and that other punishment, according to the taste of the offended -Englishman. - -Jonathan is becoming bumptious, no doubt. Young men of genius, when -they succeed in life at comparatively early years, are generally -afflicted more or less with this disease. But one is not inclined to -throw aside as useless, the intellect, energy, and genius of youth -because it is not accompanied by modesty, grace, and self-denial. Do -we not, in regard to all our friends, take the good that we find in -them, aware that in the very best there will be some deficiency to -forgive? That young barrister who is so bright, so energetic, so -useful, is perhaps _soi-disant_ more than a little. One cannot deny -it. But age will cure that. Have we a right to expect that he should -be perfect? - -And are the Americans the first bumptious people on record? Has no -other nation assumed itself to be in advance of the world; to be the -apostle of progress, the fountain of liberty, the rock-spring of -manly work? If the Americans were not bumptious, how unlike would -they be to the parent that bore them! - -The world is wide enough for us and for our offspring, and we may be -well content that we have it nearly all between us. Let them fulfil -their destiny in the West, while we do so in the East. It may be that -there also we may establish another child who in due time shall also -run alone, shall also boast somewhat loudly of its own doings. It is -a proud reflection that we alone, of all people, have such children; -a proud reflection, and a joyous one; though the weaning of the baby -will always be in some respects painful to the mother. - -Nowhere have I met a kinder hospitality than I did at Cien Fuegos, -whether from Spaniards, Frenchmen, Americans, or Englishmen; for at -Cien Fuegos there are men of all these countries. But I must specify -my friend Mr. -----. Why should such a man be shut up for life at such -an outlandish place? Full of wit, singing an excellent song, telling -a story better, I think, than any other man to whom I have ever -listened, speaking four or five languages fluently, pleasant in -manner, hospitable in heart, a thorough good fellow at all points, -why should he bury himself at Cien Fuegos? "Auri sacra fames." It is -the presumable reason for all such burials. English reader, shouldst -thou find thyself at Cien Fuegos in thy travels, it will not take -thee long to discover my friend -----. He is there known to every -one. It will only concern thee to see that thou art worthy of his -acquaintance. - -From Cien Fuegos I went to the Havana, the metropolis, as all the -world knows, of Cuba. Our route lay by steamer to Batavano, and -thence by railway. The communication round Cuba--that is from port to -port--is not ill arranged or ill conducted. The boats are American -built, and engineered by Englishmen or Americans. Breakfast and -dinner are given on board, and the cost is included in the sum paid -for the fare. The provisions are plentiful, and not bad, if oil can -be avoided. As everything is done to foster Spain, Spanish wine is -always used, and Spanish ware, and, above all things, Spanish oil. -Now Spain does not send her best oil to her colonies. I heard great -complaint made of the fares charged on board these boats. The fares -when compared with those charged in America doubtless are high; but -I do not know that any one has a right to expect that he shall travel -as cheaply in Cuba as in the States. - -I had heard much of the extravagant charges made for all kinds of -accommodation in Cuba; at hotels, in the shops, for travelling, for -chance work, and the general wants of a stranger. I found these -statements to be much exaggerated. Railway travelling by the first -class is about 3-1/2_d._ a mile, which is about 1_d._ a mile more -than in England. At hotels the charge is two and a half or three -dollars a day. The former sum is the more general. This includes a -cup of coffee in the morning, a very serious meal at nine o'clock -together with fairly good Catalan wine, dinner at four with another -cup of coffee and more wine _ad libitum_, bed, and attendance. -Indeed, a man may go out of his hotel, without inconvenience, paying -nothing beyond the regular daily charge. Extras are dear. I, for -instance, having in my ignorance asked for a bottle of champagne, -paid for it seventeen shillings. A friend dining with one also, -or breakfasting, is an expensive affair. The two together cost -considerably more than one's own total daily payment. Thus, as one -pays at an hotel whether one's dinner be eaten or no, it becomes -almost an insane expense for friends at different hotels to invite -each other. - -But let it not be supposed that I speak in praise of the hotels at -the Havana. Far be it from me to do so. I only say that they are not -dear. I found it impossible to command the luxury of a bedroom to -myself. It was not the custom of the country they told me. If I chose -to pay five dollars a day, just double the usual price, I could be -indulged as soon--as circumstances would admit of it; which was -intended to signify that they would be happy to charge me for the -second bed as soon as the time should come that they had no one else -on whom to levy the rate. And the dirt of that bedroom! - -I had been unable to get into either of the hotels at the Havana -to which I had been recommended, every corner in each having been -appropriated. In my grief at the dirt of my abode, and at the too -near vicinity of my Spanish neighbour--the fellow-occupant of my -chamber was from Spain--I complained somewhat bitterly to an American -acquaintance, who had as I thought been more lucky in his inn. - -"One companion!" said he; "why, I have three; one walks about all -night in a bed-gown, a second snores, and the other is dying!" - -A friend of mine, an English officer, was at another house. He also -was one of four; and it so occurred that he lost thirty pounds out -of his sac de nuit. On the whole I may consider myself to have been -lucky. - -Labour generally is dear, a workman getting a dollar or four -shillings and twopence, where in England a man might earn perhaps -half a crown. A porter therefore for whom sixpence might suffice in -England will require a shilling. A volante--I shall have a word to -say about volantes by-and-by--for any distance within the walls costs -eightpence. Outside the walls the price seems to be unconscionably -higher. Omnibuses which run over two miles charge some fraction -over sixpence for each journey. I find that a pair of boots cost me -twenty-five shillings. In London they would cost about the same. -Those procured in Cuba, however, were worth nothing, which certainly -makes a difference. Meat is eightpence the English pound. Bread is -somewhat dearer than in England, but not much. - -House rent may be taken as being nearly four times as high as it is -in any decent but not fashionable part of London, and the wages of -house servants are twice as high as they are with us. The high prices -in the Havana are such therefore as to affect the resident rather -than the stranger. One article, however, is very costly; but as it -concerns a luxury not much in general use among the inhabitants this -is not surprising. If a man will have his linen washed he will be -made to pay for it. - -There is nothing attractive about the town of Havana; nothing -whatever to my mind, if we except the harbour. The streets are -narrow, dirty, and foul. In this respect there is certainly much -difference between those within and without the wall. The latter are -wider, more airy, and less vile. But even in them there is nothing -to justify the praises with which the Havana is generally mentioned -in the West Indies. It excels in population, size, and no doubt -in wealth any other city there; but this does not imply a great -eulogium. The three principal public buildings are the Opera House, -the Cathedral, and the palace of the Captain-General. The former has -been nearly knocked down by an explosion of gas, and is now closed. -I believe it to be an admirable model for a second-rate house. The -cathedral is as devoid of beauty, both externally and internally, as -such an edifice can be made. To describe such a building would be an -absurd waste of time and patience. We all know what is a large Roman -Catholic church, built in the worst taste, and by a combination of -the lowest attributes of Gothic and Latin architecture. The palace, -having been built for a residence, does not appear so utterly vile, -though it is the child of some similar father. It occupies one -side of a public square or plaza, and from its position has a -moderately-imposing effect. Of pictures in the Havana there are none -of which mention should be made. - -But the glory of the Havana is the Paseo--the glory so called. This -is the public drive and fashionable lounge of the town--the Hyde -Park, the Bois de Boulogne, the Cascine, the Corso, the Alameda. It -is for their hour on the Paseo that the ladies dress themselves, and -the gentlemen prepare their jewelry. It consists of a road running -outside a portion of the wall, of the extent perhaps of half a mile, -and ornamented with seats and avenues of trees, as are the boulevards -at Paris. If it is to be compared with any other resort of the kind -in the West Indies, it certainly must be owned there is nothing like -it; but a European on first seeing it cannot understand why it is -so eulogized. Indeed, it is probable that if he first goes thither -alone, as was the case with me, he will pass over it, seeking for -some other Paseo. - -But then the glory of the Paseo consists in its volantes. As one -boasts that one has swum in a gondola, so will one boast of having -sat in a volante. It is the pride of Cuban girls to appear on the -Paseo in these carriages on the afternoons of holidays and Sundays; -and there is certainly enough of the picturesque about the vehicle -to make it worthy of some description. It is the most singular -of carriages, and its construction is such as to give a flat -contradiction to all an Englishman's preconceived notions respecting -the power of horses. - -The volante is made to hold two sitters, though there is sometimes a -low middle seat which affords accommodation to a third lady. We will -commence the description from behind. There are two very huge wheels, -rough, strong, high, thick, and of considerable weight. The axles -generally are not capped, but the nave shines with coarse polished -metal. Supported on the axletree, and swinging forward from it on -springs, is the body of a cabriolet such as ordinary cabriolets used -to be, with the seat, however, somewhat lower, and with much more -room for the feet. The back of this is open, and generally a curtain -hangs down over the open space. A metal bar, which is polished so -as to look like silver, runs across the footboard and supports the -feet. The body, it must be understood, swings forward from these high -wheels, so that the whole of the weight, instead of being supported, -hangs from it. Then there are a pair of shafts, which, counting from -the back of the carriage to the front where they touch the horse at -the saddle, are about fourteen feet in length. They do not go beyond -the saddle, or the tug depending from the saddle in which they hang. -From this immense length it comes to pass that there is a wide -interval, exceeding six feet, between the carriage and the horse's -tail; and it follows also, from the construction of the machine, that -a large portion of the weight must rest on the horse's back. - -In addition to this, the unfortunate horse has ordinarily to bear -the weight of a rider. For with a volante your servant rides, and -does not drive you. With the fashionable world on the Paseo a second -horse is used--what we should call an outrider--and the servant -sits on this. But as regards those which ply in the town, there is -but one horse. How animals can work beneath such a yoke was to me -unintelligible. - -The great point in the volante of fashion is the servant's dress. -He is always a negro, and generally a large negro. He wears a huge -pair--not of boots, for they have no feet to them--of galligaskins I -may call them, made of thick stiff leather, but so as to fit the leg -exactly. The top of them comes some nine inches above the knee, so -that when one of these men is seen seated at his ease, the point of -his boot nearly touches his chin. They are fastened down the sides -with metal fastenings, and at the bottom there is a huge spur. The -usual dress of these men, over and above their boots, consists -of white breeches, red jackets ornamented with gold lace, and -broad-brimmed straw hats. Nothing can be more awkward, and nothing -more barbaric than the whole affair; but nevertheless there is about -it a barbaric splendour, which has its effect. The great length of -the equipage, and the distance of the horse from his work, is what -chiefly strikes an Englishman. - -The carriage usually holds, when on the Paseo, two or three ladies. -Their great object evidently has been to expand their dresses, so -that they may group well together, and with a good result as regards -colour. It must be confessed that in this respect they are generally -successful. They wear no head-dress when in their carriages, and -indeed may generally be seen out of doors with their hair uncovered. -Though they are of Spanish descent, the mantilla is unknown here. Nor -could I trace much similarity to Spanish manner in other particulars. -The ladies do not walk like Spanish women--at least not like the -women of Andalusia, with whom one would presume them to have had -the nearest connection. The walk of the Andalusian women surpasses -that of any other, while the Cuban lady is not graceful in her gait. -Neither can they boast the brilliantly dangerous beauty of Seville. -In Cuba they have good eyes, but rarely good faces. The forehead and -the chin too generally recede, leaving the nose with a prominence -that is not agreeable. But as my gallantry has not prevented me from -speaking in this uncourteous manner of their appearance, my honesty -bids me add, that what they lack in beauty they make up in morals, -as compared with their cousins in Europe. For travelling _en garcon_ -I should probably prefer the south of Spain. But were I doomed to -look for domesticity in either clime--and God forbid that such a -doom should be mine!--I might perhaps prefer a Cuban mother for my -children. - -But the volante is held as very precious by the Cuban ladies. The -volante itself I mean--the actual vehicle. It is not intrusted, as -coaches are with us, to the dusty mercies of a coach-house. It is -ordinarily kept in the hall, and you pass it by as you enter the -house; but it is by no means uncommon to see it in the dining-room. -As the rooms are large and usually not full of furniture, it does -not look amiss there. - -The amusements of the Cubans are not very varied, and are innocent in -their nature; for the gambling as carried on there I regard rather -as a business than an amusement They greatly love dancing, and have -dances of their own and music of their own, which are peculiar, and -difficult to a stranger. Their tunes are striking, and very pretty. -They are fond of music generally, and maintain a fairly good opera -company at the Havana. In the plaza there--the square, namely, in -front of the Captain-General's house--a military band plays from -eight to nine every evening. The place is then thronged with people, -but by far the majority of them are men. - -It is the custom at all the towns in Cuba for the family, when at -home, to pass their evening seated near the large low open window of -their drawing-rooms; and as these windows almost always look into -the streets, the whole internal arrangement is seen by every one who -passes. These windows are always protected by iron bars, as though -they were the windows of a prison; in other respects they are -completely open. - -Four chairs are to be seen ranged in a row, and four more opposite -to them, running from the window into the room, and placed close -together. Between these is generally laid a small piece of carpet. -The majority of these chairs are made to rock; for the Creole -lady always rocks herself. I have watched them going through the -accustomed motion with their bodies, even when seated on chairs with -stern immovable legs. This is the usual evening living-place of the -family; and I never yet saw an occupant of one of these chairs with a -book in her hand, or in his. I asked an Englishman, a resident in the -Havana, whether he had ever done so. "A book!" he answered; "why, the -girls can't read, in your sense of the word reading." - -The young men, and many of those who are no longer young, spend their -evenings, and apparently a large portion of their days, in eating -ices and playing billiards. The accommodation in the Havana for these -amusements is on a very large scale. - -The harbour at the Havana is an interesting sight. It is in the first -place very picturesque, which to the ordinary visitor is the most -important feature. But it is also commodious, large, and safe. It -is approached between two forts. That to the westward, which is -the principal defence, is called the Morro. Here also stands the -lighthouse. No Englishman omits to hear, as he enters the harbour, -that these forts were taken by the English in Albemarle's time. Now, -it seems to me, they might very easily be taken by any one who chose -to spend on them the necessary amount of gunpowder. But then I know -nothing about forts. - -This special one of the Morro I did take; not by gunpowder, but by -stratagem. I was informed that no one was allowed to see it since -the open defiance of the island contained in the last message of the -United States' President. But I was also informed--whisperingly, in -the ear -- that a request to see the lighthouse would be granted, and -that as I was not an American the fort should follow. It resulted -in a little black boy taking me over the whole edifice--an impudent -little black boy, who filled his pockets with stones and pelted the -sentries. The view of the harbour from the lighthouse is very good, -quite worth the trouble of the visit. The fort itself I did not -understand, but a young English officer, who was with me, pooh-poohed -it as a thing of nothing. But then young English officers pooh-pooh -everything. Here again I must add that nothing can exceed the -courtesy of all Spanish officials. If they could only possess honesty -and energy as well as courtesy! - -By far the most interesting spot in the Havana is the Quay, to which -the vessels are fastened end-ways, the bow usually lying against the -Quay. In other places the side of the vessel is, I believe, brought -to the wharf. Here there are signs of true life. One cannot but think -how those quays would be extended, and that life increased, if the -place were in the hands of other people. - -I have said that I regarded gambling in Cuba, not as an amusement, -but an occupation. The public lotteries offer the daily means to -every one for gratifying this passion. They are maintained by the -government, and afford a profit, I am told, of something over a -million dollars per annum. In all public places tickets are hawked -about. One may buy a whole ticket, half, a quarter, an eighth, or -a sixteenth. It is done without any disguise or shame, and the -institution seemed, I must say, to be as popular with the Europeans -living there as with the natives. In the eyes of an Englishman new -from Great Britain, with his prejudices still thick upon him, this -great national feature loses some of its nobility and grandeur. - -This, together with the bribery, which is so universal, shows what is -the spirit of the country. For a government supported by the profits -of a gambling-hell, and for a Governor enriched by bribes on slaves -illegally imported, what Englishman can feel sympathy? I would fain -hope that there is no such sympathy felt in England. - -I have been answered, when expressing indignation at the system, by -a request that I would first look at home; and have been so answered -by Englishmen. "How can you blame the Captain-General," they have -said, "when the same thing is done by the French and English consuls -through the islands?" That the French and English consuls do take -bribes to wink at the importation of slaves, I cannot and do not -believe. But Caesar's wife should not even be suspected. - -I found it difficult to learn what is exactly the present population -of Cuba. I believe it to be about 1,300,000, and of this number -about 600,000 are slaves. There are many Chinese now in the island, -employed as household servants, or on railways, or about the -sugar-works. Many are also kept at work on the cane-pieces, though -it seems that for this labour they have hardly sufficient strength. -These unfortunate deluded creatures receive, I fear, very little -better treatment than the slaves. - -My best wish for the island is that it may speedily be reckoned among -the annexations of the United States. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE PASSAGE OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. - - -In the good old days, when men called things by their proper names, -those islands which run down in a string from north to south, from -the Virgin Islands to the mouth of the Orinoco River, were called the -Windward Islands--the Windward or Caribbean Islands. They were also -called the Lesser Antilles. The Leeward Islands were, and properly -speaking are, another cluster lying across the coast of Venezuela, of -which Curacoa is the chief. Oruba and Margarita also belong to this -lot, among which, England, I believe, never owned any.* - - [*The greater Antilles are Cuba, Jamaica, Hayti, and Porto Rico, - though I am not quite sure whether Porto Rico does not more - properly belong to the Virgin Islands. The scattered assemblage - to the north of the greater Antilles are the Bahamas, at one of - the least considerable of which, San Salvador, Columbus first - landed. Those now named, I believe, comprise all the West India - Islands.] - -But now-a-days we Britishers are not content to let the Dutch and -others keep a separate name for themselves; we have, therefore, -divided the Lesser Antilles, of which the greater number belong -to ourselves, and call the northern portion of these the Leeward -Islands. Among them Antigua is the chief, and is the residence of -a governor supreme in this division. - -After leaving St. Thomas the first island seen of any note is St. -Christopher, commonly known as St. Kitts, and Nevis is close to it. -Both these colonies are prospering fairly. Sugar is exported, now I -am told in increasing, though still not in great quantities, and the -appearance of the cultivation is good. Looking up the side of the -hills one sees the sugar-canes apparently in cleanly order, and -they have an air of substantial comfort. Of course the times are -not so bright as in the fine old days previous to emancipation; -but nevertheless matters have been on the mend, and people are -again beginning to get along. On the journey from Nevis to Antigua, -Montserrat is sighted, and a singular island-rock called the Redonda -is seen very plainly. Montserrat, I am told, is not prospering so -well as St. Kitts or Nevis. - -These islands are not so beautiful, not so greenly beautiful, as are -those further south to which we shall soon come. The mountains of -Nevis are certainly fine as they are seen from the sea, but they are -not, or do not seem to be covered with that delicious tropical growth -which is so lovely in Jamaica and Trinidad, and, indeed, in many of -the smaller islands. - -Antigua is the next, going southward. This was, and perhaps is, an -island of some importance. It is said to have been the first of the -West Indian colonies which itself advocated the abolition of slavery, -and to have been the only one which adopted complete emancipation -at once, without any intermediate system of apprenticeship. Antigua -has its own bishop, whose diocese includes also such of the Virgin -Islands as belong to us, and the adjacent islands of St. Kitts, -Nevis, and Montserrat. - -Neither is Antigua remarkable for its beauty. It is approached, -however, by an excellent and picturesque harbour, called English -Harbour, which in former days was much used by the British navy; -indeed, I believe it was at one time the head-quarters of a naval -station. Premising, in the first place, that I know very little about -harbours, I would say that nothing could be more secure than that. -Whether or no it may be easy for sailing vessels to get in and out -with certain winds, that, indeed, may be doubtful. - -St. John's, the capital of Antigua, is twelve miles from English -Harbour. I was in the island only three or four hours, and did not -visit it. I am told that it is a good town--or city, I should rather -say, now that it has its own bishop. - -In all these islands they have Queen, Lords, and Commons in one shape -or another. It may, however, be hoped, and I believe trusted, that, -for the benefit of the communities, matters chiefly rest in the -hands of the first of the three powers. The other members of the -legislature, if they have in them anything of wisdom to say, have -doubtless an opportunity of saying it--perhaps also an opportunity -when they have nothing of wisdom. Let us trust, however, that such -opportunities are limited. - -After leaving Antigua we come to the French island of Guadaloupe, -and then passing Dominica, of which I will say a word just now, to -Martinique, which is also French. And here we are among the rich -green wild beauties of these thrice beautiful Caribbean islands. The -mountain grouping of both these islands is very fine, and the hills -are covered up to their summits with growth of the greenest. At both -these islands one is struck with the great superiority of the French -West Indian towns to those which belong to us. That in Guadaloupe -is called Basseterre, and the capital of Martinique is St. Pierre. -These towns offer remarkable contrasts to Roseau and Port Castries, -the chief towns in the adjacent English islands of Dominica and St. -Lucia. At the French ports one is landed at excellently contrived -little piers, with proper apparatus for lighting, and well-kept -steps. The quays are shaded by trees, the streets are neat and in -good order, and the shops show that ordinary trade is thriving. There -are water conduits with clear streams through the towns, and every -thing is ship-shape. I must tell a very different tale when I come to -speak of Dominica and St. Lucia. - -The reason for this is, I think, well given in a useful guide to -the West Indies, published some years since, under the direction -of the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. Speaking of St. Pierre, in -Martinique, the author says: "The streets are neat, regular, and -cleanly. The houses are high, and have more the air of European -houses than those of the English colonies. Some of the streets have -an avenue of trees, which overshadow the footpath, and on either -side are deep gutters, down which the water flows. There are five -booksellers houses, and the fashions are well displayed in other -shops. The French colonists, whether Creoles* or French, consider -the West Indies as their country. They cast no wistful looks towards -France. They marry, educate, and build in and for the West Indies, -and for the West Indies alone. In our colonies it is different. They -are considered more as temporary lodging-places, to be deserted as -soon as the occupiers have made money enough by molasses and sugar to -return _home_." - - [*It should be understood that a Creole is a person born in the - West Indies, of a race not indigenous to the islands. There may - be white Creoles, coloured Creoles, or black Creoles. People - talk of Creole horses and Creole poultry; those namely which - have not been themselves imported, but which have been bred - from imported stock. The meaning of the word Creole is, I think, - sometimes misunderstood.] - -All this is quite true. There is something very cheering to an -English heart in that sound, and reference to the word home--in -that great disinclination to the idea of life-long banishment. -But nevertheless, the effect as shown in these islands is not -satisfactory to the _amour propre_ of an Englishman. And it is not -only in the outward appearance of things that the French islands -excel those belonging to England which I have specially named. -Dominica and St. Lucia export annually about 6,000 hogsheads of -sugar each. Martinique exports about 60,000 hogsheads. Martinique -is certainly rather larger than either of the other two, but size -has little or nothing to do with it. It is anything rather than want -of fitting soil which makes the produce of sugar so inconsiderable -in Dominica and St. Lucia. - -These French islands were first discovered by the Spaniards; but -since that time they, as well as the two English islands above named, -have passed backwards and forwards between the English and French, -till it was settled in 1814 that Martinique and Guadaloupe should -belong to France, and Dominica and St. Lucia, with some others, to -England. It certainly seems that France knew how to take care of -herself in the arrangement. - -There is another little island belonging to France, at the back of -Guadaloupe to the westward, called Marie-Galante; but I believe it is -but of little value. - -To my mind, Dominica, as seen from the sea, is by far the most -picturesque of all these islands. Indeed, it would be difficult to -beat it either in colour or grouping. It fills one with an ardent -desire to be off and rambling among those green mountains--as if -one could ramble through such wild, bush country, or ramble at all -with the thermometer at 85. But when one has only to think of such -things without any idea of doing them, neither the bushes nor the -thermometer are considered. - -One is landed at Dominica on a beach. If the water be quiet, one gets -out dryshod by means of a strong jump; if the surf be high, one wades -through it; if it be very high, one is of course upset. The same -things happen at Jacmel, in Hayti; but then Englishmen look on the -Haytians as an uncivilized, barbarous race. Seeing that Dominica lies -just between Martinique and Guadaloupe, the difference between the -English beach and surf and the French piers is the more remarkable. - -And then, the perils of the surf being passed, one walks into the -town of Roseau. It is impossible to conceive a more distressing -sight. Every house is in a state of decadence. There are no shops -that can properly be so called; the people wander about chattering, -idle and listless; the streets are covered with thick, rank grass; -there is no sign either of money made or of money making. Everything -seems to speak of desolation, apathy, and ruin. There is nothing, -even in Jamaica, so sad to look at as the town of Roseau. - -The greater part of the population are French in manner, religion, -and language, and one would be so glad to attribute to that fact this -wretched look of apathetic poverty--if it were only possible. But we -cannot do that after visiting Martinique and Guadaloupe. It might be -said that a French people will not thrive under British rule. But -if so, what of Trinidad? This look of misery has been attributed -to a great fire which occurred some eighty years since; but when -due industry has been at work great fires have usually produced -improved towns. Now eighty years have afforded ample time for such -improvement if it were forthcoming. Alas! it would seem that it is -not forthcoming. - -It must, however, be stated in fairness that Dominica produces more -coffee than sugar, and that the coffee estates have latterly been -the most thriving. Singularly enough, her best customer has been the -neighbouring French island of Martinique, in which some disease has -latterly attacked the coffee plants. - -We then reach St. Lucia, which is also very lovely as seen from the -sea. This, too, is an island French in its language, manners, and -religion; perhaps more entirely so than any other of the islands -belonging to ourselves. The laws even are still French, and the -people are, I believe, blessed (?) with no Lords and Commons. If -I understand the matter rightly, St. Lucia is held as a colony or -possession conquered from the French, and is governed, therefore, by -a quasi-military governor, with the aid of a council. It is, however, -in some measure dependent on the Governor of Barbados, who is again -one of your supreme governors. There has, I believe, been some recent -change which I do not pretend to understand. If these changes be -not completed, and if it would not be presumptuous in me to offer a -word of advice, I would say that in the present state of the island, -with a Negro-Gallic population who do little or nothing, it might be -as well to have as much as possible of the Queen, and as little as -possible of the Lords and Commons. - -To the outward physical eye, St. Lucia is not so triste as Dominica. -There is good landing there, and the little town of Castries, though -anything but prosperous in itself, is prosperous in appearance as -compared with Roseau. - -St. Lucia is peculiarly celebrated for its snakes. One cannot walk -ten yards off the road--so one is told--without being bitten. And if -one be bitten, death is certain--except by the interposition of a -single individual of the island, who will cure the sufferer--for a -consideration. Such, at least, is the report made on this matter. The -first question one should ask on going there is as to the whereabouts -and usual terms of that worthy and useful practitioner. There is, I -believe, a great deal that is remarkable to attract the visitor among -the mountains and valleys of St. Lucia. - -And then in the usual course, running down the island, one goes to -that British advanced post, Barbados--Barbados, that lies out to -windward, guarding the other islands as it were! Barbados, that is -and ever was entirely British! Barbados, that makes money, and is in -all respects so respectable a little island! King George need not -have feared at all; nor yet need Queen Victoria. If anything goes -wrong in England--Napoleon coming there, not to kiss Her Majesty -this time, but to make himself less agreeable--let Her Majesty -come to Barbados, and she will be safe! I have said that Jamaica -never boasts, and have on that account complained of her. Let -such complaint be far from me when I speak of Barbados. But shall -I not write a distinct chapter as to this most respectable little -island--an island that pays its way? - -St. Vincent is the next in our course, and this, too, is green and -pretty, and tempting to look at. Here also the French have been in -possession but comparatively for a short time. In settling this -island, the chief difficulty the English had was with the old native -Indians, who more than once endeavoured to turn out their British -masters. The contest ended in their being effectually turned out by -those British masters, who expelled them all bodily to the island -of Ruatan, in the Bay of Honduras; where their descendants are now -giving the Anglo-American diplomatists so much trouble in deciding -whose subjects they truly are. May we not say that, having got rid of -them out of St. Vincent, we can afford to get rid of them altogether? - -Kingston is the capital here. It looks much better than either Roseau -or Castries, though by no means equal to Basseterre or St. Pierre. - -This island is said to be healthy, having in this respect a much -better reputation than its neighbour St. Lucia, and as far as I could -learn it is progressing--progressing slowly, but progressing--in -spite even of the burden of Queens, Lords, and Commons. The Lords and -Commons are no doubt considerably modified by official influence. - -And then the traveller runs down the Grenadines, a petty cluster of -islands lying between St. Vincent and Grenada, of which Becquia and -Cariacou are the chief. They have no direct connection with the mail -steamers, but are, I believe, under the Governor of Barbados. They -are very pretty, though not, as a rule, very productive. Of one of -them I was told that the population were all females. What a Paradise -of Houris, if it were but possible to find a good Mahommedan in these -degenerate days! - -Grenada will be the last upon the list; for I did not visit or even -see Tobago, and of Trinidad I have ventured to write a separate -chapter, in spite of the shortness of my visit. Grenada is also very -lovely, and is, I think, the head-quarters of the world for fruit. -The finest mangoes I ever ate I found there; and I think the finest -oranges and pine apples. - -The town of St. Georges, the capital, must at one time have been -a place of considerable importance, and even now it has a very -different appearance from those that I have just mentioned. It is -more like a goodly English town than any other that I saw in any of -the smaller British islands. It is well built, though built up and -down steep hills, and contains large and comfortable houses. The -market-place also looks like a market-place, and there are shops in -it, in which trade is apparently carried on and money made. - -Indeed, Grenada was once a prince among these smaller islands, -having other islands under it, with a Governor supreme, instead of -tributary. It was fertile also, and productive--in every way of -importance. - -But now here, as in so many other spots among the West Indies, we are -driven to exclaim, Ichabod! The glory of our Grenada has departed, -as has the glory of its great namesake in the old world. The houses, -though so goodly, are but as so many Alhambras, whose tenants now are -by no means great in the world's esteem. - -All the hotels in the West Indies are, as I have said, or shall say -in some other place, kept by ladies of colour; in the most part -by ladies who are no longer very young. They are generally called -familiarly by their double name. Betsy Austen, for instance; and -Caroline Lee. I went to the house of some such lady in St. Georges, -and she told me a woful tale of her miseries. She was Kitty -something, I think--soon, apparently, to become Kitty of another -world. "An hotel," she said. "No; she kept no hotel now-a-days--what -use was there for an hotel in St. Georges? She kept a lodging-house; -though, for the matter of that, no lodgers ever came nigh her. That -little granddaughter of hers sometimes sold a bottle of ginger beer; -that was all." It must be hard for living eyes to see one's trade die -off in that way. - -There is a feminine accomplishment so much in vogue among the ladies -of the West Indies, one practised there with a success so specially -brilliant, as to make it deserving of special notice. This art is one -not wholly confined to ladies, although, as in the case with music, -dancing, and cookery, it is to be looked for chiefly among the female -sex. Men, indeed, do practise it in England, the West Indies, and -elsewhere; and as Thalberg and Soyer are greatest among pianists and -cooks, so perhaps are the greatest adepts in this art to be found -among the male practitioners;--elsewhere, that is, than in the West -Indies. There are to be found ladies never equalled in this art by -any effort of manhood. I speak of the science of flirting. - -And be it understood that here among these happy islands no idea of -impropriety--perhaps remembering some of our starched people at home, -I should say criminality--is attached to the pursuit. Young ladies -flirt, as they dance and play, or eat and drink, quite as a matter -of course. There is no undutiful, unfilial idea of waiting till -mamma's back be turned; no uncomfortable fear of papa; no longing -for secluded corners, so that the world should not see. The doing -of anything that one is ashamed of is bad. But as regards flirting, -there is no such doing in the West Indies. Girls flirt not only with -the utmost skill, but with the utmost innocence also. Fanny Grey, -with her twelve admirers, required no retired corners, no place apart -from father, mother, brothers, or sisters. She would perform with all -the world around her as some other girl would sing, conscious that in -singing she would neither disgrace herself nor her masters. - -It may be said that the practice of this accomplishment will often -interfere with the course of true love. Perhaps so, but I doubt -whether it does not as often assist it. It seemed to me that young -ladies do not hang on hand in the West Indies. Marriages are made -up there with apparently great satisfaction on both sides; and then -the flirting is laid aside--put by, at any rate, till the days of -widowhood, should such evil days come. The flirting is as innocent -as it is open, and is confined to ladies without husbands. - -It is confined to ladies without husbands, but the victims are not -bachelors alone. No position, or age, or state of health secures -a man from being drawn, now into one and now into another Circean -circle, in which he is whirled about, sometimes in a most ridiculous -manner, jostled amongst a dozen neighbours, left without power to get -out or to plunge further in, pulled back by a skirt at any attempt to -escape, repulsed in the front at every struggle made to fight his way -through. - -Rolling about in these Charybdis pools are, perhaps, oftenest to be -seen certain wearers of red coats; wretches girt with tight sashes, -and with gilding on their legs and backs. To and fro they go, bumping -against each other without serious injury, but apparently in great -discomfort. And then there are black-coated strugglers, with white -neck-ties, very valiant in their first efforts, but often to be seen -in deep grief, with heads thoroughly submersed. And you may see -gray-haired sufferers with short necks, making little useless puffs, -puffs which would be so impotent were not Circe merciful to those -short-necked gray-haired sufferers. - -If there were, as perhaps there should be, a college in the West -Indies, with fellowships and professorships,--established with the -view of rewarding proficiency in this science--Fanny Grey should -certainly be elected warden, or principal, or provost of that -college. Her wondrous skill deserves more than mere praise, more -than such slight glory as my ephemeral pages can give her. Pretty, -laughing, brilliant, clever Fanny Grey! Whose cheeks ever were so -pink, whose teeth so white, whose eyes so bright, whose curling locks -so raven black! And then who ever smiled as she smiled? or frowned as -she can frown? Sharply go those brows together, and down beneath the -gurgling pool sinks the head of the red-coated wretch, while with -momentary joy up pops the head of another, who is received with a -momentary smile. - -Yes; oh my reader! it is too true, I also have been in that pool, -making, indeed, no wilful struggles, attempting no Leander feat of -swimming, sucked in as my steps unconsciously strayed too near the -dangerous margin; sucked in and then buffeted about, not altogether -unmercifully when my inaptitude for such struggling was discovered. -Yes; I have found myself choking in those Charybdis waters, have -glanced into the Circe cave. I have been seen in my insane struggles. -But what shame of that? All around me, from the old patriarch dean of -the island to the last subaltern fresh from Chatham, were there as -well as I. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -BRITISH GUIANA. - - -When I settle out of England, and take to the colonies for good -and all, British Guiana shall be the land of my adoption. If I -call it Demerara perhaps I shall be better understood. At home -there are prejudices against it I know. They say that it is a low, -swampy, muddy strip of alluvial soil, infested with rattlesnakes, -gallinippers, and musquitoes as big as turkey-cocks; that yellow -fever rages there perennially; that the heat is unendurable; that -society there is as stagnant as its waters; that men always die as -soon as they reach it; and when they live are such wretched creatures -that life is a misfortune. Calumny reports it to have been ruined -by the abolition of slavery; milk of human kindness would forbid -the further exportation of Europeans to this white man's grave; and -philanthropy, for the good of mankind, would wish to have it drowned -beneath its own rivers. There never was a land so ill spoken of--and -never one that deserved it so little. All the above calumnies I -contradict; and as I lived there for a fortnight--would it could have -been a month!--I expect to be believed. - -If there were but a snug secretaryship vacant there--and these -things in Demerara are very snug--how I would invoke the goddess of -patronage; how I would nibble round the officials of the Colonial -Office; how I would stir up my friends' friends to write little notes -to their friends! For Demerara is the Elysium of the tropics--the -West Indian happy valley of Rasselas--the one true and actual Utopia -of the Caribbean Seas--the Transatlantic Eden. - -The men in Demerara are never angry, and the women are never cross. -Life flows along on a perpetual stream of love, smiles, champagne, -and small-talk. Everybody has enough of everything. The only persons -who do not thrive are the doctors; and for them, as the country -affords them so little to do, the local government no doubt provides -liberal pensions. - -The form of government is a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. The -Governor is the father of his people, and the Governor's wife the -mother. The colony forms itself into a large family, which gathers -itself together peaceably under parental wings. They have no noisy -sessions of Parliament as in Jamaica, no money squabbles as in -Barbados. A clean bill of health, a surplus in the colonial treasury, -a rich soil, a thriving trade, and a happy people--these are the -blessings which attend the fortunate man who has cast his lot on -this prosperous shore. Such is Demerara as it is made to appear to -a stranger. - -That custom which prevails there, of sending to all new comers a -deputation with invitations to dinner for the period of his sojourn, -is an excellent institution. It saves a deal of trouble in letters -of introduction, economizes one's time, and puts one at once on the -most-favoured-nation footing. Some may fancy that they could do -better as to the bestowal of their evenings by individual diplomacy; -but the matter is so well arranged in Demerara that such people would -certainly find themselves in the wrong. - -If there be a deficiency in Georgetown--it is hardly necessary to -explain that Georgetown is the capital of the province of Demerara, -and that Demerara is the centre province in the colony of British -Guiana; or that there are three provinces, Berbice, Demerara, and -Essequibo, so called from the names of the three great rivers of the -country--But if there be a deficiency in Georgetown, it is in respect -to cabs. The town is extensive, as will by-and-by be explained; and -though I would not so far militate against the feelings of the people -as to say that the weather is ever hot--I should be ungrateful as -well as incredulous were I to do so--nevertheless, about noonday -one's inclination for walking becomes subdued. Cabs would certainly -be an addition to the luxuries of the place. But even these are not -so essential as might at the first sight appear, for an invitation -to dinner always includes an offer of the host's carriage. Without -a carriage no one dreams of dragging on existence in British Guiana. -In England one would as soon think of living in a house without a -fireplace, or sleeping in a bed without a blanket. - -For those who wander abroad in quest of mountain scenery it must -be admitted that this colony has not much attraction. The country -certainly is flat. By this I mean to intimate, that go where you -will, travel thereabouts as far as you may, the eye meets no rising -ground. Everything stands on the same level. But then, what is the -use of mountains? You can grow no sugar on them, even with ever so -many Coolies. They are big, brown, valueless things, cumbering the -face of the creation; very well for autumn idlers when they get to -Switzerland, but utterly useless in a colony which has to count its -prosperity by the number of its hogsheads. Jamaica has mountains, -and look at Jamaica! - -Yes; Demerara is flat; and Berbice is flat; and so is Essequibo. -The whole of this land is formed by the mud which has been brought -down by these great rivers and by others. The Corentyne is the most -easterly, separating our colony from Dutch Guiana, or Surinam. Then -comes the Berbice. The next, counting only the larger rivers, is the -Demerara. Then, more to the west, the Essequibo, and running into -that the Mazarony and the Cuyuni; and then, north-west along the -coast, the Pomeroon; and lastly of our own rivers, the Guiana, though -I doubt whether for absolute purposes of colonization we have ever -gone so far as this. And beyond that are rolled in slow but turbid -volume the huge waters of the Orinoco. On its shores we make no -claim. Though the delta of the Orinoco is still called Guiana, it -belongs to the republic of Venezuela. - -These are our boundaries along the South American shore, which -hereabouts, as all men know, looks northward, with an easterly slant -towards the Atlantic. Between us and our Dutch friends on the right -hand the limits are clear enough. On the left hand, matters are not -quite so clear with the Venezuelians. But to the rear! To the rear -there is an eternity of sugar capability in mud running back to -unknown mountains, the wildernesses of Brazil, the river Negro, and -the tributaries of the Amazon--an eternity of sugar capability, to -which England's colony can lay claim if only she could manage so -much as the surveying of it. "Sugar!" said an enterprising Demerara -planter to me. "Are you talking of sugar? Give me my heart's desire -in Coolies, and I will make you a million of hogsheads of sugar -without stirring from the colony!" Now, the world's supply, some -twelve years ago, was about a million hogsheads. It has since -increased maybe by a tenth. What a land, then, is this of British -Guiana, flowing with milk and honey--with sugar and rum! A million -hogsheads can be made there, if we only had the Coolies. I state -this on the credit of my excellent enterprising friend. But then the -Coolies! - -Guiana is an enormous extent of flat mud, the alluvial deposit of -those mighty rivers which for so many years have been scraping -together earth in those wild unknown upland countries, and bringing -it down conveniently to the sea-board, so that the world might have -sugar to its tea. I really think my friend was right. There is no -limit to the fertility and extent of this region. The only limit is -in labour. The present culture only skirts the sea-board and the -riversides. You will hardly find an estate--I do not think that you -can find one--that has not a water frontage. This land formerly -belonged to the Dutch, and by them was divided out into portions -which on a map have about them a Euclidical appearance. Let A B C D -be a right-angled parallelogram, of which the sides A B and C D are -three times the length of the other sides A C and B D. 'Tis thus -you would describe a Demerara property, and the Q. E. D. would have -reference to the relative quantities of sugar, molasses, and rum -producible therefrom. - -But these strips of land, though they are thus marked out on the maps -with four exact lines, are presumed to run back to any extent that -the owner may choose to occupy. He starts from the water, and is -bounded on each side; but backwards! Backwards he may cultivate -canes up to the very Andes, if only he could get Coolies. Oh, ye -soft-hearted, philanthropic gentry of the Anti-Slavery Society, only -think of that; a million hogsheads of sugar--and you like cheap sugar -yourselves--if you will only be quiet, or talk on subjects that you -understand! - -The whole of this extent of mud, beyond the present very limited -sugar-growing limits, is covered by timber. One is apt to think of an -American forest as being as magnificent in its individual trees as it -is huge in its extent of surface. But I doubt much whether this is -generally the case. There are forest giants no doubt; but indigenous -primeval wood is, I take it, for the most part a disagreeable, -scrubby, bushy, sloppy, unequal, inconvenient sort of affair, to walk -through which a man should be either an alligator or a monkey, and -to make much way he should have a touch of both. There be no forest -glades there in which uncivilized Indian lovers walk at ease, with -their arms round each other's naked waists; no soft grass beneath -the well-trimmed trunk on which to lie and meditate poetical. But -musquitoes abound there; and grass flies, which locate themselves -beneath the toe-nails; and marabunters, a villanous species of wasp; -and gallinippers, the grandfathers of musquitoes; and from thence up -to the xagua and the boa constrictor all nature is against a cool -comfortable ramble in the woods. - -But I must say a word about Georgetown, and a word also about New -Amsterdam, before I describe the peculiarities of a sugar estate in -Guiana. A traveller's first thought is about his hotel; and I must -confess, much as I love Georgetown--and I do love Georgetown--that -I ought to have coupled the hotel with the cabs, and complained of a -joint deficiency. The Clarendon--the name at any rate is good--is a -poor affair; but poor as it is, it is the best. - -It is a ricket, ruined, tumble-down, wooden house, into which at -first one absolutely dreads to enter, lest the steps should fail -and let one through into unutterable abysses below. All the houses -in Georgetown are made of wood, and therefore require a good deal -of repair and paint. And all the houses seem to receive this care -except the hotel. Ah, Mrs. Lenny, Mrs. Lenny! before long you and -your guests will fall prostrate, and be found buried beneath a pile -of dust and a colony of cockroaches! - -And yet it goes against my heart to abuse the inn, for the people -were so very civil. I shall never forget that big black chambermaid; -how she used to curtsy to me when she came into my room in the -morning with a huge tub of water on her head! That such a weight -should be put on her poor black skull--a weight which I could not -lift--used to rend my heart with anguish. But that, so weighted, -she should think that manners demanded a curtsy! Poor, courteous, -overburdened maiden! - -"Don't, Sally; don't. Don't curtsy," I would cry. "Yes, massa," she -would reply, and curtsy again, oh, so painfully! The tub of water was -of such vast proportions! It was big enough--big enough for me to -wash in! - -This house, as I have said, was all in ruins, and among other ruined -things was my bedroom-door lock. The door could not be closed within, -except by the use of a bolt; and without the bolt would swing wide -open to the winds, exposing my arrangements to the public, and -disturbing the neighbourhood by its jarring. In spite of the -inconvenient difficulty of ingress I was forced to bolt it. - -At six every morning came Sally with the tub, knocking gently at the -door--knocking gently at the door with that ponderous tub upon her -skull! What could a man do when so appealed to but rush quickly from -beneath his musquito curtains to her rescue? So it was always with -me. But having loosed the bolt, time did not suffice to enable me -to take my position again beneath the curtain. A jump into bed -I might have managed--but then, the musquito curtain! So, under -those circumstances, finding myself at the door in my deshabille, -I could only open it, and then stand sheltered behind it, as behind -a bulwark, while Sally deposited her burden. - -But, no. She curtsied, first at the bed; and seeing that I was not -there, turned her head and tub slowly round the room, till she -perceived my whereabouts. Then gently, but firmly, drawing away the -door till I stood before her plainly discovered in my night-dress, -she curtsied again. She knew better than to enter a room without due -salutation to the guest--even with a tub of water on her head. Poor -Sally! Was I not dressed from my chin downwards, and was not that -enough for her? "Honi soit qui mal y pense." - -After that, how can I say ought against the hotel? And when I -complained loudly of the holes in the curtain, the musquitoes having -driven me to very madness, did not they set to work, Sunday as it -was, and make me a new curtain? Certainly without avail--for they -so hung it that the musquitoes entered worse than ever. But the -intention was no less good. - -And that waiter, David; was he not for good-nature the pink of -waiters? "David, this house will tumble down! I know it will--before -I leave it. The stairs shook terribly as I came up." "Oh no, massa," -and David laughed benignly. "It no tumble down last week, and -derefore it no tumble down next." It did last my time, and therefore -I will say no more. - -Georgetown to my eyes is a prepossessing city, flat as the country -round it is, and deficient as it is--as are all the West Indies--in -anything like architectural pretension. The streets are wide and -airy. The houses, all built of wood, stand separately, each a little -off the road; and though much has not been done in the way of their -gardens--for till the great coming influx of Coolies all labour is -engaged in making sugar--yet there is generally something green -attached to each of them. Down the centre of every street runs a -wide dyke. Of these dykes I must say something further when I come -to speak again of the sugar doings; for their importance in these -provinces cannot well be overrated. - -The houses themselves are generally without a hall. By that I mean -that you walk directly into some sitting-room. This, indeed, is -general through the West Indies; and now that I bethink me of the -fact, I may mention that a friend of mine in Jamaica has no door -whatsoever to his house. All ingress and egress is by the windows. -My bedroom had no door, only a window that opened. The sitting-rooms -in Georgetown open through to each other, so that the wind, let -it come which way it will, may blow through the whole house. For -though it is never absolutely hot in Guiana--as I have before -mentioned--nevertheless, a current of air is comfortable. One soon -learns to know the difference of windward and leeward when living in -British Guiana. - -The houses are generally of three stories; but the two upper only are -used by the family. Outer steps lead up from the little front garden, -generally into a verandah, and in this verandah a great portion of -their life is led. It is cooler than the inner rooms. Not that I mean -to say that any rooms in Demerara are ever hot. We all know the fine -burst with which Scott opens a certain canto in one of his poems:-- - - Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, - Who never to himself hath said, - This is my own, my native land? - * * * - If such there breathe, go, mark him well. - -At any rate, there breathes no such man in this pleasant colony. -A people so happily satisfied with their own position I never -saw elsewhere, except at Barbados. And how could they fail to be -satisfied, looking at their advantages? A million hogsheads of sugar -to be made when the Coolies come! - -They do not, the most of them, appeal to the land as being that of -their nativity, but they love it no less as that of their adoption. -"Look at me," says one; "I have been thirty years without leaving it, -and have never had a headache." I look and see a remarkably hale man, -of forty I should say, but he says fifty. "That's nothing," says -another, who certainly may be somewhat stricken in years: "I have -been here five-and-fifty years, and was never ill but once, when I -was foolish enough to go to England. Ugh! I shall never forget it. -Why, sir, there was frost in October!" "Yes," I said, "and snow in -May sometimes. It is not all sunshine with us, whatever it may be -with you." - -"Not that we have too much sunshine," interposed a lady. "You don't -think we have, do you?" - -"Not in the least. Who could ask more, madam, than to bask in such -sunshine as yours from year's end to year's end?" - -"And is commerce tolerably flourishing?" I asked of a gentleman in -trade. - -"Flourishing, sir! If you want to make money, here's your ground. -Why, sir, here, in this wretched little street, there has been -more money turned in the last ten years than--than--than--" And he -rummaged among the half-crowns in his breeches-pocket for a simile, -as though not a few of the profits spoken of had found their way -thither. - -"Do you ever find it dull here?" I asked of a lady--perhaps not with -very good taste--for we Englishmen have sometimes an idea that there -is perhaps a little sameness about life in a small colony. - -"Dull! no. What should make us dull? We have a great deal more to -amuse us than most of you have at home." This perhaps might be true -of many of us. "We have dances, and dinner-parties, and private -theatricals. And then Mrs. ----!" Now Mrs. ---- was the Governor' -wife, and all eulogiums on society in Georgetown always ended with -a eulogium upon her. - -I went over the hospital with the doctor there; for even in Demerara -they require a hospital for the negroes. "And what is the prevailing -disease of the colony?" I asked him. "Dropsy with the black men," he -answered; "and brandy with the white." - -"You don't think much of yellow fever?" I asked him. - -"No; very little. It comes once in six or seven years; and like -influenza or cholera at home, it requires its victims. What is that -to consumption, whose visits with you are constant, who daily demands -its hecatombs? We don't like yellow fever, certainly; but yellow -fever is not half so bad a fellow as the brandy bottle." - -Should this meet the eye of any reader in this colony who needs -medical advice, he may thus get it, of a very good quality, and -without fee. On the subject of brandy I say nothing myself, seeing -how wrong it is to kiss and tell. - -Excepting as regards yellow fever, I do not imagine that Demerara is -peculiarly unhealthy. And as regards yellow fever, I am inclined to -think that his Satanic majesty has in this instance been painted too -black. There are many at home--in England--who believe that yellow -fever rages every year in some of these colonies, and that half the -white population of the towns is swept off by it every August. As far -as I can learn it is hardly more fatal at one time of the year than -at another. It returns at intervals, but by no means regularly or -annually. Sometimes it will hang on for sixteen or eighteen months at -a time, and then it will disappear for five or six years. Those seem -to be most subject to it who have been out in the West Indies for -a year or so: after that, persons are not so liable to it. Sailors, -and men whose work keeps them about the sea-board and wharves, seem -to be in the greatest danger. White soldiers also, when quartered -in unhealthy places, have suffered greatly. They who are thoroughly -acclimatized are seldom attacked; and there seems to be an idea that -the white Creoles are nearly safe. I believe that there are instances -in which coloured people and even negroes have been attacked by -yellow fever. But such cases are very rare. Cholera is the negroes' -scourge. - -Nor do I think that this fever rages more furiously in Demerara than -among the islands. It has been very bad in its bad times at Kingston, -Jamaica, at Trinidad, at Barbados, among the shipping at St. Thomas, -and nowhere worse than at the Havana. The true secret of its fatality -I take to be this:--that the medical world has not yet settled what -is the proper mode of medical treatment. There are, I believe, still -two systems, each directly opposite to the other; but in the West -Indies they call them the French system and the English. In a few -years, no doubt, the matter will be better understood. - -From Georgetown, Demerara, to New Amsterdam, Berbice, men travel -either by steamer along the coast, or by a mail phaeton. The former -goes once a week to Berbice and back, and the latter three times. -I went by the mail phaeton and returned by the steamer. And here, -considering the prosperity of the colony, the well-being and comfort -of all men and women in it, the go-ahead principles of the place, -and the coming million hogsheads of sugar--the millennium of a West -Indian colony--considering all these great existing characteristics -of Guiana, I must say that I think the Governor ought to look to the -mail phaeton. It was a woful affair, crumbling to pieces along the -road in the saddest manner; very heart-rending to the poor fellow who -had to drive it, and body-rending to some of the five passengers who -were tossed to and fro as every fresh fragment deserted the parent -vehicle with a jerk. And then, when we had to send the axle to be -mended, that staying in the road for two hours and a half among the -musquitoes! Ohe! ohe! Ugh! ugh! - -It grieves me to mention this, seeing that rose colour was so clearly -the prevailing tint in all matters belonging to Guiana. And I would -have forgiven it had the phaeton simply broken down on the road. All -sublunar phaetons are subject to such accidents. Why else should they -have been named after him of the heavens who first suffered from such -mishaps? But this phaeton had broken down before it commenced its -journey. It started on a system of ropes, bandages, and patches which -were disgraceful to such a colony and such a Governor; and I should -intromit a clear duty, were I to allow it to escape the gibbet. - -But we did reach New Amsterdam not more than five hours after time. -I have but very little to say of the road, except this: that there -is ample scope for sugar and ample room for Coolies. - -Every now and then we came upon negro villages. All villages in this -country must be negro villages, one would say, except the few poor -remaining huts of the Indians, which are not encountered on the white -man's path. True; but by a negro village I mean a site which is now -the freehold possession of negroes, having been purchased by them -since the days of emancipation, with their own money, and for their -own purposes; so that they might be in all respects free; free to -live in idleness, or to do such work as an estated man may choose to -do for himself, his wife, his children, and his property. - -There are many such villages in Guiana, and I was told that when the -arrangements for the purchases were made the dollars were subscribed -by the negroes so quickly and in such quantities that they were taken -to the banks in wheelbarrows. At any rate, the result has been that -tracts of ground have been bought by these people and are now owned -by them in fee simple. - -It is grievous to me to find myself driven to differ on such points -as these from men with whose views I have up to this period generally -agreed. But I feel myself bound to say that the freeholding negroes -in Guiana do not appear to me to answer. In the first place it -seems that they have found great difficulty in dividing the land -among themselves. In all such combined actions some persons must be -selected as trustworthy; and those who have been so selected have not -been worthy of the trust. And then the combined action has ceased -with the purchase of the land, whereas, to have produced good it -should have gone much further. Combined draining would have been -essential; combined working has been all but necessary; combined -building should have been adopted. But the negroes, the purchase once -made, would combine no further. They could not understand that unless -they worked together at draining, each man's own spot of ground would -be a swamp. Each would work a little for himself; but none would work -for the community. A negro village therefore is not a picturesque -object. - -They are very easily known. The cottages, or houses--for some of them -have aspired to strong, stable, two-storied slated houses--stand in -extreme disorder, one here and another there, just as individual -caprice may have placed them. There seems to have been no attempt -at streets or lines of buildings, and certainly not at regularity -in building. Then there are no roads, and hardly a path to each -habitation. As the ground is not drained, in wet weather the whole -place is half drowned. Most of the inhabitants will probably have -made some sort of dyke for the immediate preservation of their own -dwellings; but as those dykes are not cut with any common purpose, -they become little more than overflowing ponds, among which the negro -children crawl and scrape in the mud; and are either drowned, or -escape drowning, as Providence may direct. The spaces between the -buildings are covered with no verdure; they are mere mud patches, and -are cracked in dry weather, wet, slippery, and filthy in the rainy -seasons. - -The plantation grounds of these people are outside the village, and -afford, I am told, cause for constant quarrelling. They do, however, -also afford means of support for the greater part of the year, so -that the negroes can live, some without work and some by working one -or two days in the week. - -It may perhaps be difficult to explain why a man should be expected -to work if he can live on his own property without working, and -enjoy such comforts as he desires. And it may be equally difficult -to explain why complaint should be made as to the wretchedness of -any men who do not themselves feel that their own state is wretched. -But, nevertheless, on seeing what there is here to be seen, it is -impossible to withstand the instinctive conviction that a village of -freeholding negroes is a failure; and that the community has not been -served by the process, either as regards themselves or as regards the -country. - -Late at night we did reach New Amsterdam, and crossed the broad -Berbice after dark in a little ferryboat which seemed to be -perilously near the water. At ten o'clock I found myself at the -hotel, and pronounce it to be, without hesitation, the best inn, not -only in that colony, but in any of these Western colonies belonging -to Great Britain. It is kept by a negro, one Mr. Paris Brittain, of -whom I was informed that he was once a slave. "O, si sic omnes!" But -as regards my experience, he is merely the exception which proves the -rule. I am glad, however, to say a good word for the energies and -ambition of one of the race, and shall be glad if I can obtain for -Mr. Paris Brittain an innkeeper's immortality. - -His deserts are so much the greater in that his scope for displaying -them is so very limited. No man can walk along the broad strand -street of New Amsterdam, and then up into its parallel street, so -back towards the starting-point, and down again to the sea, without -thinking of Knickerbocker and Rip van Winkle. The Dutchman who -built New Amsterdam and made it once a thriving town must be still -sleeping, as the New York Dutchman once slept, waiting the time when -an irruption from Paramaribo and Surinam shall again restore the -place to its old possessors. - -At present life certainly stagnates at New Amsterdam. Three persons -in the street constitute a crowd, and five collected for any purpose -would form a goodly club. But the place is clean and orderly, and the -houses are good and in good repair. They stand, as do the houses in -Georgetown, separately, each surrounded by its own garden or yard, -and are built with reference to the wished-for breeze from the -windows. - -The estates up the Berbice river, and the Canje creek which runs into -it, are, I believe, as productive as those on the coast, or on the -Demerara or Essequibo rivers, and are as well cultivated; but their -owners no longer ship their sugars from New Amsterdam. The bar across -the Berbice river is objectionable, and the trade of Georgetown has -absorbed the business of the colony. In olden times Berbice and -Demerara were blessed each with its own Governor, and the two towns -stood each on its own bottom as two capitals. But those halcyon -days--halcyon for Berbice--are gone; and Rip van Winkle, with all his -brethren, is asleep. - -I should have said, in speaking of my journey from Demerara to -Berbice, that the first fifteen miles were performed by railway. The -colony would have fair ground of complaint against me were I to omit -to notice that it has so far progressed in civilization as to own a -railway. As far as I could learn, the shares do not at present stand -at a high premium. From Berbice I returned in a coasting steamer. It -was a sleepy, dull, hot journey, without subject of deep interest. I -can only remember of it that they gave us an excellent luncheon on -board, and luncheons at such times are very valuable in breaking the -tedium of the day. - -And now a word as to the million hogsheads of sugar and as to the -necessary Coolies. Guiana has some reason to be proud, seeing that -at present it beats all the neighbouring British colonies in the -quantity of sugar produced. I believe that it also beats them all -as to the quantity of rum, though Jamaica still stands first as to -the quality. In round numbers the sugar exported from Guiana may be -stated at seventy thousand hogsheads. - -Barbados exports about fifty thousand, Trinidad and Jamaica under -forty thousand. No other British West Indian colony gives fifteen -thousand; but Guadaloupe and Martinique, two French islands, produce, -one over fifty thousand and the other nearly seventy thousand -hogsheads. In order to make this measurement intelligible, I may -explain that a hogshead is generally said to contain a ton weight of -sugar, but that, when reaching the market, it very rarely does come -up to that weight. I do not give this information as statistically -correct, but as being sufficiently so to guide the ideas of a man -only ordinarily anxious to be acquainted in an ordinary manner -with what is going on in the West Indies. I would not, therefore, -recommend any Member of Parliament to quote the above figures in the -House. - -Some twelve years ago the whole produce of sugar in the West Indies, -including Guiana and excluding the Spanish islands, was 275,000 -hogsheads. The amount which I have above recapitulated, in which the -smaller islands have been altogether omitted, exceeds 310,000. It may -therefore be taken as a fact that, on the whole, the evil days have -come to their worst, and that the tables are turned. It must however -be admitted that the above figures tell more for French than for -English prosperity. - -In these countries sugar and labour are almost synonymous; at any -rate, they are convertible substances. In none of the colonies named, -except Barbados, is the amount of sugar produced limited by any other -law than the amount of labour to be obtained, and in none of them, -with that one exception, can any prosperity be hoped for, excepting -by means of immigrating labour. What I mean to state is this: that -the extent of native work which can be obtained by the planters and -land-owners at terms which would enable them to grow their produce -and bring it to the market does not in any of these colonies suffice -for success. It can be worth no man's while to lay out his capital -in Jamaica, in Trinidad, or in Guiana, unless he has reasonable hope -that labouring men will be brought into those countries. The great -West Indian question is now this: Is there reasonable ground for such -hope? - -The Anti-Slavery Society tells us that we ought to have no such -hope--that it is simply hoping for a return of slavery; that black or -coloured labourers brought from other lands to the West Indies cannot -be regarded as free men; that labourers so brought will surely be -ill-used; and that the native negro labourer requires protection. As -to that question of the return to slavery I have already said what -few words I have to offer. In one sense, no dependent man working -for wages can be free. He must abide by the terms of his contract. -But in the usually accepted sense of the word freedom, the Coolie or -Chinaman immigrating to the West Indies is free. - -As to the charge of ill usage, it appears to me that these men could -not be treated with more tenderness, unless they were put separately, -each under his own glass case, with a piece of velvet on which to -lie. In England we know of no such treatment for field labourers. On -their arrival in Demerara they are distributed among the planters by -the Governor, to each planter according to his application, his means -of providing for them, and his willingness and ability to pay the -cost of the immigration by yearly instalments. They are sent to no -estate till a government officer shall have reported that there are -houses for them to occupy. There must be a hospital for them on the -estate, and a regular doctor with a sufficient salary. The rate of -their wages is stipulated, and their hours of work. Though the -contract is for five years, they can leave the estate at the end of -the first three, transferring their services to any other master, and -at the end of the five years they are entitled to a free passage -home. - -If there be no hardship in all this to the immigrating Coolie, it -may, perhaps, be thought that there is hardship to the planter who -receives him. He is placed very much at the mercy of the Governor, -who, having the power of giving or refusing Coolies, becomes -despotic. And then, when this stranger from Hindostan has been taught -something of his work, he can himself select another master, so that -one planter may bribe away the labourers of another. This, however, -is checked to a certain degree by a regulation which requires the -bribing interloper to pay a portion of the expense of immigration. - -As to the native negro requiring protection--protection, that is, -against competitive labour--the idea is too absurd to require any -argument to refute it. As it at present is, the competition having -been established, and being now in existence to a certain small -extent, these happy negro gentlemen will not work on an average more -than three days a week, nor for above six hours a day. I saw a gang -of ten or twelve negro girls in a cane-piece, lying idle on the -ground, waiting to commence their week's labour. It was Tuesday -morning. On the Monday they had of course not come near the field. -On the morning of my visit they were lying with their hoes beside -them, meditating whether or no they would measure out their work. The -planter was with me, and they instantly attacked him. "No, massa; we -no workey; money no nuff," said one. "Four bits no pay! no pay at -all!" said another. "Five bits, massa, and we gin morrow 'arly." It -is hardly necessary to say that the gentleman refused to bargain with -them. "They'll measure their work to-morrow," said he; "on Thursday -they will begin, and on Friday they will finish for the week." "But -will they not look elsewhere for other work?" I asked. "Of course -they will," he said; "occupy a whole day in looking for it; but -others cannot pay better than I do, and the end will be as I tell -you." Poor young ladies! It will certainly be cruel to subject them -to the evil of competition in their labour. - -In Guiana the bull has been taken by the horns, as in Jamaica it -unfortunately has not; and the first main difficulties of immigration -have, I think, been overcome. For some years past, both from India -and from China, labourers have been brought in freely, and during the -last twelve months the number has been very considerable. The women -also are coming now as well as the men, and they have learned to -husband their means and put money together. - -Such an affair as this--the regular exodus, that is, of a people to -another land--has always progressed with great rapidity when it has -been once established. The difficulty is to make a beginning. It is -natural enough that men should hesitate to trust themselves to a -future of which they know nothing; and as natural that they should -hasten to do so when they have heard of the good things which -Providence has in store for them. It required that some few should -come out and prosper, and return with signs of prosperity. This has -now been done, and as regards Guiana it will not, I imagine, be -long before negro labour is, if not displaced, made, at any rate, -of secondary consequence in the colony. As far as the workmen are -concerned, the million hogsheads will, I think, become a possibility, -though not perhaps in the days of my energetic hopeful friend. - -Both the Coolies and the Chinamen have aptitude in putting money -together; and when a man has this aptitude he will work as long as -good wages are to be earned. "Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa, &c." -We teach our children this lesson, intending them to understand that -it is pretty nearly the worst of all "amors," and we go on with the -"irritamenta malorum" till we come to the "Spernere fortior." It is -all, however, of no use. "Naturam expellas furca;" but the result is -still the same. Nature knows what she is about. The love of money is -a good and useful love. What would the world now be without it? Or -is it even possible to conceive of a world progressing without such -a love? Show me ten men without it, and I will show you nine who -lack zeal for improvement. Money, like other loved objects--women, -for instance--should be sought for with honour, won with a clean -conscience, and used with a free hand. Provided it be so guided, the -love of money is no ignoble passion. - -The negroes, as a class, have not this aptitude, consequently they -lie in the sun and eat yams, and give no profitable assistance -towards that saccharine millennium. "Spernere fortior!" That big -black woman would so say, she who is not contented with four bits, -if her education had progressed so far. And as she said it, how she -would turn up her African nose, and what contempt she would express -with her broad eyes! Doubtless she does so express herself among her -negro friends in some nigger patois--"Pernere forshaw." If so, her -philosophy does but little to assist the world, or herself. - -There is another race of men, and of women too, who have been and -now are of the greatest benefit to this colony, and with them the -"Spernere fortior" is by no means a favourite doctrine. There are the -Portuguese who have come to Demerara from Madeira. I believe that -they are not to be found in any of the islands; but here, in Guiana, -they are in great numbers, and thrive wonderfully. At almost every -corner of two streets in Georgetown is to be seen a small shop; and -those shops are, I think without exception, kept by Portuguese. -Nevertheless they all reached the Demerara river in absolute poverty, -intending to live on the wages of field labour, and certainly -prepared to do their work like men. As a rule, they are a steady, -industrious class, and have proved themselves to be good citizens. -In the future amalgamation of races, which will take place here as -elsewhere in the tropics, the Portugee-Madeira element will not be -the least efficient. - -I saw the works on three or four sugar estates in Demerara, and -though I am neither a sugar grower nor a mechanic, I am able to say -that the machinery and material of this colony much exceed anything I -have seen in any of our own West Indian islands; and in the point of -machinery, equals what I saw in Cuba. Everything is done on a much -larger scale, and in a more proficient manner than at--Barbados, -we will say. I instance Barbados because the planters there play -so excellent a melody on their own trumpets. In that island not -one planter in five, not one I believe in fifteen, has any steam -appliance on his estate. They trust to the wind for their motive -power, as did their great-great-grandfather. But there is steam on -every estate in Guiana. The vacuum pan and the centrifugal machine -for extracting the molasses are known only by name in Barbados, -whereas they are common appliances in Demerara. There two hundred -hogsheads is a considerable produce for one planter. Here they make -eight hundred hogsheads, a thousand, and twelve hundred. A Barbados -man will reply to this that the thing to be looked to is the -profit, or what he will call the clearance. The sugar-consuming -world, however, will know nothing about this, will hear nothing of -individual profits. But it will recognize the fact that the Demerara -sugar is of a better quality than that which comes from Barbados, and -will believe that the merchant or planter who does not use the latest -appliances of science, whether it be in manufacture or agriculture, -will before long go to the wall. Looking over a sugar estate and -sugar works is an exciting amusement certainly, but nevertheless it -palls upon one at last. I got quite into the way of doing it; and -used to taste the sugars and examine the crystals; make comparisons -and pronounce, I must confess as regards Barbados, a good deal of -adverse criticism. But this was merely to elicit the true tone of -Barbadian eloquence, the long-drawn nasal fecundity of speech which -comes forth so fluently when their old windmills are attacked. - -But the amusement, as I have said, does pall upon one. In spite of -the difference of the machinery, the filtering-bags and centrifugals -in one, the Gadsden pans in another, and the simple oscillators in a -third--(the Barbados estate stands for the third)--one does get weary -of walking up to a sugar battery, and looking at the various heated -caldrons, watching till even the inexperienced eye perceives that the -dirty liquor has become brown sugar, as it runs down from a dipper -into a cooling vat. - -I wonder whether I could make the process in any simple way -intelligible; or whether in doing so I should afford gratification to -a single individual? Were I myself reading such a book of travels, I -should certainly skip such description. Reader, do thou do likewise. -Nevertheless, it shall not exceed three or four pages. - -The cane must first be cut. As regards a planted cane, that is the -first crop from the plant--(for there are such things as ratoons, of -which a word or two will be found elsewhere)--as regards the planted -cane, the cutting, I believe, takes place after about fourteen -months' growth. The next process is that of the mill; the juice, that -is, has to be squeezed out of it. The cane should not lie above two -days before it is squeezed. It is better to send it to the mill the -day after it is cut, or the hour after; in fact, as soon indeed as -may be. In Demerara they are brought to the mill by water always; in -Barbados, by carts and mules; in Jamaica, by waggons and oxen; so -also in Cuba. The mill consists of three rollers, which act upon each -other like cogwheels. The canes are passed between two, an outside -one, say, and a centre one; and the refuse stalk, or trash (so called -in Jamaica), or magass (so called in Barbados and Demerara), comes -out between the same centre one and the other outside roller. The -juice meanwhile is strained down to a cistern or receptacle below. -These rollers are quite close, so that it would seem to be impossible -that the cane should go through; but it does go through with great -ease, if the mill be good and powerful; but frequently with great -difficulty, if the mill be bad and not powerful; for which latter -alternative vide Barbados. The canes give from sixty to seventy per -cent. of juice. Sometimes less than sixty, not often over seventy. - -The juice, which is then of a dirty-yellow colour, and apparently -about the substance of milk, is brought from the mill through a pipe -into the first vat, in which it is tempered. This is done with lime, -and the object is to remedy the natural acidity of the juice. In this -first vat it is warmed, but not more than warmed. It then runs from -these vats into boilers, or at any rate into receptacles in which it -is boiled. These in Barbados are called taches. At each of these a -man stands with a long skimmer, skimmering the juice as it were, and -scraping off certain skum which comes to the top. There are from -three to seven of these taches, and below them, last of all, is the -boiler, the veritable receptacle in which the juice becomes sugar. -In the taches, especially the first of them, the liquor becomes dark -green in colour. As it gets nearer the boiler it is thicker and more -clouded, and begins to assume its well-known tawny hue. - -Over the last boiler stands the man who makes the sugar. It is for -him to know what heat to apply and how long to apply it. The liquor -now ceases to be juice and becomes sugar. This is evident to the -eye and nose, for though the stuff in the boiler is of course still -liquid, it looks like boiled melted sugar, and the savour is the -savour of sugar. When the time has come, and the boiling is boiled, a -machine suspended from on high, and called a dipper, is let down into -the caldron. It nearly fits the caldron, being, as it were, in itself -a smaller caldron going into the other. The sugar naturally runs over -the side of this and fills it, some little ingenuity being exercised -in the arrangement. The dipper, full of sugar, is then drawn up on -high. At the bottom of it is a valve, so that on the pulling of a -rope, the hot liquid runs out. This dipper is worked like a crane, -and is made to swing itself from over the boiler to a position in -which the sugar runs from it through a wooden trough to the flat -open vats in which it is cooled. - -But at this part of the manufacture there are various different -methods. According to that which is least advanced the sugar is -simply cooled in the vat, then put into buckets in a half-solid -state, and thrown out of the buckets into the hogsheads. - -According to the more advanced method it runs from the dipper down -through filtering bags, is then pumped into a huge vacuum pan, a -utensil like a kettle-drum turned topsy-turvy, a kettle-drum that is -large enough to hold six tons of sugar. Then it is reheated, and then -put into open round boxes called centrifugals, the sides of which -are made of metal pierced like gauze. These are whisked round and -round by steam-power at an enormous rate, and the molasses flies out -through the gauze, leaving the sugar dry and nearly white. It is then -fit to go into the hogshead, and fit also to be shipped away. - -But in the simpler process, the molasses drains from the sugar in -the hogshead. To facilitate this, as the sugar is put into the cask, -reeds are stuck through it, which communicate with holes at the -bottom, so that there may be channels through which the molasses may -run. The hogsheads stand upon beams lying a foot apart from each -other, and below is a dark abyss into which the molasses falls. -I never could divest myself of the idea that the negro children -occasionally fall through also, and are then smothered and so -distilled into rum. - -There are various other processes, intermediate between the -highly-civilized vacuum pan and the simple cooling, with which I will -not trouble my reader. Nor will I go into the further mystery of -rum-making. That the rum is made from the molasses every one knows; -and from the negro children, as I suspect. - -The process of sugar-making is very rapid if the appliances be good. -A planter in Demerara assured me that he had cut his canes in the -morning, and had the sugar in Georgetown in the afternoon. Fudge! -however, was the remark made by another planter to whom I repeated -this. Whether it was fudge or not I do not know; but it was clearly -possible that such should be the case. The manufacture is one which -does not require any delay. - -In Demerara an acre of canes will on an average give over a ton and -a half of sugar. But an acre of cane ground will not give a crop -once in twelve months. Two crops in three years may perhaps be the -average. So much for the manufacture of sugar. I hope my account may -not be criticised by those who are learned in the art, as it is only -intended for those who are utterly unlearned. - -But if looking over sugar-works be at last fatiguing, what shall I -say to that labour of "going aback," which Guiana planters exact from -their visitors. Going aback in Guiana means walking from the house -and manufactory back to the fields where the canes grow. I have -described the shape of a Demerara estate. The house generally stands -not far from the water frontage, so that the main growth of the sugar -is behind. This going aback generally takes place before breakfast. -But the breakfast is taken at eleven; and a Demerara sun is in all -its glory for three hours before that. Remember, also, that there are -no trees in these fields, no grass, no wild flowers, no meandering -paths. Everything is straight, and open, and ugly; and everything has -a tendency to sugar, and no other tendency whatever, unless it be to -rum. Sugar-canes is the only growth. So that a walk aback, except -to a very close inquirer, is not delightful. It must however be -confessed that the subsequent breakfast makes up for a deal of -misery. There is no such breakfast going as that of a Guiana planter. -Talk of Scotland! Pooh! But one has to think of that doctor's -dictum--"The prevalent disease, sir? Brandy!" It seems, however, to -me to show itself more generally in the shape of champagne. - -There is one other peculiar characteristic of landed property in this -colony which I must mention. All the carriage is by water, not only -from the works to the town, but from the fields to the works, and -even from field to field. The whole country is intersected by drains, -which are necessary to carry off the surface waters; there is no -natural fall of water, or next to none, and but for its drains and -sluices the land would be flooded in wet weather. Parallel to these -drains are canals; there being, as nearly as I could learn, one canal -between each two drains. These different dykes are to a stranger -similar in appearance, but their uses are always kept distinct. - -Nor do these canals run only between wide fields, or at a -considerable distance from each other. They pierce every portion of -land, so that the canes when cut have never to be carried above a few -yards. The expense of keeping them in order is very great, but the -labour of making them must have been immense. It was done by the -Dutch. One may almost question whether any other race would have had -the patience necessary for such a work. - -I was told on one estate that there were no less than sixty-three -miles of these cuttings to be kept in order. But the gentleman who -told me was he to whom the other gentleman alluded, when he used our -old friend, Mr. Burchell's exclamation. There can be no doubt but -that these Guiana planters know each other. - -On the whole, I must express my conviction that this is a fine -colony, and will become of very great importance. - -Our great Thunderer the other day spoke of the governance of a sugar -island as a duty below a man's notice; as being almost worthy of -contempt. We cannot all be gods and forge thunderbolts. But we all -wish to consume sugar; and if we can do in one of our colonies -without slaves what Cuba is doing with slaves, the work I think will -not be contemptible, nor the land contemptible in which it is done. -I do look to see our free Cuba in Guiana, and even have my hopes as -to that million of hogsheads. - -I have said, in speaking of Jamaica, that I thought the negro had -hardly yet shown himself capable of understanding the teaching of the -Christian religion. As regards Guiana, what I heard on this matter -I heard chiefly from clergymen of the Church of England; and though -they would of course not agree with me--for it is not natural that a -man should doubt the efficacy of his own teaching--nevertheless, what -I gathered from them strengthens my former opinions. - -I do think that the Guiana negro is in this respect somewhat superior -to his brother in Jamaica. He is more intelligent, and comes nearer -to our idea of a thoughtful being. But still even here it seems to -me that he never connects his religion with his life; never reflects -that his religion should bear upon his conduct. - -Here, as in the islands, the negroes much prefer to belong to -a Baptist congregation, or to a so-called Wesleyan body. That -excitement is there allowed to them which is denied in our Church. -They sing and halloa and scream, and have revivals. They talk of -their "dear brothers" and "dear sisters," and in their ecstatic -howlings get some fun for their money. I doubt also whether those -disagreeable questions as to conduct are put by the Baptists -which they usually have to undergo from our clergymen. "So-called -Wesleyans," I say, because the practice of their worship here is -widely removed from the sober gravity of the Wesleyan churches in -England. - -I have said that the form of government in Guiana was a mild -despotism, tempered by sugar. The Governor, it must be understood, -has not absolute authority. There is a combined house, with a power -of voting, by whom he is controlled--at any rate in financial -matters. But of those votes he commands many as Governor, and as long -as he will supply Coolies quick enough--and Coolies mean sugar--he -may command them all. - -"We are not particular to a shade," the planters wisely say to him, -"in what way we are governed. If you have any fads of your own about -this or about that, by all means indulge them. Even if you want a -little more money, in God's name take it. But the business of a man's -life is sugar: there's the land; the capital shall be forthcoming, -whether begged, borrowed, or stolen;--do you supply the labour. Give -us Coolies enough, and we will stick at nothing. We are an ambitious -colony. There looms before us a great future--a million hogsheads of -sugar!" - -The form of government here is somewhat singular. There are two -Houses--Lords and Commons--but not acting separately as ours do. The -upper House is the Court of Policy. This consists of five official -members, whose votes may therefore be presumed to be at the service -of the Governor, and of five elected members. The Governor himself, -sitting in this court, has the casting vote. But he also has -something to say to the election of the other five. They are chosen -by a body of men called Kiezers--probably Dutch for choosers. There -is a college of Kiezers, elected for life by the tax-payers, whose -main privilege appears to be that of electing these members of the -Court of Policy. But on every occasion they send up two names, and -the Governor selects one; so that he can always keep out any one man -who may be peculiarly disagreeable to him. This Court of Policy -acts, I think, when acting by itself, more as a privy council to the -Governor than as a legislative body. - -Then there are six Financial Representatives; two from Berbice, one -from town and one from country; two from Demerara, one from town -and one from country; and two from Essequibo, both from the country, -there being no town. These are elected by the tax-payers. They are -assembled for purposes of taxation only, as far as I understood; and -even as regards this they are joined with the Court of Policy, and -thus form what is called the Combined Court. The Crown, therefore, -has very little to tie its hands; and I think that I am justified in -describing the government as a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. - -So much for British Guiana. I cannot end this crude epitome of -crude views respecting the colony without saying that I never met a -pleasanter set of people than I found there, or ever passed my hours -much more joyously. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -BARBADOS. - - -Barbados is a very respectable little island, and it makes a great -deal of sugar. It is not picturesquely beautiful, as are almost -all the other Antilles, and therefore has but few attractions for -strangers. - -But this very absence of scenic beauty has saved it from the fate of -its neighbours. A country that is broken into landscapes, that boasts -of its mountains, woods, and waterfalls, that is regarded for its -wild loveliness, is seldom propitious to agriculture. A portion of -the surface in all such regions defies the improving farmer. But, -beyond this, such ground under the tropics offers every inducement to -the negro squatter. In Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada, the -negro, when emancipated, could squat and make himself happy; but in -Barbados there was not an inch for him. - -When emancipation came there was no squatting ground for the poor -Barbadian. He had still to work and make sugar--work quite as hard -as he had done while yet a slave. He had to do that or to starve. -Consequently, labour has been abundant in this island, and in this -island only; and in all the West Indian troubles it has kept its -head above water, and made sugar respectably--not, indeed, showing -much sugar genius, or going ahead in the way of improvements, but -paying twenty shillings in the pound, supporting itself, and earning -its bread decently by the sweat of its brow. The pity is that the -Barbadians themselves should think so much of their own achievements. - -The story runs, that when Europe was convulsed by revolutions and -wars--when continental sovereigns were flying hither and thither, and -there was so strong a rumour that Napoleon was going to eat us--the -great Napoleon I mean--that then, I say, the Barbadians sent word -over to poor King George the Third, bidding him fear nothing. If -England could not protect him, Barbados would. Let him come to them, -if things looked really blue on his side of the channel It was a -fine, spirited message, but perhaps a little self glorious. That, -I should say, is the character of the island in general. - -As to its appearance, it is, as I have said, totally different from -any of the other islands, and to an English eye much less attractive -in its character. But for the heat its appearance would not strike -with any surprise an Englishman accustomed to an ordinary but ugly -agricultural country. It has not the thick tropical foliage which is -so abundant in the other islands, nor the wild, grassy dells. Happily -for the Barbadians every inch of it will produce canes; and, to the -credit of the Barbadians, every inch of it does so. A Barbadian -has a right to be proud of this, but it does not make the island -interesting. It is the waste land of the world that makes it -picturesque. But there is not a rood of waste land in Barbados. It -certainly is not the country for a gipsy immigration. Indeed, I doubt -whether there is even room for a picnic. - -The island is something over twenty miles long, and something over -twelve broad. The roads are excellent, but so white that they sadly -hurt the eye of a stranger. The authorities have been very particular -about their milestones, and the inhabitants talk much about their -journeys. I found myself constantly being impressed with ideas of -distance, till I was impelled to suggest a rather extended system of -railroads--a proposition which was taken in very good part. I was -informed that the population was larger than that of China, but my -informant of course meant by the square foot. He could hardly have -counted by the square mile in Barbados. - -And thus I was irresistibly made to think of the frog that would blow -itself out and look as large as an ox. - -Bridgetown, the metropolis of the island, is much like a second or -third rate English town. It has none of the general peculiarities of -the West Indies, except the heat. The streets are narrow, irregular, -and crooked, so that at first a stranger is apt to miss his way. -They all, however, converge at Trafalgar Square, a spot which, in -Barbados, is presumed to compete with the open space at Charing Cross -bearing the same name. They have this resemblance, that each contains -a statue of Nelson. The Barbadian Trafalgar Square contains also a -tree, which is more than can be said for its namesake. It can make -also this boast, that no attempt has been made within it which has -failed so grievously as our picture gallery. In saying this, however, -I speak of the building only--by no means of the pictures. - -There are good shops in Bridgetown--good, respectable, well-to-do -shops, that sell everything, from a candle down to a coffin, -including wedding-rings, corals, and widows' caps. But they are hot, -fusty, crowded places, as are such places in third-rate English -towns. But then the question of heat here is of such vital moment! A -purchase of a pair of gloves in Barbados drives one at once into the -ice-house. - -And here it may be well to explain this very peculiar, delightful, -but too dangerous West Indian institution. By-the-by, I do not know -that there was any ice-house in Kingston, Jamaica. If there be one -there, my friends were peculiarly backward, for I certainly was not -made acquainted with it. But everywhere else--at Demerara, Trinidad, -Barbados, and St. Thomas--I was duly introduced to the ice-house. - -There is something cool and mild in the name, which makes one fancy -that ladies would delight to frequent it. But, alas! a West Indian -ice house is but a drinking-shop--a place where one goes to liquor, -as the Americans call it, without the knowledge of the feminine -creation. It is a drinking-shop, at which the draughts are all cool, -are all iced, but at which, alas! they are also all strong. The -brandy, I fear, is as essential as the ice. A man may, it is true, -drink iced soda-water without any concomitant, or he may simply -have a few drops of raspberry vinegar to flavour it. No doubt many -an easy-tempered wife so imagines. But if so, I fear that they -are deceived. Now the ice-house in Bridgetown seemed to me to be -peculiarly well attended. I look upon this as the effect of the white -streets and the fusty shops. - -Barbados claims, I believe--but then it claims everything--to have a -lower thermometer than any other West Indian island--to be, in fact, -cooler than any of her sisters. As far as the thermometer goes, it -may be possible; but as regards the human body, it is not the fact. -Let any man walk from his hotel to morning church and back, and then -judge. - -There is a mystery about hotels in the British West Indies. They -are always kept by fat, middle-aged coloured ladies, who have no -husbands. I never found an exception except at Berbice, where my -friend Paris Brittain keeps open doors in the city of the sleepers. -These ladies are generally called Miss So-and-So; Miss Jenny This, -or Miss Jessy That; but they invariably seemed to have a knowledge -of the world, especially of the male hotel-frequenting world, hardly -compatible with a retiring maiden state of life. I only mention this. -I cannot solve the riddle. "Davus sum, non Oedipus." But it did -strike me as singular that the profession should always be in the -hands of these ladies, and that they should never get husbands. - -As a rule, there is not much to be said against these hotels, though -they will not come up to the ideas of a traveller who has been used -to the inns of Switzerland. The table is always plentifully supplied, -and the viands generally good. Of that at Barbados I can make no -complaint, except this; that the people over the way kept a gray -parrot which never ceased screaming day or night. I was deep in my -Jamaica theory of races, and this wretched bird nearly drove me wild. - -"Can anything be done to stop it, James?" - -"No, massa." - -"Nothing? Wouldn't they hang a cloth over it for a shilling?" - -"No, massa; him only make him scream de more to speak to him." - -I took this as final, though whether the "him" was the man or the -parrot, I did not know. But such a bird I never heard before, and -the street was no more than twelve feet broad. He was, in fact, -just under my window. Thrice had I to put aside my theory of races. -Otherwise than on this score, Miss Caroline Lee's hotel at Barbados -is very fair. And as for hot pickles--she is the very queen of them. - -Whether or no my informant was right in saying that the population -of Barbados is more dense than that of China, I cannot say; but -undoubtedly it is very great; and hence, as the negroes cannot get -their living without working, has come the prosperity of the island. -The inhabitants are, I believe, very nearly 150,000 in number. -This is a greater population than that of the whole of Guiana. The -consequence is, that the cane-pieces are cultivated very closely, and -that all is done that manual labour can do. - -The negroes here differ much, I think, from those in the other -islands, not only in manner, but even in form and physiognomy. -They are of heavier build, broader in the face, and higher in the -forehead. They are also certainly less good-humoured, and more -inclined to insolence; so that if anything be gained in intelligence -it is lost in conduct. On the whole, I do think that the Barbados -negroes are more intelligent than others that I have met. It is -probable that this may come from more continual occupation. - -But if the black people differ from their brethren of the other -islands, so certainly do the white people. One soon learns to know -a--Bim. That is the name in which they themselves delight, and -therefore, though there is a sound of slang about it, I give it -here. One certainly soon learns to know a Bim. The most peculiar -distinction is in his voice. There is always a nasal twang about it, -but quite distinct from the nasality of a Yankee. The Yankee's word -rings sharp through his nose; not so that of the first-class Bim. -There is a soft drawl about it, and the sound is seldom completely -formed. The effect on the ear is the same as that on the hand when a -man gives you his to shake, and instead of shaking yours, holds his -own still. When a man does so to me I always wish to kick him. - -I had never any wish to kick the Barbadian, more especially as they -are all stout men; but I cannot but think that if he were well shaken -a more perfect ring would come out of him. - -The Bims, as I have said, are generally stout fellows. As a rule they -are larger and fairer than other West Indian Creoles, less delicate -in their limbs, and more clumsy in their gait. The male graces are -not much studied in Barbados. But it is not only by their form or -voice that you may know them--not only by the voice, but by the -words. No people ever praised themselves so constantly; no set of -men were ever so assured that they and their occupations are the -main pegs on which the world hangs. Their general law to men would -be this: "Thou shalt make sugar in the sweat of thy brow, and make -it as it is made in Barbados." Any deviation from that law would be -a deviation from the highest duty of man. - -Of many of his sister colonies a Barbadian can speak with temper. -When Jamaica is mentioned philanthropic compassion lights up his -face, and he tells you how much he feels for the poor wretches there -who call themselves planters. St. Lucia also he pities, and Grenada; -and of St. Vincent he has some hope. Their little efforts he says are -praiseworthy; only, alas! they are so little! He does not think much -of Antigua; and turns up his nose at Nevis and St. Kitts, which in a -small way are doing a fair stroke of business. The French islands he -does not love, but that is probably patriotism: as the French islands -are successful sugar growers such patriotism is natural. But do not -speak to him of Trinadad; that subject is very sore. And as for -Guiana--! One knows what to expect if one holds a red rag up to a -bull. Praise Guiana sugar-making in Bridgetown, and you will be -holding up a red rag to a dozen bulls, no one of which will refuse -the challenge. And thus you may always know a Bim. - -When I have met four or five together, I have not dared to try this -experiment, for they are wrathy men, and have rough sides to their -tongues; but I have so encountered two at a time. - -"Yes," I have said; "the superiority of Barbados cannot be doubted. -We all grant that. But which colony is second in the race?" - -"It is impossible to say," said A. "They are none of them well -circumstanced." - -"None of them have got any labour," said B. - -"They can't make returns," said A. - -"Just look at their clearances," said B; "and then look at ours." - -"Jamaica sugar is paying now," I remarked. - -"Jamaica, sir, has been destroyed root and branch," said A, well -pleased; for they delight to talk of Jamaica. "And no one can lament -it more than I do," said B. "Jamaica is a fine island, only utterly -ruined." - -"Magnificent! such scenery!" I replied. - -"But it can't make sugar," said B. - -"What of Trinidad?" I asked. - -"Trinidad, sir, is a fine wild island; and perhaps some day we may -get our coal there." - -"But Demerara makes a little sugar," I ventured to remark. - -"It makes deuced little money, I know," said A. - -"Every inch of it is mortgaged," said B. - -"But their steam-engines," said I. - -"Look at their clearances," said A. - -"They have none," said B. - -"At any rate, they have got beyond windmills," I remarked, with -considerable courage. - -"Because they have got no wind," said A. - -"A low bank of mud below the sea-level," said B. - -"But a fine country for sugar," said I. - -"They don't know what sugar is," said A. - -"Look at their vacuum pans," said I. - -"All my eye," said B. - -"And their filtering-bags," said I. - -"Filtering-bags be d----," said A. - -"Centrifugal machines," said I, now nearly exhausted. - -"We've tried them, and abandoned them long ago," said B, only now -coming well on to the fight. - -"Their sugar is nearly white," said I; "and yours is a dirty brown." - -"Their sugar don't pay," said A, "and ours does." - -"Look at the price of our land," said B. - -"Yes, and the extent of it," said I. - -"Our clearances, sir! The clearances, sir, are the thing," said A. - -"The year's income," said B. - -"A hogshead to the acre," said I; "and that only got from guano." - -This was my last shot at them. They both came at me open-mouthed -together, and I confess that I retired, vanquished, from the field. - -It is certainly the fact that they do make their sugar in a very -old-fashioned way in Barbados, using wind-mills instead of steam, and -that you see less here of the improved machinery for the manufacture -than in Demerara, or Cuba, or Trinidad, or even in Jamaica. The great -answer given to objections is that the old system pays best. It may -perhaps do so for the present moment, though I should doubt even -that. But I am certain that it cannot continue to do so. No trade, -and no agriculture can afford to dispense with the improvements of -science. - -I found some here who acknowledged that the mere produce of the cane -from the land had been pressed too far by means of guano. A great -crop is thus procured, but it appears that the soil is injured, and -that the sugar is injured also. The canes, moreover, will not ratoon -as they used to do, and as they still do in other parts of the West -Indies. The cane is planted, and when ripe is cut. If allowed, -another cane will grow from the same plant, and that is a ratoon; and -again a third will grow, giving a third crop from the same plant; and -in many soils a fourth; and in some few many more; and one hears of -canes ratooning for twenty years. - -If the same amount and quality of sugar be produced, of course the -system of ratooning must be by far the cheapest and most profitable. -In I believe most of our colonies the second crop is as good as the -first, and I understand that it used to be so in Barbados. But it -is not so now. The ratoon almost always looks poor, and the second -ratoons appear to be hardly worth cutting. I believe that this is so -much the case that many Barbados planters now look to get but one -crop only from each planting. This falling off in the real fertility -of the soil is I think owing to the use of artificial manure, such as -guano. - -There is a system all through these sugar-growing countries of -burning the magass, or trash; this is the stalk of the cane, or -remnant of the stalk after it comes through the mill. What would be -said of an English agriculturist who burnt his straw? It is I believe -one of the soundest laws of agriculture that the refuse of the crop -should return to the ground which gave it. - -To this it will be answered that the English agriculturist is not -called on by the necessity of his position to burn his straw. He -has not to boil his wheat, nor yet his beef and mutton; whereas the -Barbados farmer is obliged to boil his crop. At the present moment -the Barbados farmer is under this obligation; but he is not obliged -to do it with the refuse produce of his fields. He cannot perhaps use -coals immediately under his boilers, but he can heat them with steam -which comes pretty much to the same thing. - -All this applies not to Barbados only, but to Guiana, Jamaica, and -the other islands also. At all of them the magass or trash is burnt. -But at none of them is manure so much needed as at Barbados. They -cannot there take into cultivation new fresh virgin soil when they -wish it, as they can in Guiana. - -And then one is tempted to ask the question, whether every owner of -land is obliged to undertake all the complete duties which now are -joined together at a sugar estate? It certainly is the case, that no -single individual could successfully set himself against the system. -But I do not see why a collection of individuals should not do so. - -A farmer in England does not grow the wheat, then grind it, and then -make the bread. The growing is enough for him. Then comes the miller, -and the baker. But on a sugar estate, one and the same man grows the -cane, makes the sugar, and distils the rum; thus altogether opposing -the salutary principle of the division of labour. I cannot see why -the grower should not sell his canes to a sugar manufacturer. There -can, I believe, be no doubt of this, that sugar can be made better -and cheaper in large quantities than in small. - -But the clearance, sir; that is the question. How would this affect -the clearance? The sugar manufacturer would want his profit. Of -course he would, as do the miller and the baker. - -They complain greatly at Barbados, as they do indeed elsewhere, that -they are compelled to make bad sugar by the differential duty. The -duty on good sugar is so much higher than that on bad sugar, that the -bad or coarse sugar pays them best. This is the excuse they give for -not making a finer article, and I believe that the excuse is true. - -I made one or two excursions in the island, and was allowed the -privilege of attending an agricultural breakfast, at which there were -some twenty or thirty planters. It seems that a certain number of -gentlemen living in the same locality had formed themselves into -a society, with the object of inspecting each other's estates. A -committee of three was named in each case by the president; and this -committee, after surveying the estate in question, and looking at the -works and stock, drew up a paper, either laudatory or the reverse, -which paper was afterwards read to the society. These readings took -place after the breakfast, and the breakfast was held monthly. To the -planter probably the reading of the documents was the main object. It -may not be surprising that I gave the preference to the breakfast, -which of its kind was good. - -But this was not the only breakfast of the sort at which I was -allowed to be a guest. The society has always its one great monthly -breakfast; but the absolute inspection gives occasions for further -breakfasts. I was also at one of these, and assisted in inspecting -the estate. There were, however, too many Barbadians present to -permit of my producing my individual views respecting the Guiana -improvements. - -The report is made at the time of the inspection, but it is read in -public at the monthly meeting. The effect no doubt is good, and the -publicity of the approval or disapproval stimulates the planter. -But I was amused with the true Barbadian firmness with which the -gentlemen criticised declared that they would not the less take -their own way, and declined to follow the advice offered to them in -the report. I heard two such reports read, and in both cases this -occurred. - -All this took place at Hookleton cliff, which the Barbadians regard -as the finest point for scenery in the island. The breakfast I own -was good, and the discourse useful and argumentative. But as regards -the scenery, there is little to be said for it, considering that I -had seen Jamaica, and was going to see Trinidad. - -Even in Barbados, numerous as are the negroes, they certainly live an -easier life than that of an English labourer, earn their money with -more facility, and are more independent of their masters. A gentleman -having one hundred and fifty families living on his property would -not expect to obtain from them the labour of above ninety men at -the usual rate of pay, and that for not more than five days a week. -They live in great comfort, and in some things are beyond measure -extravagant. - -"Do you observe," said a lady to me, "that the women when they walk -never hold up their dresses?" - -"I certainly have," I answered. "Probably they are but ill shod, and -do not care to show their feet." - -"Not at all. Their feet have nothing to do with it. But they think it -economical to hold up their petticoats. It betokens a stingy, saving -disposition, and they prefer to show that they do not regard a few -yards of muslin more or less." - -This is perfectly true of them. As the shopman in Jamaica said -to me--In this part of the world we must never think of little -economies. The very negroes are ashamed to do so. - -Of the coloured people I saw nothing, except that the shops are -generally attended by them. They seemed not to be so numerous as they -are elsewhere, and are, I think, never met with in the society of -white people. In no instance did I meet one, and I am told that in -Barbados there is a very rigid adherence to this rule. Indeed, one -never seems to have the alternative of seeing them; whereas in -Jamaica one has not the alternative of avoiding them. As regards -myself, I would much rather have been thrown among them. - -I think that in all probability the white settlers in Barbados have -kept themselves more distinct from the negro race, and have not at -any time been themselves so burdened with coloured children as is -the case elsewhere. If this be so, they certainly deserve credit for -their prudence. - -Here also there is a King, Lords, and Commons, or a governor, a -council, and an assembly. The council consists of twelve, and are -either chosen by the Crown, or enjoy their seat by virtue of office -held by appointment from the Crown. The Governor in person sits in -the council. The assembly consists of twenty-two, who are annually -elected by the parishes. None but white men do vote at these -elections, though no doubt a black man could vote, if a black man -were allowed to obtain a freehold. Of course, therefore, none but -white men can be elected. How it is decided whether a man be white -or not, that I did not hear. The greater part of the legislative -business of the island is done by committees, who are chosen from -these bodies. - -Here, as elsewhere through the West Indies, one meets with unbounded -hospitality. A man who dines out on Monday will receive probably -three invitations for Tuesday, and six for Wednesday. And they -entertain very well. That haunch of mutton and turkey which are now -the bugbear of the English dinner-giver do not seem to trouble the -minds or haunt the tables of West Indian hosts. - -And after all, Barbados--little England as it delights to call -itself--is and should be respected among islands. It owes no man -anything, pays its own way, and never makes a poor mouth. Let us say -what we will, self-respect is a fine quality, and the Barbadians -certainly enjoy that. It is a very fine quality, and generally leads -to respect from others. They who have nothing to say for themselves -will seldom find others to say much for them. I therefore repeat what -I said at first. Barbados is a very respectable little island, and -considering the limited extent of its acreage, it does make a great -deal of sugar. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -TRINIDAD. - - -No scenery can be more picturesque than that afforded by the entrance -to Port of Spain, the chief town in the island of Trinidad. Trinidad, -as all men doubtless know, is the southernmost of the West Indian -islands, and lies across the delta of the Orinoco river. The western -portion of the island is so placed that it nearly reaches with two -horns two different parts of the mainland of Venezuela, one of the -South American republics. And thus a bay is formed closed in between -the island and the mainland, somewhat as is the Gulf of Mexico by the -island of Cuba; only that the proportions here are much less in size. -This enclosed sea is called the Gulf of Paria. - -The two chief towns, I believe I may say the two only towns in -Trinidad are situated in this bay. That which is the larger, and the -seat of government, is called the Port of Spain, and lies near to the -northern horn. San Fernando, the other, which is surrounded by the -finest sugar districts of the island, and which therefore devotes its -best energies to the export of that article, is on the other side of -the bay and near the other horn. - -The passages into the enclosed sea on either side are called the -Bocas, or mouths. Those nearest to the delta of the Orinoco are the -Serpent's mouths. The ordinary approach from England or the other -islands is by the more northern entrance. Here there are three -passages, of which the middle is the largest one, the Boca Grande. -That between the mainland and a small island is used by the steamers -in fine weather, and is by far the prettiest. Through this, the -Boca di Mona, or monkey's mouth, we approached Port of Spain. These -northern entrances are called the Dragon's mouths. What may be the -nautical difference between the mouth of a dragon and that of a -serpent I did not learn. - -On the mainland, that is the land of the main island, the coast is -precipitous, but clothed to the very top with the thickest and most -magnificent foliage. With an opera-glass one can distinctly see the -trees coming forth from the sides of the rocks as though no soil -were necessary for them, and not even a shelf of stone needed for -their support And these are not shrubs, but forest trees, with grand -spreading branches, huge trunks, and brilliant coloured foliage. The -small island on the other side is almost equally wooded, but is -less precipitous. Here, however, there are open glades, and grassy -enclosures, which tempt one to wish that it was one's lot to lie -there in the green shade and eat bananas and mangoes. This little -island in the good old days, regretted by not a few, when planters -were planters, and slaves were slaves, produced cotton up to its very -hill-tops. Now I believe it yields nothing but the grass for a few -cattle. - -Our steamer as she got well into the boca drew near to the shore -of the large island, and as we passed along we had a succession of -lovely scenes. Soft-green smiling nooks made themselves visible below -the rocks, the very spots for picnics. One could not but long to -be there with straw hats and crinoline, pigeon pies and champagne -baskets. There was one narrow shady valley, into which a creek of the -sea ran up, that must have been made for such purposes, either for -that, or for the less noisy joys of some Paul of Trinidad with his -Creole Virginia. - -As we steamed on a little further we came to a whaling establishment. -Ideas of whaling establishments naturally connect themselves with -icebergs and the North Pole. But it seems that there are races of -whales as there are of men, proper to the tropics as well as to the -poles; and some of the former here render up their oily tributes. -From the look of the place I should not say that the trade was -flourishing. The whaling huts are very picturesque, but do not say -much for the commercial enterprise of the proprietors. - -From them we went on through many smaller islands to Port of Spain. -This is a large town, excellently well laid out, with the streets -running all at right angles to each other, as is now so common in new -towns. The spaces have been prepared for a much larger population -than that now existing, so that it is at present straggling, -unfilled, and full of gaps. But the time will come, and that before -long, when it will be the best town in the British West Indies. There -is at present in Port of Spain a degree of commercial enterprise -quite unlike the sleepiness of Jamaica or the apathy of the smaller -islands. - -I have now before me at the present moment of writing a debate which -took place in the House of Commons the other day--it is only the -other day as I now write--on a motion made by Mr. Buxton for a -committee to inquire into the British West Indies; and though -somewhat afraid of being tedious on the subject of immigration to -these parts, I will say a few words as to this motion in as far as it -affects not only Trinidad, but all those colonies. Of all subjects -this is the one that is of real importance to the West Indies; and it -may be expected that the sugar colonies will or will not prosper, as -that subject is or is not understood by its rulers. - -I think I may assume that the intended purport of Mr. Buxton's -motion was to throw impediments in the way of the immigration of -Coolies into Jamaica; and that in making it he was acting as the -parliamentary mouthpiece of the Anti-Slavery Society. The legislature -of Jamaica has at length passed a law with the object of promoting -this immigration, as it has been promoted at the Mauritius and in a -lesser degree in British Guiana and Trinidad; but the Anti-Slavery -Society have wished to induce the Crown to use its authority and -abstain from sanctioning this law, urging that it will be injurious -to the interests of the negro labourers. - -The "peculiar institution" of slavery is, I imagine, quite as little -likely to find friends in England now as it was when the question of -its abolition was so hotly pressed some thirty years since. And God -forbid that I should use either the strength or the weakness of my -pen in saying a word in favour of a system so abhorrent to the -feelings of a Christian Englishman. But may we not say that that -giant has been killed? Is it not the case that the Anti-Slavery -Society has done its work?--has done its work at any rate as -regards the British West Indies? What should we have said of the -Anti-Corn-Law League, had it chosen to sit in permanence after the -repeal of the obnoxious tax, with the view of regulating the fixed -price of bread? - -Such is the attempt now being made by the Anti-Slavery Society with -reference to the West Indian negroes. If any men are free, these men -are so. They have been left without the slightest constraint or bond -over them. In the sense in which they are free, no English labourer -is free. In England a man cannot select whether he will work or -whether he will let it alone. He, the poor Englishman, has that -freedom which God seems to have intended as good for man; but work -he must. If he do not do so willingly, compulsion is in some sort -brought to bear upon him. He is not free to be idle; and I presume -that no English philanthropists will go so far as to wish to endow -him with that freedom. - -But that is the freedom which the negro has in Jamaica, which he -still has in many parts of Trinidad, and which the Anti-Slavery -Society is so anxious to secure for him. It--but no; I will give the -Society no monopoly of such honour. We, we Englishmen, have made our -negroes free. If by further efforts we can do anything towards making -other black men free--if we can assist in driving slavery from the -earth, in God's name let us still be doing. Here may be scope enough -for an Anti-Slavery Society. But I maintain that these men are -going beyond their mark--that they are minding other than their own -business, in attempting to interfere with the labour of the West -Indian colonies. Gentlemen in the West Indies see at once that the -Society is discussing matters which it has not studied, and that -interests of the utmost importance to them are being played with in -the dark. - -Mr. Buxton grounded his motion on these two pleas:--Firstly, That -the distress of the West Indian planters had been brought about by -their own apathy and indiscretion. And secondly, That that distress -was in course of relief, would quickly be relieved, without any -further special measures for its mitigation. I think that he was -substantially wrong in both these allegations. - -That there were apathetic and indiscreet planters--that there were -absentees whose property was not sufficient to entitle them to the -luxury of living away from it, may doubtless have been true. But the -tremendous distress which came upon these colonies fell on them in -too sure a manner, with too sudden a blow, to leave any doubt as to -its cause. Slavery was first abolished, and the protective duty on -slave-grown sugar was then withdrawn. The second measure brought down -almost to nothing the property of the most industrious as well as -that of the most idle of the planters. Except in Barbados, where the -nature of the soil made labour compulsory, where the negro could no -more be idle and exist than the poor man can do in England, it became -impossible to produce sugar with a profit on which the grower could -live. It was not only the small men who fell, or they who may be -supposed to have been hitherto living on an income raised to an -unjustly high pitch. Ask the Gladstone family what proceeds have come -from their Jamaica property since the protective duty was abolished. -Let Lord Howard de Walden say how he has fared. - -Mr. Buxton has drawn a parallel between the state of Ireland at and -after the famine and that of the West Indies at and after the fall -in the price of sugar, of which I can by no means admit the truth. -In the one case, that of Ireland, the blow instantly effected the -remedy. A tribe of pauper landlords had grown up by slow degrees who, -by their poverty, their numbers, their rapacity, and their idleness, -had eaten up and laid waste the fairest parts of the country. Then -came the potato rot, bringing after it pestilence, famine, and the -Encumbered Estates Court; and lo! in three years the air was cleared, -the cloud had passed away, and Ireland was again prosperous. Land -bought at fifteen pounds the acre was worth thirty before three crops -had been taken from it. The absentees to whom Mr. Buxton alludes were -comparatively little affected. They were rich men whose backs were -broad enough to bear the burden for a while, and they stood their -ground. It is not their property which as a rule has changed hands, -but that of the small, grasping, profit-rent landlords whose lives -had been passed in exacting the last farthing of rent from the -cottiers. When no farthing of rent could any longer be exacted, they -went to the wall at once. - -There was nothing like this in the case of the West Indies. -Indiscretion and extravagance there may have been. These are vices -which will always be more or less found among men living with the -thermometer at eighty in the shade. But in these colonies, long and -painful efforts were made, year after year, to bear against the -weight which had fallen on them. In the West Indies the blow came -from man, and it was withstood on the whole manfully. In Ireland the -blow came from God, and submission to it was instantaneous. - -Mr. Buxton then argues that everything in the West Indies is already -righting itself, and that therefore nothing further need be done. The -facts of the case exactly refute this allegation. The four chief of -these colonies are Barbados, British Guiana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. -In Barbados, as has been explained, there was no distress, and of -course no relief has been necessary. In British Guiana and Trinidad -very special measures have been taken. Immigration of Coolies to a -great extent has been brought about--to so great an extent that the -tide of human beings across the two oceans will now run on in an -increasing current. But in Jamaica little or nothing has yet been -done. And in Jamaica, the fairest, the most extensive, the most -attractive of them all; in Jamaica, of all the islands on God's earth -the one most favoured by beauty, fertility, and natural gifts; in -Jamaica the earth can hardly be made to yield its natural produce. - -All this was excellently answered by Sir Edward Lytton, who, whatever -may have been his general merits as a Secretary of State, seems at -any rate to have understood this matter. He disposed altogether of -the absurdly erroneous allegations which had been made as to the -mortality of these immigrants on their passage. As is too usual -in such cases arguments had been drawn from one or two specially -unhealthy trips. Ninety-nine ships ride safe to port, while the -hundredth unfortunately comes to grief. But we cannot on that account -afford to dispense with the navigation of the seas. Sir Edward showed -that the Coolies themselves--for the Anti-Slavery Society is as -anxious to prevent this immigration on behalf of the Coolies, who in -their own country can hardly earn twopence a day, as it is on the -part of the negroes, who could with ease, though they won't, earn two -shillings a day--he showed that these Coolies, after having lived for -a few years on plenty in these colonies, return to their own country -with that which is for them great wealth. And he showed also that the -present system--present as regards Trinidad, and proposed as regards -Jamaica--of indenturing the immigrant on his first arrival is the -only one to which we can safely trust for the good usage of the -labourer. For the present this is clearly the case. When the Coolies -are as numerous in these islands as the negroes--and that time will -come--such rules and restrictions will no doubt be withdrawn. And -when these different people have learned to mix their blood--which -in time will also come--then mankind will hear no more of a lack of -labour, and the fertility of these islands will cease to be their -greatest curse. - -I feel that I owe an apology to my reader for introducing him to an -old, forgotten, and perhaps dull debate. In England the question is -one not generally of great interest. But here, in the West Indies, it -is vital. The negro will never work unless compelled to do so; that -is, the negro who can boast of pure unmixed African blood. He is as -strong as a bull, hardy as a mule, docile as a dog when conscious of -a master--a salamander as regards heat. He can work without pain and -without annoyance. But he will never work as long as he can eat and -sleep without it. Place the Coolie or Chinaman alongside of him, and -he must work in his own defence. If he do not, he will gradually -cease to have an existence. - -We are now speaking more especially of Trinidad. It is a large -island, great portions of which are but very imperfectly known; of -which but comparatively a very small part has been cultivated. During -the last eight or ten years, ten or twelve thousand immigrants, -chiefly Coolies from Madras and Calcutta, have been brought into -Trinidad, forming now above an eighth part of its entire population; -and the consequence has been that in two years, from 1855, namely, -to 1857, its imports were increased by one-third, and its exports -by two-thirds! In other words, it produced, with its Coolies, three -hogsheads of sugar, where without them it only produced one. The -difference is of course that between absolute distress and absolute -prosperity. Such having hitherto been the result of immigration into -Trinidad, such also having been the result in British Guiana, it does -appear singular that men should congregate in Exeter Hall with the -view of preventing similar immigration into Jamaica! - -This would be altogether unintelligible were it not that similar -causes have produced similar effects in so many other cases. Men -cannot have enough of a good thing. - -Exactly the same process has taken place with reference to criminals -in England. Some few years since we ill used them, stowed them away -in unwholesome holes, gave them bad food for their bodies and none -for their minds, and did our best to send them devilwards rather than -Godwards. Philanthropists have now remedied this, and we are very -much obliged to them. But the philanthropists will not be content -unless they be allowed to pack all their criminals up in lavender. -They must be treated not only as men, but much better than men of -their own class who are not criminal. - -In this matter of the negroes, the good thing is negro-protection, -and our friends cannot have enough of that. The negroes in being -slaves were ill used; and now it is not enough that they should all -be made free, but each should be put upon his own soft couch, with -rose-leaves on which to lie. Now your Sybarite negro, when closely -looked at, is not a pleasing object. Distance may doubtless lend -enchantment to the view. - -As my sojourn in Trinidad did not amount to two entire days, I do not -feel myself qualified to give a detailed description of the whole -island. Very few, I imagine, are so qualified, for much of it is -unknown; there is a great want of roads, and a large proportion of it -has, I believe, never been properly surveyed. - -Immediately round Port of Spain the country is magnificent, and the -views from the town itself are very lovely. Exactly behind the town, -presuming the sea to be the front, is the Savanah, a large enclosed, -park-like piece of common, the race-course and Hyde Park of Trinidad. -I was told that the drive round it was three English miles in length; -but if it be so much, the little pony which took me that drive in a -hired buggy must have been a fast trotter. - -On the further side of this lives the Governor of the island, -immediately under the hills. When I was there the Governor's real -house was being repaired, and the great man was living in a cottage -hard by. Were I that great man I should be tempted to wish that -my great house might always be under repair, for I never saw a -more perfect specimen of a pretty spacious cottage, opening as a -cottage should do on all sides and in every direction, with a great -complexity as to doors and windows, and a delicious facility of -losing one's way. And then the necessary freedom from boredom, -etiquette, and Governor's grandeur, so hated by Governors themselves, -which must necessarily be brought about by such a residence! I could -almost wish to be a Governor myself, if I might be allowed to live in -such a cottage. - -On the other side of the Savanah nearest to the town, and directly -opposite to those lovely hills, are a lot of villa residences, and it -would be impossible, I imagine, to find a more lovely site in which -to fix one's house. With the Savanah for a foreground, the rising -gardens behind the Governor's house in the middle distance, and a -panorama of magnificent hills in the back of the picture, it is -hardly within the compass of a man's eye and imagination to add -anything to the scene. I had promised to call on Major ----, who was -then, and perhaps is still, in command of the detachment of white -troops in Trinidad, and I found him and his young wife living in this -spot. - -"And yet you abuse Trinidad," I said, pointing to the view. - -"Oh! people can't live altogether upon views," she answered; "and -besides, we have to go back to the barracks. The yellow fever is over -now." - -The only place at which I came across any vestiges of the yellow -fever was at Trinidad. There it had been making dreadful havoc, and -chiefly among the white soldiers. My visit was in March, and the -virulence of the disease was then just over. It had been raging, -therefore, not in the summer but during the winter months. Indeed, -as far as I could learn, summer and winter had very little to do -with the matter. The yellow fever pays its visit in some sort -periodically, though its periods are by no means understood. But it -pays them at any time of the year that may suit itself. - -At this time a part of the Savanah was covered with tents, to which -the soldiers had been moved out of their barracks. The barracks are -lower down, near the shore, at a place called St. James, and the -locality is said to be wretchedly unhealthy. At any rate, the men -were stricken with fever there, and the proportion of them that died -was very great. I believe, indeed, that hardly any recovered of those -on whom the fever fell with any violence. They were then removed into -these tents, and matters began to mend. They were now about to return -to their barracks, and were, I was told, as unwilling to do so as my -fair friend was to leave her pretty house. - -If it be necessary to send white troops to the West Indies--and I -take it for granted that it is necessary--care at any rate should -be taken to select for their barracks sites as healthy as may be -found. It certainly seems that this has not been done at Trinidad. -They are placed very low, and with hills immediately around them. -The good effect produced by removing them to the Savanah--a -very inconsiderable distance; not, as I think, much exceeding a -mile--proves what may be done by choosing a healthy situation. But -why should not the men be taken up to the mountains, as has been done -with the white soldiers in Jamaica? There they are placed in barracks -some three or four thousand feet above the sea, and are perfectly -healthy. This cannot be done in Barbados, for there are no mountains -to which to take them. But in Trinidad it may be done, quite as -easily, and indeed at a lesser distance, and therefore with less cost -for conveyance, than in Jamaica. - -At the first glance one would be inclined to say that white troops -would not be necessary in the West Indies, as we have regiments of -black soldiers, negroes dressed in Zouave costume, specially trained -for the service; but it seems that there is great difficulty in -getting these regiments filled. Why should a negro enlist any more -than work? Are there not white men enough--men and brothers--to do -the somewhat disagreeable work of soldiering for him? Consequently, -except in Barbados, it is difficult to get recruits. Some men have -been procured from the coast of Africa, but our philanthropy is -interfering even with this supply. Then the recruiting officers -enlisted Coolies, and these men made excellent soldiers; but when -interfered with or punished, they had a nasty habit of committing -suicide, a habit which it was quite possible the negro soldier might -himself assume; and therefore no more Coolies are to be enlisted. - -Under such circumstances white men must, I presume, do the work. A -shilling a day is an object to them, and they are slow to blow out -their own brains; but they should not be barracked in swamps, or made -to live in an air more pestilential than necessary. - -My hostess, the lady to whom I have alluded, had been attacked most -virulently by the yellow fever, and I had heard in the other islands -that she was dead. Her case had indeed been given up as hopeless. - -On the morning after my arrival I took a ride of some sixteen miles -through the country before breakfast, and the same lady accompanied -me. "We must start very early," she said; "so as to avoid the heat. -I will have coffee at half-past four, and we will be on horseback at -five." - -I have had something to say as to early hours in the West Indies -before, and hardly credited this. A morning start at five usually -means half-past seven, and six o'clock is a generic term for moving -before nine. So I meekly asked whether half-past four meant half-past -four. "No," said the husband. "Yes," said the wife. So I went away -declaring that I would present myself at the house at any rate not -after five. - -And so I did, according to my own very excellent watch, which had -been set the day before by the ship's chronometer. I rode up to -the door two minutes before five, perfectly certain that I should -have the pleasure of watching the sun's early manoeuvres for at -least an hour. But, alas! my friend had been waiting for me in her -riding-habit for more than that time. Our watches were frightfully at -variance. It was perfectly clear to me that the Trinidadians do not -take the sun for their guide as to time. But in such a plight as was -then mine, a man cannot go into his evidence and his justification. -My only plea was for mercy; and I hereby take it on myself to say -that I do not know that I ever kept any lady waiting before--except -my wife. - -At five to the moment--by my watch--we started, and I certainly never -rode for three hours through more lovely scenery. At first, also, it -was deliciously cool, and as our road lay entirely through woods, -it was in every way delightful. We went back into the hills, and -returned again towards the sea-shore over a break in one of the spurs -of the mountain called the Saddle; from whence we had a distant view -into the island, as fine as any view I ever saw without the adjunct -of water. - -I should imagine that a tour through the whole of Trinidad would -richly repay the trouble, though, indeed, it would be troublesome. -The tourist must take his own provisions, unless, indeed, he provided -himself by means of his gun, and must take also his bed. The -musquitoes, too, are very vexatious in Trinidad, though I hardly -think that they come up in venom to their brethren in British Guiana. - -The first portion of our ride was delightful; but on our return we -came down upon a hot, dusty road, and then the loss of that hour -in the morning was deeply felt. I think that up to that time I had -never encountered such heat, and certainly had never met with a more -disagreeable, troublesome amount of dust, all which would have been -avoided had I inquired over-night into the circumstances of the -Trinidad watches. But the lady said never a word, and so heaped -coals of fire on my head in addition to the consuming flames of that -ever-to-be-remembered sun. - -As Trinidad is an English colony, one's first idea is that the people -speak English; and one's second idea, when that other one as to the -English has fallen to the ground, is that they should speak Spanish, -seeing that the name of the place is Spanish. But the fact is that -they all speak French; and, out of the town, but few of the natives -speak anything else. Whether a Parisian would admit this may be -doubted; but he would have to acknowledge that it was a French -patois. - -And the religion is Roman Catholic. The island of course did belong -to France, and in manners, habits, language, and religion is still -French. There is a Roman Catholic archbishop resident in Trinidad, -who is, I believe, at present an Italian. We pay him, I have been -told, some salary, which he declines to take for his own use, but -applies to purposes of charity. There is a Roman Catholic cathedral -in Port of Spain, and a very ugly building it is. - -The form of government also is different from that, or rather those, -which have been adopted in the other West Indian colonies, such -as Jamaica, Barbados, and British Guiana. As this was a conquered -colony, the people of the island are not allowed to have so potent -a voice in their own management. They have no House of Commons or -Legislative Assembly, but take such rules or laws as may be necessary -for their guidance direct from the Crown. The Governor, however, is -assisted by a council, in which sit the chief executive officers in -the island. That the fact of the colony having been conquered need -preclude it from the benefit (?) of self-government, one does not -clearly see. But one does see clearly enough, that as they are French -in language and habits, and Roman Catholic in religion, they would -make even a worse hash of it than the Jamaicans do in Jamaica. - -And it is devoutly to be hoped, for the island's sake, that it may be -long before it is endowed with a constitution. It would be impossible -now-a-days to commence a legislature in the system of electing which -all but white men should be excluded from voting. Nor would there be -white men enough to carry on an election. And may Providence defend -my friends there from such an assembly as would be returned by French -negroes and hybrid mulattoes! - -A scientific survey has just been completed of this island, with -reference to its mineral productions, and the result has been to -show that it contains a very large quantity of coal. I was fortunate -enough to meet one of the gentlemen by whom this was done, and he was -kind enough to put into my hand a paper showing the exact result of -their investigation. But, unfortunately, the paper was so learned, -and I was so ignorant, that I could not understand one word of it. -The whole matter also was explained to me verbally, but not in -language adapted to my child-like simplicity. So I am not able to say -whether the coal be good or bad--whether it would make a nice, hot, -crackling, Christmas fire, or fly away in slaty flakes and dirty -dust. It is a pity that science cannot be made to recognize the depth -of unscientific ignorance. - -There is also here in Trinidad a great pitch lake, of which all the -world has heard, and out of which that indefatigable old hero, Lord -Dundonald, tried hard to make wax candles and oil for burning. The -oil and candles, indeed, he did make, but not, I fear, the money -which should have been consequent upon their fabrication. I have no -doubt, however, that in time we shall all have our wax candles from -thence; for Lord Dundonald is one of those men who are born to do -great deeds of which others shall reap the advantages. One of these -days his name will be duly honoured, for his conquests as well as for -his candles. - -And so I speedily took my departure, and threaded my way back again -through the Bocas, in that most horrid of all steam-vessels, the -'Prince.' - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -ST. THOMAS. - - -All persons travelling in the West Indies have so much to do with the -island of St. Thomas, that I must devote a short chapter to it. My -circumstances with reference to it were such that I was compelled to -remain there a longer time, putting all my visits together, than in -any other of the islands except Jamaica. - -The place belongs to the Danes, who possess also the larger and much -more valuable island of Santa Cruz, as they do also the small island -of St. Martin. These all lie among the Virgin Islands, and are -considered as belonging to that thick cluster. As St. Thomas at -present exists, it is of considerable importance. It is an emporium, -not only for many of the islands, but for many also of the places on -the coast of South and Central America. Guiana, Venezuela, and New -Granada, deal there largely. It is a depot for cigars, light dresses, -brandy, boots, and Eau de Cologne. Many men therefore of many nations -go thither to make money, and they do make it. These are men, -generally not of the tenderest class, or who have probably been -nursed in much early refinement. Few men will select St. Thomas as a -place of residence from mere unbiassed choice and love of the locale. -A wine merchant in London, doing a good trade there, would hardly -give up that business with the object of personally opening an -establishment in this island: nor would a well-to-do milliner leave -Paris with the same object. Men who settle at St. Thomas have most -probably roughed it elsewhere unsuccessfully. - -These St. Thomas tradesmen do make money I believe, and it is -certainly due to them that they should do so. Things ought not, if -possible, to be all bad with any man; and I cannot imagine what good -can accrue to a man at St. Thomas if it be not the good of amassing -money. It is one of the hottest and one of the most unhealthy spots -among all these hot and unhealthy regions. I do not know whether I -should not be justified in saying that of all such spots it is the -most hot and the most unhealthy. - -I have said in a previous chapter that the people one meets there may -be described as an Hispano-Dano-Niggery-Yankee-doodle population. In -this I referred not only to the settlers, but to those also who are -constantly passing through it. In the shops and stores, and at the -hotels, one meets the same mixture. The Spanish element is of course -strong, for Venezuela, New Granada, Central America, and Mexico -are all Spanish, as also is Cuba. The people of these lands speak -Spanish, and hereabouts are called Spaniards. To the Danes the island -belongs. The soldiers, officials, and custom-house people are Danes. -They do not, however, mix much with their customers. They affect, -I believe, to say that the island is overrun and destroyed by these -strange comers, and that they would as lief be without such visitors. -If they are altogether indifferent to money making, such may be the -case. The labouring people are all black--if these blacks can be -called a labouring people. They do coal the vessels at about a dollar -a day each--that is, when they are so circumstanced as to require a -dollar. As to the American element, that is by no means the slightest -or most retiring. Dollars are going there, and therefore it is of -course natural that Americans should be going also. I saw the other -day a map, "The United States as they now are, and in prospective;" -and it included all these places--Mexico, Central America, Cuba, St. -Domingo, and even poor Jamaica. It may be that the man who made the -map understood the destiny of his country; at any rate, he understood -the tastes of his countrymen. - -All these people are assembled together at St. Thomas, because St. -Thomas is the meeting-place and central depot of the West Indian -steam-packets. That reason can be given easily enough; but why St. -Thomas should be the meeting-place of these packets,--I do not know -who can give me the reason for that arrangement. Tortola and Virgin -Gorda, two of the Virgin islands, both belong to ourselves, and are -situated equally well for the required purpose as is St. Thomas. I -am told also, that at any rate one, probably at both, good harbour -accommodation is to be found. It is certain that in other respects -they are preferable. They are not unhealthy, as is St. Thomas; and, -as I have said above, they belong to ourselves. My own opinion is -that Jamaica should be the head-quarters of these packets; but the -question is one which will not probably be interesting to the reader -of these pages. - -"They cannot understand at home why we dislike the inter-colonial -work so much," said the captain of one of the steam-ships to me. By -inter-colonial work he meant the different branch services from St. -Thomas. "They do not comprehend at home what it is for a man to be -burying one young officer after another; to have them sent out, and -then to see them mown down in that accursed hole of a harbour by -yellow fever. Such a work is not a very pleasant one." - -Indeed this was true. The life cannot be a very pleasant one. -These captains themselves and their senior officers are doubtless -acclimated. The yellow fever may reach them, but their chance of -escape is tolerably good; but the young lads who join the service, -and who do so at an early age, have at the first commencement of -their career to make St. Thomas their residence, as far as they have -any residence. They live of course on board their ships; but the -peculiarity of St. Thomas is this; that the harbour is ten times -more fatal than the town. It is that hole, up by the coaling wharves, -which sends so many English lads to the grave. If this be so, this -alone, I think, constitutes a strong reason why St. Thomas should not -be so favoured. These vessels now form a considerable fleet, and some -of them spend nearly a third of their time at this place. The number -of Englishmen so collected and endangered is sufficient to warrant us -in regarding this as a great drawback on any utility which the island -may have--if such utility there be. - -But we must give even the devil his due. Seen from the water St. -Thomas is very pretty. It is not so much the scenery of the island -that pleases as the aspect of the town itself. It stands on three -hills or mounts, with higher hills, green to their summit, rising -behind them. Each mount is topped by a pleasant, cleanly edifice, and -pretty-looking houses stretch down the sides to the water's edge. The -buildings do look pretty and nice, and as though chance had arranged -them for a picture. Indeed, as seen from the harbour, the town looks -like a panorama exquisitely painted. The air is thin and transparent, -and every line shows itself clearly. As so seen the town of St. -Thomas is certainly attractive. But it is like the Dead Sea fruit; -all the charm is gone when it is tasted. Land there, and the beauty -vanishes. - -The hotel at St. Thomas is quite a thing of itself. There is no fair -ground for complaint as regards the accommodation, considering where -one is, and that people do not visit St. Thomas for pleasure; but -the people that one meets there form as strange a collection as may -perhaps be found anywhere. In the first place, all languages seem -alike to them. One hears English, French, German, and Spanish spoken -all around one, and apparently it is indifferent which. The waiters -seem to speak them all. - -The most of these guests I take it--certainly a large proportion of -them--are residents of the place, who board at the inn. I have been -there for a week at a time, and it seemed that all then around me -were so. There were ladies among them, who always came punctually to -their meals, and went through the long course of breakfast and long -course of dinner with admirable perseverance. I never saw eating to -equal that eating. When I was there the house was always full; but -the landlord told me that he found it very hard to make money, and -I can believe it. - -A hot climate, it is generally thought, interferes with the appetite, -affects the gastric juices with lassitude, gives to the stomach some -of the apathy of the body, and lessens at any rate the consumption -of animal food. That charge cannot be made against the air of St. -Thomas. To whatever sudden changes the health may be subject, no -lingering disinclination for food affects it. Men eat there as though -it were the only solace of their life, and women also. Probably it is -so. - -They never talk at meals. A man and his wife may interchange a word -or two as to the dishes; or men coming from the same store may -whisper a syllable as to their culinary desires; but in an ordinary -way there is no talking. I myself generally am not a mute person at -my meals; and having dined at sundry tables d'hote, have got over in -a great degree that disinclination to speak to my neighbour which is -attributed--I believe wrongly--to Englishmen. But at St. Thomas I -took it into my head to wait till I was spoken to, and for a week -I sat, twice daily, between the same persons without receiving or -speaking a single word. - -I shall not soon forget the stout lady who sat opposite to me, and -who was married to a little hooked-nosed Jew, who always accompanied -her. Soup, fish, and then meat is the ordinary rule at such banquets; -but here the fashion is for the guests, having curried favour with -the waiters, to get their plates of food brought in and put round -before them in little circles; so that a man while taking his soup -may contemplate his fish and his roast beef, his wing of fowl, his -allotment of salad, his peas and potatoes, his pudding, pie, and -custard, and whatever other good things a benevolent and well-fee'd -waiter may be able to collect for him. This somewhat crowds the -table, and occasionally it becomes necessary for the guest to guard -his treasures with an eagle's eye;--hers also with an eagle's eye, -and sometimes with an eagle's talon. - -This stout lady was great on such occasions. "A bit of that," she -would exclaim, with head half turned round, as a man would pass -behind her with a dish, while she was in the very act of unloading -within her throat a whole knifeful charged to the hilt. The efforts -which at first affected me as almost ridiculous advanced to the -sublime as dinner went on. There was no shirking, no half measures, -no slackened pace as the breath became short. The work was daily done -to the final half-pound of cheese. - -Cheese and jelly, guava jelly, were always eaten together. This I -found to be the general fashion of St. Thomas. Some men dipped their -cheese in jelly; some ate a bit of jelly and then a bit of cheese; -some topped up with jelly and some topped up with cheese, all having -it on their plates together. But this lady--she must have spent years -in acquiring the exercise--had a knack of involving her cheese in -jelly, covering up by a rapid twirl of her knife a bit about an inch -thick, so that no cheesy surface should touch her palate, and then -depositing the parcel, oh, ever so far down, without dropping above a -globule or two of the covering on her bosom. - -Her lord, the Israelite, used to fight hard too; but the battle was -always over with him long before the lady showed even a sign of -distress. He was one of those flashy weedy animals that make good -running for a few yards and are then choked off. She was game up to -the winning-post. There were many animals running at those races, -but she might have given all the others the odds of a pound of solid -food, and yet have beaten them. - -But then, to see her rise from the table! Well; pace and extra weight -together will distress the best horse that ever was shod! - -Over and above this I found nothing of any general interest at St. -Thomas. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -NEW GRANADA, AND THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. - - -It is probably known to all that New Granada is the most northern of -the republics of South America; or it should rather be said that it -is the state nearest to the isthmus, of which indeed it comprehends -a considerable portion; the territory of the Gulf of Darien and the -district of Panama all being within the limits of New Granada. - -It was, however, but the other day that New Granada formed only a -part of the republic of Columbia, the republic of which Bolivar was -the hero. As the inhabitants of Central America found it necessary to -break up their state into different republics, so also did the people -of Columbia. The heroes and patriots of Caracas and Quito could not -consent to be governed from Bogota; and therefore three states were -formed out of one. They are New Granada, with its capital of Bogota; -Venezuela, with its capital of Caracas, lying exactly to the east of -New Granada; and Ecuador--the state, that is, of Equator--lying to -the south of New Granada, having its seaport at Guayaquil on the -Pacific, with Quito, its chief city, exactly on the line. - -The district of Columbia was one of the grandest appanages of the -Spanish throne when the appanages of the Spanish throne were grand -indeed. The town and port of Cartagena, on the Atlantic, were -admirably fortified, as was also Panama on the Pacific. Its interior -cities were populous, flourishing, and, for that age, fairly -civilized. Now the whole country has received the boon of Utopian -freedom; and the mind loses itself in contemplating to what lowest -pitch of human degradation the people will gradually fall. - -Civilization here is retrograding. Men are becoming more ignorant -than their fathers, are learning to read less, to know less, to -have fewer aspirations of a high order; to care less for truth and -justice, to have more and more of the contentment of a brute,--that -contentment which comes from a full belly and untaxed sinews; or even -from an empty belly, so long as the sinews be left idle. - -To what this will tend a prophet in these days can hardly see; or -rather none less than a prophet can pretend to see. That those -lands which the Spaniards have occupied, and to a great extent made -Spanish, should have no higher destiny than that which they have -already accomplished, I can hardly bring myself to think. That their -unlimited fertility and magnificent rivers should be given for -nothing; that their power of producing all that man wants should be -intended for no use, I cannot believe. At present, however, it would -seem that Providence has abandoned it. It is making no progress. Land -that was cultivated is receding from cultivation; cities that were -populous are falling into ruins; and men are going back into animals, -under the influence of unlimited liberty and universal suffrage. - -In 1851 emancipation from slavery was finally established in New -Granada; and so far, doubtless, a good deed was done. But it was -established at the same time that every man, emancipated slave or -other, let him be an industrial occupier of land, or idle occupier of -nothing, should have an equal vote in electing presidents and members -of the Federal Congress, and members of the Congress of the different -states; that, in short, all men should be equal for all state -purposes. And the result, as may be supposed, is not gratifying. -As far as I am able to judge, a negro has not generally those -gifts of God which enable one man to exercise rule and masterdom -over his fellow-men. I myself should object strongly to be -represented, say in the city of London, by any black man that I -ever saw. "The unfortunate nigger gone masterless," whom Carlyle so -tenderly commiserates, has not strong ideas of the duties even of -self-government, much less of the government of others. Universal -suffrage in such hands can hardly lead to good results. Let him at -any rate have first saved some sixty pounds in a savings-bank, or -made himself undoubted owner--an easy thing in New Granada--of a -forty-shilling freehold! - -Not that pure-blooded negroes are common through the whole of New -Granada. At Panama and the adjacent districts they are so; but in the -other parts of the republic they are, I believe, few in number. At -Santa Martha, where I first landed, I saw few, if any. And yet the -trace of the negroes, the woolly hair and flat nose, were common -enough, mixed always with Indian blood, and of course to a great -extent with Spanish blood also. - -This Santa Martha is a wretched village--a city it is there -called--at which we, with intense cruelty, maintain a British Consul, -and a British post-office. There is a cathedral there of the old -Spanish order, with the choir removed from the altar down towards the -western door; and there is, I was informed, a bishop. But neither -bishop nor cathedral were in any way remarkable. There is there -a governor of the province, some small tradesman, who seemed to -exercise very few governing functions. It may almost be said that no -trade exists in the place, which seemed indeed to be nearly dead. A -few black or nearly black children run about the streets in a state -almost of nudity; and there are shops, from the extremities of which, -as I was told, crinoline and hats laden with bugles may be extracted. - -"Every one of my predecessors here died of fever," said the Consul to -me, in a tone of triumph. What could a man say to him on so terribly -mortal a subject? "And my wife has been down in fever thirteen -times!" Heavens, what a life! That is, as long as it is life. - -I rode some four or five miles into the country to visit the house in -which Bolivar died. It is a deserted little country villa or chateau, -called San Pedro, standing in a farm-yard, and now containing no -other furniture than a marble bust of the Dictator, with a few -wretchedly coloured French prints with cracked glass plates. The bust -is not a bad one, and seems to have a solemn and sad meaning in its -melancholy face, standing there in its solitary niche in the very -room in which the would-be liberator died. - -For Bolivar had grand ideas of freedom, though doubtless he had -grand ideas also of personal power and pre-eminence; as has been the -case with most of those who have moved or professed to move in the -vanguard of liberty. To free mankind from all injurious thraldom is -the aspiration of such men; but who ever thought that obedience to -himself was a thraldom that could be injurious? - -And here in this house, on the 17th December, 1830, Bolivar died, -broken-hearted, owing his shelter to charity, and relieved in his -last wants by the hands of strangers to his country. When the breath -was out of him and he was well dead, so that on such a matter he -himself could probably have no strong wish in any direction, they -took away his body, of course with all honour, to the district that -gave him birth, and that could afford to be proud of him now that -he was dead;--into Venezuela and reburied him at Caracas. But dying -poverty and funeral honours have been the fate of great men in other -countries besides Columbia. - -"And why did you come to visit such a region as this?" asked Bolivar, -when dying, of a Frenchman to whom in his last days he was indebted -for much. "For freedom," said the Frenchman. "For freedom!" said -Bolivar. "Then let me tell you that you have missed your mark -altogether; you could hardly have turned in a worse direction." - -Our ride from Santa Martha to the house had been altogether between -bushes, among which we saw but small signs of cultivation. Round -the house I saw none. On my return I learnt that the place was the -property of a rich man who possessed a large estate in its vicinity. -"But will nothing grow there?" I asked. "Grow there! yes; anything -would grow there. Some years since the whole district was covered -with sugar-canes." But since the emancipation in 1851 it had become -impossible to procure labour; men could not be got to work; and so -bush had grown up, and the earth gave none of her increase; except -indeed where half-caste Indians squatted here and there, and made -provision grounds. - -I then went on to Cartagena. This is a much better town than -Santa Martha, though even this is in its decadence. It was once a -flourishing city, great in commerce and strong in war. It was taken -by the English, not however without signal reverses on our part, and -by the special valour--so the story goes--of certain sailors who -dragged a single gun to the summit of a high abrupt hill called the -"Papa," which commands the town. If the thermometer stood in those -days as high at Cartagena as it does now, pretty nearly through the -whole of the year, those sailors ought to have had the Victoria -cross. But these deeds were done long years ago, in the time of Drake -and his followers; and Victoria crosses were then chiefly kept for -the officers. - -The harbour at Cartagena is singularly circumstanced. There are two -entrances to it, one some ten miles from the city and the other close -to it. This nearer aperture was blocked up by the Spaniards, who sank -ships across the mouth; and it has never been used or usable since. -The present entrance is very strongly fortified. The fortifications -are still there, bristling down to the water's edge; or they would -bristle, were it not that all the guns have been sold for the value -of the brass metal. - -Cartagena was hotter even than Santa Martha; but the place is by no -means so desolate and death-like. The shops there are open to the -streets, as shops are in other towns. Men and women may occasionally -be seen about the square; and there is a trade,--in poultry if in -nothing else. - -There is a cathedral here also, and I presume a bishop. The former -is built after the Spanish fashion, and boasts a so-called handsome, -large, marble pulpit. That it is large and marble, I confess; but -I venture to question its claims to the other epithet. There are -pictures also in the cathedral; of spirits in a state of torture -certainly; and if I rightly remember of beatified spirits also. -But in such pictures the agonies of the damned always excite more -attention and a keener remembrance than the ecstasies of the blest. -I cannot say that the artist had come up either to the spirit of Fra -Angelico, or to the strength of Orcagna. - -At Cartagena I encountered a family of native ladies and gentlemen, -who were journeying from Bogota to Peru. Looking at the map, one -would say that the route from Bogota to Buena-ventura on the Pacific -was both easy and short. The distance as the crow flies--the condor I -should perhaps more properly say--would not be much over two hundred -miles. And yet this family, of whom one was an old woman, had come -down to Cartagena, having been twenty days on the road, having from -thence a long sea journey to the isthmus, thence the passage over -it to Panama, and then the journey down the Pacific! The fact of -course is that there are no means of transit in the country except on -certain tracks, very few in number; and that even on these all motion -is very difficult. Bogota is about three hundred and seventy miles -from Cartagena, and the journey can hardly be made in less than -fourteen days. - -From Cartagena I went on to the isthmus; the Isthmus of Panama, as -it is called by all the world, though the American town of Aspinwall -will gradually become the name best known in connexion with the -passage between the two oceans. - -This passage is now made by a railway which has been opened by an -American company between the town of Aspinwall, or Colon, as it is -called in England, and the city of Panama. Colon is the local name -for this place, which also bears the denomination of Navy Bay in -the language of sailors. But our friends from Yankee-land like to -carry things with a high hand, and to have a nomenclature of their -own. Here, as their energy and their money and their habits are -undoubtedly in the ascendant, they will probably be successful; and -the place will be called Aspinwall in spite of the disgust of the New -Granadians, and the propriety of the English, who choose to adhere to -the names of the existing government of the country. - -A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and Colon or Aspinwall -will be equally vile however you may call it. It is a wretched, -unhealthy, miserably situated but thriving little American town, -created by and for the railway and the passenger traffic which comes -here both from Southampton and New York. That from New York is of -course immensely the greatest, for this is at present the main route -to San Francisco and California. - -I visited the place three times, for I passed over the isthmus on my -way to Costa Rica, and on my return from that country I went again to -Panama, and of course back to Colon. I can say nothing in its favour. -My only dealing there was with a washerwoman, and I wish I could -place before my readers a picture of my linen in the condition in -which it came back from that artist's hands. I confess that I sat -down and shed bitter tears. In these localities there are but two -luxuries of life, iced soda-water and clean shirts. And now I was -debarred from any true enjoyment of the latter for more than a -fortnight. - -The Panama railway is certainly a great fact, as men now-a-days say -when anything of importance is accomplished. The necessity of some -means of passing the isthmus, and the question as to the best means, -has been debated since, I may say, the days of Cortes. Men have -foreseen that it would become a necessity to the world that there -should be some such transit, and every conceivable point of the -isthmus has, at some period or by some nation, been selected as the -best for the purpose. This railway is certainly the first that can -be regarded as a properly organized means of travelling; and it may -be doubted whether it will not remain as the best, if not the only -permanent mode of transit. - -Very great difficulty was experienced in erecting this line. In the -first place, it was necessary that terms should be made with the -government of the country through which the line should pass, and to -effect this it was expedient to hold out great inducements. Among -the chief of these is an understanding that the whole line shall -become the absolute property of the New Granadian government when it -shall have been opened for forty-nine years. But who can tell what -government will prevail in New Granada in forty-nine years? It is not -impossible that the whole district may then be an outlying territory -belonging to the United States. At any rate, I should imagine that -it is very far from the intention of the American company to adhere -with rigid strictness to this part of the bargain. Who knows what may -occur between this and the end of the century? - -And when these terms were made there was great difficulty in -obtaining labour. The road had to be cut through one continuous -forest, and for the greater part of the way along the course of the -Chagres river. Nothing could be more unhealthy than such work, and in -consequence the men died very rapidly. The high rate of wages enticed -many Irishmen here, but most of them found their graves amidst the -works. Chinese were tried, but they were quite inefficacious for such -labour, and when distressed had a habit of hanging themselves. The -most useful men were to be got from the coast round Cartagena, but -they were enticed thither only by very high pay. - -The whole road lies through trees and bushes of thick tropical -growth, and is in this way pretty and interesting. But there is -nothing wonderful in the scenery, unless to one who has never before -witnessed tropical forest scenery. The growth here is so quick that -the strip of ground closely adjacent to the line, some twenty yards -perhaps on each side, has to be cleared of timber and foliage every -six months. If left for twelve months the whole would be covered with -thick bushes, twelve feet high. At intervals of four and a half miles -there are large wooden houses--pretty-looking houses they are, built -with much taste,--in each of which a superintendent with a certain -number of labourers resides. These men are supplied with provisions -and all necessaries by the company. For there are no villages -here in which workmen can live, no shops from which they can supply -themselves, no labour which can be hired as it may be wanted. - -From this it may be imagined that the line is maintained at a great -cost. But, nevertheless, it already pays a dividend of twelve and -a half per cent. So much at least is acknowledged; but those who -pretend to understand the matter declare that the real profit -accruing to the shareholders is hardly less than five-and-twenty -per cent. The sum charged for the passage is extremely high, being -twenty-five dollars, or five pounds for a single ticket. The distance -is under fifty miles. And there is no class but the one. Everybody -passing over the isthmus, if he pay his fare, must pay twenty-five -dollars. Steerage passengers from New York to San Francisco are at -present booked through for fifty dollars. This includes their food -on the two sea voyages, which are on an average of about eleven days -each. And yet out of this fifty dollars twenty-five are paid to the -railway for this conveyance over fifty miles! The charge for luggage, -too, is commensurately high. The ordinary kit of a travelling -Englishman--a portmanteau, bag, desk, and hat-box--would cost two -pounds ten shillings over and above his own fare. - -But at the same time, nothing can be more liberal than the general -management of the line. On passengers journeying from New York to -California, or from Southampton to Chili and Peru, their demand no -doubt is very high. But to men of all classes, merely travelling from -Aspinwall to Panama for pleasure--or, apparently, on business, if -travelling only between those two places,--free tickets are given -almost without restriction. One train goes each way daily, and as a -rule most of the passengers are carried free, except on those days -when packets have arrived at either terminus. On my first passage -over I paid my fare, for I went across with other passengers out of -the mail packet. But on my return the superintendent not only gave me -a ticket, but asked me whether I wanted others for any friends. The -line is a single line throughout. - -Panama has doubtless become a place of importance to Englishmen -and Americans, and its name is very familiar to our ears. But -nevertheless it is a place whose glory has passed away. It was a -large Spanish town, strongly fortified, with some thirty thousand -inhabitants. Now its fortifications are mostly gone, its churches -are tumbling to the ground, its old houses have so tumbled, and its -old Spanish population has vanished. It is still the chief city of -a State, and a congress sits there. There is a governor and a judge, -and there are elections; but were it not for the passengers of the -isthmus there would soon be but little left of the city of Panama. - -Here the negro race abounds, and among the common people the negro -traits are stronger and more marked than those either of the Indians -or Spaniards. Of Spanish blood among the natives of the surrounding -country there seems to be but little. The negroes here are of course -free, free to vote for their own governors, and make their own laws; -and consequently they are often very troublesome, the country people -attacking those in the town, and so on. "And is justice ultimately -done on the offenders?" I asked. "Well, sir; perhaps not justice. But -some notice is taken; and the matter is smoothed over." Such was the -answer. - -There is a Spanish cathedral here also, in which I heard a very -sweet-toned organ, and one magnificent tenor voice. The old church -buildings still standing here are not without pretence, and are -interesting from the dark tawny colour of the stone, if from no -other cause. I should guess them to be some two centuries old. Their -style in many respects resembles that which is so generally odious to -an Englishman's eye and ear, under the title of Renaissance. It is -probably an offshoot of that which is called Plateresque in the south -of Spain. - -During the whole time that I was at Panama the thermometer stood at -something above ninety. In Calcutta I believe it is often as high as -one hundred and ten, so that I have no right to speak of the extreme -heat. But, nevertheless, Panama is supposed to be one of the hottest -places in the western world; and I was assured, while there, that -weather so continuously hot for the twenty-four hours had not been -known during the last nine years. The rainy season should have -commenced by this time--the early part of May. But it had not done -so; and it appeared that when the rain is late, that is the hottest -period of the whole year. - -The heat made me uncomfortable, but never made me ill. I lost all -pleasure in eating, and indeed in everything else. I used to feel a -craving for my food, but no appetite when it came. I was lethargic, -as though from repletion, when I did eat, and was always glad when my -watch would allow me to go to bed. But yet I was never ill. - -The country round the town is pretty, and very well adapted for -riding. There are large open savanahs which stretch away for miles -and miles, and which are kept as grazing-farms for cattle. These are -not flat and plain, but are broken into undulations, and covered here -and there with forest bushes. The horses here are taught to pace, -that is, move with the two off legs together and then with the two -near legs. The motion is exceedingly gentle, and well fitted for this -hot climate, in which the rougher work of trotting would be almost -too much for the energies of debilitated mankind. The same pace is -common in Cuba, Costa Rica, and other Spanish countries in the west. - -Off from Panama, a few miles distant in the western ocean, there are -various picturesque islands. On two of these are the depots of two -great steam-packet companies, that belonging to the Americans which -carries on the trade to California, and an English company whose -vessels run down the Pacific to Peru and Chili. I visited Toboga, -in which are the head-quarters of the latter. Here I found a small -English maritime colony, with a little town of their own, composed -of captains, doctors, engineers, officers, artificers, and sailors, -living together on the company's wages, and as regards the upper -classes, at tables provided by the company. But I saw there no -women of any description. I beg therefore to suggest to the company -that their servants would probably be much more comfortable if the -institution partook less of the monastic order. - -If, as is probable, this becomes one of the high-roads to Australia, -then another large ship company will have to fix its quarters here. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--PANAMA TO SAN JOSE. - - -I had intended to embark at Panama in the American steam-ship -'Columbus' for the coast of Central America. In that case I should -have gone to San Juan del Sur, a port in Nicaragua, and made my way -from thence across the lake, down the river San Juan to San Juan del -Norte, now called Greytown, on the Atlantic. But I learnt that the -means of transit through Nicaragua had been so utterly destroyed--as -I shall by-and-by explain--that I should encounter great delay in -getting across the lake; and as I found that one of our men-of-war -steamers, the 'Vixen,' was immediately about to start from Panama -to Punta-arenas, on the coast of Costa Rica, I changed my mind, and -resolved on riding through Costa Rica to Greytown. And accordingly -I did ride through Costa Rica. - -My first work was to make petition for a passage in the 'Vixen,' -which was accorded to me without difficulty. But even had I failed -here, I should have adhered to the same plan. The more I heard of -Costa Rica, the more I was convinced that that republic was better -worth a visit than Nicaragua. At this time I had in my hands a -pamphlet written by M. Belly, a Frenchman, who is, or says that he -is, going to make a ship canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. -According to him the only Paradise now left on earth is in this -republic of Costa Rica. So I shipped myself on board the 'Vixen.' - -I had never before been on the waters of the Pacific. Now when one -premeditates one's travels, sitting by the domestic fireside, one -is apt to think that all those advancing steps into new worlds will -be taken with some little awe, some feeling of amazement at finding -oneself in very truth so far distant from Hyde Park Corner. The -Pacific! I was absolutely there, on the ocean in which lie the -Sandwich Islands, Queen Pomare, and the Cannibals! But no; I had no -such feeling. My only solicitude was whether my clean shirts would -last me on to the capital of Costa Rica. - -And in travelling these are the things which really occupy the mind. -Where shall I sleep? Is there anything to eat? Can I have my clothes -washed? At Panama I did have my clothes washed in a very short space -of time; but I had to pay a shilling apiece for them all round. In -all these ports, in New Granada, Central America, and even throughout -the West Indies, the luxury which is the most expensive in proportion -to its cost in Europe is the washing of clothes--the most expensive, -as it is also the most essential. - -But I must not omit to say that before shipping myself in the -'Vixen' I called on the officers on board the United States frigate -'Merrimac,' and was shown over that vessel. I am not a very good -judge of ships, and can only say that the officers were extremely -civil, the sherry very good, and the guns very large. They were -coaling, the captain told me, and he professed to be very much -ashamed of the dirt. Had I not been told so I should not have known -that the ship was dirty. - -The 'Merrimac,' though rated only as a frigate, having guns on one -covered deck only, is one of their largest men-of-war, and has been -regarded by them, and by us, as a show vessel. But according to their -own account, she fails altogether as a steamer. The greatest pace her -engines will give is seven knots an hour; and this is felt to be so -insufficient for the wants of the present time, that it is intended -to take them out of her and replace them by a new set as soon as an -opportunity will allow. This will be done, although the vessel and -the engines are new. I mention this, not as reflecting in any way -disgracefully on the dockyard from whence she came; but to show that -our Admiralty is not the only one which may have to chop and change -its vessels after they are built. We hear much--too much perhaps--of -the misfortunes which attend our own navy; but of the misfortunes of -other navies we hear very little. It is a pity that we cannot have -some record of all the blunders committed at Cherbourg. - -The 'Merrimac' carries the flag of Flag-officer Long, on whom also -we called. He is a fine old gentleman, with a magnificent head and -forehead, looking I should say much more like an English nobleman -than a Yankee sailor. Flag-officer Long! Who will explain to us why -the Americans of the United States should persist in calling their -senior naval officers by so awkward an appellation, seeing that the -well-known and well-sounding title of admiral is very much at their -disposal? - -When I returned to the shore from the 'Merrimac' I had half an hour -to pack before I again started for the 'Vixen.' As it would be -necessary that I should return to Panama, and as whatever luggage I -now took with me would have to be carried through the whole of Costa -Rica on mules' backs, it became expedient that I should leave the -greater part of my kit behind me. Then came the painful task of -selection, to be carried out with the thermometer at ninety, and to -be completed in thirty minutes! To go or not to go had to be asked -and answered as to every shirt and pair of trousers. Oh, those weary -clothes! If a man could travel as a dog, how delightful it would be -to keep moving from year's end to year's end! - -We steamed up the coast for two days quietly, placidly, and -steadily. I cannot say that the trip was a pleasant one, -remembering how intense was the heat. On one occasion we stopped -for practice-shooting, and it behoved me of course to mount the -paddle-box and see what was going on. This was at eleven in the -morning, and though it did not last for above an hour, I was brought -almost to fainting by the power of the sun. - -Punta-arenas--Sandy Point--is a small town and harbour situated in -Costa Rica, near the top of the Bay of Nicoya, The sail up the bay is -very pretty, through almost endless woods stretching away from the -shores to the hills. There is, however, nothing majestic or grand -about the scenery here. There are no Andes in sight, no stupendous -mountains such as one might expect to see after coming so far to see -them. It is all pretty quiet and ordinary; and on the whole perhaps -superior to the views from the sea at Herne Bay. - -The captain of the 'Vixen' had decided on going up to San Jose with -me, as at the last moment did also the master, San Jose being the -capital of Costa Rica. Our first object therefore was to hire a guide -and mules, which, with the assistance of the acting English consul, -we soon found. For even at Punta-arenas the English flag flies, and a -distressed British subject can claim protection. - -It is a small village lying along a creek of the sea, inside the -sandy point from whence it is named. Considerable business is done -here in the exportation of coffee, which is the staple produce of -Costa Rica. It is sent chiefly to England; but it seemed to me that -the money-making inhabitants of Punta-arenas were mostly Americans; -men who either had been to California or who had got so far on their -road thither and then changed their minds. It is a hot, dusty, -unattractive spot, with a Yankee inn, at which men may "liquor," and -a tram railroad running for twelve miles into the country. It abounds -in oysters and beer, on which we dined before we started on our -journey. - -I was thus for the first time in Central America. This continent, -if it may be so called, comprises the five republics of Guatemala, -Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. When this country -first broke away from Spanish rule in 1821, it was for a while -content to exist as one state, under the name of the Republic of -Guatemala; as it had been known for nearly three hundred years as -a Spanish province under the same denomination--that of Guatemala. -After a hard tussle with Mexico, which endeavoured to devour it, and -which forty years ago was more prone to annex than to be annexed, -this republic sat itself fairly going, with the city of Guatemala for -its capital. But the energies and ambition of the different races -comprised among the two million inhabitants of Central America would -not allow them to be governed except each in its own province. Some -ten years since, therefore, the five States broke asunder. Each -claimed to be sovereign and independent. Each chose its own president -and had its own capital; and consequently, as might be expected, -no part of the district in question has been able to enjoy those -natural advantages with which Providence has certainly endowed it. To -these States must be added, in counting up the countries of Central -America, British Honduras, consisting of Belize and the adjacent -district, and the Mosquito coast which so lately was under British -protection; and which is--. But here I must be silent, or I may -possibly trench upon diplomatic subjects still unsettled. - -My visit was solely to Costa Rica, which has in some respects -done better than its neighbours. But this has been owing to the -circumstances of its soil and climate rather than to those of its -government, which seems to me to be as bad as any can be which -deserves that name. In Costa Rica there certainly is a government, -and a very despotic one it is. - -I am not much given to the sins of dandyism, but I must own I was -not a little proud of my costume as I left Punta-arenas. We had been -told that according to the weather our ride would be either dusty or -muddy in no ordinary degree, and that any clothes which we might wear -during the journey would be utterly useless as soon as the journey -was over. Consequently we purchased for ourselves, in an American -store, short canvas smock-frocks, which would not come below the -saddle, and coarse holland trousers. What class of men may usually -wear these garments in Costa Rica I cannot say; but in England I have -seen navvies look exactly as my naval friends looked; and I flatter -myself that my appearance was quite equal to theirs. I had procured -at Panama a light straw hat, with an amazing brim, and had covered -the whole with white calico. I have before said that my beard had -become "poblada," so that on the whole I was rather gratified than -otherwise when I was assured by the storekeeper that we should -certainly be taken for three filibusters. Now the name of filibuster -means something serious in those localities, as I shall in a few -pages have to explain. - -We started on our journey by railroad, for there is a tramway that -runs for twelve miles through the forest. We were dragged along on -this by an excellent mule, till our course was suddenly impeded by a -tree which had fallen across the road. But in course of time this was -removed, and in something less than three hours we found ourselves at -a saw-mill in the middle of the forest. - -The first thing that met my view on stepping out of the truck was -a solitary Englishman seated on a half-sawn log of wood. Those who -remember Hood's Whims and Oddities may bear in mind a heart-rending -picture of the last man. Only that the times do not agree, I should -have said that this poor fellow must have sat for the picture. He was -undeniably an English labourer. No man of any other nation would have -had that face, or worn those clothes, or kicked his feet about in -that same awkward, melancholy humour. - -He was, he said, in charge of the saw-mill, having been induced to -come out into that country for three years. According to him, it was -a wretched, miserable place. "No man," he said, "ever found himself -in worse diggings." He earned a dollar and a half a day, and with -that he could hardly buy shoes and have his clothes washed. "Why did -he not go home?" I asked. "Oh, he had come for three years, and he'd -stay his three years out--if so be he didn't die." The saw-mill was -not paying, he said; and never would pay. So that on the whole his -account of Costa Rica was not encouraging. - -We had been recommended to stay the first night at a place called -Esparza, where there is a decent inn. But before we left Punta-arenas -we learnt that Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of the Republic, -was coming down the same road with a large retinue of followers to -inaugurate the commencement of the works of the canal. He would -be on his way to meet his brother-president of the next republic, -Nicaragua, at San Juan del Sur; and at a spot some little distance -from thence this great work was to be begun at once. He and his party -were to sleep at Esparza. Therefore we decided on going on further -before we halted; and in truth at that place we did meet Don Juan and -his retinue. - -As both Costa Rica and Nicaragua are chiefly of importance to the -eastern and western worlds, as being the district in which the -isthmus between the two Americas may be most advantageously pierced -by a canal--if it be ever so pierced--this subject naturally intrudes -itself into all matters concerning these countries. Till the opening -of the Panama railway the transit of passengers through Nicaragua -was immense. At present the railway has it all its own way. But the -subject, connected as it has been with that of filibustering, mingles -itself so completely with all interests in Costa Rica, that nothing -of its present doings or politics can be well understood till -something is understood on this canal subject. Sooner or later I must -write a chapter on it; and it would almost be well if the reader -would be pleased to take it out of its turn and get through it at -once. The chapter, however, cannot well be brought in till these, -recording my travels in Costa Rica, are completed. - -Don Juan Mora and his retinue had arrived some hours before us, and -had nearly filled the little hotel. This was kept by a Frenchman, and -as far as provisions and beer were concerned seemed to be well kept. -Our requirements did not go beyond these. On entering the public -sitting-room a melodiously rich Irish brogue at once greeted my ears, -and I saw seated at the table, joyous in a semi-military uniform, The -O'Gorman Mahon, great as in bygone unemancipated days, when with head -erect and stentorian voice he would make himself audible to half the -County Clare. The head was still as erect, and the brogue as -unexceptionable. - -He speedily introduced us to a brother-workman in the same mission, -the Prince Polignac. With the President himself I had not the honour -of making acquaintance, for he speaks only Spanish, and my tether in -that language is unfortunately very short. But the captain of the -'Vixen' was presented to him. He seemed to be a courteous little -gentleman, though rather flustered by the magnitude of the work on -which he was engaged. - -There was something singular in the amalgamation of the three men who -had thus got themselves together in this place to do honour to the -coming canal. The President of the Republic, Prince Polignac, and The -O'Gorman Mahon! I could not but think of the heterogeneous heroes of -the 'Groves of Blarney.' - -"There were Nicodemus, and Polyphemus, -Oliver Cromwell, and Leslie Foster."* - - [*I am not quoting the words rightly I fear; but the - selection in the true song is miscellaneous in the same - degree.] - -"And now, boys, ate a bit of what's going, and take a dhrop of -dhrink," said The O'Gorman, patting us on the shoulders with kind -patronage. We did as we were bid, ate and drank, paid the bill, and -went our way rejoicing. That night, or the next morning rather, -at about 2 a.m., we reached a wayside inn called San Mateo, and -there rested for five or six hours. That we should obtain any such -accommodation along the road astonished me, and of such as we got we -were very glad. But it must not be supposed that it was of a very -excellent quality. We found three bedsteads in the front room into -which the door of the house opened. On these were no mattresses, not -even a palliasse. They consisted of flat boards sloping away a little -towards the feet, with some hard substance prepared for a pillow. In -the morning we got a cup of coffee without milk. For these luxuries -and for pasturage for the mules we paid about ten shillings a head. -Indeed, everything of this kind in Costa Rica is excessively dear. - -Our next day's journey was a very long one, and to my companions very -fatiguing, for they had not latterly been so much on horseback as had -been the case with myself. Our first stage before breakfast was of -some five hours' duration, and from the never-ending questions put -to the guide as to the number of remaining leagues, it seemed to be -eternal. The weather also was hot, for we had not yet got into the -high lands; and a continued seat of five hours on a mule, under a -burning sun, is not refreshing to a man who is not accustomed to such -exercise; and especially is not so when he is unaccustomed to the -half-trotting, half-pacing steps of the beast. The Spaniard sits in -the saddle without moving, and generally has his saddle well stuffed -and padded, and then covered with a pillion. An Englishman disdains -so soft a seat, and endeavours to rise in his stirrup at every step -of the mule, as he would on a trotting horse at home. In these -Hispano-American countries this always provokes the ridicule of the -guide, who does not hesitate to tell the poor wretch who is suffering -in his pillory that he does not know how to ride. - -With some of us the pillory was very bad, and I feared for a time -that we should hardly have been able to mount again after breakfast. -The place at which we were is called Atenas, and I must say in praise -of this modern Athens, and of the three modern Athenian girls who -waited on us, that their coffee, eggs, and grilled fowl were very -good. The houses of these people are exceedingly dirty, their modes -of living comfortless and slovenly in the extreme. But there seems to -be no lack of food, and the food is by no means of a bad description. -Along this road from Punta-arenas to San Jose we found it always -supplied in large quantities and fairly cooked. The prices demanded -for it were generally high. But then all prices are high; and it -seems that, even among the poorer classes, small sums of money are -not valued as with us. There is no copper coin. Half a rial, equal to -about threepence, is the smallest piece in use. A handful of rials -hardly seems to go further, or to be thought more of, than a handful -of pence with us; and a dollar, eight rials, ranks hardly higher in -estimation than a shilling does in England. - -At last, by the gradual use of the coffee and eggs, and by the -application, external and internal, of a limited amount of brandy, -the outward and the inward men were recruited; and we once more -found ourselves on the backs of our mules, prepared for another -stage of equal duration. These evils always lessen as we become -more accustomed to them, so that when we reached a place called -Assumption, at which we were to rest for the night, we all gallantly -informed the muleteer that we were prepared to do another stage. -"Not so the mules," said the muleteer; and as his words were law, -we prepared to spend the night at Assumption. - -Our road hitherto had been rising nearly the whole way, and had been -generally through a picturesque country. We ascended one long severe -hill, severe that is as a road, though to a professed climber of -mountains it would be as nothing. From the summit of this hill we had -a magnificent view down to the Pacific, Again, at a sort of fortress -through which we passed, and which must have been first placed there -by the old Spaniards to guard the hill-passes, we found a very lovely -landscape looking down into the valley. Here some show of a demand -was made for passports; but we had none to exhibit, and no opposition -was made to our progress. Except at these two places, the scenery, -which was always more or less, pretty, was never remarkable. And even -at the two points named there was nothing to equal the mountain -scenery of many countries in Europe. - -What struck me most was the constant traffic on the road or track -over which we passed. I believe I may call it a road, for the produce -of the country is brought down over it in bullock carts; and I think -that in South Wales I have taken a gig over one very much of the same -description. But it is extremely rude; and only fit for solid wooden -wheels--circles, in fact, of timber--such as are used, and for the -patient, slow step of the bullocks. - -But during the morning and evening hours the strings of these bullock -carts were incessant. They travel from four till ten, then rest till -three or four, and again proceed for four or five hours in the cool -of the evening. They are all laden with coffee, and the idea they -give is, that the growth of that article in Costa Rica must be much -more than sufficient to supply the whole world. For miles and miles -we met them, almost without any interval. Coffee, coffee, coffee; -coffee, coffee, coffee! It is grown in large quantities, I believe, -only in the high lands of San Jose; and all that is exported is sent -down to Punta-arenas, though by travelling this route it must either -pass across the isthmus railway at a vast cost, or else be carried -round the Horn. At present half goes one way and half the other. But -not a grain is carried, as it should all be carried, direct to the -Atlantic. When I come to speak of the road from San Jose to Greytown, -the reason for this will be understood. - -The bivouacs made on the roadside by the bullock drivers for their -night and noon accommodation are very picturesque when seen filled -by the animals. A piece of flat ground is selected by the roadside, -about half an acre in size, and close to a river or some running -water. Into this one or two hundred bullocks are taken, and then -released from their carts. But they are kept yoked together to -prevent their straying. Here they are fed exclusively on sugar-canes, -which the men carry with them, and buy along the road. The drovers -patiently cut the canes up with their knives, and the beasts -patiently munch them. Neither the men nor the animals roar, as they -would with us, or squabble for the use of the water-course, or curse -their own ill luck or the good luck of their neighbours. Drivers and -driven are alike orderly, patient, and slow, spending their lives -in taking coffee down to Punta-arenas, and in cutting and munching -thousands of sugar-canes. - -We passed some of those establishments by moonlight, and they looked -like large crowded fairs full of low small booths. The men, however, -do not put up tents, but sleep out in their carts. - -They told me that the soil in Costa Rica was very favourable to the -sugar-cane, and I looked out to see some sugar among the coffee. But -not a hogshead came that way. We saw patches of the cane growing by -the roadside; but no more was produced than what sufficed for the -use of the proprietor himself, and for such sale as the traffic on -the road afforded. Indeed, I found that they do not make sugar, -so called, in Costa Rica, but import what they use. The article -fabricated is called by them "dulce." It comes from their hands in -ugly round brown lumps, of the consistency of brick, looking, in -truth, much more like a large brickbat than any possible saccharine -arrangement. Nevertheless, the canes are fairly good, and the juice -as sweet as that produced in first-rate sugar-growing soils. - -It seemed that the only use made of this "dulce," excepting that -of sweetening the coffee of the peasants, is for distillation. A -spirit is made from it at San Jose, called by the generic name of -aguardiente; and this doubtless would give considerable impulse to -the growth of sugar-canes but for a little law made on the subject -by the present President of the republic. The President himself is a -cane-grower, and by this law it is enacted that the only person in -Costa Rica entitled to supply the distillery with dulce shall be Don -Juan Mora. Now, Don Juan Mora is the President. - -Before I left the country I came across an American who was desirous -of settling there with the view of producing cocoa. "Well," said I, -"and what do you think of it?" - -"Why, I like the diggings," said he; "and guess I could make things -fix well enough. But suppose the President should choose to grow all -the cocoa as well as all the gin! Where would my cacao-plants be -then?" At a discount, undoubtedly. These are the effects on a country -of despotism in a small way. - -On my way into San Jose I got off my mule to look at an old peasant -making dulce, or in other words grinding his sugar-canes by the -roadside. It was done in the most primitive manner. One bullock -turned the mill, which consisted of three vertical wooden rollers. -The juice trickled into a little cistern; and as soon as the old man -found that he had enough, he baled it out and boiled it down. And yet -I imagine that as good sugar may be made in Costa Rica as in British -Guiana. But who will put his capital into a country in which the -President can pass any law he pleases on his own behalf? - -In the neighbourhood of San Jose we began to come across the coffee -plantations. They certainly give the best existing proof of the -fertility and progress of the country. I had seen coffee plantations -in Jamaica, but there they are beautifully picturesque, placed like -hanging gardens on the steep mountain-sides. Some of these seem to -be almost inaccessible, and the plant always has the appearance of -being a hardy mountain shrub. But here in Costa Rica it is grown on -the plain. The secret, I presume, is that a certain temperature is -necessary, and that this is afforded by a certain altitude from -the sea. In Jamaica this altitude is only to be found among the -mountains, but it is attained in Costa Rica on the high plains of the -interior. - -And then we jogged slowly into San Jose on the third day after our -departure from Punta-arenas. Slowly, sorely, and with minds much -preoccupied, we jogged into San Jose. On leaving the saw-mill at the -end of the tramway my two friends had galloped gallantly away into -the forest, as though a brave heart and a sharp pair of spurs would -have sufficed to carry them right through to their journey's end. But -the muleteer with his pony and the baggage-mule then lingered far -behind. His heart was not so brave, nor were his spurs apparently -so sharp. The luggage, too, was slipping every ten minutes, for I -unfortunately had a portmanteau, of which no muleteer could ever make -anything. It has been condemned in Holy Land, in Jamaica, in Costa -Rica, wherever it has had to be fixed upon any animal's back. On this -occasion it nearly broke both the heart of the muleteer and the back -of the mule. - -But things were changed as we crept into San Jose. The muleteer was -all life, and led the way, driving before him the pack-mule, now at -length reconciled to his load. And then, at straggling intervals, our -jibes all silenced, our showy canters all done, rising wearily in our -stirrups at every step, shifting from side to side to ease the galls -"That patient merit of the unworthy takes"--for our merit had been -very patient, and our saddles very unworthy--we jogged into San Jose. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA--SAN JOSE. - - -All travellers when entering unknown towns for the first time have -felt that intense interest on the subject of hotel accommodation -which pervaded our hearts as we followed our guide through the -streets. We had been told that there were two inns in the town, and -that we were to go to the Hotel San Jose. And accordingly we went to -it. - -It was quite evident that the landlord at first had some little doubt -as to the propriety of admitting us; and but for our guide, whom he -knew, we should have had to explain at some length who we were. But -under his auspices we were taken in without much question. - -The Spaniards themselves are not in their own country at all -famous for their inns. No European nation has probably advanced -so slowly towards civilization in this respect as Spain has done. -And therefore, as these Costa Ricans are Spanish by descent and -language, and as the country itself is so far removed from European -civilization, we did not expect much. Had we fallen into the -hands of Spaniards we should probably have received less even -than we expected. But as it was we found ourselves in a comfortable -second-class little German inn. It was German in everything; its -light-haired landlord, frequently to be seen with a beer tankard in -hand; its tidy landlady, tidy at any rate in the evening, if not -always so in the morning; its early hours, its cookery, its drink, -and I think I may fairly add, its prices. - -On entering the first town I had visited in Central America, I had of -course looked about me for strange sights. That men should be found -with their heads under their shoulders, or even living in holes -burrowed in the ground, I had not ventured to hope. But when a man -has travelled all the way to Costa Rica, he does expect something -strange. He does not look to find everything as tame and flat and -uninteresting as though he were riding into a sleepy little borough -town in Wiltshire. - -We cannot cross from Dover to Ostend without finding at once that we -are among a set of people foreign to ourselves. The first glance of -the eye shows this in the architecture of the houses, and the costume -of the people. We find the same cause for excitement in France, -Switzerland, and Italy; and when we get as far as the Tyrol, we come -upon a genus of mankind so essentially differing from our own as to -make us feel that we have travelled indeed. - -But there is little more interest to be found in entering San Jose -than in driving through the little Wiltshire town above alluded to. -The houses are comfortable enough. They are built with very ordinary -doors and windows, of one or two stories according to the wealth of -the owners, and are decently clean outside, though apparently rather -dirty within. The streets are broad and straight, being all at right -angles to each other, and though not very well paved, are not rough -enough to elicit admiration. There is a square, the plaza, in which -stands the cathedral, the barracks, and a few of the best houses in -the town. There is a large and tolerably well-arranged market-place. -There is a really handsome set of public buildings, and there are -two moderately good hotels. What more can a man rationally want if -he travel for business? And if he travel for pleasure how can he -possibly find less? - -It so happened that at the time of my visit to Costa Rica Sir William -Ouseley was staying at San Jose with his family. He had been sent, -as all the world that knows anything doubtless knows very well, as -minister extraordinary from our Court to the governments of Central -America, with the view of settling some of those tough diplomatic -questions as to the rights of transit and occupation of territory, -respecting which such world-famous Clayton-Bulwer treaties and -Cass-Yrrisari treaties have been made and talked of. He had been -in Nicaragua, making no doubt an equally famous Ouseley-something -treaty, and was now engaged on similar business in the capital of -Costa Rica. - -Of the nature of this August work,--for such work must be very -august,--I know nothing. I only hope that he may have at least as -much success as those who went before him. But to me it was a great -stroke of luck to find so pleasant and hospitable a family in so -outlandish a place as San Jose. And indeed, though I have given -praise to the hotel, I have given it with very little personal -warrant as regards my knowledge either of the kitchen or cellar. My -kitchen and cellar were beneath the British flag at the corner of the -plaza, and I had reason to be satisfied with them in every respect. - -And I had abundant reason to be greatly gratified. For not only was -there at San Jose a minister extraordinary, but also, attached to the -mission, there was an extra-ordinary secretary of legation, a very -prince of good fellows. At home he would be a denizen of the Foreign -Office, and denizens of the Foreign Office are swells at home. But at -San Jose, where he rode on a mule, and wore a straw hat, and slept -in a linendraper's shop, he was as pleasant a companion as a man -would wish to meet on the western, or indeed on any other side of -the Atlantic. - -I shall never forget the hours I spent in that linendraper's shop. -The rooms over the shop, over that shop and over two or three others, -were occupied by Sir W. Ouseley and his family. There was a chemist's -establishment there, and another in the possession, I think, of a -hatter. They had been left to pursue their business in peace; but -my friend the secretary, finding no rooms sufficiently secluded for -himself in the upper mansion, had managed to expel the haberdasher, -and had located himself not altogether uncomfortably, among the -counters. - -Those who have spent two or three weeks in some foreign town in which -they have no ordinary pursuits, know what it is to have--or perhaps, -more unlucky, know what it is to be without--some pleasant accustomed -haunt, in which they can pretend to read, while in truth the hours -are passed in talking, with some few short intervals devoted to -contemplation and tobacco. Such to me was the shop of the expelled -linendraper at San Jose. In it, judiciously suspended among the -counters, hung a Panama grass hammock, in which it was the custom of -my diplomatic friend to lie at length and meditate his despatches. -Such at least had been his custom before my arrival. What became of -his despatches during the period of my stay, it pains me to think; -for in that hammock I had soon located myself, and I fear that my -presence was not found to be a salutary incentive to composition. - -The scenery round San Jose is certainly striking, but not -sufficiently so to enable one to rave about it. I cannot justly go -into an ecstasy and sing of Pelion or Ossa; nor can I talk of deep -ravines to which the Via Mala is as nothing. There is a range of -hills, respectably broken into prettinesses, running nearly round -the town, though much closer to it on the southern than on the other -sides. Two little rivers run by it, which here and there fall into -romantic pools, or pools which would be romantic if they were not -so very distant from home; if having travelled so far, one did not -expect so very much. There are nice walks too, and pretty rides; only -the mules do not like fast trotting when the weight upon them is -heavy. About a mile and a half from the town, there is a Savanah, -so-called, or large square park, the Hyde Park of San Jose; and it -would be difficult to imagine a more pleasant place for a gallop. It -is quite large enough for a race-course, and is open to everybody. -Some part of the mountain range as seen from here is really -beautiful. - -The valley of San Jose, as it is called, is four thousand five -hundred feet above the sea; and consequently, though within the -tropics, and only ten degrees north of the line, the climate is good, -and the heat, I believe, never excessive. I was there in April, and -at that time, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, and -that only on some days, there was nothing like tropical heat. Within -ten days of my leaving San Jose I heard natives at Panama complaining -of the heat as being altogether unendurable. But up there, on that -high plateau, the sun had no strength that was inconvenient even to -an Englishman. - -Indeed, no climate can, I imagine, be more favourable to fertility -and to man's comfort at the same time than that of the interior -of Costa Rica. The sugar-cane comes to maturity much quicker than -in Demerara or Cuba. There it should be cut in about thirteen or -fourteen months from the time it is planted; in Nicaragua and Costa -Rica it comes to perfection in nine or ten. The ground without manure -will afford two crops of corn in a year. Coffee grows in great -perfection, and gives a very heavy crop. The soil is all volcanic, -or, I should perhaps more properly say, has been the produce of -volcanoes, and is indescribably fertile. And all this has been given -without that intensity of heat which in those southern regions -generally accompanies tropical fertility, and which makes hard work -fatal to a white man; while it creates lethargy and idleness, and -neutralizes gifts which would otherwise be regarded as the fairest -which God has bestowed on his creatures. In speaking thus, I refer -to the central parts of Costa Rica only, to those which lie some -thousand feet above the level of the sea. Along the sea-shores, both -of the Atlantic and Pacific, the heat is as great, and the climate -as unwholesome as in New Granada or the West Indies. It would be -difficult to find a place worse circumstanced in this respect than -Punta-arenas. - -But though the valley or plateau of San Jose, and the interior of the -country generally is thus favourably situated, I cannot say that the -nation is prosperous. It seems to be God's will that highly-fertile -countries should not really prosper. Man's energy is brought to -its highest point by the presence of obstacles to be overcome, by -the existence of difficulties which are all but insuperable. And -therefore a Scotch farm will give a greater value in produce than an -equal amount of land in Costa Rica. When nature does so much, man -will do next to nothing! - -Those who seem to do best in this country, both in trade and -agriculture, are Germans. Most of those who are carrying on -business on a large scale are foreigners,--that is, not Spanish by -descent. There are English here, and Americans, and French, but -I think the Germans are the most wedded to the country. The finest -coffee properties are in the hands of foreigners, as also are the -plantations of canes, and saw-mills for the preparation of timber. -But they have a very uphill task. Labour is extremely scarce, and -very dear. The people are not idle as the negroes are, and they love -to earn and put by money; but they are very few in number; they have -land of their own, and are materially well off. In the neighbourhood -of San Jose, a man's labour is worth a dollar a day, and even at that -price it is not always to be had. - -It seems to be the fact that in all countries in which slavery has -existed and has been abolished, this subject of labour offers the -great difficulty in the way of improvement. Labour becomes unpopular, -and is regarded as being in some sort degrading. Men will not -reconcile it with their idea of freedom. They wish to work on their -own land, if they work at all; and to be their own masters; to grow -their own crops, be they ever so small; and to sit beneath their own -vine, be the shade ever so limited. There are those who will delight -to think that such has been the effect of emancipation; who will -argue,--and they have strong arguments on their side,--that God's -will with reference to his creatures is best carried out by such -an order of things. I can only say that the material result has -not hitherto been good. As far as we at present see, the struggle -has produced idleness and sensuality, rather than prosperity and -civilization. - -It is hardly fair to preach this doctrine, especially with regard -to Costa Rica, for the people are not idle. That, at least, is not -specially their character. They are a humdrum, contented, quiet, -orderly race of men; fond of money, but by no means fond of risking -it; living well as regards sufficiency of food and raiment, but still -living very close; anxious to effect small savings, and politically -contented if the security of those savings can be insured to them. -They seem to be little desirous, even among the upper classes, -or what we would call the tradespeople, of education, either -religious or profane; they have no enthusiasm, no ardent desires, no -aspirations. If only they could be allowed to sell their dulce to the -maker of aguardiente,--if they might be permitted to get their little -profit out of the manufacture of gin! That, at present, is the one -grievance that affects them, but even that they bear easily. - -It will perhaps be considered my duty to express an opinion whether -or no they are an honest people. In one respect, certainly. They -steal nothing; at any rate, make no great thefts. No one is attacked -on the roads; no life is in danger from violence; houses are not -broken open. Nay, a traveller's purse left upon a table is, I -believe, safe; nor will his open portmanteau be rifled. But when -you come to deal with them, the matter is different. Then their -conscience becomes elastic; and as the trial is a fair one between -man and man, they will do their best to cheat you. If they lie to -you, cannot you lie to them? And is it not reasonable to suppose -that you do do so? If they, by the aid of law, can get to the windy -side of you, is not that merely their success in opposition to your -attempt--for of course you do attempt--to get to the windy side of -them? And then bribes are in great vogue. Justice is generally to be -bought; and when that is in the market, trade in other respects is -not generally conducted in the most honest manner. - -Thus, on the whole, I cannot take upon myself to say that they are -altogether an honest people. But they have that kind of honesty which -is most essential to the man who travels in a wild country. They do -not knock out the traveller's brains, or cut his throat for the sake -of what he has in his pocket. - -Generally speaking, the inhabitants of Costa Rica are of course -Spanish by descent, but here, as in all these countries, the blood -is very much mixed: pure Spanish blood is now, I take it, quite an -exception. This is seen more in the physiognomy than in the colour, -and is specially to be noticed in the hair. There is a mixture of -three races, the Spanish, the native Indian, and the Negro; but the -traces of the latter are comparatively light and few. Negroes, men -and women, absolutely black, and of African birth or descent, are -very rare; and though traces of the thick lip and the woolly hair are -to be seen--to be seen in the streets and market-places--they do not -by any means form a staple of the existing race. - -The mixture is of Spanish and of Indian blood, in which the Spanish -no doubt much preponderates. The general colour is that of a white -man, but of one who is very swarthy. Occasionally this becomes so -marked that the observer at once pronounces the man or woman to be -coloured. But it is the colouring of the Indian, and not of the -negro; the hue is rich, and to a certain extent bright, and the -lines of the face are not flattened and blunted. The hair also is -altogether human, and in no wise sheepish. - -I do not think that the inhabitants of Costa Rica have much to boast -of in the way of personal beauty. Indeed, the descendant of the -Spaniard, out of his own country, seems to lose both the manly -dignity and the female grace for which old Spain is still so noted. -Some pretty girls I did see, but they could boast only the ordinary -prettiness which is common to all young girls, and which our friends -in France describe as being the special gift of the devil. I saw no -fine, flaming, flashing eyes; no brilliant figures, such as one -sees in Seville around the altar-rails in the churches: no profiles -opening upon me struck me with mute astonishment. - -The women were humdrum in their appearance, as the men are in their -pursuits. They are addicted to crinoline, as is the nature of women -in these ages; but so long as their petticoats stuck out, that seemed -to be everything. In the churches they squat down on the ground, in -lieu of kneeling, with their dresses and petticoats arranged around -them, looking like huge turnips with cropped heads--like turnips -that, by their persevering growth, had got half their roots above the -ground. Now women looking like turnips are not specially attractive. - -I was at San Jose during Passion Week, and had therefore an -opportunity of seeing the processions which are customary in Roman -Catholic countries at that period. I certainly should not say that -the Costa Ricans are especially a religious people. They are humdrum -in this as in other respects, and have no enthusiasm either for or -against the priesthood. Free-thinking is not the national sin; nor is -fanaticism. They are all Roman Catholics, most probably without an -exception. Their fathers and mothers were so before them, and it is a -thing of course. - -There used to be a bishop of Costa Rica; indeed, they never were -without one till the other day. But not long since the father of -their church in some manner displeased the President: he had, I -believe, taken it into his sacred head that he, as bishop, might -make a second party in the state, and organize an opposition to the -existing government; whereupon the President banished him, as the -President can do to any one by his mere word, and since that time -there has been no bishop. "And will they not get another?" I asked. -"No; probably not; they don't want one. It will be so much money -saved." Looking at the matter in this light, there is often much to -be said for the expediency of reducing one's establishment. "And who -manages the church?" "It does not require much management. It goes on -in the old way. When they want priests they get them from Guatemala." -If we could save all our bishoping, and get our priests as we want -them from Guatemala, or any other factory, how excellent would be the -economy! - -The cathedral of San Jose is a long, low building, with side aisles -formed by very rickety-looking wooden pillars--in substance they are -hardly more than poles--running from the ground to the roof. The -building itself is mean enough, but the internal decorations are not -badly arranged, and the general appearance is neat, orderly, and -cool. We all know the usual manner in which wooden and waxen virgins -are dressed and ornamented in such churches. There is as much of this -here as elsewhere; but I have seen it done in worse taste both in -France and Italy. The facade of the church, fronting the plaza is -hardly to be called a portion of the church; but is an adjunct to it, -or rather the church has been fixed on to the facade, which is not -without some architectural pretension. - -In New Granada--Columbia that was--the cathedrals are arranged as -they are in old Spain. The choir is not situated round the altar, or -immediately in front of it, as is the custom in Christian churches -in, I believe, all other countries, but is erected far down the -centre aisle, near the western entrance. This, however, was not the -case in any church that I saw in Costa Rica. - -During the whole of Passion Week there was a considerable amount -of religious activity, in the way of preaching and processions, -which reached its acme on Good Friday. On that day the whole town -was processioning from morning--which means four o'clock--till -evening--which means two hours after sunset. They had three figures, -or rather three characters,--for two of them appeared in more than -one guise and form,--each larger than life; those, namely, of our -Saviour, the Virgin, and St. John. These figures are made of wax, -and the faces of some of them were excellently moulded. These are -manufactured in Guatemala--as the priests are; and the people there -pride themselves on their manufacture, not without reason. - -The figures of our Saviour and the Virgin were in different dresses -and attitudes, according to the period of the day which it was -intended to represent; but the St. John was always represented in -the dress of a bishop of the present age. The figures were supported -on men's shoulders, and were carried backwards and forwards through -every portion of the town, till at last, having been brought forth in -the morning from the cathedral, they were allowed at night to rest in -a rival, and certainly better built, though smaller church. - -I must notice one particularity in the church-going population of -this country. The women occupy the nave and centre aisle, squatting -on the ground, and looking, as I have said, like turnips; whereas the -men never advance beyond the side aisles. The women of the higher -classes--all those, indeed, who make any pretence to dress and -finery--bring with them little bits of carpet, on which they squat; -but there are none of those chairs with which churches on the -Continent are so commonly filled. - -It seemed that there is nothing that can be called society among the -people of San Jose. They do not go out to each other's homes, nor -meet in public; they have neither tea-parties, nor dinner-parties, -nor dancing-parties, nor card-parties. I was even assured--though -I cannot say that the assurance reached my belief--that they never -flirt! Occasionally, on Sundays, for instance, and on holidays, they -put on their best clothes and call on each other. But even then there -is no conversation among them; they sit stiffly on each other's -sofas, and make remarks at intervals, like minute guns, about the -weather. - -"But what _do_ they do?" I asked. "The men scrape money together, -and when they have enough they build a house, big or little according -to the amount that they have scraped: that satisfies the ambition -of a Costa Rican. When he wishes to amuse himself, he goes to a -cock-fight." "And the women?" "They get married early if their -fathers can give them a few ounces"--the ounce is the old doubloon, -worth here about three pounds eight shillings sterling--"and then -they cook, and have children." "And if the ounces be wanting, and -they don't get married?" "Then they cook all the same, but do not -have the children,--as a general rule." And so people vegetate in -Costa Rica. - -And now I must say a word or two about the form of government in this -country. It is a republic, of course, arranged on the model plan. A -president is elected for a term of years,--in this case six. He has -ministers who assist him in his government, and whom he appoints; and -there is a House of Congress, elected of course by the people, who -make the laws. The President merely carries them out, and so Utopia -is realized. - -Utopia might perhaps be realized in such republics, or at any rate -the realization might not be so very distant as it is at present, -were it not that in all of them the practice, by some accident, runs -so far away from the theory. - -In Costa Rica, Don Juan Rafael Mora, familiarly called Juanito, is -now the president, having been not long since re-elected (?) for the -third time. "We read in the 'Gazette' on Tuesday morning that the -election had been carried on Saturday, and that was all we knew about -it." It is thus they elect a president in Costa Rica; no one knows -anything about it, or troubles his head with the matter. If any one -suggested a rival president, he would be banished. But such a thing -is not thought of; no note is taken as to five years or six years. -At some period that pleases him, the President says that he has been -re-elected, and he is re-elected. Who cares? Why not Juanito as well -as any one else? Only it is a pity he will not let us sell our dulce -to the distillers! - -The President's salary is three thousand dollars a year; an income -which for so high a position is moderate enough. But then a -further sum of six thousand dollars is added to this for official -entertainment. The official entertainments, however, are not -numerous. I was informed that he usually gives one party every year. -He himself still lives in his private house, and still keeps a shop, -as he did before he was president. It must be remembered that there -is no aristocracy in this country above the aristocracy of the -shopkeepers. - -As far as I could learn, the Congress is altogether a farce. There is -a congress or collection of men sent up from different parts of the -country, some ten or dozen of whom sit occasionally round a table in -the great hall; but they neither debate, vote, nor offer opinions. -Some one man, duly instructed by the President, lets them know what -law is to be made or altered, and the law is made or altered. Should -any member of Congress make himself disagreeable, he would, as a -matter of course, be banished; taken, that is, to Punta-arenas, -and there told to shift for himself. Now this enforced journey to -Punta-arenas does not seem to be more popular among the Costa Ricans -than a journey to Siberia is among the Russians. - -Such is the model republic of Central America,--admitted, I am -told, to be the best administered of the cluster of republics there -established. This, at any rate, may certainly be said for it--that -life and property are safe. They are safe for the present, and will -probably remain so, unless the filibusters make their way into the -neighbouring state of Nicaragua in greater numbers and with better -leaders than they have hitherto had. - -And it must be told to the credit of the Costa Ricans, that it -was by them and their efforts that the invasion of Walker and the -filibusters into Central America was stopped and repelled. These -enterprising gentlemen, the filibusters, landed on the coast of -Nicaragua, having come down from California. Here they succeeded in -getting possession of a large portion of the country, that portion -being the most thickly populated and the richest; many of the towns -they utterly destroyed, and among them Granada, the capital. It seems -that at this time the whole state of Nicaragua was paralyzed, and -unable to strike any blow in its own defence. - -Having laid waste the upper or more northern country, Walker came -down south as far as Rivas, a town still in Nicaragua, but not far -removed from the borders of Costa Rica. His intention, doubtless, was -to take possession of Costa Rica, so that he might command the whole -transit across the isthmus. - -But at Rivas he was attacked by the soldiery of Costa Rica, under the -command of a brother of Don Juan Mora. This was in 1856, and it seems -that some three thousand Costa Ricans were taken as far as Rivas. -But few of them returned. They were attacked by cholera, and what -with that, and want, and the intense heat, to which of course must -be added what injuries the filibusters could do them, they were -destroyed, and a remnant only returned. - -But in 1857 the different states of Central America joined themselves -in a league, with the object of expelling these filibusters. I do not -know that either of the three northern states sent any men to Rivas, -and the weight of the struggle again fell upon Costa Rica. The Costa -Ricans and Nicaraguans together invested Rivas, in which five hundred -filibusters under Walker for some time maintained themselves. These -men were reduced to great straits, and might no doubt have been taken -bodily. But the Central Americans also had their difficulties to -contend with. They did not agree very well together, and they had but -slender means of supporting themselves. It ended in a capitulation, -under which Walker and his associates were to walk out with their -arms and all the honours of war; and by which, moreover, it was -stipulated that the five hundred were to be sent back to America at -the expense of the Central American States. The States, thinking no -doubt that it was good economy to build a golden bridge for a flying -enemy, did so send them back; and in this manner for a while Central -America was freed from the locusts. - -Such was the capitulation of Rivas; a subject on which all Costa -Ricans now take much pride to themselves. And indeed, honour is due -to them in this matter, for they evinced a spirit in the business -when their neighbours of Nicaragua failed to do so. They soon -determined that the filibusters would do them no good;--could indeed -by no possibility do them anything but harm; consequently, they -resolved to have the first blow, and they struck it manfully, though -not so successfully as might have been wished. - -The total population of Central America is, I believe, about two -millions, while that of Costa Rica does not exceed two hundred -thousand. Of the five states, Guatemala has by far the largest -number of inhabitants; and indeed the town of Guatemala may still -be regarded as the capital of all the isthmus territories. They -fabricate there not only priests and wax images, but doctors and -lawyers, and all those expensive luxuries for the production of which -the air of a capital is generally considered necessary. The President -of Guatemala is, they say, an Indian, nearly of pure descent; his -name is Carrera. - -I have spoken of the army of Costa Rica. In point of accoutrement and -outward show, they are on ordinary days somewhat like the troops that -were not fit to march through Coventry. They wear no regimentals, -and are only to be known when on duty by a very rusty-looking gun. -On Sundays, however, and holidays they do wear a sort of uniform, -consisting of a neat cap, and a little braiding upon their best -clothes. This dress, such as it is, they are obliged to find for -themselves. The clothing department, therefore, is not troublesome. - -These men are enrolled after the manner of our militia. The full -number should be nine thousand, and is generally somewhat above six -thousand. Of this number five hundred are kept in barracks, the men -taking it by turns, month by month. When in barracks they receive -about one shilling and sixpence a day; at other times they have no -pay. - -I cannot close my notice of San Jose without speaking somewhat more -specially of the range of public buildings. I am told that it was -built by a German, or rather by two Germans; the basement and the -upper story being the work of different persons. Be this as it may, -it is a handsome building, and would not disgrace any European -capital. There is in it a throne-room--in England, at least, we -should call it a throne; on this the President sits when he receives -ambassadors from foreign countries. The velvet and gilding were quite -unexceptionable, and the whole is very imposing. The sitting of -Congress is held in the same chamber; but that, as I have explained, -is not imposing. - -The chief produce of Costa Rica is coffee. Those who love statistics -may perhaps care to know that the average yearly export is something -under a hundred thousand quintals; now a quintal weighs a hundred -pounds, or rather, I believe, ninety-nine pounds exact. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -CENTRAL AMERICA. COSTA RICA--MOUNT IRAZU. - - -In the neighbourhood of San Jose there is a volcanic mountain, the -name of which is Irazu. I was informed that it still smoked, though -it had discontinued for the present the ejection of flames and lava. -Indeed, the whole country is full of such mountains. There is one, -the Monte Blanco, the summit of which has never yet been reached--so -rumour says in Costa Rica--far distant, enveloped among other -mountains, and to be reached only through dense aboriginal forests, -which still emits, and is always emitting fire and burning floods of -molten stones. - -Different excursions have been made with the object of ascending the -Monte Blanco, but hitherto in vain. Not long since it was attempted -by a French baron, but he and his guide were for twenty days in the -woods, and then returned, their provisions failing them. - -"You should ascend the Monte Blanco," said Sir William Ouseley to me. -"You are a man at large, with nothing to do. It is just the work for -you." This was Sir William's satire on the lightness of my ordinary -occupations. Light as they might be, however, I had neither time nor -courage for an undertaking such as that; so I determined to satisfy -myself with the Irazu. - -It happened, rather unfortunately for me, that at the moment of my -arrival at San Jose, a large party, consisting of Sir William's -family and others, were in the very act of visiting the mountain. -Those, therefore, who were anxious to see the sight, and willing -to undergo the labour, thus had their opportunity; and it became -impossible for me to make up a second party. One hope I had. The -Secretary of Legation had not gone. Official occupation, joined to -a dislike of mud and rough stones, had kept him at home. Perhaps I -might prevail. The intensity of that work might give way before a -week's unremitting labour, and that Sybarite propensity might be -overcome. - -But all my eloquence was of no avail. An absence of a day and a half -only was required; and three were spent in proving that this could -not be effected. The stones and mud too were becoming worse and -worse, for the rainy season had commenced. In fact, the Secretary of -Legation would not budge. "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle," said the -Secretary of Legation; whereupon he lighted another cigar, and took a -turn in the grass hammock. Now in my mind it must be a very bad game -indeed that is not worth the candle; and almost any game is better -than no game at all. - -I was thus in deep trouble, making up my mind to go alone, or rather -alone with my guide;--for the due appreciation of which state of -loneliness it must be borne in mind that, as I do not speak a word of -Spanish, I should have no possible means of communication with the -guide,--when a low and mild voice fell upon my ear, offering me its -proprietor as my companion. - -"I went up with Sir William last week," said the mild voice; "and if -you will permit me, I shall be happy to go with you. I should like to -see it twice; and I live at Cartago on the way." - -It was quite clear that the owner of the voice was sacrificing -himself, and offering to repeat this troublesome journey merely -out of good nature; but the service which he proposed to render me -was too essential, and I could not afford to reject the offer. He -lived in the country and spoke Spanish, and was, moreover, a mild, -kind-hearted little gentleman, very suitable as a companion, and not -given too pertinaciously to a will of his own. Now the Secretary -of Legation would have driven me mad half a score of times during -the journey. He would have deafened me with politics, and with such -politics too! So that on the whole I knew myself to be well off with -the mild voice. - -"You must go through Cartago," said the mild voice, "and I live -there. We will dine there at the inn to-morrow, and then do a portion -of our work the same evening." It was so arranged. I was to be with -him the next day at three, with a guide and two mules. - -On the next morning it rained provokingly. I ought to have started -at twelve; but at that time it was pouring, and neither the guide nor -the mules showed themselves. "You will never get there," said the -Secretary of Legation, looking up to the murky clouds with a gleam of -delight. "The game is never worth such a candle as that." "I shall -get there most assuredly," said I, rather sulkily, "let the candle -cost what it may." But still the mules did not come. - -Men have no idea of time in any country that is or has been connected -with Spain. "Yes, senor; you said twelve, and it is now only two! -Well, three. The day is long, senor; there is plenty of time. -Vaminos? Since you are in such a hurry, shall we make a start of it?" - -At half-past two o'clock so spoke--not my guide, for, as will be seen -by-and-by, he never spoke at all--but my guide's owner, who came -accompanying the mules. In huge hurry, with sundry mute exclamations, -uttered by my countenance since my tongue was unintelligible, and -with appeals to my watch which should have broken the man's heart -as I thrust it into his face, I clomb into my saddle. And then a -poor-looking, shoeless creature, with a small straw hat tied on to -his head by a handkerchief, with difficulty poised himself on the -other beast "Vamos," I exclaimed, and trotted down the street; for -I knew that in that direction lay the road to Cartago. "God be with -you," said the Secretary of Legation. "The rainy season has set -in permanently, I know; but perhaps you may have half an hour of -sunshine now and again. I hope you will enjoy yourself." - -It was not raining when I started, and in fact did not rain again the -whole afternoon. I trotted valiantly down the street, knowing my way -so far; but at the bottom of the town the roads divided, and I waited -for my guide. "Go on first," said I, pointing along the road. But -he did not understand me, and stood still. "Go on," said I, getting -behind his mule as though to drive him. But he merely stared, and -shuffled himself to the other side of the road. "Cartago," I shouted, -meaning that he was to show me the way there. "Si, senor," he -replied; and backed himself into the ditch out of my way. He was -certainly the stupidest man I ever met in my life, and I believe the -Secretary of Legation had selected him on purpose. - -I was obliged to choose my own road out of two, and luckily chose the -right one. Had I gone wrong, I doubt whether the man would have had -wit enough to put me right. I again trotted on; but in a quarter of -an hour was obliged to wait, for my attendant was behind me, out of -sight, and I felt myself bound to look after my traps, which were -fastened to his mule. "Come on," I shouted in good broad English -as soon as I saw him. "Why the mischief don't you come on?" And my -voice was so pitched, that on this occasion I think he did understand -something of what I meant. - -"Co-o-ome along," I repeated, as he gently drew up to me. And I hit -his mule sharply on the crupper with my stick. "Spur him," I said; -and I explained what I meant by sticking my own rowels into my own -beast. Whereupon the guide showed me that he had no spurs. - -Now if there be one rule of life more strictly kept in Costa Rica -than another, it is this, that no man ever mounts horse or mule -without spurs. A man in England would as soon think of hunting -without breeches. No muleteer was ever seen without them. And when -a mule is hired, if the hirer have no saddle, he may chance to have -to ride without one; but if he have no spurs, he will always be -supplied. - -I took off one of my own, which, by-the-by, I had borrowed out of the -Secretary of Legation's establishment, and offered it to the man, -remembering the well-known doctrine of Hudibras. He then showed me -that one of his hands was tied up, and that he could not put the spur -on. Consequently I was driven to dismount myself, and to act equerry -to this knight. Thrice on the road I had to do so, for twice the spur -slipped from off his naked foot. Even with this I could not bring -him on. It is four leagues, or about sixteen miles, from San Jose to -Cartago, and with all my hastening we were three hours on the road. - -The way lay through a rich and finely-cultivated country. The whole -of this is now called the valley of San Jose, and consists, in truth, -of a broad plateau, diversified by moderate hills and valleys, but -all being at a considerable height; that is, from three to four -thousand feet above the sea. The road also is fairly good; so -good that a species of omnibus runs on it daily, there being some -considerable traffic between the places; for Cartago is the second -town in the republic. - -Cartago is now the second town, but not long since it was the -capital. It was, however, destroyed by an earthquake; and though it -has been rebuilt, it has never again taken its former position. Its -present population is said to be ten thousand; but this includes not -only the suburbs, but the adjacent villages. The town covers a large -tract of ground, which is divided into long, broad, parallel streets, -with a large plaza in the middle; as though it had been expected that -a fine Utopian city would have sprung up. Alas! there is nothing fine -about it, and very little that is Utopian. - -Lingering near the hotel door, almost now in a state of despair, I -met him of the mild voice. "Yes; he had been waiting for three hours, -certainly," he mildly said, as I spurred my beast up to the door. -"Now that I was come it was all right; and on the whole he rather -liked waiting--that is, when it did not result in waiting for -nothing." And then we sat down to dinner at the Cartago hotel. - -This also was kept by a German, who after a little hesitation -confessed that he had come to the country as a filibuster. "You have -fallen on your legs pretty well," said I; for he had a comfortable -house, and gave us a decent dinner. "Yes," said he, rather dubiously; -"but when I came to Costa Rica I intended to do better than this." -He might, however, remember that not one in five hundred of them had -done so well. - -And then another guide had to be found, for it was clear that the one -I had brought with me was useless. And I had a visit to make; for my -friend lived with a widow lady, who would be grieved, he said, if I -passed through without seeing her. So I did call on her. I saw her -again on my return through Cartago, as I shall specify. - -With all these delays it was dark when we started. Our plan was to -ride up to an upland pasture farm at which visitors to the mountain -generally stop, to sleep there for a few hours, and then to start -between three and four so as to reach the top of the mountain by -sunrise. Now I perfectly well remember what I said with reference to -sunrises from mountain-tops on the occasion of that disastrous visit -to the Blue Mountain Peak in Jamaica; how I then swore that I would -never do another mountain sunrise, having always failed lamentably in -such attempts. I remember, and did remember this; and as far as the -sunrise was concerned would certainly have had nothing to do with the -Irazu at five o'clock, a.m. - -But the volcano and the crater made the matter very different. They -were my attractions; and as the mild voice suggested an early hour, -it would not have become me to have hesitated. "Start at four?" -"Certainly," I said. "The beds at the potrero"--such was the name -they gave the place at which we stopped--"will not be soft enough to -keep us sleeping." "No," said the mild voice, "they are not soft." -And so we proceeded. - -Our road was very rough, and very steep; and the night was very dark. -It was rough at first, and then it became slippery, which was worse. -I had no idea that earth could be so slippery. My mule, which was -a very fine one, fell under me repeatedly, being altogether unable -to keep her footing. On these occasions she usually scrambled up, -with me still on her back. Once, however, near the beginning of my -difficulties, I thought to relieve her; and to do so I got off her. -I soon found my mistake. I immediately slipped down on my hands and -knees, and found it impossible to stand on my feet. I did not sink -into the mud, but slipped off it--down, down, down, as if I were -going back to Cartago, all alone in the dark. It was with difficulty -that I again mounted my beast; but when there, there I remained let -her fall as she would. At eleven o'clock we reached the potrero. - -The house here was little more than a rancho or hut; one of those log -farm buildings which settlers make when they first clear the timber -from a part of their selected lots, intending to replace them in a -year or two by such tidy little houses; but so rarely fulfilling -their intentions. All through Costa Rica such ranchos are common. -On the coffee plantations and in the more highly-cultivated part of -the country, round the towns for instance, and along the road to -Punta-arenas, the farmers have a better class of residence. They -inhabit long, low-built houses, with tiled roofs and a ground floor -only, not at all unlike farmers' houses in Ireland, only that there -they are thatched or slated. Away from such patches of cultivation, -one seldom finds any house better than a log-built rancho. - -But the rancho had a door, and that door was fastened; so we knocked -and hallooed--"Dito," cried the guide; such being, I presume, the -familiar sobriquet of his friend within. "Dito," sang out my mild -friend with all his small energy of voice. "Dito," shouted I; and -I think that my voice was the one which wakened the sleepers within. - -We were soon admitted into the hut, and found that we were by no -means the first comers. As soon as a candle was lighted we saw that -there were four bedsteads in the room, and that two of them were -occupied. There were, however, two left for my friend and myself. And -it appeared also that the occupiers were friends of my friend. They -were German savants, one by profession an architect and the other a -doctor, who had come up into the woods looking for birds, beasts, -and botanical treasures, and had already been there some three or -four days. They were amply supplied with provisions, and immediately -offered us supper. The architect sat up in bed to welcome us, and -the doctor got up to clear the two spare beds of his trappings. - -There is a luck in these things. I remember once clambering to -the top of Scafell-Pike, in Cumberland--if it chance to be in -Westmoreland I beg the county's pardon. I expected nothing more than -men generally look for on the tops of mountains; but to my great -surprise I found a tent. I ventured to look in, and there I saw two -officers of the Engineers, friends of my own, sharpening their knives -preparatory to the dissection of a roast goose. And beside the goose -stood a bottle of brandy. Now I always looked on that as a direct -dispensation of Providence. Walking down the mountain that same -evening to Whitehaven, I stopped at a small public-house on the -side of Enerdale, and called for some whisky and water. The article -produced was not good, and so I said, appealing to an elderly -gentleman in black, who sat by the hobside, very contemplative. "Ah," -said he; "you can't get good drink in these parts, sir; I know that -so well that I generally bring a bottle of my own." I immediately -opened a warm conversation with that gentleman. He was a clergyman of -a neighbouring parish; and in a few minutes a magnum of port had made -its appearance out of a neighbouring cupboard. That I thought was -another dispensation of Providence. It was odd that they should have -come together; but the facts are as I state them. - -I did venture on a glass of brandy and water and a slight morsel -of bread and meat, and then I prepared to throw myself on the bed -immediately opposite to the doctor's. As I did so I saw something -move inside the doctor's bed. "My wife is there," said the doctor, -seeing the direction of my eyes. "Oh!" said I; and I at once became -very moderate in the slight change which I made in my toilet. - -We were to start at four, and at four precisely I woke. As my friend -had said, there was little to tempt me to sleep. The great drawback -to the comfort of these ranchos is the quantity of dirt which -continually falls out of the roof into one's eyes. Then the boards -are hard of course, and of course, also, they are infested with -vermin. They tell you indeed of scorpions and centipedes, of -preternatural wasps, and musquitos as big as young ostriches; but -I found none of these large-looming beasts of prey. Of beasts of a -smaller size I did find more than plenty. - -At four I was up, but my friend was very unwilling to stir. It was -long before I could induce the mild voice to make itself heard in any -way. At that time it was fine, but it was long before I could get the -muleteer. When I had done so, and he had thrown their grass to the -beasts, it began to rain--of course. "It rains like the d----" said -I, very crossly. "Does it?" said the mild voice from the bed. "I am -so sorry;" and in half a second he was again in the land of dreams. -The doctor snored; but from the furthest remote comer I could see the -eye of the doctor's wife looking out at me. - -It was between six and seven when we started. At that time it was -not raining, but the clouds looked as like rain as the Secretary of -Legation could have desired. And the two Germans were anything but -consolatory in their prophecies. "You'll not see a stick or a stone," -said the architect; "you'd better stop and breakfast with us." "It -is very dangerous to be wet in the mountains, very dangerous," said -the doctor. "It is a bad morning, certainly," pleaded the mild voice -piteously. The doctor's wife said nothing, but I could see her eyes -looking out at the weather. How on earth was she to get herself -dressed, it occurred to me then, if we should postpone our journey -and remain there? - -It ended in our starting just two hours after the prescribed time. -The road up from the potrero is very steep almost the whole way to -the summit, but it was not so muddy as that we had passed over on -the preceding evening. For some little way there were patches of -cultivation, the ground bearing sweet potatoes and Indian corn. Then -we came into a tract of beautiful forest scenery. The land, though -steep, was broken, and only partially covered with trees. The grass -in patches was as good as in an English park, and the views through -the open bits of the forest were very lovely. In four or five -different places we found the ground sufficiently open for all the -requirements of a picturesque country house, and no prettier site for -such a house could well be found. This was by far the finest scenery -that I had hitherto seen in Costa Rica; but even here there was a -want of water. In ascending the mountain we saw some magnificent -forest trees, generally of the kind called cotton-trees in Jamaica. -There were oaks also--so called there--very nearly approaching our -holm-oak in colour and foliage, but much larger than that tree is -with us. They were all more or less covered with parasite plants, and -those parasites certainly add greatly to the beauty of the supporting -trunk. - -By degrees we got into thick forest--forest I mean so thick that it -affords no views. You see and feel the trees that are close to you, -but see nothing else. And here the path became so steep that we were -obliged to dismount and let the beasts clamber up by themselves; and -the mist became very thick, so much so that we could hardly trace our -path; and then the guide said that he thought he had lost his way. - -"People often do come out and go back again without ever reaching the -crater at all, don't they?" said the mild voice. - -"Very often," said the guide. - -"But we won't be such people," said I. - -"Oh no!" said the mild voice. "Not if we can help it." - -"And we will help it. Allons; andiamos; vamos." - -The first word which an Englishman learns in any language is that -which signifies a determination to proceed. - -And we did proceed, turning now hither and now thither, groping about -in the mist, till at last the wood was all left behind us, and we -were out among long grass on a mountain-side. "And now," said the -guide, "unless the mist clears I can't say which way we ought to go." - -The words were hardly out of his mouth when the mist did clear itself -away altogether from one side of us. Looking down to the left, we -could see far away into the valleys beneath, over large forests, -and across a lower range of hills, till the eye could reach the -cultivated plateau below. But on the other side, looking up to a -mountain higher still than that on which we stood, all was not only -misty, but perfectly dark and inscrutable. - -The guide however now knew the spot. We were near the summit of -Irazu, and a further ride of a quarter of an hour took us there; -and indeed here there was no difficulty in riding. The side of the -hill was covered with grass, and not over steep. "There," said the -mild voice, pointing to a broad, bushy, stumpy tree, "there is the -place where Lady Ouseley breakfasted." And he looked at our modest -havresack. "And we will breakfast there too," I answered. "But we -will go down the crater first." - -"Oh, yes; certainly," said the mild voice. "But perhaps--I don't -know--I am not sure I can go exactly down into the crater." - -The crater of the volcano is not at the top of the mountain, or -rather it is not at what is now the top of the mountain; so that at -first one has to look down upon it. I doubt even whether the volcano -has ever effected the absolute summit. I may as well state here that -the height of the mountain on which we were now standing is supposed -to be 11,500 feet above the sea-level. - -Luckily for us, though the mist reached to us where we stood, -everything to the left of us was clear, and we could look down, down -into the crater as into a basin. Everything was clear, so that we -could count the different orifices, eight in number, of which two, -however, had almost run themselves into one; and see, as far as it -was possible to see, how the present formation of the volcano had -been brought about. - -It was as though a very large excavation had been made on the side -of a hill, commencing, indeed, not quite from the summit, but very -near it, and leaving a vast hole--not deep in proportion to its -surface--sloping down the mountain-side. This huge excavation, which -I take to be the extent of the crater, for it has evidently been -all formed by the irruption of volcanic matter, is divided into two -parts, a broken fragment of a mountain now lying between them; and -the smaller of these two has lost all volcanic appearance. It is a -good deal covered with bush and scrubby forest trees, and seems to -have no remaining connection with sulphur and brimstone. - -The other part, in which the crater now absolutely in use is -situated, is a large hollow in the mountain-side, which might perhaps -contain a farm of six hundred acres. Not having been able to measure -it, I know no other way of describing what appeared to me to be its -size. But a great portion of this again has lost all its volcanic -appendages; except, indeed, that lumps of lava are scattered over the -whole of it, as they are, though more sparingly, over the mountain -beyond. There is a ledge of rock running round the interior of this -division of the excavation, half-way down it, like a row of seats -in a Roman amphitheatre, or an excrescence, if one can fancy such, -half-way down a teacup. The ground above this ledge is of course more -extensive than that below, as the hollow narrows towards the bottom. -The present working mouth of the volcanic, and all those that have -been working for many a long year--the eight in number of which I -have spoken--lie at the bottom of this lowest hollow. This I should -say might contain a farm of about two hundred acres. - -Such was the form of the land on which we looked down. The descent -from the top to the ledge was easy enough, and was made by myself -and my friend with considerable rapidity. I started at a pace which -convinced him that I should break my neck, and he followed, gallantly -resolving to die with me. "You'll surely kill yourself, Mr. Trollope; -you surely will," said the mild voice. And yet he never deserted me. - -"Sir William got as far as this," said he, when we were on the ledge, -but he got no further. "We will do better than Sir William," said I. -"We will go down into that hole where we see the sulphur." "Into the -very hole?" "Yes. If we get to windward, I think we can get into the -very hole. Look at the huge column of white smoke; how it comes all -in this direction! On the other side of the crater we should not feel -it." - -The descent below the ledge into my smaller farm was not made so -easily. It must be understood that our guide was left above with the -mules. We should have brought two men, whereas we had only brought -one; and had therefore to perform our climbing unassisted. I at first -attempted it in a direct line, down from where we stood; but I soon -found this to be impracticable, and was forced to reascend. The earth -was so friable that it broke away from me at every motion that I -made; and after having gone down a few feet I was glad enough to find -myself again on the ledge. - -We then walked round considerably to the right, probably for more -than a quarter of a mile, and there a little spur in the hillside--a -buttress as it were to the ledge of which I have spoken--made the -descent much easier, and I again tried. - -"Do not you mind following me," I said to my companion, for I saw -that he looked much aghast. "None of Sir William's party went down -there," he answered. "Are you sure of that?" I asked. "Quite sure," -said the mild voice. "Then what a triumph we will have over Sir -William!" and so saying I proceeded. "I think I'll come too," said -the mild voice. "If I do break my neck nobody'll be much the worse;" -and he did follow me. - -There was nothing very difficult in the clambering, but, -unfortunately, just as we got to the bottom the mist came pouring -down upon us, and I could not but bethink me that I should find it -very difficult to make my way up again without seeing any of the -landmarks. I could still see all below me, but I could see nothing -that was above. It seemed as though the mist kept at our own level, -and that we dragged it with us. - -We were soon in one of the eight small craters or mouths of which I -have spoken. Looking at them from above, they seemed to be nearly on -a level, but it now appeared that one or two were considerably higher -than the others. We were now in the one that was the highest on that -side of the excavation. It was a shallow basin, or rather saucer, -perhaps sixty yards in diameter, the bottom of which was composed of -smooth light-coloured sandy clay. In dry weather it would partake -almost of the nature of sand. Many many years had certainly rolled by -since this mouth had been eloquent with brimstone. - -The place at this time was very cold. My friend had brought a large -shawl with him, with which over and over again he attempted to cover -my shoulders. I, having meditated much on the matter, had left my -cloak above. At the present moment I regretted it sorely; but, as -matters turned out, it would have half smothered me before our walk -was over. - -We had now nothing for it but to wait till the mist should go off. -There was but one open mouth to this mountain--one veritable crater -from which a column of smoke and sulphur did then actually issue, and -this, though the smell of the brimstone was already oppressive, was -at some little distance. Gradually the mist did go off, or rather -it shifted itself continually, now ascending far above us, and soon -returning to our feet. We then advanced between two other mouths, and -came to that which was nearest to the existing crater. - -Here the aperture was of a very different kind. Though no smoke -issued from it, and though there was a small tree growing at the -bottom of it,--showing, as I presume, that there had been no -eruption from thence since the seed of that tree had fallen to the -ground,--yet the sides of the crater were as sharp and steep as the -walls of a house. Into those which we had hitherto visited we could -walk easily; into this no one could descend even a single foot, -unless, indeed, he descended somewhat more than a foot so as to dash -himself to pieces at the bottom. They were, when compared together, -as the interior of a plate compared to that of a tea-caddy. Now a -traveller travelling in such realms would easily extricate himself -from the plate, but the depths of the tea-caddy would offer him no -hope. - -Having walked round this mute volcano, we ascended to the side of the -one which was now smoking, for the aperture to this was considerably -higher than that of the last one mentioned. As we were then situated, -the smoke was bearing towards us, and every moment it became more -oppressive; but I saw, or thought I saw, that we could skirt round to -the back of the crater, so as not to get its full volume upon us; and -so I proceeded, he of the mild voice mildly expostulating, but always -following me. - -But when we had ascended to the level of the hole the wind suddenly -shifted, and the column of smoke dispersing enveloped us altogether. -Had it come upon us in all its thickest mass I doubt whether it would -not have first stupefied and then choked us. As it was, we ran for -it, and succeeded in running out of it. It affected me, I think, more -powerfully than it did my companion, for he was the first to regain -his speech. "Sir William, at any rate, saw nothing like that," said -he, coughing triumphantly. - -I hope that I may never feel or smell anything like it again. This -smoke is emitted from the earth at the bottom of a deep hole very -similar to that above described. The sides of it all round are so -steep that it is impossible to make even an attempt to descend it. -By holding each other's hands we could look over into it one at -a time, and see the very jaws in the rock from which the stream of -sulphur ascends. It comes out quite yellow, almost a dark yellow, but -gradually blanches as it expands in its course. These jaws in the -rock are not in the centre of the bottom of the pit, but in a sharp -angle, as it were, so that the smoke comes up against one side or -wall, and that side is perfectly encrusted with the sulphur. It was -at the end of the orifice, exactly opposite to this, that we knelt -down and looked over. - -The smoke when it struck upon us, immediately above this wall, was -hot and thick and full of brimstone. The stench for a moment was very -bad; but the effect went off at once, as soon as we were out of it. - -The mild voice grasped my hand very tightly as he crept to the edge -and looked over. "Ah!" he said, rejoicing greatly, "Sir William never -saw that, nor any of his party; I am so glad I came again with you. -I wonder whether anybody ever was here before." Hundreds doubtless -have been, and thousands will be. Nine out of every ten men in -London, between the ages of fifteen and fifty, would think little of -the trouble and less of the danger of getting there; but I could not -interfere with the triumph of my friend, so I merely remarked that it -certainly was a very singular place. - -And then we had to reascend. It was now past eleven o'clock, and as -yet we had had no breakfast, for I cannot call that cup of coffee -which we took at starting a breakfast, even though the German -architect handed to each of us from out of his bed a hunch of beef -and a crust of bread. Luckily the air was clear for a while, so that -we could see what we were about, and we began to climb up on the side -opposite to that by which we had descended. - -And here I happened to mention that Miss Ouseley had commissioned -me to get two bits of lava, one smooth and the other -rough--unfortunately, for at once the mild voice declared that he had -found two morsels which would exactly suit the lady's taste. I looked -round, and, lo! there was my small friend with two huge stones, each -weighing about twenty pounds, which, on the side of the mountain, he -was endeavouring to pack under his arms. Now, the mountain here was -very steep and very friable; the burnt shingle slipped from under our -feet at every step; and, to make matters worse, we were climbing in a -slanting direction. - -"My dear fellow, it would kill you to carry those lumps to the top," -I said; "do not think of it." - -But he persevered. "There were no lumps of lava such as those," he -said, "to be found at the top. They were just what Miss Ouseley -wanted. He thought he would be able to manage with them. They were -not so very heavy, if only the ground did not slip so much." I said -what I could, but it was of no avail, and he followed me slowly with -his sore burden. - -I never knew the weather change with such rapidity. At this moment -the sun was bright and very hot, and I could hardly bear my coat on -my shoulders as I crept up that hill. How my little friend followed -with his shawl and the lava rocks I cannot conceive. But, to own -the truth, going down hill suits me better than going up. Years and -obesity tell upon the wind sooner than they do on the legs--so, at -least, it is with me. Now my mild friend hardly weighed fifteen -ounces, while I--! - -And then, when we were again on the ridge, it began to rain most -gloriously. Hitherto we had had mist, but this was a regular -down-pour of rain--such moisture as the Secretary of Legation had -been praying for ever since we started. Again and again the mild -voice offered me the shawl, which, when I refused it, he wrapped -round the lumps of lava, scorning to be drier than his companion. -From the summit to the ledge we had come down fast enough, but the -ascent was very different. I, at any rate, was very tired, and my -friend was by no means as fresh as he had been. We were both in want -of food, and our clothes were heavy with wet. He also still carried -his lumps of lava. - -At last, all raining as it was, I sat down. How far we might still -be from the top I could not see; but be it far or be it near, nature -required rest. I threw myself on the ground, and the mild voice not -unwillingly crouched down close to me. "Now we can both have the -shawl," said he, and he put it over our joint shoulders; that is, he -put the shawl on mine while the fringe hung over his own. In half a -minute we were both asleep, almost in each other's arms. - -Men when they sleep thus on a mountain-side in the rain do not -usually sleep long. Forty winks is generally acknowledged. Our nap -may have amounted to eighty each, but I doubt whether it was more. We -started together, rubbed our eyes, jumped to our feet, and prepared -ourselves for work. But, alas! where was the lava? - -My impression is that in my sleep I must have kicked the stones and -sent them rolling. At any rate, they were gone. Dark and wet as it -was, we both went down a yard or two, but it was in vain; nothing -could be seen of them. The mild voice handed me the shawl, preparing -to descend in their search; but this was too much. "You will only -lose yourself," said I, laying hold of him, "and I shall have to -look for your bones. Besides, I want my breakfast! We will get other -specimens above." - -"And perhaps they will be just as good," said he, cheerfully, when he -found that he would not be allowed to have his way. - -"Every bit," said I. And so we trudged on, and at last reached our -mules. From this point men see, or think that they see, the two -oceans--the Atlantic and the Pacific--and this sight to many is one -of the main objects of the ascent. We saw neither the one ocean nor -the other. - -We got back to the potrero about three, and found our German friends -just sitting down to dinner. The architect was seated on his bed on -one side of the table arranging the viands, while the doctor on the -other scooped out the brains of a strange bird with a penknife. The -latter operation he performed with a view of stuffing, not himself, -but the animal. They pressed us to dine with them before we started, -and we did so, though I must confess that the doctor's occupation -rather set me against my food. "If it be not done at once," said he, -apologizing, "it can't he done well;" and he scraped, and scraped, -and wiped his knife against the edge of the little table on which -the dishes were placed. What had become of the doctor's wife I do -not know, but she was not at the potrero when we dined there. - -It was evening when we got into Cartago, and very tired we were. -My mind, however, was made up to go on to San Jose that night, and -ultimately I did so; but before starting, I was bound to repeat my -visit to the English lady with whom my mild friend lived. Mrs. X---- -was, and I suppose is, the only Englishwoman living in Cartago, and -with that sudden intimacy which springs up with more than tropical -celerity in such places, she told me the singular history of her -married life. - -The reader would not care that I should repeat it at length, for it -would make this chapter too long. Her husband had been engaged in -mining operations, and she had come out to Guatemala with him in -search of gold. From thence, after a period of partial success, he -was enticed away into Costa Rica. Some speculation there, in which he -or his partners were concerned, promised better than that other one -in Guatemala, and he went, leaving his young wife and children behind -him. Of course he was to return very soon, and of course he did not -return at all. Mrs. X---- was left with her children searching for -gold herself. "Every evening," she said, "I saw the earth washed -myself, and took up with me to the house the gold that was found." -What an occupation for a young Englishwoman, the mother of three -children! At this time she spoke no Spanish, and had no one with her -who spoke English. - -And then tidings came from her husband that he could not come to -her, and she made up her mind to go to him. She had no money, the -gold-washing having failed; her children were without shoes to their -feet; she had no female companion; she had no attendant but one -native man; and yet, starting from the middle of Guatemala, she made -her way to the coast, and thence by ship to Costa Rica. - -After that her husband became engaged in what, in those countries, -is called "transit." Now "transit" means the privilege of making -money by transporting Americans of the United States over the -isthmus to and from California, and in most hands has led to fraud, -filibustering, ruin, and destruction. Mr. X----, like many others, -was taken in, and according to his widow's account, the matter ended -in a deputation being sent, from New York I think, to murder him. He -was struck with a life-preserver in the streets of San Jose, never -fully recovered from the blow, and then died. - -He had become possessed of a small estate in the neighbourhood of -Cartago, on the proceeds of which the widow was now living. "And will -you not return home?" I said. "Yes; when I have got my rights. Look -here--" and she brought down a ledger, showing me that she had all -manner of claims to all manner of shares in all manner of mines. -"Aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm!" As regards her, it certainly -would have been so. - -For a coined sovereign, or five-dollar piece, I have the most -profound respect. It is about the most faithful servant that a man -can have in his employment, and should be held as by no means subject -to those scurrilous attacks which a pharisaically moral world so -often levels at its head. But of all objects of a man's ambition, -uncoined gold, gold to be collected in sand, or picked up in nuggets, -or washed out of earth, is, to my thinking, the most delusive and -most dangerous! Who knows, or has known, or ever seen, any man that -has returned happy from the diggings, and now sits contented under -his own fig-tree? - -My friend Mrs. X---- was still hankering after the flesh-pots of -Egypt, the hidden gold of the Central American mountains. She slapped -her hands loudly together, for she was a woman of much energy, and -declared that she would have her rights. When she had gotten her -rights she would go home. Alas! alas! poor lady! - -"And you," said I, to the mild voice, "will not you return?" - -"I suppose so," said he, "when Mrs. X---- goes;" and he looked up to -the widow as though confessing that he was bound to her service, and -would not leave her; not that I think they had the slightest idea of -joining their lots together as men and women do. He was too mild for -that. - -I did ride back to San Jose that night, and a most frightful journey -I had of it. I resumed, of course, my speechless, useless, dolt of -a guide--the man whom the Secretary of Legation had selected for me -before I started. Again I put my spur on his foot, and endeavoured to -spirit him up to ride before me, so that I might know my way in the -dark; but it was in vain; nothing would move him out of a walk, and -I was obliged to leave him. - -And then it became frightfully dark--pitch dark as men say--dark so -that I could not see my mule's ears. I had nothing for it but to -trust to her; and soon found, by being taken down into the deep bed -of a river and through deep water, that we had left the road by which -I had before travelled. The beast did not live in San Jose I knew, -and I looked to be carried to some country rancho at which she would -be at home. But in a time sufficiently short, I found myself in San -Jose. The creature had known a shorter cut than that usually taken. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--SAN JOSE TO GREYTOWN. - - -My purpose was to go right through Central America, from ocean to -ocean, and to accomplish this it was necessary that I should now -make my way down to the mouth of the San Juan river--to San Juan del -Norte as it was formerly called, or Greytown, as it is now named by -the English. This road, I was informed by all of whom I inquired, -was very bad,--so bad as to be all but impracticable to English -travellers. - -And then, just at that moment, an event occurred which added greatly -to the ill name of this route. A few days before I reached San Jose, -a gentleman resident there had started for England with his wife, -and they had decided upon going by the San Juan. It seems that the -lady had reached San Jose, as all people do reach it, by Panama and -Punta-arenas, and had suffered on the route. At any rate, she had -taken a dislike to it, and had resolved on returning by the San Juan -and the Serapiqui rivers, a route which is called the Serapiqui road. - -To do this it is necessary for the traveller to ride on mules for -four, five, or six days, according to his or her capability. The -Serapiqui river is then reached, and from that point the further -journey is made in canoes down the Serapiqui river till it falls into -the San Juan, and then down that river to Greytown. - -This gentleman with his wife reached the Serapiqui in safety; though -it seems that she suffered greatly on the road. But when once there, -as she herself said, all her troubles were over. That weary work of -supporting herself on her mule, through mud and thorns and thick -bushes, of scrambling over precipices and through rivers, was done. -She had been very despondent, even from before the time of her -starting; but now, she said, she believed that she should live to see -her mother again. She was seated in the narrow canoe, among cloaks -and cushions, with her husband close to her, and the boat was pushed -into the stream. Almost in a moment, within two minutes of starting, -not a hundred yards from the place where she had last trod, the canoe -struck against a snag or upturned fragment of a tree and was overset. -The lady was borne by the stream among the entangled branches of -timber which clogged the river, and when her body was found life had -been long extinct. - -This had happened on the very day that I reached San Jose, and the -news arrived two or three days afterwards. The wretched husband, too, -made his way back to the town, finding himself unable to go on upon -his journey alone, with such a burden on his back. What could he -have said to his young wife's mother when she came to meet him at -Southampton, expecting to throw her arms round her daughter? - -I was again lucky in having a companion for my journey. A young -lieutenant of the navy, Fitzm---- by name, whose vessel was lying at -Greytown, had made his way up to San Jose on a visit to the Ouseleys, -and was to return at the same time that I went down. He had indeed -travelled up with the bereaved man who had lost his wife, having read -the funeral service over the poor woman's grave on the lonely shores -of the Serapiqui. The road, he acknowledged, was bad, too bad, he -thought, for any female; but not more than sufficiently so to make -proper excitement for a man. He, at any rate, had come over it -safely; but then he was twenty-four, and I forty-four; and so we -started together from San Jose, a crowd of friends accompanying us -for the first mile or two. There was that Secretary of Legation -prophesying that we should be smothered in the mud; there was the -Consul and the Consul's brother; nor was female beauty wanting to -wish us well on our road, and maybe to fling an old shoe after us for -luck as we went upon our journey. - -We took four mules, that was one each for ourselves, and two for our -baggage; we had two guides or muleteers, according to bargain, both -of whom travelled on foot. The understanding was, that one mule -lightly laden with provisions and a pair of slippers and tooth-brush -should accompany us, one man also going with us; but that the -heavy-laden mule should come along after us at its own pace. Things, -however, did not so turn out: on the first day both the men and both -the mules lagged behind, and on one occasion we were obliged to -wait above an hour for them; but after that we all kept in a string -together, having picked up a third muleteer somewhere on the road. -We had also with us a distressed British subject, who was intrusted -to my tender mercies by the Consul at San Jose. He was not a good -sample of a Britisher; he had been a gold-finder in California, -then a filibuster, after that a teacher of the piano in the country -part of Costa Rica, and lastly an omnibus driver. He was to act as -interpreter for us, which, however, he did not do with much honesty -or zeal. - -Our road at first lay through the towns of Aredia and Barba, the -former of which is a pleasant-looking little village, where, however, -we found great difficulty in getting anything to drink. Up to this, -and for a few leagues further, the road was very fair, and the land -on each side of us was cultivated. We had started at eight a.m., and -at about three in the afternoon there seemed to be great doubt as to -where we should stop. The leading muleteer wished to take us to a -house of a friend of his own, whereas the lieutenant and I resolved -that the day's work had not been long enough. I take it that on the -whole we were right, and the man gave in with sufficient good humour; -but it ended in our passing the night in a miserable rancho. That at -the potrero, on the road to the volcanic mountain, had been a palace -to it. - -And here we got into the forest; we had hitherto been ascending the -whole way from San Jose, and had by degrees lost all appearance of -tillage. Still, however, there had been open spaces here and there -cleared for cattle, and we had not as yet found ourselves absolutely -enveloped by woods. This rancho was called Buena-vista; and certainly -the view from it was very pretty. It was pretty and extensive, as I -have seen views in Baden and parts of Bavaria; but again there was -nothing about which I could rave. - -I shall not readily forget the night in that rancho. We were, I -presume, between seven and eight thousand feet above the sea-level; -and at night, or rather early in the morning, the cold was very -severe. Fitzm---- and I shared the same bed; that is, we lay on the -same boards, and did what we could to cover ourselves with the same -blankets. In that country men commonly ride upon blankets, having -them strapped over the saddles as pillions, and we had come so -provided; but before the morning was over I heartily wished for a -double allowance. - -We had brought with us a wallet of provisions, certainly not too -well arranged by Sir William Ouseley's most reprehensible butler. -Travellers should never trust to butlers. Our piece de resistance -was a ham, and lo! it turned out to be a bad one. When the truth of -this fact first dawned upon us it was in both our minds to go back -and slay that butler: but there was still a piece of beef and some -chickens, and there had been a few dozen of hard-boiled eggs. But -Fitzm---- would amuse himself with eating these all along the road: -I always found when the ordinary feeding time came that they had not -had the slightest effect upon his appetite. - -On the next morning we again ascended for about a couple of leagues, -and as long as we did so the road was still good; the surface was -hard, and the track was broad, and a horseman could wish nothing -better. And then we reached the summit of the ridge over which we -were passing; this we did at a place called Desenganos, and from -thence we looked down into vast valleys all running towards the -Atlantic. Hitherto the fall of water had been into the Pacific. - -At this place we found a vast shed, with numberless bins and troughs -lying under it in great confusion. The facts, as far as I could -learn, were thus: Up to this point the government, that is Don Juan -Mora, or perhaps his predecessor, had succeeded in making a road -fit for the transit of mule carts. This shed had also been built to -afford shelter for the postmen and accommodation for the muleteers. -But here Don Juan's efforts had been stopped; money probably had -failed; and the great remainder of the undertaking will, I fear, be -left undone for many a long year. - -And yet this, or some other road from the valley of San Jose to the -Atlantic, would be the natural outlet of the country. At present -the coffee grown in the central high lands is carried down to -Punta-arenas on the Pacific, although it must cross the Atlantic to -reach its market; consequently, it is either taken round the Horn, -and its sale thus delayed for months, or it is transported across the -isthmus by railway, at an enormous cost. They say there is a point -at which the Atlantic may be reached more easily than by the present -route of the Serapiqui river; nothing, however, has as yet been -done in the matter. To make a road fit even for mule carts, by the -course of the present track, would certainly be a work of enormous -difficulty. - -And now our vexations commenced. We found that the path very soon -narrowed, so much so that it was with difficulty we could keep our -hats on our heads; and then the surface of the path became softer and -softer, till our beasts were up to their knees in mud. All motion -quicker than that of a walk became impossible; and even at this -pace the struggles in the mud were both frequent and uncomfortable. -Hitherto we had talked fluently enough, but now we became very -silent; we went on following, each at the other's tail, floundering -in the mud, silent, filthy, and down in the mouth. - -"I tell you what it is," said Fitzm---- at last, stopping on the -road, for he had led the van, "I can't go any further without -breakfast." We referred the matter to the guide, and found that -Careblanco, the place appointed for our next stage, was still two -hours distant. - -"Two hours! Why, half an hour since you said it was only a league!" -But what is the use of expostulating with a man who can't speak a -word of English? - -So we got off our mules, and draped out our wallet among the bushes. -Our hard-boiled eggs were all gone, and it seemed as though the -travelling did not add fresh delights to the cold beef; so we -devoured another fowl, and washed it down with brandy and water. - -As we were so engaged three men passed us with heavy burdens on their -backs. They were tall, thin, muscular fellows, with bare legs, and -linen clothes,--one of them apparently of nearly pure Indian blood. -It was clear that the loads they carried were very weighty. They were -borne high up on the back, and suspended by a band from the forehead, -so that a great portion of the weight must have fallen on the muscles -of the neck. This was the post; and as they had left San Jose some -eight hours after us, and had come by a longer route, so as to take -in another town, they must have travelled at a very fast pace. It was -our object to go down the Serapiqui river in the same boat with the -post. We had some doubt whether we should be able to get any other, -seeing that the owner of one such canoe had been drowned, I believe -in an endeavour to save the unfortunate lady of whom I have spoken; -and any boat taken separately would be much more expensive. - -So, as quick as might be, we tied up our fragments and proceeded. It -was after this that I really learned how all-powerful is the force of -mud. We came at last to a track that was divided crossways by ridges, -somewhat like the ridges of ploughed ground. Each ridge was perhaps a -foot and a half broad, and the mules invariably stepped between them, -not on them. Stepping on them they could not have held their feet. -Stepping between them they came at each step with their belly to -the ground, so that the rider's feet and legs were trailing in the -mud. The struggles of the poor brutes were dreadful. It seemed to me -frequently impossible that my beast should extricate himself, laden -as he was. But still he went on patiently, slowly, and continuously; -splash, splash; slosh, slosh! Every muscle of his body was working; -and every muscle of my body was working also. - -For it is not very easy to sit upon a mule under such circumstances. -The bushes were so close upon me that one hand was required to guard -my face from the thorns; my knees were constantly in contact with the -stumps of trees, and when my knees were free from such difficulties, -my shins were sure to be in the wars. Then the poor animal rolled -so from side to side in his incredible struggles with the mud that -it was frequently necessary to hold myself on by the pommel of the -saddle. Added to this, it was essentially necessary to keep some sort -of guide upon the creature's steps, or one's legs would be absolutely -broken. For the mule cares for himself only, and not for his rider. -It is nothing to him if a man's knees be put out of joint against the -stump of a tree. - -Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! on we went in this way for hours, -almost without speaking. On such occasions one is apt to become -mentally cross, to feel that the world is too hard for one, that -one's own especial troubles are much worse than those of one's -neighbours, and that those neighbours are unfairly favoured. I could -not help thinking it very unjust that I should be fifteen stone, -while Fitzm---- was only eight. And as for that distressed Britisher, -he weighed nothing at all. - -Splash, splash, slosh, slosh! we were at it all day. At -Careblanco--the place of the _white-faced pigs_ I understood it to -mean;--they say that there is a race of wild hogs with white faces -which inhabit the woods hereabouts--we overtook the post, and kept -close to them afterwards. This was a pasture farm in the very middle -of the forest, a bit of cleared land on which some adventurer had -settled himself and dared to live. The adventurer himself was not -there, but he had a very pretty wife, with whom my friend the -lieutenant seemed to have contracted an intimate acquaintance on his -previous journey up to San Jose. - -But at Careblanco we only stopped two minutes, during which, however, -it became necessary that the lieutenant should go into the rancho -on the matter of some article of clothes which had been left behind -on his previous journey; and then, again, on we went, slosh, slosh, -splash, splash! My shins by this time were black and blue, and I held -myself on to my mule chiefly by my spurs. Our way was still through -dense forest, and was always either up or down hill. And here we came -across the grandest scenery that I met with in the western world; -scenery which would admit of raving, if it were given to me to rave -on such a subject. - -We were travelling for the most part along the side of a volcanic -mountain, and every now and then the declivity would become so steep -as to give us a full view down into the ravine below, with the -prospect of the grand, steep, wooded hill on the other side, one huge -forest stretching up the mountain for miles. At the bottom of the -ravine one's eye would just catch a river, looking like a moving -thread of silver wire. And yet, though the descent was so great, -there would be no interruption to it. Looking down over the thick -forest trees which grew almost from the side of a precipice, the eye -would reach the river some thousand feet below, and then ascend on -the other side over a like unbroken expanse of foliage. - -Of course we both declared that we had never seen anything to equal -it. In moments of ecstasy one always does so declare. But there was -a monotony about it, and a want of grouping which forbids me to place -it on an equality with scenery really of the highest kind, with the -mountains, for instance, round Colico, with the head of the Lake -of the Four Cantons, or even with the views of the upper waters of -Killarney. - -And then, to speak the truth, we were too much engulfed in mud, too -thoughtful as to the troubles of the road, to enjoy it thoroughly. -"Wonderful that; isn't it?" "Yes, very wonderful; fine break; for -heaven's sake do get on." That is the tone which men are apt to adopt -under such circumstances. Five or six pounds of thick mud clinging -round one's boots and inside one's trousers do not add to one's -enjoyment of scenery. - -Mud, mud; mud, mud! At about five o'clock we splashed into another -pasture farm in the middle of the forest, a place called San Miguel, -and there we rested for that night. Here we found that our beef also -must be thrown away, and that our bread was all gone. We had picked -up some more hard-boiled eggs at ranchos on the road, but hard-boiled -eggs to my companion were no more than grains of gravel to a -barn-door fowl; they merely enabled him to enjoy his regular diet. At -this place, however, we were able to purchase fowls--skinny old hens -which were shot for us at a moment's warning. The price being, here -and elsewhere along the road, a dollar a head. Tea and candles a -ministering angel had given to me at the moment of my departure -from San Jose. But for them we should have indeed been comfortless, -thirsty, and in utter darkness. Towards evening a man gets tired -of brandy and water, when he has been drinking it since six in the -morning. - -Our washing was done under great difficulties, as in these districts -neither nature nor art seems to have provided for such emergencies. -In this place I got my head into a tin pot, and could hardly -extricate it. But even inside the houses and ranchos everything -seemed to turn into mud. The floor beneath one's feet became mud with -the splashing of the water. The boards were begrimed with mud. We -were offered coffee that was mud to the taste and touch. I felt that -the blood in my veins was becoming muddy. - -And then we had another day exactly like the former, except that the -ground was less steep, and the vistas of scenery less grand. The -weather also was warmer, seeing that we were now on lower ground. -Monkeys chattered on the trees around us, and the little congo ape -roared like a lion. Macaws flew about, generally in pairs; and we saw -white turkeys on the trees. Up on the higher forests we had seen none -of these animals. - -There are wild hogs also in these woods, and ounces. The ounce here -is, I believe, properly styled the puma, though the people always -call them lions. They grow to about the size of a Newfoundland dog. -The wild cat also is common here, the people styling them tigers. The -xagua is, I take it, their proper name. None of these animals will, I -believe, attack a man unless provoked or pressed in pursuit; and not -even then if a way of escape be open to him. - -We again breakfasted at a forest clearing, paying a dollar each for -tough old hens, and in the evening we came to a cacao plantation in -the middle of the forest which had been laid out and settled by an -American of the United States residing in Central America. This place -is not far from the Serapiqui river, and is called Padregal. It was -here that the young lieutenant had read the funeral service over the -body of that unfortunate lady. - -I went with him to visit the grave. It was a spot in the middle of a -grass enclosure, fenced off rudely so as to guard it from beasts of -prey. The funeral had taken place after dusk. It had been attended by -some twelve or fourteen Costa Rican soldiers who are kept in a fort -a little below, on the banks of the Serapiqui. Each of these men had -held a torch. The husband was there, and another Englishman who was -travelling with him; as was also, I believe, the proprietor of the -place. So attended, the body of the Englishwoman was committed to its -strange grave in a strange country. - -Here we picked up another man, an American, who also had been looking -for gold, and perhaps doing a turn as a filibuster. Him too the world -had used badly, and he was about to return with all his golden dreams -unaccomplished. - -We had one more stage down to the spot at which we were to embark -in the canoe--the spot at which the lady had been drowned--and this -one we accomplished early in the morning. This place is called the -Muelle, and here there is a fort with a commandant and a small -company of soldiers. The business of the commandant is to let no -one up or down the river without a passport; and as a passport -cannot be procured anywhere nearer than San Jose, here may arise -a great difficulty to travellers. We were duly provided, but our -recently-picked-up American friend was not; and he was simply told -that he would not be allowed to get into a boat on the river. - -"I never seed such a d----d country in my life," said the American. -"They would not let me leave San Jose till I paid every shilling -I owed; and now that I have paid, I ain't no better off. I wish -I hadn't paid a d----d cent." - -I advised him to try what some further operation in the way of -payment would do, and with this view he retired with the commandant. -In a minute or two they both returned, and the commandant said he -would look at his instructions again. He did so, and declared that -he now found it was compatible with his public duty to allow the -American to pass. "But I shall not have a cent left to take me home," -said the American to me. He was not a smart man, though he talked -smart. For when the moment of departure came all the places in the -boat were taken, and we left him standing on the shore. "Well, I'm -darned!" he said; and we neither heard nor saw more of him. - -That passage down the Serapiqui was not without interest, though it -was somewhat monotonous. Here, for the first time in my life, I found -my bulk and size to be of advantage to me. In the after part of the -canoe sat the master boatman, the captain of the expedition, steering -with a paddle. Then came the mails and our luggage, and next to them -I sat, having a seat to myself, being too weighty to share a bench -with a neighbour. I therefore could lean back among the luggage; and -with a cigar in my mouth, with a little wooden bicher of weak brandy -and water beside me, I found that the position had its charms. - -On the next thwart sat, cheek by jowl, the lieutenant and the -distressed Britisher. Unfortunately they had nothing on which to -lean, and I sincerely pitied my friend, who, I fear, did not enjoy -his position. But what could I do? Any change in our arrangements -would have upset the canoe. And then close in the bow of the boat sat -the two natives paddling; and they did paddle without cessation all -that day, and all the next till we reached Greytown. - -The Serapiqui is a fine river; very rapid, but not so much so as to -make it dangerous, if care be taken to avoid the snags. There is not -a house or hut on either side of it; but the forest comes down to the -very brink. Up in the huge trees the monkeys hung jabbering, shaking -their ugly heads at the boat as it went down, or screaming in anger -at this invasion of their territories. The macaws flew high over -head, making their own music, and then there was the constant little -splash of the paddle in the water. The boatmen spoke no word, but -worked on always, pausing now and again for a moment to drink out of -the hollow of their hands. And the sun became hotter and hotter as we -neared the sea; and the musquitoes began to bite; and cigars were lit -with greater frequency. 'Tis thus that one goes down the waters of -the Serapiqui. - -About three we got into the San Juan. This is the river by which the -great lake of Nicaragua empties itself into the sea; which has been -the channel used by the transit companies who have passed from ocean -to ocean through Nicaragua; which has been so violently interfered -with by filibusters, till all such transit has been banished from its -waters; and which has now been selected by M. Belly as the course for -his impossible canal. It has seen dreadful scenes of cruelty, wrong, -and bloodshed. Now it runs along peaceably enough, in its broad, -shallow, swift course, bearing on its margin here and there the -rancho and provision-ground of some wild settler who has sought to -overcome - - "The whips and scorns of time-- - The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely," - -by looking for bread and shelter on those sad, sunburnt, and solitary -banks. - -We landed at one such place to dine, and at another to sleep, -selecting in each place some better class of habitation. At neither -place did we find the owner there, but persons left in charge of the -place. At the first the man was a German; a singularly handsome and -dirty individual, who never shaved or washed himself, and lived -there, ever alone, on bananas and musk-melons. He gave us fruit to -take into the boat with us, and when we parted we shook hands with -him. Out here every one always does shake hands with every one. But -as I did so I tendered him a dollar. He had waited upon us, bringing -water and plates; he had gathered fruit for us; and he was, after -all, no more than the servant of the river squatter. But he let the -dollar fall to the ground, and that with some anger in his face. The -sum was made up of the small silver change of the country, and I felt -rather little as I stooped under the hot sun to pick it up from out -the mud of the garden. Better that than seem to leave it there in -anger. It is often hard for a traveller to know when he is wished to -pay, and when he is wished not to pay. A poorer-looking individual -in raiment and position than that German I have seldom seen; but he -despised my dollar as though it had been dirt. - -We slept at the house of a Greytown merchant, who had maintained an -establishment up the river, originally with the view of supplying -the wants of the American travellers passing in transit across the -isthmus. The flat-bottom steamers which did some five or six years -since ply upon the river used to take in wood here and stop for the -night. And the passengers were wont to come on shore, and call for -rum and brandy; and in this way much money was made. Till after a -time filibusters came instead of passengers; men who took all the -wood that they could find there--hundreds of dollars' worth of sawn -wood, and brandy also--took it away with them, saying that they would -give compensation when they were established in the country, but made -no present payment. And then it became tolerably clear that the time -for making money in that locality had passed away. - -They came in great numbers on one such occasion, and stripped away -everything they could find. Sawn wood for their steam-boilers was -especially desirable, and they took all that had been prepared for -the usual wants of the river. Having helped themselves to this, and -such other chattels as were at the moment needed and at hand, they -went on their way, grimly rejoicing. On the following day most of -them returned; some without arms, some without legs, some even -without heads; a wretched, wounded, mutilated, sore-struck body of -filibusters. The boiler of their large steamer had burst, scattering -destruction far and near. It was current among the filibusters that -the logs of wood had been laden with gunpowder in order to effect -this damage. It is more probable, that being filibusters, rough -and ready as the phrase goes, they had not duly looked to their -engineering properties. At any rate, they all returned. On the whole, -these filibusters have suffered dire punishment for their sins. - -At any rate, the merchant under whose roof we slept received no -payment for his wood. Here we found two men living, not in such -squalid misery as that independent German, but nevertheless -sufficiently isolated from the world. One was an old Swedish sailor, -who seemed to speak every language under the sun, and to have been in -every portion of the globe, whether under the sun or otherwise. At -any rate, we could not induce him to own to not having been in any -place. Timbuctoo; yes, indeed, he had unfortunately been a captive -there for three years. At Mecca he had passed as an Arab among the -Arabs, having made the great pilgrimage in company with many children -of Mahomet, wearing the green turban as a veritable child of Mahomet -himself. Portsmouth he knew well, having had many a row about the -Head. We could not catch him tripping, though we put him through his -facings to the best of our joint geographical knowledge. At present -he was a poor gardener on the San Juan river, having begun life as a -lieutenant in the Swedish navy. _He_ had seen too much of the world -to refuse the dollar which was offered to him. - -On the next morning we reached Greytown, following the San Juan river -down to that pleasant place. There is another passage out to the sea -by the Colorado, a branch river which, striking out from the San -Juan, runs into the ocean by a shorter channel. This also has been -thought of as a course for the projected canal, preferable to that -of the San Juan. I believe them to be equally impracticable. The San -Juan river itself is so shallow that we were frequently on the ground -even in our light canoe. - -And what shall I say of Greytown? We have a Consul-General there, -or at least had one when these pages were written; a Consul-General -whose duty it is, or was, to have under his special care the King -of Mosquitia--as some people are pleased to call this coast--of -the Mosquito coast as it is generally styled. Bluefields, further -along the coast, is the chosen residence of this sable tyrant; but -Greytown is the capital of his dominions. Now it is believed that, in -deference to the feelings of the United States, and to the American -reading of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and in deference, I may add, -to a very sensible consideration that the matter is of no possible -moment to ourselves, the protectorate of the Mosquito coast is to be -abandoned. What the king will do I cannot imagine; but it will be -a happy day I should think for our Consul when he is removed from -Greytown. Of all the places in which I have ever put my foot, I -think that is the most wretched. It is a small town, perhaps of two -thousand inhabitants, though this on my part is a mere guess, at the -mouth of the San Juan, and surrounded on every side either by water -or impassable forests. A walk of a mile in any direction would be -impossible, unless along the beach of the sea; but this is of less -importance, as the continual heat would prevent any one from thinking -of such exercise. Sundry Americans live here, worshipping the -almighty dollar as Americans do, keeping liquor shops and warehouses; -and with the Americans, sundry Englishmen and sundry Germans. Of the -female population I saw nothing except some negro women, and one -white, or rather red-faced owner of a rum shop. The native population -are the Mosquito Indians; but it seems that they are hardly allowed -to live in Greytown. They are to be seen paddling about in their -canoes, selling a few eggs and chickens, catching turtle, and -not rarely getting drunk. They would seem from their colour and -physiognomy to be a cross between the negro and the Indian; and such -I imagine to be the case. They have a language of their own, but -those on the coast almost always speak English also. - -My gallant young friend, Fitzm----, was in command of a small -schooner inside the harbour of Greytown. As the accommodation of the -city itself was not inviting, I gladly took up my quarters under his -flag until the English packet, which was then hourly expected, should -be ready to carry me to Colon and St. Thomas. I can only say that -if I was commander of that schooner I would lie outside the harbour, -so as to be beyond the ill-usage of those frightful musquitoes. The -country has been well named Mosquitia. - -There was an American man-of-war and also an English -man-of-war--sloops-of-war both I believe technically--lying off -Greytown; and we dined on board them both, on two consecutive days. -Of the American I will say, speaking in their praise, that I never -ate such bacon and peas. It may be that the old hens up the Serapiqui -river had rendered me peculiarly susceptible to such delights; but -nevertheless, I shall always think that there was something peculiar -about the bacon and peas on board the American sloop-of-war 'St. -Louis.' - -And on the second day the steamer came in; the 'Trent,' Captain Moir; -we then dined on board of her, and on the same night she sailed for -Colon. And when shall I see that gallant young lieutenant again? -Putting aside his unjust, and I must say miraculous consumption -of hard-boiled eggs, I could hardly wish for a better travelling -companion. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -CENTRAL AMERICA--RAILWAYS, CANALS, AND TRANSIT. - - -How best to get about this world which God has given us is certainly -one of the most interesting subjects which men have to consider, and -one of the most interesting works on which men can employ themselves. - -The child when born is first suckled, then fed with a spoon; in -his next stage, his food is cut up for him, and he begins to help -himself; for some years after that it is still carved under parental -authority; and then at last he sits down to the full enjoyment of his -own leg of mutton, under his own auspices. - -Our development in travelling has been much of the same sort, and we -are now perhaps beginning to use our own knife and fork, though we -hardly yet understand the science of carving; or at any rate, can -hardly bring our hands to the duly dexterous use of the necessary -tools. - -We have at least got so far as this, that we perceive that the leg -of mutton is to be cooked and carved. We are not to eat hunks of raw -sheep cut off here and there. The meat to suit our palates should -be put on a plate in the guise of a cleanly slice, cut to a certain -thickness, and not exceeding a certain size. - -And we have also got so far as this, that we know that the world must -be traversed by certain routes, prepared for us originally not by -ourselves, but by the hand of God. We were great heroes when we first -got round the Cape of Good Hope, when we first crossed the Atlantic, -when we first doubled Cape Horn. We were then learning to pick up our -crumbs with our earliest knives and forks, and there was considerable -peril in the attempt. We have got beyond that now, and have perceived -that we may traverse the world without going round it. The road from -Europe to Asia is by Egypt and the Isthmus of Suez, not by the Cape -of Good Hope. So also is the road from Europe to the West of America, -and from the east of America to Asia by the isthmus of Central -America, and not by Cape Horn. - -We have found out this, and have, I presume, found out also that -this was all laid out for us by the hands of the Creator,--prepared -exactly as the sheep have been prepared. It has been only necessary -that we should learn to use the good things given us. - -That there are reasons why the way should not have been made -absolutely open we may well suppose, though we cannot perhaps at -present well understand. How currents of the sea might have run so -as to have impeded rather than have assisted navigation, had the -two Americas been disjoined; how pernicious winds might have blown, -and injurious waters have flowed, had the Red Sea opened into the -Mediterranean, we may imagine, though we cannot know. That the -world's surface, as formed by God, is best for God's purposes, and -therefore certainly best for man's purposes, that most of us must -believe. - -But it is for us to carve the good things which are put before us, -and to find out the best way in which they may be carved. We may, -perhaps, fairly think that we have done much towards acquiring this -knowledge, but we certainly know that there is more yet to be done. -We have lines of railways from London to Manchester; from Calais -across France and all the Germanies to Eastern Europe; from the -coast of Maine, through the Canadas, to the central territories -of the United States; but there are no lines yet from New York to -California, nor from the coast of the Levant to Bombay and Calcutta. - -But perhaps the two greatest points which are at this moment being -mooted, with reference to the carriage about the world of mankind and -man's goods, concern the mode in which we may most advantageously -pass across the isthmuses of Suez and Panama. These are the two land -obstacles in the way of navigation, of direct water carriage round -the earth's belt--obstacles as they appear to us, though in truth -so probably locks formed by the Almighty for the assistance of our -navigation. - -For many years, it is impossible to say how many, but for some few -centuries as regards Panama, and for many centuries as regards Suez, -this necessity has been felt, and the minds of men in those elder -days inclined naturally to canals. In the days of the old kings of -Egypt, antecedent to Cleopatra, attempts were made to cut through the -sands and shallow lakes from the eastern margin of the Nile's delta -to the Red Sea; and the idea of piercing Central America in some -point occurred to the Spaniards immediately on their discovering -the relative position of the two oceans. But in those days men were -infants, not as yet trusted with the carving-knife. - -The work which unsuccessfully filled the brains of so many thoughtful -men for so many years has now been done--at any rate to a degree. -Railways have been completed from Alexandria on the Mediterranean to -Suez on the Red Sea, and from Panama on the Pacific, to Aspinwall -or Colon on the Caribbean Sea. These railways are now at work, and -passengers are carried across with sufficient rapidity. The Isthmus -of Suez, over which the line of railway runs for something over -two hundred miles, creates a total delay to our Indian mails and -passengers of twenty-four hours only, and the lesser distance of the -American isthmus is traversed in three hours. Were rapidity here as -necessary as it is in the other case--and it will doubtless become -so--the conveyance from one sea to the other need not create a delay -of above twelve hours. - -But not the less are many men--good and scientific men too--keenly -impressed with the idea that the two isthmuses should be pierced -with canals, although these railways are at work. All mankind has -heard much of M. Lesseps and his Suez canal. On that matter I do not -mean to say much here. I have a very strong opinion that such canal -will not and cannot be made; that all the strength of the arguments -adduced in the matter are hostile to it; and that steam navigation -by land will and ought to be the means of transit through Egypt. But -that matter is a long way distant from our present subject. It is -with reference to the transit over the other isthmus that I propose -to say a few words. - -It is singular, or perhaps if rightly considered not singular, that -both the railways have been constructed mainly by Anglo-Saxon science -and energy, and under the pressure of Anglo-Saxon influence; while -both the canal schemes most prevalent at the present day owe their -repute to French eloquence and French enthusiasm. M. Lesseps is the -patron of the Suez canal, and M. Belly of that which is, or is not to -be, constructed from San Juan del Norte, or Greytown, to the shores -of the Pacific. - -There are three proposed methods of crossing the isthmus, that by -railway, that by canal, and a third by the ordinary use of such -ordinary means of conveyance as the land and the waters of the -country afford. - -As regards railway passage, one line being now open and at work, -has those nine points in its favour which possession gives. It does -convey men and goods across with great rapidity, and is a reality, -doing that which it pretends to do. Its charges, however, are very -high; and it would doubtless be well if competition, or fear of -competition, could be made to lower them. Five pound is charged for -conveying a passenger less than fifty miles; no class of passengers -can cross at a cheaper fare; and the rates charged for goods are -as high in comparison. On the other side, it may be said that -the project was one of great risk, that the line was from its -circumstances very costly, having been made at an expense of about -thirty-two thousand pounds a mile--I believe, however, that a -considerable portion of the London and Birmingham line was equally -expensive--and that trains by which money can be made cannot run -often, perhaps only six or seven times a month each way. - -It is, however, very desirous that the fares should be lowered, and -the great profits accruing to the railway prove that this may be -done. Eventually they doubtless will be lowered. - -The only other line of railway which now seems to be spoken of as -practicable for the passage of the isthmus is one the construction -of which has been proposed across the republic of Honduras, from a -spot called Port Cortez, in the Bay of Honduras, on the northern or -Atlantic side, to some harbour to be chosen in the Bay of Fonseca, on -the southern or Pacific side. Mr. Squier, who was Charge d'Affaires -from the United States to Central America, and whose work on the -republics of Central America is well known, strongly advocates this -line, showing in the first place that from its position it would suit -the traffic of the United States much better than that of Panama; -as undoubtedly it would, seeing that the transit from New York to -California, via Panama, must go down south as far as latitude 7 deg. -north; whereas, by the proposed route through Honduras it need not -descend below lat. 13 deg. north, thus saving double that distance -in the total run each way.* Mr. Squier then goes on to prove that -the country of Honduras is in every way suited for the purposes of a -railway; but here I am not sure that he carries me with him. The road -would have to ascend nearly three thousand feet above the sea-level; -and though it may be true that the grades themselves would not be -more severe than many that are now to be found on railways in full -work in other countries, nevertheless it must be felt that the -overcoming such an altitude in such a country, and the working over -it when overcome, would necessarily add greatly to the original cost -of the line, and the subsequent cost of running. The Panama line -goes through a country comparatively level. Then the distance across -Honduras is one hundred and fifty miles, and it is computed that the -line would be two hundred miles: the length of the Panama line is -forty-seven or forty-eight miles. - - [*Not that we may take all that Mr. Squier says on this - subject as proved. His proposed route for the traffic of the - United States is from the western coast of Florida to the - chosen port, Port Cortez, in Honduras; and he attempts to - show that this is pretty nearly the only possible passage in - those seas free from hurricanes and danger. But this passage - is right across the Gulf of Mexico, and vessels would have - to stem the full force of the gulf-stream on their passage - down from Florida. - - In all such matters where a man becomes warm on a scheme he - feels himself compelled to prove that the gods themselves - have pointed out the plan as the only one fit for adoption, - as the only one free from all evil and blessed with every - advantage. We are always over-proving our points.] - -The enormous cost of the Panama line arose from the difficulty of -obtaining the necessary sort of labour. The natives would not work as -they were wanted, and Europeans died there; so that, at last, labour -was imported from the coast of New Granada. At the high level named -as the summit of the Honduras route, the climate would no doubt be -comparatively mild, and labour easy to be borne; but near the coast -of the Bays, both of Honduras and Fonseca, the heat would be as great -as at Aspinwall and Panama, and the effects probably the same. - -As regards our British traffic, the route by the Isthmus of Panama is -the better situated of the two. Looking at a map of the world--and -it is necessary to take in the whole world, in order that the -courses of British trade may be seen--it does not seem to be of much -consequence, as regards distance, whether a bale of goods from London -to Sydney should pass the isthmus by Honduras or Panama; but in -fact, even for this route, the former would labour under great -disadvantages. A ship in making its way from Honduras up to Jamaica -has to fight against the trade winds. On this account our mail -steamer from Belize to Jamaica is timed only at four miles an hour, -though the mail to Honduras is timed at eight miles an hour. This -would be the direct route from the terminus of the Honduras line -to Europe, and matters would be made only worse if any other line -were taken. But the track from Panama to Jamaica is subject to what -sailors call a soldier's wind; even working to St. Thomas, and -thereby getting a stronger slant of the trade winds against them, our -mail steamers can make eight or nine miles an hour. - -As regards our trade to Chili and Peru, it is clear that Honduras -is altogether out of our way; and as regards our coming trade to -Frazer River and Vancouver's Island, though the absolute distance, -via Honduras, would be something shorter, that benefit would be -neutralized by the disadvantageous position of the Bay of Honduras -as above explained. - -But the great advantage which the Panama line enjoys is the fact of -its being already made. _It has the nine points which possession -gives it._ Its forty-eight miles cost one million six hundred -thousand pounds. It cannot be presumed that two hundred miles through -Honduras could be made for double that sum; and seeing that the -Honduras line would be in opposition to the other, and only be used -if running at fares lower than those of its rival, I cannot see how -it would pay, or where the money is to be procured. I am not aware -that the absolute cost of the proposed line through Honduras has been -accurately computed. - -As regards the public interest, two lines would no doubt be better -than one. Competition is always beneficial to the consumer; but in -this case, I do not expect to see the second line made in our days. -That there will in future days be a dozen ways of commodiously -crossing the isthmus--when we have thoroughly learned how best to -carve our leg of mutton--I do not at all doubt. - -It may be as well to state here that England is bound by a treaty -with Honduras, made in 1836, to assist in furthering the execution -of this work by our countenance, aid, and protection, on condition -that when made, we Britishers are to have the full use of it; -as much so, at least, as any other people or nation. And that, -as I take it, is the sole and only meaning of all those treaties -made on our behalf with Central America, or in respect to Central -America--Clayton-Bulwer treaty, new Ouseley treaty, and others; -namely, that we, who are desirous of excluding no person from the -benefits of this public world-road, are not ourselves to be excluded -on any consideration whatever. And may we not boast that this is the -only object looked for in all our treaties and diplomatic doings? -Is it not for that reason that we hold Gibraltar, are jealous about -Egypt, and resolved to have Perim in our power? Is it not true that -we would fain make all ways open to all men? that we would have them -open to ourselves, certainly; but not closed against any human being? -If that, and such like, be not what our diplomatists are doing, then -I, for one, misunderstand their trade. - -So much for the two railways, and now as to the proposed canals. Here -no happy undertaking can boast of the joys of possession. No canal is -as yet open carrying men and goods with, shall we say, twenty-five -per cent. profit on the outlay. Ah, that is an elysium which does not -readily repeat itself. Oh, thou thrice happy Colonel Totten, who hast -constructed a railway resulting in such celestial beatitude! - -The name of canals projected across the isthmus has been legion, and -the merits of them all have in their time been hotly pressed by their -special advocates. That most to the north, which was the passage -selected by Cortes, and pressed by him on the Spanish government, -would pass through Mexico. The line would be from the Gulf of -Campechay, up the river Coatzacoalcoz, to Tehuantepec, on the -Pacific. This was advocated as lately as 1845, but has now, I -believe, been abandoned as impracticable. Going south down the map, -the next proposition of which I can find mention is for a canal from -the head of the Lake of Dulce through the state of Guatemala; the -Lake or Gulf of Dulce being at the head of the Gulf of Honduras. -This also seems to have been abandoned. Then we come to the proposed -Honduras railway, of which mention has been made. - -Next below this we reach a cluster of canals, all going through the -great inland lake of Nicaragua. This scheme, or one of these schemes, -has also been in existence since the times of the early Spaniards; -and has been adhered to with more or less pertinacity ever since. -This Lake of Nicaragua was to be reached either direct by the river -San Juan, or by entering the river San Juan from the ocean by the -river Colorado, which is in effect a branch of the San Juan; the -projected canal would thus ascend to the lake. From thence to the -Pacific various passages for egress have been suggested; at first it -was intended, naturally, to get out at the nearest practicable point, -that being probably at San Juan del Sur. They have San Juans and San -Joses quite at pleasure about these countries. - -Then came the grand plan of the present French emperor, bearing at -least his name, and first published, I think, in 1846; this was a -very grand plan, of course. The route of "transit" was to be right up -the Lake of Nicaragua to its northern point; there the canal was to -enter the River Tipitapa, and come out again in the northern Lake of -Managua; from thence it was to be taken out to the Pacific at the -port of Realejo. This project included the building of an enormous -city, which was to contain the wealth of the new world, and to be, as -it were, a new Constantinople between the two lakes; but the scheme -has been abandoned as being too costly, too imperial. - -And now we have M. Belly's scheme; his scheme and pamphlet of which I -will say a few words just now, and therefore I pass on to the others. - -The line of the River Chargres, and from thence to the town of -Panama--being very nearly the line of the present railway--was -long contemplated with favour, but has now been abandoned as -impracticable; as has also the line over the Isthmus of Darien, -which was for a while thought to be the most feasible, as being -the shortest. The lie of the land, however, and the nature of the -obstacles to be overcome, have put this scheme altogether out of the -question. - -Next and last is the course of the River Atrato, which runs into the -Gulf of Darien, but which is, in fact, the first of the great rivers -of South America; first, that is, counting them as commencing from -the isthmus. It runs down from the Andes parallel to the coast of -the Pacific, and is navigable for many miles. The necessary surveys, -however, for connecting this river with the Pacific have never yet -been made; and even if this plan were practicable, the extremely low -latitude at which the Pacific ocean would be reached would make such -a line bad for our trade, and quite out of the question for the chief -portion of the American "transit." - -It appears, therefore, that there are insuperable objections to all -these canal routes, unless it be to some route passing through the -Lake of Nicaragua. By reference to a map of Central America it will -be seen that the waters of this lake, joined to those of the San Juan -river, comprise the breadth of nearly the whole isthmus, leaving a -distance not exceeding twenty miles to be conquered by a canal. At -first sight this appears to be very enticing, and M. Belly has been -enticed. He has been enticed, or at any rate writes as though this -were the case; anything worded more eloquently, energetically, and -grandiloquently, than his pamphlet in favour of this route I have not -met, even among French pamphlets. - -M. Felix Belly describes himself as a "publiciste," and chevalier of -the order of Saint Maurice and Lazarus, and of the order of Medjidie. -As such he has made a convention with Don Thomas Martinez, President -of the republic of Nicaragua, and with Don Juan Rafael Mora, -President of the republic of Costa Rica, in accordance with which he, -Chevalier Belly, is to cut a canal or water-route for ships through -the territories of those potentates, obtaining thereby certain -vast privileges, including the possession of no small portion of -those territories, and the right of levying all manner of tolls on -the world's commerce which is to pass through his canal. And the -potentates above named are in return to receive from M. Belly very -considerable subsidies out of these tolls. They bind themselves, -moreover, to permit no other traffic or transit through their -country, securing to M. Belly for ninety-nine years the monopoly -of the job; and granting to him the great diplomatic privilege of -constituting his canal, let it be here or there, the boundary of the -realms of these two potentates. - -What strikes me with the greatest wonder on reading--not the -pamphlet, for that is perhaps more wonderful in other respects--but -the articles of the convention, is, that these three persons, the -potentates aforesaid and the chevalier, should have among them the -power of doing all this; or that they should even have had the power -of agreeing to do all this; for really up to this period one seems -hardly to have heard in England much about any one of them. - -That there should be presidents of these two republics is supposed, -as there are also, doubtless, of San Salvador and Venezuela, and -all the other western republics; but it is to be presumed that as -presidents of republics they can have themselves no more power to -give away a ninety-nine years' possession of their lands and waters -than can any other citizen. Mr. Buchanan could hardly sell to any -Englishman, however enterprising, the right of making a railway from -New York to San Francisco. The convention does certainly bear two -other signatures, which purport to be those of the ministers of -foreign affairs attached to those two republics; but even this hardly -seems to give us a sufficient guarantee of power. What if we should -put our money into the canal, and future presidents should refuse to -be bound by the agreement? - -But M. Belly's name stands on his side alone. No foreign minister or -aide-de-camp is necessary to back his signature. The two potentates -having agreed to give the country, he will agree to make the -canal--he, M. Belly, Publiciste and Chevalier. It is to cost -altogether, according to his account, 120,000,000 francs--say, -four million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling. Of a company, -chairman, and directors we hear nothing. We cannot find that the -shares are in the market. Probably they may be too valuable. On our -own Stock Exchange the matter does not seem to be much known, nor do -we perceive that it is quoted among French prices. Nevertheless, M. -Belly has the four million eight hundred thousand pounds already in -his breeches-pockets, and he will make the canal. I wonder whether he -would drain London for us if we were to ask him. - -But wonderful as is the fact that these three gentlemen should be -about to accomplish this magnificent undertaking for the world, the -eloquence of the language in which the undertaking is described is -perhaps more wonderful still. - -"On the first of May, 1858, at Rivas, in Nicaragua, in the midst of a -concourse of circumstances full of grandeur, a convention was signed -which opens to civilization a new view and unlimited horizons. The -hour has come for commencing with resolution this enterprise of -cutting the Isthmus of Panama. ... The solution of the problem -must be no longer retarded. It belongs to an epoch which has given -to itself the mission of pulling down barriers and suppressing -distances. It must be regarded, not as a private speculation, but as -a creation of public interest--not as the work of this people or that -party, but as springing from civilization itself." Then M. Belly goes -on to say that this project, emanating from a man sympathetic with -the cause and a witness of the heroism of Central America, namely -himself, possesses advantages--which of course could not attach to -any scheme devised by a less godlike being. - -It may be seen that I have no great belief in the scheme of M. Belly; -neither have I in many other schemes of the present day emanating -from Englishmen, Americans, and others. But it is not that disbelief, -but my admiration for French eloquence which urges me to make the -above translation. Alas! I feel that I have lost so much of the -Gallic fragrance! The Parisian aroma has escaped from the poor -English words! - -Is not this peculiar eloquence used in propagating all French -projects for increased civilization? From the invention of a new -constitution to that of a new shirt is it even wanting? We, with our -stupid, unimaginative platitudes, know no better than to write up -"Eureka" when we think we have discovered anything; but a Frenchman -tells his countrymen that they need no longer be mortals; a new era -has come; let them wear his slippers and they will walk as gods -walk. How many new eras have there not been? Who is not sick of the -grandiloquence of French progress? "Now--now we have taken the one -great step. The dove at length may nestle with the kite, the lamb -drink with the wolf. Men may share their goods, certain that others -will share with them. Labour and wages, work and its reward, shall -be systematized. Now we have done it, and the world shall be happy." -Well; perhaps the French world is happy. It may be that the liberty -which they have propagated, the equality which they enjoy, and the -fraternity which they practise, is fit for them! - -But when has truly mighty work been heralded by magniloquence? Did -we have any grand words from old George Stephenson, with his "vera -awkward for the cou"? Was there aught of the eloquent sententiousness -of a French marshal about the lines of Torres Vedras? Was Luther apt -to speak with great phraseology? If words ever convey to my ears a -positive contradiction of the assertion which they affect to make, it -is when they are grandly antithetical and magnificently verbose. If, -in addition to this, they promise to mankind "new epochs, new views, -and unlimited horizons," surely no further proof can be needed that -they are vain, empty, and untrue. - -But the language in which this proposal for a canal is couched is -hardly worth so much consideration--would be worth no consideration -at all, did it not come before us now as an emblem of that which -at this present time is the most pernicious point in the French -character; a false boasting of truth and honesty, with little or no -relish for true truth and true honesty. - -The present question is whether M. Belly's canal scheme be feasible; -and, if feasible, whether he has or can attain the means of carrying -it out. - -In the first place, it has already come to pass that the convention -signed with such unlimited horizons has proved to be powerless. It is -an undoubted fact that it was agreed to by the two presidents; and as -far as one of them is concerned, it is, I fear, a fact also that for -the present he has sufficient power in his own territory to bind his -countrymen, at any rate for a time, by his unsupported signature. Don -Juan Rafael Mora, in Costa Rica, need care for no congress. If he -were called dictator instead of president, the change would only -be in the word. But this is not exactly so in Nicaragua. There, it -seems, the congress has refused to ratify the treaty as originally -made. But they have, I believe, ratified another, in which M. Belly's -undertaking to make the canal is the same as before, but from which -the enormous grant of land, and the stipulations as to the boundary -line of the territories are excluded. - -In M. Belly's pamphlet he publishes a letter which he has received -from Lord Malmesbury, as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs--or -rather a French translation of such a letter. It is this letter which -appears to have given in Central America the strongest guarantee -that something is truly intended by M. Belly's project. Both in the -pamphlet, and in the convention itself, repeated reference is made -to the French government; but no document is given, nor even is any -positive assertion made, that the government of the emperor in any -way recognizes the scheme. But if this letter be true, and truly -translated, Lord Malmesbury has done so to a certain extent. "And -I am happy," says the letter, "to be able to assure you that the -stipulations of the treaty made between Great Britain and the United -States, commonly called the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, are in my opinion -applicable to your project, if you put it in execution."* And then -this letter, written to a private gentleman holding no official -position, is signed by the Secretary of State himself. M. Belly holds -no official position, but he is addressed in his translation of Lord -Malmesbury's letter as "Concessionnaire du Canal de Nicaragua." - - [*See note to page 29, 12th edition. I have not happened - to meet with any earlier edition of the work.] - -Such a letter from such a quarter has certainly been very useful to -M. Belly. In the minds of the presidents of the republics of Central -America it must have gone far to prove that England at any rate -regards M. Belly as no adventurer. There are many of the clauses -of the convention to which I should have imagined that the English -Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs would not have given an -assent, although he might not be called on to express dissent. In -the 26th Article it is stipulated that during the making of the -canal--which if it were to be made at all would be protracted over -many years--two French ships of war should lie in the Lake of -Nicaragua; it having been stipulated by Art. 24 that no other -ships of war should be admitted; thus giving to France a military -occupation of the country. And by Art. 28 it is agreed that any -political squabble relative to this convention should be referred to -a tribunal of seven; two to be named by the company, and one each by -France, England, the United States, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It is, -I imagine, hardly probable that the English government would send one -member to such a tribunal, in which France would have three voices to -her one, two of which voices would be wholly irresponsible. - -Of course the letter does not bind Lord Malmesbury or any secretary -for foreign affairs to the different articles of the convention; -but if it be a genuine letter, I cannot but think it to have been -imprudent.* - - [*M. Belly speaks of his convention as having been adopted - by France, England, and the United States. "Adopted, as it - already is, by the United States, by England, and by France, - and as it soon will be by the contracting Powers of the - Treaty of Paris, it will become"--the saviour of the world, - &c. &c. What basis there is for this statement, as regards - France and the United States, I do not know. As regards - England, I presume Lord Malmesbury's letter affords that - basis.] - -The assistance of Lord Malmesbury has been obtained by the easy -progress of addressing a letter to him. But to seduce the presidents -of Central America a greater effort has been made. They are told -that they are the wisest of the earth's potentates. "Carrera, of -Guatemala, though an Indian and uneducated, is a man of natural -genius, and has governed for fifteen years with a wisdom which has -attracted to him the unanimous adherence of his colleagues." "Don -Juan Mora, of Costa Rica, the hero of Rivas, has not had to spill -a drop of blood in maintaining in his cities an order much more -perfect than any to be found in Europe. He is a man, 'hors de ligne,' -altogether out of the common; and although he counts scarcely forty -years, but few political examples of old Europe can be compared to -him." And as for General Martinez, President of Nicaragua, "since he -has arrived at the direction of affairs there, he would have healed -all the wounds of the country--had not the fatal influence of -North American spirit paralyzed all his efforts." What wonder that -Presidents so spoken of should sign away their lands and waters? - -But presuming all political obstacles to be removed, and that as -regards the possession of the land, and the right of making a -canal through it, everything had been conceded, there remain two -considerable difficulties. In the first place, the nature of the -waters and land, which seems to prohibit the cutting of a canal, -except at an expense much more enormous than any that has been ever -named; and secondly, the amount of money to be collected, even if M. -Belly's figures be correct. He states that he can complete the work -for four million eight hundred thousand pounds. From whence is that -sum to be procured? - -As regards the first difficulty, I, from my own knowledge, can -say nothing, not being an engineer, and having seen only a small -portion of the projected route. I must therefore refer to M. Belly's -engineer, and those who hold views differing from M. Belly. M. -Belly's engineer-in-chief is M. Thome de Gamond, who, in the pamphlet -above alluded to, puts forward his calculations, and sends in his -demand for the work at four million eight hundred thousand pounds. -The route is by the river San Juan, a portion of which is so shallow -that canoes in their course are frequently grounded when the waters -are low, and other parts of which consist of rapids. It then goes -through the lake, a channel through which must be dredged or cleared -with gunpowder before it can carry deep-sea ships, and then out to -the Pacific by a canal which must be cut through the mountains. -There is nothing in the mere sound of all this to make a man, who is -ignorant on the subject as I and most men are, feel that the work -could not be done for the sum named. But before investing cash in the -plan, one would like to be sure of the engineer, and to know that he -has made his surveys very accurately. - -Now it appears that M. Thome de Gamond has never set foot in Central -America; or, if he has done so now--and I do not know whether he has -or has not--he never had done so when he drew out his project. Nor, -as it would appear, has he even done his work, trusting to the eyes -and hands of others. As far as one can learn, no surveys whatsoever -have been taken for this gigantic scheme. - -The engineer tells us that he has used marine charts and -hydrographical drawings made by officers of various nations, which -enable him to regard his own knowledge as sufficiently exact as far -as shores and levels of the rivers, &c., are concerned; and that -with reference to the track of his canal, he has taken into his -service--"utilise"--the works of various surveying engineers, among -them Colonel Child, the American. They, to be sure, do leave him at -a loss as to the interior plateau of the Mosquito country, and some -regions to the east and south of the lake--the canal must enter the -lake by the south-east;--but this is a matter of no moment, seeing -that all these countries are covered by virgin forests, and can -therefore easily be arranged! Gentlemen capitalists, will you on this -showing take shares in the concern? - -The best real survey executed with reference to any kindred project -was that made by Colonel Child, an officer of engineers belonging -to the United States. I believe I may say this without hesitation; -and it is to Colonel Child's survey that M. Belly most frequently -refers. But the facts, as stated by Colonel Child, prove the absolute -absurdity of M. Belly's plan. He was employed in 1851 by an American -company, which, as it went to the considerable expense of having such -work absolutely done, was no doubt in earnest in its intentions with -reference to a canal. Colonel Child did not actually report against -the canal. He explained what could be done for a certain sum of -money, leaving it to others to decide whether, in effecting so much, -that sum of money would be well laid out. He showed that a canal -seventeen feet deep might be made--taking the course of the San -Juan and that of the lake, as suggested by M. Belly--for a sum of -thirty-one millions of dollars, or six million two hundred thousand -pounds. - -But when the matter came to be considered by men versed in such -concerns, it was seen that a canal with a depth of only seventeen -feet of water would not admit of such vessels as those by which alone -such a canal could be beneficially used. Passengers, treasure, and -light goods can easily be transhipped and carried across by railway. -The canal, if made at all, must be made for the passage of large -vessels built for heavy goods. For such vessels a canal must hold not -less than twenty-five feet of water. It was calculated that a cutting -of such depth would cost much more than double the sum needed for -that intended to contain seventeen feet--more, that is, than twelve -million four hundred thousand pounds. The matter was then abandoned, -on the conviction that no ship canal made at such a cost could by -any probability become remunerative. In point of time it could never -compete with the railway. Colonel Child had calculated that a delay -of two days would take place in the locks; and even as regards heavy -goods, no extreme freight could be levied, as saving of expense with -them would be of much greater object than saving of time. - -That this decision was reached on good grounds, and that the project, -then, at any rate, was made bona fide there can, I believe, be no -doubt. In opposition to such a decision, made on such grounds, and -with no encouragement but that given by the calculations of an -engineer who has himself made no surveys, I cannot think it likely -that this new plan will ever be carried out The eloquence even of M. -Belly, backed by such arguments, will hardly collect four million -eight hundred thousand pounds; and even if it did, the prudence of M, -Belly would hardly throw such an amount of treasure into the San Juan -river. - -As I have before said, there appears to have been no company formed. -M. Belly is the director, and he has a bureau of direction in the Rue -de Provence. But though deficient as regards chairmen, directors, -and shareholders, he is magnificently provided with high-sounding -officials. Then again there comes a blank. Though the corps of -officers was complete when I was in Costa Rica, at any rate as -regards their names, the workmen had not arrived; not even the -skilled labourers who were to come in detachments of forty-five -by each mail packet. The mail packets came, but not the skilled -labourers. - -Shortly before my arrival at San Jose, there appeared in the -journal published in that town a list of officers to be employed -by M. Felix Belly, the Director-General "De la Companie Del Canal -Atlantico-Pacifico." The first of these is Don Andres Le Vasseur, -Minister Plenipotentiary, Veteran Officer of the Guard Imperial, -Commander of the Legion of Honour, and Knight of the Order of St. -Gregory. He is Secretary-General of the Direction. Then there are -other secretaries. In the first place, Prince Polignac, Veteran -Officer of the Cavalry of the Cazadores in Africa, &c. He at any rate -is a fact! for did I not meet him and the O'Gorman Mahon--Nicodemus -and Polyphemus--not "standing naked in the open air," but drinking -brandy and water at the little inn at Esparza? "Arcades ambo!" The -next secretary is Don Henrique Le Vasseur. He is Dibujador fotografo, -which I take to mean photographical artist; and then Don Andres -L'Heritier; he is the private secretary. - -We next come to the engineers. With reference to geology and -mineralogy, M. Belly has employed Don Jose Durocher, whose titles, -taken from the faculty of science at Rennes, the Legion of Honour, -&c., are too long to quote. Don Eugenio Ponsard, who also is not -without his titles, is the working engineer on these subjects. And -then joined to them as adjutant-engineer is Don Henrique Peudifer, -whose name is also honoured with various adjuncts. - -The engineers who are to be intrusted with the surveys and works of -the canals are named next. There are four such, to whom are joined -five conductors of the works and eight special masters of the men. - -All these composed an expedition which left Southampton on the 17th -of February, 1859,--or which should so have left it, had they acted -up to M. Belly's promises. - -Then by the packet of the 2nd of March, 1859, there came--or at least -there should have come, for we are told that they sailed--another -expedition. I cannot afford to give all the names, but they are -full-sounding and very honourable. Among them there was a maker of -bricks, who in his own country had been a chief of the works in the -imperial manufactory of porcelain at Sevres. Having enticed him from -so high a position, it is to be hoped that M. Belly will treat him -well in Central America. There are, or were, hydrographical engineers -and agricultural engineers, master carpenters, and masters of various -other specialties. - -I fear all these gentlemen came to grief on the road, for I think -I may say that no such learned troops came through with the mail -packets which left Southampton on the days indicated. - -Then by the following steamers there would, it is stated, be -despatched in succession an inspector of telegraphs, an engineer for -making gas, an engineer to be charged with the fabrication of the -iron way, an agriculturist-in-chief, a scientific commission for -geology, mineralogy, meteorology, and natural history in general. And -attached to all the engineers will come--or now long since should -have come--the conductors of works and special masters of men, who -are joined with them in their operations. These are to consist -principally of veteran soldiers of the Engineers and the Artillery. - -These gentlemen also must, I fear, have been cast away between -Southampton and St. Thomas, if they left the former port by either -of the two mail steamers following those two specially indicated. I -think I may say positively that no such parties were forwarded from -St. Thomas. - -The general inspection of the works will be intrusted ultimately to -a French and to an English engineer. The Frenchman will of course be -M. Thome de Gamond. The Englishman is to be "Mr. Locke, Member of -Parliament." If, indeed, this latter assertion were true! But I think -I may take upon myself to say that it is untrue. - -All the above certainly sounds very grand, especially when given at -full length in the Spanish language. Out there, in Central America, -the list is effective. Here, in England, we should like to see the -list of the directors as well, and to have some idea how much money -has been subscribed. Mankind perhaps can trust M. Belly for much, but -not for everything. - -In the month of May Don Juan Rafael Mora, the President of Costa -Rica, left his dominions and proceeded to Rivas, in Nicaragua, to -assist at the inauguration of the opening of the works of the canal. -When I and my companion met him at Esparza, accompanied by Nicodemus -and Polyphemus, he was making this journey. M. Belly has already -described in eloquent language how on a previous occasion this -potentate condescended to leave his own kingdom and visit that of -a neighbour; thus sacrificing individual rank for the benefit of -humanity and civilization. He was willing to do this even once again. -Having borrowed a French man-of-war to carry him from Punta-arenas, -in his own territories, to St. Juan del Sur, in the territory of -Nicaragua, he started with his suite, of whom the Prince and the -O'Gorman were such distinguished members. But, lo! when he arrived -at Rivas, a few miles up from San Juan del Sur--at Rivas, where with -gala holiday triumph the canal was to be inaugurated--the canal from -whence were to come new views and unlimited horizons--lo! when he -there arrived, no brother-president was there to meet him, no M. -Belly, attended by engineers-in-chief and brickmakers from Sevres, -to do him honour. There was not even one French pupil from the -Polytechnic School to turn a sod with a silver spade. In lieu of -this, some custom-house officer of Nicaragua called upon poor Don -Juan to pay the usual duty on bringing his portmanteau into Rivas. -Other new views, and other unlimited horizons had, it seems, been -dawning on M. Belly. - -One of the first words of which a man has to learn the meaning on -reaching these countries is "transit." Central America can only be -great in the world--as Egypt can be only great--by being a passage -between other parts of the world which are in themselves great. We -Englishmen all know Crewe; Crewe has become a town of considerable -importance, as being a great railway junction. Men must reach Crewe -and leave Crewe continually, and the concourse there has rendered -labour necessary; labourers of all sorts must live in houses, and -require bakers and grocers to supply them. So Crewe has grown up -and grown important; and so will Central America become important. -Aspinwall--Colon, as we call it--has become a town in this way within -the last ten years. - -"Transit" in these parts means the trade of carrying people across -Central America; and a deal of "transit" has been done and money made -by carrying people across Nicaragua by way of the great lake. This -has hitherto been effected by shallow-bottomed boats. I will say one -word or so on the subject when I have done, as I very soon shall have -done, with M. Belly. - -Now it is very generally thought that M. Belly when he speaks of this -canal means "transit." There can be no question but that a great -carrying trade might be opened, much to the advantage of Nicaragua, -and to the advantage of Costa Rica also though not to the same -extent. If all this canal grandiloquence would pave the way to -"transit," might it not be well? What if another agreement could be -made, giving to M. Belly and his company the sole right of "transit" -through Nicaragua, till the grand canal should be completed--a very -long lease; might not something be done in this way? But Don Juan -Mora there, Don Juan of Costa Rica, that man altogether "hors de -ligne," grand as he is, need know nothing about this. Let him, -left quite in darkness as to this new view, these altered unlimited -horizons, go to Rivas if he will, and pay his custom dues. - -It may be that I have written at too great length, and with an energy -disproportionate to the subject, on this matter of the Nicaraguan -canal scheme. I do not know that the English public generally, or at -any rate that portion of it which may perhaps read my book, is very -deeply interested in the subject. We hear now and then something of -the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and a word or two is said about the Panama -route to Australia, but the subject is not generally interesting to -us, as is that of the passage through Egypt. We can reach Australia -by another and a shorter route; and as for Vancouver's Island and -Frazer River, they as yet are very young. - -But the matter will become of importance. And to a man in Central -America, let his visit to that country be ever so short, it becomes -at once important. To me it was grievous to find a work so necessary -to the world as this of opening a way over the isthmus, tampered -with, and to a degree hindered by a scheme which I cannot but regard -as unreal. But unreal as it may be, this project has reached -dimensions which make it in some way worthy of notice. A French ship -of war was sent to take the President Mora and his suite on their -unfortunate journey to Rivas; and an English ship of war was sent to -bring them back. The extension of such privileges to the president of -a republic in Central America may be very well; but men, seeing on -what business this president was travelling, not unnaturally regarded -the courtesy as an acknowledgment of the importance of M. Belly's -work. - -I do not wish to use hard names, but I cannot think that the project -of which I have been speaking covers any true intention of making -a canal. And such schemes, if not real, if not true in the outward -bearings which they show to the world, go far to deter others which -might be real. And now I will say nothing further about M. Belly. - -As I have before stated, there was some few years since a -considerable passenger traffic through Central America by the route -of the Lake of Nicaragua. This of course was in the hands of the -Americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming -between the Eastern States and California. They came down to -Greytown, at the mouth of the San Juan river, in steamers from New -York, and I believe from various American ports, went up the San Juan -river in other steamers with flat bottoms prepared for those waters, -across the lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the -intervening neck of land between the lake and the Pacific. - -Of course the Panama railway has done much to interfere with this. In -the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though I doubt -whether it would be a quicker route from New York to California -if the way by the Lake were well organized. And then the company -possessing the line of steamers running to Aspinwall from New York -has been able to buy off the line which would otherwise run to -Greytown. - -But this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage -of the Nicaraguan route. The filibusters came into that land and -destroyed everything. They dropped down from California on Realejo, -Leon, Manaqua, Granada, and all the western coast of Nicaragua. -Then others came from the South-Eastern States, from Mobile and New -Orleans, and swarmed up the San Juan river, devouring everything -before them. There can be no doubt that Walker's idea, in his attempt -to possess himself of this country, was that he could thus become -master of the passage across the isthmus. He saw, as so many others -have seen, the importance of the locality in this point of view; and -he probably felt that if he could make himself lord of the soil by -his own exertions, and on his own bottom, his mother country, the -United States, would not be slow to recognize him. "I," he would have -said, "have procured for you the ownership of the road which is so -desirable for you. Pay me, by making me your lieutenant here, and -protecting me in that position." - -The idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically -unjust. It was a contemplated filching of the road. And Walker found, -as all men do find, that he could not easily get good tools to do -bad work. He tried the job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, -though he has done much harm to others, he has done very little good -to himself. I do not think that we shall hear much more of him. - -And among the worst of the injuries which he has done is this -disturbance of the Lake traffic. This route has been altogether -abandoned. There, in the San Juan river, is to be seen one old -steamer with its bottom upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their -destruction. All along the banks tales are told of their injustice -and sufferings. How recklessly they robbed on their journey up the -country, and how they returned back to Greytown--those who did -return, whose bones are not whitening the Lake shores--wounded, -maimed, and miserable. - -Along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves, men -prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats -with fuel for their steam. An end for the present has been put to all -this. The weak governments of the country have been able to afford -no protection to these men, and placed as they were, beyond the -protection of England or the United States, they have been completely -open to attack. The filibusters for a while have destroyed the -transit through Nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that -the presidents of that and the neighbouring republics should catch -at any scheme which proposes to give them back this advantage, -especially when promise is made of the additional advantage of -effectual protection. - -It is much to be desired, on all accounts, that this route should -be again opened. Here, I think, is to be found the best chance of -establishing an immediate competition with the Panama railway. For -although such a route will not offer the comfort of the Panama -line, or, till it be well organized, the same rapidity, it would -nevertheless draw to it a great portion of the traffic, and men and -women going in numbers would be carried at cheaper rates; and these -cheaper rates in Nicaragua would probably at once lessen the fares -now charged by the Panama railway. Competition would certainly be -advantageous, and for the present I see no other opening for a -competitive route. - -A railway along the banks of the San Juan would, I fear, be too -expensive. The distance is above one hundred and fifty miles, and -the line would be very costly. But a line of rails from the Lake to -the Pacific might be made comparatively at a small outlay, and would -greatly add to the comfort and rapidity of the passage. - -To us Englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the -transit may be, so long as it is free, and open to all the world; -so long as a difference of nationality creates no difference in the -fares charged or in the facilities afforded. For our own purposes, -I have no doubt the Panama line is the best, and will be the route we -shall use. But we should be delighted to see a second line opened. If -Mr. Squier can accomplish his line through Honduras, we will give him -great honour, and acknowledge that he has done the world a service. -In the mean time, we shall be very happy to see the Lake transit -re-established. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE BERMUDAS. - - -In May I returned from Greytown and the waters of the San Juan to St. -Thomas, spending a few days at Aspinwall and Panama on my journey, -as I have before explained; and on this occasion, that of my fourth -visit to St. Thomas, I was happy enough to escape without any long -stay there. My course now lay to the Bermudas, to which islands a -steamer runs once a month from that disagreeable little depot of -steam navigation. But as this boat is fitted to certain arrivals and -despatches, not at St. Thomas, but at Halifax, and as we reached St. -Thomas late on the night of the day on which she should have sailed, -and as my missing that vessel would have entailed on me another -month's sojourn, and that a summer month, among those islands, it may -be imagined that I was rather lively on entering the harbour;--keenly -lively to ascertain whether the 'Delta,' such is the name of the -Bermuda boat, was or was not gone on her mission. - -"I see her red funnel right across the harbour," said the chief -officer, looking through infinite darkness. I disbelieved him, and -accused him of hoaxing me. "Look yourself," said he, handing me his -glass. But all the glasses in the world won't turn darkness into -light. I know not by what educational process the eyes of sailors -become like those of cats. In this instance the chief officer had -seen aright, and then, after a visit to the 'Delta,' made at 2 a.m., -I went to bed a happy man. - -We started the next day at 2 p.m., or rather I should say the same -day, and I did no more than breakfast on shore. I then left that -favoured island, I trust for the last time, an island which I believe -may be called the white man's grave with quite as much truth as any -place on the coast of Africa. We steamed out, and I stood on the -stern taking a last look at the three hills of the panorama. It is -certainly a very pretty place seen from a moderate and safe distance, -and seen as a picture. But it should be seen in that way, and in no -other. - -We started, and I, at any rate, with joy. But my joy was not -of long duration, for the 'Delta' rolled hideously. Screw -boats--propellers as the Americans call them with their wonted -genteel propriety--always do roll, and have been invented with the -view of making sea passages more disagreeable than they were. Did -any one of my readers ever have a berth allotted to him just over -the screw? If so, he knows exactly the feeling of being brayed in -a mortar. - -In four days we reached Bermuda, and made our way into St. George's -harbour. Looking back at my fortnight's sojourn there it seems to me -that there can be no place in the world as to which there can be less -to be said than there is about this island,--sayings at least of -the sort in which it is my nature to express itself. Its geological -formation is, I have no doubt, mysterious. It seems to be made of -soft white stone, composed mostly of little shells; so soft, indeed, -that you might cut Bermuda up with a handsaw. And people are cutting -Bermuda up with handsaws. One little island, that on which the -convicts are established, has been altogether so cut up already. When -I visited it, two fat convicts were working away slowly at the last -fragment. - -But I am no geologist, and can give no opinion favourable or -otherwise as to that doctrine that these islands are the crater of an -extinct volcano; only, if so, the seas in those days must have held -a distance much more respectful than at present. Every one of course -knows that there are three hundred and sixty-five of these islands, -all lying within twenty miles in length and three in breadth. They -are surrounded too by reefs, or rocks hidden by water, which stretch -out into the sea in some places for eight or ten miles, making the -navigation very difficult; and, as it seemed to me, very perilous. - -Nor am I prepared to say whether or no the Bermudas was the scene -of Ariel's tricksy doings. They were first discovered in 1522, by -Bermudez, a Spaniard; and Shakespere may have heard of them some -indistinct surmises, sufficient to enable him to speak of the "still -vexed Bermoothes." If these be the veritable scenes of Prospero's -incantations, I will at any rate say this--that there are now to be -found stronger traces of the breed of Caliban than of that of Ariel. -Strong, however, of neither; for though Caliban did not relish -working for his master more keenly than a Bermudian of the present -day, there was nevertheless about him a sort of energy which is -altogether wanting in the existing islanders. - -A gentleman has lately written a book--I am told a very good -book--called "Bermuda as a Colony, a Fortress, and a Prison." This -book I am sure gives accurately all the information which research -could collect as to these islands under the headings named. I made -no research, and pretend only to state the results of cursory -observation. - -As a fortress, no doubt it is very strong. I have no doubt on the -matter, seeing that I am a patriotic Englishman, and as such believe -all English fortifications to be strong. It is, however, a matter on -which the opinion of no civilian can be of weight, unless he have -deeply studied the subject, in which case he so far ceases to be a -civilian. Everything looked very clean and apple-pie; a great many -flags were flying on Sundays and the Queen's birthday; and all seemed -to be ship-shape. Of the importance to us of the position there can -be no question. If it should ever come to pass that we should be -driven to use an armed fleet in the Western waters, Bermuda will be -as serviceable to us there, as Malta is in the Mediterranean. So much -for the fortress. - -As to the prison I will say a word or two just now, seeing that it is -in that light that the place was chiefly interesting to me. But first -for the colony. - -Snow is not prevalent in Bermuda, at least not in the months of May -and June; but the first look of the houses in each of its two small -towns, and indeed all over the island, gives one the idea of a snow -storm. Every house is white, up from the ground to the very point of -the roof. Nothing is in so great demand as whitewash. They whitewash -their houses incessantly, and always include the roofs. This becomes -a nuisance, from the glare it occasions; and is at last painful to -the eyes. They say there that it is cleanly and cheap, and no one can -deny that cleanliness and economy are important domestic virtues. - -There are two towns, situated on different islands, called St. George -and Hamilton. The former is the head-quarters of the military; the -latter of the governor. In speaking of the place as a fortress I -should have said that it is the summer head-quarters of the admiral -in command of the Halifax station. The dock-yard, which is connected -with the convict establishment, is at an island called Ireland; but -the residence of the admiral is not far from Hamilton, on that which -the Bermudians call the "Continent." - -I spent a week in each of these towns, and I can hardly say which -I found the most triste. The island, or islands, as one must always -say--using the plural number--have many gifts of nature to recommend -them. They are extremely fertile. The land, with a very moderate -amount of cultivation, will give two crops of ordinary potatoes, and -one crop of sweet potatoes in the year. Most fruits will grow here, -both those of the tropics and of the more northern latitudes. Oranges -and lemons, peaches and strawberries, bananas and mulberries thrive, -or _would_ thrive equally well, if they were even slightly encouraged -to do so. - -No climate in the world probably is better adapted for beetroot, -potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. The place is so circumstanced -geographically that it should be the early market-garden for New -York--as to a certain small extent it is. New York cannot get her -early potatoes--potatoes in May and June--from her own soil; but -Bermuda can give them to her in any quantity. - -Arrowroot also grows here to perfection. The Bermudians claim to say -that their arrowroot is the best in the world; and I believe that -none bears a higher price. Then the land produces barley, oats, and -Indian corn; and not only produces them, but produces two, sometimes -three crops a year. Let the English farmer with his fallow field -think of that. - -But with all their advantages Bermuda is very poor. Perhaps, I should -add, that on the whole, she is contented with her poverty. And if so, -why disturb such contentment? - -But, nevertheless, one cannot teach oneself not to be desirous of -progress. One cannot but feel it sad to see people neglecting the -good things which are under their feet. Lemons and oranges there are -now none in Bermuda. The trees suffered a blight some year or two -since, and no effort has been made to restore them. I saw no fruit of -any description, though I am told I was there in the proper season, -and heard much of the fruit that there used to be in former days. -I saw no vegetables but potatoes and onions, and was told that as a -rule the people are satisfied with them. I did not once encounter -a piece of meat fit to be eaten, excepting when I dined on rations -supplied by the Convict establishment. The poultry was somewhat -better than the meat, but yet of a very poor description. Both bread -and butter are bad; the latter quite uneatable. English people whom -I met declared that they were unable to get anything to eat. The -people, both white and black, seemed to be only half awake. The land -is only half cultivated; and hardly half is tilled of that which -might be tilled. - -The reason of this neglect, for I maintain that it is neglect, should -however be explained. Nearly all the islands are covered with small -stunted bushy cedar trees. Not cedars such as those of Lebanon, -not the cedar trees of Central America, nor those to which we -are accustomed in our gardens at home. In Bermuda they are, as I -have said, low bushy trees, much resembling stunted firs. But the -wood, when it can be found large enough, is, they say, good for -shipbuilding; and as shipbuilding has for years been a trade in these -islands, the old owners of the property do not like to clear their -land. - -This was all very well as long as the land had no special virtue--as -long as a market, such as that afforded by New York, was wanting. But -now that the market has been opened there can be no doubt--indeed, -nobody does doubt--that if the land were cleared its money value -would be greatly more than it now is. Every one to whom I spoke -admitted this, and complained of the backwardness of the island in -improvements. But no one tries to remedy this now. - -They had a Governor there some years ago who did much to cure this -state of things, who did show them that money was to be made by -producing potatoes and sending them out of the island. This was Sir -W. Reid, the man of storms. He seems to have had some tolerably -efficient idea of what a Governor's duty should be in such a place as -Bermuda. To be helped first at every table, and to be called "Your -Excellency," and then to receive some thousands a year for undergoing -these duties is all very well; is very nice for a military gentleman -in the decline of years. It is very well that England can so provide -for a few of her old military gentlemen. But when the military -gentlemen selected can do something else besides, it does make such a -difference! Sir W. Reid did do much else; and if there could be found -another Sir W. Reid or two to take their turns in Bermuda for six -years each, the scrubby bushes would give way, and the earth would -bring forth her increase. - -The sleepiness of the people appeared to me the most prevailing -characteristic of the place. There seemed to be no energy among the -natives, no idea of going a-head, none of that principle of constant -motion which is found so strongly developed among their great -neighbours in the United States. To say that they live for eating -and drinking would be to wrong them. They want the energy for the -gratification of such vicious tastes. To live and die would seem to -be enough for them. To live and die as their fathers and mothers did -before them, in the same houses, using the same furniture, nurtured -on the same food, and enjoying the same immunity from the dangers of -excitement. - -I must confess that during the short period of my sojourn there, I -myself was completely overtaken by the same sort of lassitude. I -could not walk a mile without fatigue. I was always anxious to be -supine, lying down whenever I could find a sofa; ever anxious for a -rocking-chair, and solicitous for a quick arrival of the hour of bed, -which used to be about half-past nine o'clock. Indeed this feeling -became so strong with me that I feared I was ill, and began to -speculate as to the effects and pleasures of a low fever and a -Bermuda doctor. I was comforted, however, by an assurance that -everybody was suffering in the same way. "When the south wind blows -it is always so." "The south wind must be very prevalent then," I -suggested. I was told that it was very prevalent. During the period -of my visit it was all south wind. - -The weather was not hot--not hot at least to me who had just come up -from Panama, and the fiery furnace of Aspinwall. But the air was damp -and muggy and disagreeable. To me it was the most trying climate that -I had encountered. They have had yellow fever there twice within the -last eight years, and on both occasions it was very fatal. Singularly -enough on its latter coming the natives suffered much more than -strangers. This is altogether opposed to the usual habits of the -yellow fever, which is imagined to be ever cautious in sparing those -who are indigenous to the land it visits. - -The working population here are almost all negroes. I should say that -this is quite as much a rule here as in any of the West Indies. Of -course there are coloured people--men and women of mixed breed; but -they are not numerous as in Jamaica; or, if so, they are so nearly -akin to the negro as not to be observed. There are, I think, none of -those all but white ladies and gentlemen whose position in life is so -distressing. - -The negroes are well off; as a rule they can earn 2_s._ 6_d._ a day, -from that to 3_s_. For exceptional jobs, men cannot be had under a -dollar, or 4_s._ 2_d_. On these wages they can live well by working -three days a week, and such appears to be their habit. It seems to -me that no enfranchised negro entertains an idea of daily work. Work -to them is an exceptional circumstance, as to us may be a spell -of fifteen or sixteen hours in the same day. We do such a thing -occasionally for certain objects, and for certain objects they are -willing to work occasionally. - -The population is about eleven thousand. That of the negroes and -coloured people does not much exceed that of the whites. That of the -females greatly exceeds that of the males, both among the white and -coloured people. Among the negroes I noticed this, that if not more -active than their brethren in the West Indies, they are at least -more civil and less sullen in their manner. But then again, they -are without the singular mixture of fun and vanity which makes the -Jamaica negro so amusing for a while. - -These islands are certainly very pretty; or I should perhaps say that -the sea, which forms itself into bays and creeks by running in among -them, is very pretty. The water is quite clear and transparent, there -being little or no sand on those sides on which the ocean makes -its entrance; and clear water is in itself so beautiful. Then the -singular way in which the land is broken up into narrow necks, -islands, and promontories, running here and there in a capricious, -half-mysterious manner, creating a desire for amphibiosity, -necessarily creates beauty. But it is mostly the beauty of the sea, -and not of the land. The islands are flat, or at any rate there is -no considerable elevation in them. They are covered throughout with -those scrubby little trees; and, although the trees are green, and -therefore when seen from the sea give a freshness to the landscape, -they are uninteresting and monotonous on shore. - -I must not forget the oleanders, which at the time of my visit were -in full flower; which, for aught I know, may be in full flower during -the whole year. They are so general through all the islands, and the -trees themselves are so covered with the large straggling, but bright -blossoms, as to give quite a character to the scenery. The Bermudas -might almost be called the oleander isles. - -The government consists of a Governor, Council, and House of -Assembly; King, Lords, and Commons again. Twenty years ago I should -thoroughly have approved of this; but now I am hardly sure whether a -population of ten or twelve thousand individuals, of whom much more -than half are women, and more than half the remainder are negroes, -require so composite a constitution. Would not a strict Governor, -with due reference to Downing Street, do almost as well? But then to -make the change; that would be difficulty. - -"We have them pretty well in hand," a gentleman whispered to me -who was in some shape connected with the governing powers. He was -alluding, I imagine, to the House of Assembly. Well, that is a -comfort. A good majority in the Lower House is a comfort to all -men--except the minority. - -There are nine parishes, each returning four members to this House -of Assembly. But though every parish requires four members, I -observe that half a clergyman is enough for most of them. But then -the clergymen must be paid. The council here consists chiefly -of gentlemen holding government offices, or who are in some way -connected with the government; so that the Crown can probably -contrive to manage its little affairs. If I remember rightly -Gibraltar and Malta have no Lords or Commons. They are fortresses, -and as such under military rule; and so is Bermuda a fortress. -Independently of her purely military importance, her size and -population is by no means equal to that of Malta. The population of -Malta is chiefly native, and foreign to us;--and the population of -Bermuda is chiefly black. - -But then Malta is a conquered colony, whereas Bermuda was "settled" -by Britons, as the word goes. That makes all the difference. That -such a little spot as Bermuda would in real fact be better without a -constitution of its own, if the change could only be managed, that -I imagine will be the opinion of most men who have thought about the -matter. - -And now for the convict establishment. I received great kindness -and hospitality from the controller of it; but this, luckily, does -not prevent my speaking freely on the matter. He had only just then -newly arrived from England, had but now assumed his new duties, and -was therefore neither responsible for anything that was amiss, or -entitled to credit for what had been permanently established there -on a good footing. My own impression is that of the latter there was -very little. - -In these days our penal establishments, and gaol arrangements -generally, are, certainly, matters of very vital importance to us. -In olden times, and I include the last century and some part of this -among olden times, we certainly did not manage these matters well. -Our main object then was to get rid of our ruffians; to punish them -also, certainly; but, as a chief matter, to get rid of them. The idea -of making use of them, present or future use, had hardly occurred -to us; nor had we begun to reflect whether the roguery of coming -years might not be somewhat lessened by curing the rogues--by making -them not rogues. Now-a-days, we are reflecting a good deal on this -question. - -Our position now has been all altered. Circumstances have done much -to alter it; we can no longer get rid of the worst class of criminals -by sending them to Botany Bay. Botany Bay has assumed a will of its -own, and won't have them at any price. But philanthropy has done -more even than circumstances, very much more. We have the will, the -determination as well as the wish, to do well by our rogues, even if -we have not as yet found the way; and this is much. In this, as in -everything else, the way will follow the will, sooner or later. - -But in the mean time we have been trying various experiments, with -more or less success; forgiving men half their terms of punishment on -good behaviour; giving them tickets of leave; crank-turning; solitary -confinement; pietising--what may be called a system of gaol sanctity, -perhaps the worst of all schemes, as being a direct advertisement -for hypocrisy; work without result, the most distressing punishment -going, one may say, next to that of no work at all; enforced -idleness, which is horrible for human nature to contemplate; work -with result, work which shall pay; good living, pound of beef, pound -of bread, pound of potatoes, ounce of tea, glass of grog, pipe of -tobacco, resulting in much fat, excellent if our prisoners were -stalled oxen to be eaten; poor living, bread and water, which has its -recommendations also, though it be so much opposed to the material -humanity of the age; going to school, so that life if possible may -be made to recommence; very good also, if life would recommence; -corporal punishment, flogging of the body, horrible to think of, -impossible to be looked at; spirit punishment, flogging of the soul, -best of all if one could get at the soul so as to do it effectually. - -All these schemes are being tried; and as I believe that they are -tried with an honest intent to arrive at that which is best, so also -do I believe that we shall in time achieve that which is, if not -heavenly best, at any rate terrestrially good;--shall at least get -rid certainly of all that is hellishly bad. At present, however, we -are still groping somewhat uncertainly. Let us try for a moment to -see what the Bermuda groping has done. - -I do not in the least doubt that the intention here also has been -good; the intention, that is, of those who have been responsible for -the management of the establishment. But I do not think that the -results have been happy. - -At Bermuda there are in round numbers fifteen hundred convicts. As -this establishment is one of penal servitude, of course it is to be -presumed that those sent there are either hardened thieves, whose -lives have been used to crime, or those who have committed heavy -offences under the impulse of strong temptation. In dealing with such -men I think we have three things to do. Firstly, to rid ourselves of -them from amongst us, as we do of other nuisances. This we should do -by hanging them; this we did do when we sent them to Botany Bay; this -we certainly do when we send them to Bermuda. But this, I would say, -is the lightest of the three duties. The second is with reference -to the men themselves; to divest them, if by any means it may be -possible, of their roguery; to divest them even of a little of their -roguery, if so much as that can be done; to teach them that trite -lesson, of honesty being the best policy,--so hard for men to learn -when honesty has been, as it were, for many years past out of their -sight, and even beyond their understanding. This is very important, -but even this is not the most important. The third and most important -object is the punishment of these men; their punishment, sharp, hard -to bear, heavy to body and mind, disagreeable in all ways, to be -avoided on account of its odiousness by all prudent men; their -condign punishment, so that the world at large may know and see, and -clearly acknowledge,--even the uneducated world,--that honesty is the -best policy. - -That the first object is achieved, I have said. It is achieved as -regards those fifteen hundred, and, as far as I know, at a moderate -cost. Useful work for such men is to be found at Bermuda. We have -dockyards there, and fortifications which cannot be made too strong -and weather-tight. At such a place works may be done by convict -labour which could not be done otherwise. Whether the labour be -economically used is another question; but at any rate the fifteen -hundred rogues are disposed of, well out of the way of our pockets -and shop windows. - -As to the second object, that of divesting these rogues of their -roguery, the best way of doing that is the question as to which there -is at the present moment so much doubt. As to what may be the best -way I do not presume to give an opinion; but I do presume to doubt -whether the best way has as yet been found at Bermuda. The proofs at -any rate were not there. Shortly before my arrival a prisoner had -been killed in a row. After that an attempt had been made to murder -a warder. And during my stay there one prisoner was deliberately -murdered by two others after a faction fight between a lot of Irish -and English, in which the warders were for some minutes quite -unable to interfere. Twenty-four men were carried to the hospital -dangerously wounded, as to the life of some of whom the doctor almost -despaired. This occurred on a day intervening between two visits -which I made to the establishment. Within a month of the same time -three men had escaped, of whom two only were retaken; one had -got clear away, probably to America. This tells little for the -discipline, and very little for the moral training of the men. - -There is no wall round the prison. I must explain that the convicts -are kept on two islands, those called Boaz and Ireland. At Boaz is -the parent establishment, at which live the controller, chaplains, -doctors, and head officers. But here is the lesser number of -prisoners, about six hundred. They live in ordinary prisons. The -other nine hundred are kept in two hulks, old men-of-war moored by -the breakwaters, at the dockyard establishment in Ireland. It was -in one of these that the murder was committed. The labour of these -nine hundred men is devoted to the dockyard works. There is a bridge -between the two islands over which runs a public road, and from this -road there are ways equally public, as far as the eye goes, to all -parts of the prison. A man has only to say that he is going to the -chaplain's house, and he may pass all through the prison,--with -spirits in his pocket if it so please him. That the prisoners should -not be about without warders is no doubt a prison rule; but where -everything is done by the prisoners, from the building of stores to -the picking of weeds and lighting of lamps, how can any moderate -number of warders see everything, even if they were inclined? There -is nothing to prevent spirits being smuggled in after dark through -the prison windows. And the men do get rum, and drunkenness is a -common offence. Prisoners may work outside prison walls; but I -remember no other prison that is not within walls--that looks from -open windows on to open roads, as is here the case. - -"And who shaves them?" I happened to ask one of the officers. "Oh, -every man has his own razor; and they have knives too, though it is -not allowed." So these gentlemen who are always ready for faction -fights, whose minds are as constantly engaged on the family question -of Irish _versus_ English, which means Protestant against Catholic, -as were those of Father Tom Maguire and Mr. Pope, are as well armed -for their encounters as were those reverend gentlemen. - -The two murderers will I presume be tried, and if found guilty -probably hanged; but the usual punishment for outbreaks of this kind -seems to be, or to have been, flogging. A man would get some seventy -lashes; the Governor of the island would go down and see it done; and -then the lacerated wretch would be locked up in idleness till his -back would again admit of his bearing a shirt. "But they'll venture -their skin," said the officer; "they don't mind that till it comes." -"But do they mind being locked up alone?" I asked. He admitted this, -but said that they had only six--I think six--cells, of which two or -three were occupied by madmen; they had no other place for lunatics. -Solitary confinement is what these men do mind, what they do fear; -but here there is not the power of inflicting that punishment. - -What a piece of work for a man to step down upon;--the amendment of -the discipline of such a prison as this! Think what the feeling -among them will be when knives and razors are again taken from them, -when their grog is first stopped, their liberty first controlled. -They sleep together, a hundred or more within talking distance, in -hammocks slung at arm's length from each other, so that one may -excite ten, and ten fifty. Is it fair to put warders among such men, -so well able to act, so ill able to control their actions? - -"It is a sore task," said the controller who had fallen down new upon -this bit of work; "it is dreadful to have to add misery to those who -are already miserable." It is a very sore task; but at the moment I -hardly sympathized with his humanity. - -So much for the Bermuda practice of divesting these rogues of their -roguery. And now a word as to the third question; the one question -most important, as I regard it, of their punishment. Are these men -so punished as to deter others by the fear of similar treatment? I -presume it may be taken for granted that the treatment, such as it -is, does become known and the nature of it understood among those at -home who are, or might be, on the path towards it. - -Among the lower classes, from which these convicts do doubtless -mostly come, the goods of life are chiefly reckoned as being food, -clothing, warm shelter, and hours of idleness. It may seem harsh to -say so thus plainly; but will any philanthropical lover of these -lower classes deny the fact? I regard myself as a philanthropical -lover of those classes, and as such I assert the fact; nay, I might -go further and say that it is almost the same of some other classes. -That many have knowledge of other good things, wife-love and -children-love--heart-goods, if I may so call them; knowledge of -mind-goods, and soul-goods also, I do not deny. That such knowledge -is greatly on the increase I verily believe; but with most among us -back and belly, or rather belly and back, are still supreme. On belly -and back must punishment fall, when sinners such as these are to be -punished. - -But with us--very often I fear elsewhere, but certainly at that -establishment of which we are now speaking--there is no such -punishment at all. In scale of dietary among subjects of our Queen, -I should say that honest Irish labourers stand the lowest; they eat -meat twice a year, potatoes and milk for six months, potatoes without -milk for six, and fish occasionally if near the shore. Then come -honest English labourers; they generally have cheese, sometimes -bacon. Next above them we may probably rank the inhabitants of our -workhouses; they have fresh meat perhaps three times a week. Whom -shall we name next? Without being anxious to include every shade of -English mankind, we may say soldiers, and above them sailors; then, -perhaps, ordinary mechanics. There must be many another ascending -step before we come to the Bermuda convict, but it would be long -to name them; but now let us see what the Bermuda convict eats and -drinks every day. - -He has a pound of meat; he has good meat too, lucky dog, while -those wretched Bermudians are tugging out their teeth against tough -carcasses! He has a pound and three ounces of bread; the amount -may be of questionable advantage, as he cannot eat it all; but he -probably sells it for drink. He has a pound of fresh vegetables; he -has tea and sugar; he has a glass of grog--exactly the same amount -that a sailor has; and he has an allowance of tobacco-money, with -permission to smoke at midday and evening, as he sits at his table or -takes his noontide pleasant saunter. So much for belly. - -Then as to back, under which I include a man's sinews. The convict -begins the day by going to chapel at a quarter-past seven: his -prayers do not take him long, for the chaplain on the occasion of my -visit read small bits out of the Prayer-book here and there, without -any reference to church rule or convict-establishment reason. At -half-past seven he goes to his work, if it does not happen to rain, -in which case he sits till it ceases. He then works till five, with -an hour and a half interval for his dinner, grog, and tobacco. He -then has the evening for his supper and amusements. He thus works for -eight hours, barring the rain, whereas in England a day labourer's -average is about ten. As to the comparative hardness of their labour -there will of course be no doubt. The man who must work for his wages -will not get any wages unless he works hard. The convict will at any -rate get his wages, and of course spares his sinews. - -As to clothes, they have, and should have exactly what is best suited -to health. Shoes when worn out are replaced. The straw hat is always -decent, and just what one would wish to wear oneself in that climate. -The jacket and trousers have the word "Boaz" printed over them in -rather ugly type; but one would get used to that. The flannel shirts, -&c., are all that could be desired. - -Their beds are hammocks like those of sailors, only not subject to -be swung about by the winds, and not hung quite so closely as those -of some sailors. Did any of my readers ever see the beds of an Irish -cotters establishment in county Cork? Ah! or of some English cotter's -establishments in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire? - -The hospital arrangements and attendance are excellent as regards -the men's comfort; though the ill-arrangement of the buildings is -conspicuous, and must be conspicuous to all who see them. - -And then these men, when they take their departure, have the wages of -their labour given to them,--so much as they have not spent either -licitly in tobacco, or illicitly in extra grog. They will take home -with them sixteen pounds, eighteen pounds, or twenty pounds. Such is -convict life in Bermuda,--unless a man chance to get murdered in a -faction fight. - -As to many of the comforts above enumerated, it will of course be -seen that they are right. The clothes, the hospital arrangements, -and sanitary provision are, and should be, better in a prison than -they can, unfortunately, be at present among the poor who are not -prisoners. But still they must be reckoned among the advantages which -convicted crime enjoy. - -It seems to be a cruel task, that of lessening the comforts of men -who are, at any rate, in truth not to be envied--are to be pitied -rather, with such deep, deep pity! But the thing to look to, the one -great object, is to diminish the number of those who must be sent to -such places. Will such back and belly arrangements as those I have -described deter men from sin by the fear of its consequences? - -Why should not those felons--for such they all are, I presume, till -the term of their punishment be over--why should they sleep after -five? why should their diet be more than strong health requires? why -should their hours of work be light? Why that drinking of spirits and -smoking of tobacco among men whose term of life in that prison should -be a term of suffering? Why those long twelve hours of bed and rest, -spent in each other's company, with noise, and singing, and jollity? -Let them eat together, work together, walk together if you will; but -surely at night they should be separated! Faction fights cannot take -place unless the fighters have time and opportunity to arrange them. - -I cannot but think that there should be great changes in this -establishment, and that gradually the punishment, which undoubtedly -is intended, should be made to fall on the prisoners. "Look at the -prisoners' rations!" the soldiers say in Bermuda when they complain -of their own; and who can answer them? - -I cannot understand why the island governor should have authority -in the prison. He from his profession can know little or nothing -about prisons, and even for his own work,--or no work, is generally -selected either from personal favour or from military motives, -whereas the prison governor is selected, probably with much care, for -his specialities in that line. And it must be as easy and as quick -for the prison governor to correspond with the Home Office as for -the island governor to correspond with the Colonial Office. There -has undoubtedly been mischief done by the antagonism of different -authorities. It would seem reasonable that all such establishments -should be exclusively under the Home Office. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -CONCLUSION. - - -From Bermuda I took a sailing vessel to New York, in company with a -rather large assortment of potatoes and onions. I had declared during -my unlucky voyage from Kingston to Cuba that no consideration should -again tempt me to try a sailing vessel, but such declarations always -go for nothing. A man in his misery thinks much of his misery; but as -soon as he is out of it it is forgotten, or becomes matter for mirth. -Of even a voyage in a sailing vessel one may say that at some future -time it will perhaps be pleasant to remember that also. And so I -embarked myself along with the potatoes and onions on board the good -ship 'Henrietta.' - -Indeed, there is no other way of getting from Bermuda to New York; -or of going anywhere from Bermuda--except to Halifax and St. Thomas, -to which places a steamer runs once a month. In going to Cuba I had -been becalmed, starved, shipwrecked, and very nearly quaranteened. In -going to New York I encountered only the last misery. The doctor who -boarded us stated that a vessel had come from Bermuda with a sick -man, and that we must remain where we were till he had learnt what -was the sick man's ailment. Our skipper, who knew the vessel in -question, said that one of their crew had been drunk in Bermuda for -two or three days, and had not yet worked it off. But the doctor -called again in the course of the day, and informed us that it was -intermittent fever. So we were allowed to pass. It does seem strange -that sailing vessels should be subjected to such annoyances. I hardly -think that one of the mail steamers going into New York would be -delayed because there was a case of intermittent fever on board -another vessel from Liverpool. - -It is not my purpose to give an Englishman's ideas of the United -States, or even of New York, at the fag end of a volume treating -about the West Indies. On the United States I should like to -write a volume, seeing that the government and social life of the -people there--of that people who are our children--afford the most -interesting phenomena which we find as to the new world;--the best -means of prophesying, if I may say so, what the world will next be, -and what men will next do. There, at any rate, a new republic has -become politically great and commercially active; whereas all other -new republics have failed in those points, as in all others. But this -cannot be attempted now. - -From New York I went by the Hudson river to Albany, and on by the New -York Central Railway to Niagara; and though I do not mean to make any -endeavour to describe that latter place as such descriptions should -be--and doubtless are and have been--written, I will say one or two -words which may be of use to any one going thither. - -The route which I took from New York would be, I should think, the -most probable route for Englishmen. And as travellers will naturally -go up the Hudson river by day, and then on from Albany by night -train,* seeing that there is nothing to be seen at Albany, and that -these trains have excellent sleeping accommodation--a lady, or indeed -a gentleman, should always take a double sleeping-berth, a single -one costs half a dollar, and a double one a dollar. This outlay has -nothing to do with the travelling ticket;--it will follow that he, -she, or they will reach Niagara at about 4 a.m. - - [*It would be well, however, to visit Trenton Falls by the way, - which I did not do. They are but a short distance from Utica, - a town on this line of railway.] - -In that case let them not go on to what is called the Niagara -Falls station, but pass over at a station called the Suspension -Bridge--very well known on the road--to the other or Canada side of -the water, and thence go to the Clifton Hotel. There can be no doubt -as to this being the site at which tourists should stop. It is one of -those cases in which to see is to be sure. But if the traveller be -carried on to Niagara Falls station, he has a long and expensive -journey to make back; and the United States side of the water will be -antagonistic to him in doing so. The ticket from Albany to Niagara -cost me six dollars; the carriage from Niagara to the Clifton Hotel -cost me five. It was better to pay the five than to remain where -I was; but it would have been better still to have saved them. I -mention this as passengers to the Falls have no sort of intimation -that they should get out at the Suspension Bridge; though they are -all duly shaken out of their berths, and inquired of whether or not -they be going west. - -Nothing ever disappointed me less than the Falls of Niagara--but my -raptures did not truly commence for the first half-day. Their charms -grow upon one like the conversation of a brilliant man. Their depth -and breadth and altitude, their music, colour, and brilliancy are -not fully acknowledged at the first moment. It may be that my eye is -slow; but I can never take in to its full enjoyment any view or any -picture at the first glance. I found this to be especially the case -at Niagara. It was only by long gazing and long listening that I was -able to appreciate the magnitude of that waste of waters. - -My book is now complete, and I am not going to "do the Falls," but -I must bid such of my readers as may go there to place themselves -between the rocks and the waters of the Horse-shoe Fall after -sunset--well after sunset; and there remain--say for half an hour. -And let every man do this alone; or if fortune have kindly given him -such a companion, with one who may leave him as good as alone. But -such companions are rare. - -The spot to which I allude will easily make itself known to him, nor -will he have any need of a guide. He will find it, of course, before -the sun shall set. And, indeed, as to guides, let him eschew them, -giving a twenty-five cent piece here and there, so that these men -be not ruined for want of custom. Into this spot I made my way, and -stood there for an hour, dry enough. The spray did reach my coat, -and the drops settled on my hair; but nevertheless, as a man not -over delicate, I was dry enough. Then I went up, and when there was -enticed to put myself into a filthy oil-skin dress, hat, coat, and -trousers, in order that I might be conducted under the Falls. Under -the Falls! Well I had been under the Falls; but still, wishing to see -everything, I allowed myself to be caparisoned. - -A sable conductor took me exactly to the spot where I had been -before. But he took me also ten yards further, during which little -extra journey I became soaking wet through, in spite of the dirty -oil-cloth. The ducking cost me sixty cents, or half a crown. - -But I must be allowed one word as to that visit after sunset; one -word as to that which an obedient tourist will then see. In the spot -to which I allude the visitor stands on a broad safe path, made -of shingles, between the rock over which the water rushes and the -rushing water. He will go in so far that the spray rising back from -the bed of the torrent does not incommode him. With this exception, -the further he can go the better; but here also circumstances will -clearly show him the spot. Unless the water be driven in by a very -strong wind, five yards make the difference between a comparatively -dry coat and an absolutely wet one. - -And then let him stand with his back to the entrance, thus hiding the -last glimmer of the expiring day. So standing he will look up among -the falling waters, or down into the deep misty pit, from which they -reascend in almost as palpable a bulk. The rock will be at his right -hand, high and hard, and dark and straight, like the wall of some -huge cavern, such as children enter in their dreams. For the first -five minutes he will be looking but at the waters of a cataract,--at -the waters, indeed, of such a cataract as we know no other, and at -their interior curves, which elsewhere we cannot see. But by-and-by -all this will change. He will no longer be on a shingly path beneath -a waterfall; but that feeling of a cavern wall will grow upon him, of -a cavern deep, deep below roaring seas, in which the waves are there, -though they do not enter in upon him; or rather not the waves, but -the very bowels of the deep ocean. He will feel as though the floods -surrounded him, coming and going with their wild sounds, and he will -hardly recognize that though among them he is not in them. And they, -as they fall with a continual roar, not hurting the ear, but musical -withal, will seem to move as the vast ocean waters may perhaps move -in their internal currents. He will lose the sense of one continued -descent, and think that they are passing round him in their appointed -courses. The broken spray that rises from the depth below, rises so -strongly, so palpably, so rapidly, that the motion in every direction -will seem equal. And then, as he looks on, strange colours will show -themselves through the mist; the shades of gray will become green and -blue, with ever and anon a flash of white; and then, when some gust -of wind blows in with greater violence, the sea-girt cavern will -become all dark and black. Oh, my friend, let there be no one there -to speak to thee then; no, not even a heart's brother. As you stand -there speak only to the waters. - -So much for Niagara. From thence, I went along Lake Ontario, and -by the St. Lawrence to Montreal, being desirous of seeing the new -tubular railway bridge which is being erected there over the St. -Lawrence close to that town. Lake Ontario is uninteresting, being -altogether too large for scenery, and too foggy for sight-seeing if -there were anything to see. The travelling accommodation, however, -is excellent. The points of interest in the St. Lawrence are the -thousand islands, among which the steamer glides as soon as it enters -the river; and the rapids, of which the most singularly rapid is the -one the vessel descends as it nears Montreal. Both of these are very -well, but they do not require to be raved about. The Canadian towns -at which one touches are interesting as being clean and large, and -apparently prosperous;--also as being English, for we hardly reach -the French part of Canada till we get down to Montreal. - -This tubular bridge over the St. Lawrence, which will complete the -whole trunk line of railway from Portland on the coast of Maine, -through the two Canadas, to the States of Michigan and Wisconsin, -will certainly be one of the most wonderful works of scientific art -in the world. It is to consist of different tubes, resting on piers -placed in the river bed at intervals sufficient to provide for the -free navigation of the water. Some of these, including the centre and -largest one, are already erected. This bridge will be over a mile -and a half in length, and will cost the enormous sum of one million -four hundred thousand pounds, being but two hundred thousand pounds -short of the whole cost of the Panama railway. I only wish that the -shareholders may have as good a dividend. - -From Montreal I went down Lake Champlain to Saratoga Springs, the -great resort of New Yorkers when the weather in the city becomes too -hot for endurance. I was there late in June, but was very glad at -that time to sit with my toes over a fire. The country about Saratoga -is by no means pretty. The waters, I do not doubt, are very healthy, -and the hotels very good. It must, I should think, be a very dull -place for persons who are not invalids. - -From Saratoga I returned to New York, and from New York sailed for -Liverpool in the exceedingly good ship 'Africa,' Captain Shannon. -I have sailed in many vessels, but never in one that was more -comfortable or better found. - -And on board this most comfortable of vessels I have now finished my -book, as I began it on board that one, of all the most uncomfortable, -which carried me from Kingston in Jamaica to Cien Fuegos in the -island of Cuba. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WEST INDIES AND THE SPANISH -MAIN*** - - -******* This file should be named 55100.txt or 55100.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/5/1/0/55100 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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