seen without the hat for anything there is not a bell in this or any house on the islands and the of is hardly known for the do their work like and disappear at sunset in a land where there are no carpets no fires no dust no hot water needed no windows to open and shut � for they are s open � no further service is really required it is a simple life and people live more happily than any that i have seen elsewhere it is very cheerful to live among people whose are not ed by the east wind or wrinkled by the worrying effort to keep up appearances which deceive nobody who have no formal visiting but real regard the light manual labour of domestic life as pleasure not a thing to be ashamed of who are with their circumstances and have leisure to and agreeable and who live so taste though simply that they can at any time ask a passing stranger to occupy the simple guest chamber or te the simple meal any of the soul p which often make the exercise of hospitality of terror to people in the same circumstances at home i will ask you what is the food we have everywhere bread and made of flour p � cakes with and often cracked wheat not very good sweet potatoes boiled irish potatoes and i have not seen fish on any table except at the hotel or any meat but beef w is hard and dr as compared witli ours we have ix china or tea and island coffee is the only place in which are allowed to be sold and i have not seen beer wine or spirits in any house are an important article of diet and eaten with milk and sugar are very good the cooking is always done in detached cook houses in and on american cooking as to clothing i wear my flannel riding dress for both riding and walking and a black silk at other times the resident ladies wear prints and and the gentlemen black cloth or dark suits flannel is not required neither are or white hats or at any season the changes of temperature are very slight and there is no chill when the sun goes down the air is always like the rain is and does not give cold in summer it may be three or four degrees warmer windows and doors stand open the whole year a blanket is agreeable at night but not absolutely necessary it is a truly delightful climate and mode of living with such an of air and my health daily and i do not consider myself an invalid between working reading aloud talking riding and i have very little time for letter but i must tell you of a delightful expedition on the margin of the forest that i took yesterday accompanied by mr and the two elder boys we rode in the direction outside cane ready for cutting with silvery gleaming in the sun till we reached the verge of the forest where an old trail was nearly by a trailing grass four feet a forest paradise high and thousands of which conceal streams and when further was impossible we our horses and proceeded on foot we were then feet above the sea by the and the increased coolness was perceptible the is about four degrees lower for each feet of ascent � rather more than this indeed on the side of the islands the forest would be quite impenetrable were it not for the remains of wood which though grown up to the height of my are still underneath the green invisible streams deep down made sweet music sweeter even than the gentle murmur of the cool breeze among the trees the forest on the track which i thought so tropical and wonderful a short time ago is nothing for beauty to compare with this garden of god i wish i could describe it but cannot and as you know only pale l trees with their uniform green i cannot that it is like this or that the first of a hymn ol paradise oh paradise rings in my brain and e rustic exclamation we used to hear when we were children well i never followed by notes of admiration seems to the whole of the former cutting of some trees gives atmosphere and the tumbled nature of the shows everything to the best there were o over which huge candle nuts with their and silver foliage spread their giant arms and the light played through their branches on an infinite variety c letter ix of there were gi of and with shiny leaves feet long like enormous s tongue the bright the dark the mahogany of the pacific the great glossy � a forest ti ee as large as our largest elms the small its rose crimson flowers making a glory in the forests and its young shoots of red with the colouring of the new england fall and the strange its stiff drooping which in the faintest breeze and the superb its fruit and from spreading we shook the ripe j treasures out the inside all and crimson to make drinking cups of the and there were trees that had surrendered their own lives to a conquering army of which had clothed their with an and beauty and over trees and the tender of great morning glories and themselves and the strong stems of the ie wound themselves round the tall which supported their quaint like of leaves fifty feet the there were some superb plants of the glossy bird s nest or which makes its home on the stems and branches of trees and the forest with its great shining i got a specimen from a tree the plant had nine each one measuring fe om feet inch to feet inches in length and from to inches in breadth 