New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-14
nrw PUBLICATIONS

.,sa a,,,ho, of this volume sailed IRON view ofA
ne @'s',o' &c Io,t January, ard after short
.s:4ar.o on the Island of Jamaica was 40 "i'0'
'..na ,v;,b the causes 10 which us present
unhappy industrial and oommefCl, pD biz ohsorva
~ ascyibed as to resolve to 'l"fa''
,;ons ~ the public. His worK' @''o.D'.lorS' - !"
80 ..aot;se on Political Economy ~ fo'o'e".0
"''S- 1anrsssion Of Jamaica rather man a o0oR
70 'ne ~ record of personal lAeidents' u is
Of afaVs'' toyeyer with several agreeable sketch
r. ,he voyage, and of excursions on the island
"..S descriptions of the manners OF the people,
w., connot be read without interest
M. ,omarks on the means of avoiding sea sick
noroe so near the business and the BOSOM"
s,,.nv travel ers, that we quote them at the out
Get;
Neither was easick discovered soon alter
.,r denarture the propriety of adopting the follow
;ag nyecautions, to which presume owe my OK
aroontion from this common terror of inexperienced
20 fyoyagers In the first place, | was careful
lever while sitting in the cabin, to rest my feet on
,ha Aoor bot always to stretch them upon the sofa
~ a chair z in the next place. always seated my
e go that the roll of the ship should pitch me from
lido tn side, and not forward and backward. In
,he third place, whenever felt in the least unset
lid / was careful never to fix my attention upon
any near object, and especially avoided reading or
ry,S;.ng Unnecessary, closed my eyes altogether
Finally, | made it point to so regularly to the
sable and eat moderately of plain food. BY the
careful observance of these precautions, was en-
shled to enjoy my voyage without interruption,
ond came to the conclusion that most PERSONS if
;ngood health when they embark, may avoid sea
sickness altogether by following my example.
He gives lively description of his
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KINGSTON.
NV first impressions of Kingston were not ia
,erable, and j had no occasion upon further &c
saaintancc to change them. The city is well
enough situated, On ground gradually rising from
the sea Of the rate of about one hundred feet TO
the mile aud the mountains which bound it in the
rear about four miles distant, furnish e most de-
sirsble refuge from the extreme heats OF summer,
OF to Ialids who require more bracng tenn
peralure occasionally than can be furnished below.
In drive of four hours one may be transferred
from an average temperature of go to one oil co..
But the city of Kingston is most undesirable
residence. The streets are all quite narrow,
scarcely wide enough for alleys. The houses are
all partially dilapdated, and OF course old. Though
/ have been through nearly every street, ] have
not seen single new house erecting, save an
Insane Asylum, which, by the way, has been sus-
pended for want Of funds. A terrible fire laid
large portion of the city in ruins, several years
ago, and only portion OF the houses have been
rebuilt. These ere commonly one story high
only and very mean. In the busiest parts of the
city, and on every block, may be seen vacant ots,
on which are crumbling the foundation walls Of
houses long in ruins. Rents are exceedingly low,
less than half fair interest on the cost Of the
buildings alone--while the vacant lots cannot be
said to have any marked value, there being no
sales. There are several fine houses yet eXtaut
bere but they were all built many years ago,
when the island was prosperous, and very lew OF
shem are :" in repair"
There is not foot of street pavement TO my
knowledge, in Kingston, and the streets are al
most uniformly from one to three feet lower in the
center than at the sides This is the result Of
spring rains which wash down the mountains in
sorrents, and through the streets Of the city to the
river, ottentimes making such channels IN them rs
TO render them impassabe. This periodical visit
alton was suggested to me by resident as the
reason for not paving the street walks. Thai may
be good reason for jamaica people, but it would
not be sufficient one for Yankees if they had to
use the streets. They would either remove the
mountains altogether, or make such terms with
ahe rains as would induce them to use the high
ways to the ocean as not abusing them.
Kingston contains about forty thousand inhabi
tants at present. nine tenths of whom at least,
are colored. In walking the streets, one scarcely
meets white persons frequently as he would
meet cGored persons in New York city The
whites are mostly English or of English descent.
great had never seen black Jew before, and
l was astonshed to find how little the expression
OF the lsraeGtish profile was elected by color
My imagination could never have combined the
sharp and cunning features OF Isaac with the thick
Tipped, careless, unthinking Gountenauce OF Cud-
10; but nature has done ii perfectly, if that can
be called combination in which the negro fur
nshes tho color and the Jew all the rest OF the ex.
preston. What will be the ultimate consequence
oil this corruption of the African blood, is cues
zion over which the wise men cf Jamaica are al
ready beginning to scratch their heads,
Though Kingston is the principal port OF the isl
and, it has bat little Of the air of a commercial
city. One looks and listens in vain for the noise
OF carts and the hustle Of busy men; no one
seems to be in hurry, but few are doing any
ehing, while the mass of the population are
loanging about in idloucss aud rags The bust
ness IS mostly mercantile, and confined to three
or Tour streets. Here are no mechanics or me-
ehancai operatives such as abound in the larger
cities OF the north. Nearly all who do not traffic.
wait upon those who do, or lead life Of compGr
alive Incidence, The professional men are about
she only exceptions.
The white inhabitants arc almost all Of British
deacent. 1t is an uncommon thing to meet
FIenchman or Spaniard in Kingston. The Eng
Hsh language is universally spoken, and IN every
variety of African dialect. They have what they
call the omnibus here, which is OF the capacity
end shape of four wheeled cab. These vehicles
pursue no specific route. but carry their passen-
gers to any part of the city for twenty'iy cents
provided their starved horses are equal to the eli
Tort. never tried any OF them but twice, out on
both those occasions the horses gave ont more
than once before they reached my place Of Ges,'-
nation
Inever saw place so obouading in old people
and babes Almost every woman You meet, aud
Of whatever age, hos an infant IN hef arms OF
somewhere upon her person, while the streets are
Uttered with children more advanced, So aged
persons are far more abundant here than IN ou'
northern cities. This may be attributed to the
mildness Of the weather, which enables the Ole
people to be in the streets at all seasons, without
exposing them to those nirmities with which oa
northern climates niNict the aged. Bat the fac
probably is, that while in tho North the poor agec
people die of neglect, privasion and exposure a.
soon as they become too infrm to provide for al
the wants accustomed by our trying climate auC
long cold winters, in jamaica the same class d,