Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-03-19
Barbados.

the North W est, the appearance OF an oDloos
mound Of brilliant greco, rising to the height
Of 100 feet, from a sea as deeply, darkiy,
beautifully blue" as ever poet iancied. \
nearer view discloses the brilliantly white
strip of beach upon which the surf breaks,
forming an appropriate setting to THIS gem VI
the sea, also, the sunny slopes crowned - the
very SUBMITS with waving Cane, and thlckIy
studded with mansions. cottages, ana the
humber dwellings of the poor, all forming an
ensemble Of as much quiet and cultivated
beauty a. my eyes have ever rested upoo.
OCCASIONAL clumps of cocoa nut or cabbage
trees, grove Of Orange or an avenue o!
Mahogany are seen, which give 40 air foreign
and tropical to the landscape. The town
lies around the shores Of Carlisle Bay, " here
we soon dropped anchor.
After beng 'cribbed, c'bined and con-
fined Oh board for twenty-five days, We we're
nothing 10th TO escape TO the shore. and push
ing through the feet of boats. filled with
chattering quadroons and darkies, we soon
shot pas, the massive mole aud planted our
feet on the soil of the garden of the West
Indies A near view OF the town OccasioD-
Cd me some disappointment. The houses.
though massive, we're low, and colored a
tinsy yellow, and with projecting verandss
and green jalousies over-hanging the side
walks, reminded me rather Of gloomy Spain
than 'Merrie Englandp The streets are
very narrow, through beautifully clean aud
smooth, being cut from the Coral which
forms the Suhstratum of the lsland; the side
walk, are Jagged but scarcely admit two
abreast Passing through Trafalgar Square,
which Is adorned With q statue Ot Lord Me-
sOu. We were soon at the ''lce House" wnere
irothns glass Of iced "Orown stout" re-
freshed us after our hot walk. This estab-
li.hment, which furnishes to BirbadUes
never-taIIiug supply of Ice, and all the
Injuries incident tnAreon, as Julep1, Cock
tails, General Jacksons, as we'll as tender
steaks ani outlets otherwise unsttslnable 10 a
hit clipste, is only a small par; OF tns com
merCiai enterprises of our countryman, Mr..
Cotton, who, am glad to Soy, IN making
Blrtaioes happy, has made himself rich.-'
We found very cJmOr. bic and airy lodgings
at the nvtel o. Miss Lee, u lady VI color, and
success ,or to Miss Betsey Austin.
But few days elapsed before Invitations
flowed III upon u, in number which sus-
tained tue prVserbal reputation OF the Is
iauders for hospitality, -trom the Governor.
the Consul (may his shadow never be less
tie Americ1u residents, and the gentry OF
the Island, Carriages were put at our dis
pusai for drives about the enslrOns,--lu short
our lives were the most holiday ones Imagi-
naUlr.
As time and space are wanting to enter into
o detail ed descrlet tho Of what | have seen, |
will only ask you 20 accompany me IN an ex
curslon across the Island to lacketrs Ciit,
lis highest point, to "hich | was iuSited ly
= gentlem "a Ut the Island.
AZ an early hour his carriage was at the
door aud Was sUon filled by as merry party
vi iUur as you would desire 90 see. We soon
cleared the enyirUns uf the Town, aud rolled
rapidly along roads OF unparalleled tx
ceicnca, up the easy ascent, towards the
middle Of tue Island. We drove past the
u Ieeu's l1yuse," the residence OF the Gen
er.l, aGd the handsome mansion Of the
Governor, aud numerous beautiful country
seas were everywhere seen, empowered 10
the thckest shade OF trees and flowers. We
were nos fairly in the Country, and 90 each
slie OF the road waved most luxuriant crops
Of cane, or fields Of richest black mould were
Sometimes fields OF millet or Indian CJru,
Taro, yam or banana were seen, but chiefly
the profitable Cane lJrded il over al mesner
crops Even IN the small holdings OF or
acres, @! which many lay by the roadside,
lhe negrO teUaOt has his patch OF cane, the
product Of which he sells t. the larger plan
tiers, either Tor planting or grinding. As We
surmounted the first range OF hills, the sea
breeze, fresh aud bracIng, came ruohlug past
u, creating the very perfection OF teUpera-
ture with tue Thermometer Ut so. l never
fclt an ar more insPrIt:ng and elastic. we
uld now look downward and backward
upon the Town and barbur, ani the OCEAN
EN- bracing all upon bills AID vallles, aud
sunny slopes, all rIcn aud teeming with pro.
ducts: surely more Of Natures giit- were
oeyer crowded into a more narrow space!
Here" | exclaimed, ''is the Utopia cf the
American F4rmer!' Not a fence to bo
en, a. | live, but the ornamental one Of
lrOr, when surrounds some gentleman's
grounds :" Nv nat deep aud clearly culture,
tue suli Is like all aohUlnk, win fragments
ut glittering coral sparkling amongst IT,
Ot all the riches Of BarbadOes, | most covet
the Iuexh IusuOle supply OF pure carbonate
Of Lime. How would the russell hills Ol
Stafford "biussom ike the rose" under It's
magic Inguence. TO the D., then, with
Tgur friend Is .rreda, and his extortiOus. lie
mi .hr take himself and his guanO 10 some
otner market. Here, too are compost heaps,
huge, dark ana frabie, containing all the
eiemets OF pr9ducuSeness. The teams am
s,rrv TO say, 90 not accord with the other
signs OF improved Agricu.ture,-here come
tn wr tch5d ruuss dragging a machine which
would be al easy task for two prlz5 DsVons.
WhaI occasions inc most surprise Is 10 con-
trast the sbaliOwness Of the soil, often not
IN re than three feet, based upon solid coral,
with tue luxurlance ot the succulent crop.
Towards tue summit OF the bills, an inch or
two of soil il often covered with sod
thickiy matted as many a meadow. At no
remote geological period ibis island must have
risen, white and bar, from the depths Of
o ;ran, and fresh from the laboratory OF that
surprising insect-the Coral Aoimalcule.-
But ''revenOns u nos moutOns" | did not
omit to ply our host With questions, OF the
replies u which will give you q short sum-
mary.
Owing to the redundancy Of the negro pop
ularion. labor is very abund ant and cheap.
4 field hand may be had at 20 cts. per diem,
and fad bmsei. Corn meal With an occd-
slonal fish Is the chief diet Of working hands.
Land is valued at 5000 t. $1,000 per acre.
An estate near town was sold for the latter