, 1873-11-26

need not have been ashamed of his compo-
sition, for the whole of the letters are writ
ten in an easy and graceful style, and as
for the fact, they are true to the life. A
few of the papers have already appeared
in print under the title of " Travel Talk"
and have had a wide circulation. both in
the United Kingdom and in the West
Indian colonies. The author, accompa-
MED by his wife, arrived in Kingston
Harbour in the month of February, and,
having no friends at Jamaica, their first
business was to provide themselves with
lodgings. So, mailing a "bus,'' as the
Kingston cabs are called, they started to
seek the hotel to which they had been re-
commended. The account Of his journey
thither and his description of the " HalP'
we will give in his own words -
In due time, and after a prodigious
amount of tumbiiug and jolting, we were
landed at the door of a large and desOIate-
looking building, which the driver in
formed us was the "Hall' for by this
grand name are inns known in Jamaica)
to which we are bound. We entered
upon a courtyard paved with brick,
around which ha ia dozen men and wo-
men were idly tting. Two wall-eyed
horses were being rubbed down sable
damsels seated on the ground were wash
ing ewers aud basins and towels. A rug
was being shaken from a balcony over
head. A couple of turkeys, three enraged
Guinea fowls, some poultry, two goats,
and a lean dog were wandering about at
their own sweet wills and the filthy con-
ditiOn of the courtyard justified the pre-
sumption that this litter had not been
removed for a week. As we were won
deringIy looking around to see whether
he had not made a mistake and entered
the "curtilage" of. a private DWELLING
house, one of the women, whom we after
wards discovered to be the proprietrix of
the establishment, without rising from
her chair, wished us an lndolent and IN
different good morning." We were
about to commence an apology for our
intrusion, when she suddenly interrupted
US by calling to a dirty black boy wtO
was passing, . Thomas, show the gentle
men into the hall, and tell the house wo-
man to put water into No 24." Then,
without taking further notice Of US, she
turned to her next neighbour and COM
menced a TRADE upon the "|vileness" Of
servants in Jamaica, and of her own in
particular. Following our guide upstairs
we were ushered into a large room, where
an oil negress, on her knees, smoking the
S ump Of a cigar with the lighted end in
her mouth, was cleaning the polished floor.
OF this central apartment the bedrooms
diverged in all directions. Into one of
these we were indicted by the sulky boy.
The room was gloomy as a vault. A bed,
a chair, and a basin-stand constituted all
the furniture A little strip of mating by
our bedSides was all our carpet. There
were few traces of that West Indian lux
ury of VIII CHI we have heard SO much be-
fore leaving home Breakfast was served
to us in a broad verandah overlooking the
street. We had oysters from the man
grove trees at Port Royal, a brilliant scar
let " snapper" an excellent fish, but, like
all tropical fishes, soft and fabby in sub
stance f; brain %fritters, a small biscuit call
ed " crackers soaked in butter, stuffed
'''garden eggs a most delicious vegeta-
BILE, roasted plantains, a piled up plate of
golden oranges and a pine apple. Our
drink was iced water, but tea and coffee
were to be had for the asking. Such was
our first meal in Jamaica.
A drive through the Kingston streets
occupies the whole of Chapter II. The
next chanter describes a Journey through