, 1874-07-29
RAMBLES IN MARTINIQUE.
IHarpers' New Monthly.l

MARTINIQUE is one of the most pic
t~uresque of the group of West India Islands
known as the "Lesser Antilles" Approach
lug it from the northeast, the first land visible
above the horizon is the lofty peak Of Mount
Pel6e, whose summit rises four thousand five
hundred feet above the level of the sea. AS
the steamer brings you nearer and nearer, the
cloud-like blue film begins to assume a rough
err and more rugged aspect. The mountain
slope breaks into great ridges of regular shape,
running toward the sea, while down the inter
vening rayines rush wild torrents, which fall
into the ocean in picturesque cascades, varying
from fifty to two hundred feet in height. The
effect from the steamer is wonderful. This
part of the island is known as the district Of
Basse Pointe. 1t is the richest and best Guilt
waited part of Martinique.
After passing Point Macouba, at the northern
extremity Of the island, the coast scenery
becomes wild and savage beyond description.
Naked cliffs, one thousand feet in height, rise
sheer from the waters edge, and the mountain
sides are broken by deep ravines and hugo
precipioes, rising one above the other to the
topmost peak. OF this part of the coast lies
Pearl Rock, about three hundred yards from
the mainland 1t is a hemispherioaI mass of
rock, about six feet high, and probably a little
more in diameter. South of Pearl Rock the
landscape dSSuluoS d 1858 Wllu dpp6dFduC5.
The mountain slopes become more gentle, the
ravines less rugged and precipitous, while here
and there a well-kept plantation nestles at the
foot Of the cliffs.
Two miles north of Pearl Rock lies the little
village of Precheur, on a low point of land.
Rounding this, the beautiful bay, harbor, and
CITY of st. Pierre burst upon the vi8W-a
splendid picture, with a wonderful back ground
of mountain magnifoence. Few cities in the
world enjoy a more delightful situation. On
one hand gentle slopes covered with gardens
and plantations, and dotted with villas, leat
up to the lofty mountain cliffs; on the other
the lovely bay, with its picturesque shipping,
and its low heallanls with fshermen's cottages
and hamlets. The climate of ST. Pierre Is
equally attractive for eight months of the year
namely, from October to Aay-th9 north
east trade-winls, blowing from the sea, give
a delightful temperature by day, while tho
land breeze at night, laden with the fragrance
of orange and lime blossoms, enchants tho
senses, and makes sleep more luxurious than We
can imagine in our Northern climate. During
this part Of the year thu Thermometer hardly
ever rises above $40 Fair, while the lowest
point ever observed was TAO Fair. During the
months of June, July, August, and September,
comprising the rainy or hurricane season, the
thermometer rises to $50 Fair. and seldom falls
below $50 Fair. The atmosphere during
these months is humid and disagreeably warm,
and the effect on strangers is enervatlng and
depressing. If you would enjoy a pleasant
memory ofSt Pierre, avoid it carefully during
the rainy season.
The view of st. Pierre from the harboris ex-
o~eedingly attractive and picturesque. Built on
sloping land, the streets, which follow the ooast-
line, rise one above another, so that the upper
ones look down upon the water from an eleva'
ton of more than two hundred feet. These
streets are intersected at right angles by long
straight avenues running down to the waters
edge. All the streets are either paved or
macadamized. One popularity of the city is
the system of canals, by which pure streams of
running water are conveyed through all the
streets, lending GOODNESS to the atmosphere,
and carrying rapidly to the sea all the drain,
age of the town. The fall is so great as to avert
all danger of stagnation. Nearly all the houses
are built of stone, in the most substanstial man
ner, the walls being generally from eighteen in
ches to two feet in thickness, the beams and