The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-05

An Islsnd OF Rock Covered with Flow
ers and Happy Africans.


Boston Herald.
Right out Of the sea, four hundred ard
ffty miles from the Florida coast, rises q
huge rock, twenty-five miles long by seven
wide. II is the smallest of the Bahama
Islands and Is called New Providence. 1t ID
tho second place where Columbus landed on
his voyage 10 the western world, and the only
town ofno,e In the Bahamas marks the spot.
Nassau even ut this season nestles in q Wild
erness Of flowers, plants and fruits. There
Is not sree, shrub or plant that thrives in
any warm climate which docs not grow
luxuriantly there. Islid it was a rock upon
which these beautie, grow and blossom, and
over which never ending summer breeze
blows the seeds of health by tempering the
warmth of a tropical sun until it strikes q
happy medium where all season is summer
snd mankind basks in an atmosphere prscti-
cally invariable twelve months in ,ne year,
and trees, shrubs and flowers thrive in
chaotic proiuslon all the year round. How
contrary this iis to what is known of rs.
ture in the frost land, and yet how crudely
true OF what is seen here every hour ia tho
year.
The ocean threw up this mighty rock
"when nature played with hills 10 show her
curious strength and greatness over man" 1t
Is n calcareous rock Of coral, soft and pliAble
to tho mechanics hand filled With shells and
sand aud spit upon by the ocean until CO,
mented with its brine Tho surface in
places rot. forms thin soil and in this, and
wherever crack or crovice is found, the
gayest flowers bloom. There 10 not biz Of
fancy In this, IL lie tho truth homely told
To describe lis inhabitants would BIO TO pa
rade before you macs of colore6 mon, wo-
men and children, cheaply but neatly dress.
cd, barafoo'ed and bonnetless, but happy,
polite. Out OF n population of $4,000 more
than $4,000 are negroes and unusually intel
ligent. Shining out from this darkness is
now and then native white face, intelb.
gent and healthy, md at this season numbers
of foreign faces, which look 90 it in search Of
health. Tho houses are as neat as tho people
and all of them IRE smothered in flowers and
shrubbcry, 10 almost every yard, rs well rs
growing wild, are cocoanus, guaves, sofa
dillos, Iaangoes and all sorts Of fruits ha, u,
In all stages--bud, blossom, halt grown. aud
tho maiured fruit. The drives over the town
and through the island are superb, smooth
as floor md of solid rock, lined on either
side with tangled sweeping vines, stunted
trees and lowering plants. no oloander
towers It's high head among the moro pieten-
tious tropical plants, while our own modest
mnrnlnn IAap 10 oh,
peeps out from behind tho leaves with the
dew resting upon its purple lips TO be kissed
away by the morning sun. No tongue can |
toll or pen write Of the beauties, either of
land or sea- which arc everywhere visible |
The island makes beautiful picture as you
approach II from tho ocean, rising as it does
from the waters edge by gradual incline TO
the height Of 200 or 800 feet, every foot of
tho way up sho wing the tropical plants ilow-
ers and fruits at their best
The climate and surroundings ara MS near
perfection as one ought to expeotto find upon
this EARTH The surface of the island is roll
Ing and what coil there ID is very rich. The
bulk ofvegetation seems TO spring from the
solid rock and actually does from tho cracks
and crevices. Wherever room Is found
root creeps in and the limo in tho stone feed,
1t. This lack of soil and tho necessity OF 70.
moving solid stone to MD vegetation prevent
much cultivation of the soil, and there arc
very few vegetables grown in climate espe.
cially adapted TO thor production. Fruits are
the principal staples, md upon these the ma,
tives live 10 avery great extent. All tropical
varieties grow in abundance and arc remark
ably rich and nutritious. Every variety Of
fish is tsken in abundance and enters very
largely into the domestic economy ofthe
natives. The chief industry of the island is
sponge gathering.