Morning journal and courier., 1883-02-12

lar. Just now they are trying to introduce
 strawberries. They tell me they can deliver
 delicious ripe berries in New York in the middle of January, and I tell them if they 1 can they can get dollar quart for all they send. have not seen any ripe berries here, and do not know whether the January story | is true or nos. But intend to find out be- | fore leave. It is @ common saying that
 anything you plant in the ground in Bermuda will grow. think this is true. In the fer
 tile little valleys, lying between low hills, the ar and soil are warm enough and rich enough | to raise anything. never set eyes on such soll. It IS as rich as 8 manure heap and as smooth as flower bed. This good land is not found in large tracts, but in little patches of from one to five acres. The hills are not worth much except for quarries, being prin- cipally rocks. The best land as far as I can learn, is worth from $50 to $2o0 an acre. I was shown place yesterday called ''The Long House, long, low building, with its piazzas covered with bright flowers, that sold l & short time ago for e1, 800, including 15 acres of land, in the heart of the town of Hamilton. But such prices as this are for natives, not for visitors The old story of Florida living on its crops of oranges and Yankees is mildly repeated in Bermuda. I don't know that it is exactly fair for me to say this, either, for there is no such extortion here as there is at our American watering places. A stranger has to pay more for any
 
 last number of the Royal Gazette was adver- tised completely furnished house to let Another New Yorker and myself thought we would examine the place to learn something about Bermuda prices. We first found from disinterested persons that $50 year is a big rent for any ordinary unfurnished house, and then we went to the agent and were shown through the one advertised. i want to give description of this and other Der mudian houses at some length, and so must reserve it for another occasion. But they wanted e15 month or e15O year for that house-just about five times what any Ber- mudian would have paid for it. This advance Of prices in dealing with strangers is one of the necessary evils connected with either sum- mer winter resort, and it is as mild here as anywhere. Nobody need be afraid to visit Bermuda on account of high prices, for most prices are exceedingly low. Being well &C., quainted with the New York taste, will first mention that bottle of old Tom gin can be bought here for 374 cents. Board in the Hamilton hotel costs from $15 to $21 week, and in private houses it may be had f or $10 or even $7. Nearly everything eatable or drinkable is cheaper than in New York. Dry goods and fancy goods are high. Carriage rates are very reasonable. Three of us hired carriage yesterday, and drove eight miles and back, to the head of Harrington Sound, and the bill for the entire party was $2. We were gone three hours.
 It is only few days since I landed here, and do not care to go upon the principle of describing the country first and looking at it afterward. There is no temptation to borrow anything from the guide books, for I have seen no guide book of Bermuda that is worth lighting pipe with. After being here less than week I am satisfied that the climate is as near perfection as any to be found in this world. It is not hot enough to be enervat- ing but far too warm for frost. The islands ora Yai0 nd hnCnItQhIa There is sense of security here not to be found in the West Indies. man is as safe in the streets on dark night as at monday. The negroes are the most courteous and the best behaved darkies I ever saw. Nearly everybody you meet in the streets mods to you and says good morning. There are no levers and few other diseases, as far as I can learn. Passengers who were coughing all the way down in the ship have thrown their c0uphE awav