The sun., 1885-02-08
SEEING THE VEST INDIES.
Jnmnica-The Biue Mountnins and the Csrfss
bean Sea.

,yomnsca-Tho Biue Mountnins and the Carfss
bean sea.
KINGSTON, Jan. 2O.-We had been spending
a few days at st. Kits. and then took the inter-
colonial English mail steamer for st. Thomas.
on our way to Jamaica. Tho ship was siCnailed
after dark. We went down to the custom
House. and until IL was time to go on board.
waited IN tho midst Of crowd OF negroes.
cockroaches, and travellers just landed Among
the travellers was one old lady who alone would
have filed the Custom House. She had iost
trunk, she had missed an umbrella. her nus
band had proved most incompetent In the man.
agement OF the luggage and the one refrain TO
all these complaints was that they arranged all
these things much better at Antigua. After
ward we hoard that In leaving the ship she had
met with as many difficulties a. she encoun-
tored on reaching tho shore.
BY midday Of the following day We were an
chored of st. Thomas. and here we remained
on the ship for several days. waiting Tor the
mail steamer direct from Southampton Eng
land. to take us on our way. We were very
comfortable on the Esk. the inter-cooniai
steamer. but the Don. the English ship on
which we afterward embarked. was great con-
trast to her. We mot on the latter with poorer
food. worse accommodation. and more misera-
BILE service than we encountered anywhere else
on the journey.
The hills of st. Thomas are not so striking a.
those OF somo other islands in the West Indies,
but they are still sufficiently picturesque. and
the situation OF the town is quite peculiar. 1t
aionx t the U waters ] edge. Behind them Is the
high range which runs through the island. Tho
distinctly as it mounts above It's neighbors:
and at night, when they are lit UP. tho three
We left ST. Thomas on Monday afternoon. and
early on Iaesday morRns hSr We're WEI saiinS M Hast
had reached the western coast Its noun
tRins were higher than any We mad previously
tsspos ana owasd sas shs se Aboa we
came to Port -au- Prince and very impressive
' up hs Hses o Asy pn Is
charms. and her natural resources: acsordinS
cannot help wondering that, the white race
should have INDUCED the cruelty and st,upidity q,
Although the beauty Of the approach to Port
Of the pscs se IS
tive. few boats put out from 1t to bring some
Go for sSH.a sS sss
being al elk baSs snr al tsT
boxes rya I We SSs sST9d Of III
grow dim behind us with a vague regret
Tho next morning early wy were IN sight OK
still higher and OF finer outlines than those OF
hayti; This whole VI f region i, is certainly the
Of the air. to see the bri riliant sky. and to watch
the succession of verdure- clad mountains on
ara perpetualiy caressed by the restless sea on
whose bosom they are set. tbs painful sur
raj loyeness has become the home Of such an
unsatisfactory phase Of human NE The ship
"a Sn s' ha Mhse siDss
You find the streets flthy lined with wretched
hoSels and poorly & hH,t houses, the black in
the mids, q drt and dssT%latien. Even tho
sniri, or 70 b, unable to cone with i. for they
them as they would never have submitted to in
their native countries, No one expects to have
the se ers IT the best ' hoe
so considered. the food is wreicheI.
sSs and % He wnrs ns sae TO GET
s"ng % Ls as well as they - ean n without brains.
labtants is dePressInG;s You wonder II such
iorIHrn !, ,c;G;,nt,!op Of affairs is the necessary
bs owing to errors Of government. or to the re-:
rn,sd sxhSustIoI don Of The soil 81 Jamaica and
even 10 the enormous prerondrrsnce OF tho
black race. For here. ns in the other isands.
population are black with certain propor,iop
of ro ho as nois of mixed hS h..a
ored people, and l44, isG b acks Whr,eysr lie
aspect of humanity here does al! it can to offset
| the attract!v"ness OF the land.
But that attractivcness. mt any rnte In tho
winter season. IL wonderfully great After
few days at the bost hotel. we decided that, in
| order to spend a.wiu'er in Jamaica with any
| comfort, IL would be necessary to keen hon so
and 80 went to look at furnished houses In the
had first to drive 10 the f"ot- and d them s Ms
| on horseback over the narrow bride paths
which led 10 the summit Of the mountains.
| We wound about through the mountain gorges,
thickly planted with broad leav.d bananas nnc
! on the steop sides wa saw solitary negro huts.
| thatch.d with palm. and with sides woven Of
rude wicker work. I had rrat SO often Of trav.
errs who felt a thrill OF delight M tho first
| sight Of tropical vegetation. that ] had come
| to distrust them and was amazed To find that
| there really was something thrilling in the
taiion as we saw that day. d' Thcro S
were myrinds Of hibiscus shrubs with glowing
| scarlet blossoms, poinsettias waved across tho
! way Ike red aags. purple passion flowers
| and ferns nodded flom its sides. Long thin
| cacti crawled over the rocks like green snakes,
and near them grew immense clusters of pink
! besona. which tho boy with US called rock
! in the part OF tho mountains which We trav-
| erSet. was denser or liner than in some damp
| Northern forest, or the flowers more plentiful,
| but that they were either new or that such MS
| houses hare grow wild
After passing for two hours through scenery
| OF tho widest and most picturesque beauty
We finally reached the summit where the view
was superb The mountains below us looked
like an angry ocean, an beyond them we saw
klnEston hnroor and the Caribbean Sea. In
spite ot all tho practical drawbacks TO living
mere II is quite mistaken theory that either
an artist or botanlst has completed his edu.
cation II no has not been 10 jamaica