The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-06
Kingston Cor. New York SUM-

Kingston Cor. New York SUM-
The hills of ST. Thomas are not so
striking as those of some other islands in
the West Indies, but they are still suffi-
GENTLY picturesque, and the situation of
the town is quite peculiar. It is built on
three low hills which lie side by side along
the waters edge. Behind them is the
higher range which runs through the
island The three hills are so steep that
you see each house distinctly as it mounts
above its neighbors; and at night, when
they are lit up, the three glittering pyTa-
mids have fairy-like effect
We left ST. Thomas on Monday after
noon, and early on Tuesday morning were
sailing past the shores of HaySi. When
we came on deck we had reached the
western coast Its mountains were higher
than any we had previously seen, and the
range more continuous and sleeper toward
the sea. About midday we came to Port
au-Prince, and very impressive was the
sail up the noble bay on which it stands.
The appearance of Hayti is so full of
charms, and her natural resources, accord
ing to the guide books, so rich and varied,
one can not help wondering that the
white race should have INDUCED the
cruelty and stupidity which caused it to
fall into the hands of an inferior people.
Although the beauty of the approach to
Port-au-Erince can scarcely be surpassed,
the appearance of the place itself is most
unattractive few boats put out from
it to bring some passengers on board; one
brought oranges and bananas for sale, a
dilapidated lighter took some boxes ashore,
passengers and boatmen being all alike
Jet black, and all their appointments alike
inadequate and wretched Having left
boxes and mail, we started again for ia
maica and watched the mountains Of
Hayti grow dim behind us with a vague
regret
The next morning early we were in
sight of the equally beautiful mountains
of Jamaica, still higher and of finer out
lines than those of Hayti. This whole re-
gion is certainly the chosen abode of
beauty. 1t is a constant surprise to feel
the warmth and delicious softness of the
air, to see the brilliant sky. and 10 watch
the succession of verdure. clad noun
tains on these exquisitely picturesque ISL
ands, which are perpetually caressed by
the restless sea on whose bosom they are
set. 1t is a painful surprise, though, to
see that such enchanting natural lowell
ness has become the home of such an unsat
isfactory phase of human life The ship
comes to anchor before the town of Kings
ton, landing at the foot of a plain which
slopes downward from the magnificent
hills to blue and shining sea.
AS soon as you disembark you find the
streets filthy, lined with wretched novels
itan s, dirty, with torn clothes, lounging
along the streets, yet laughing and con-
tented In the midst of dill and degrade
ton Even the white people who have
lived here long seem to have become
affected with the prevailing spirit or to be
unable to cope with it, for they are con
tented to have such disorder around them
as they never would have submitted to in
their native countries. No one expects to
have orders exactly carried out or any
thing done at the time set. AT the best
hote universally so considered the food
is wretched, the tableclOth dirty, the com
pany extremely mixed, and the
walters seem to get along as
well as they can without brains
The whole appearance of the city and its
inhabitants is depressing. GU wonder II
such forlorn condition of affairs is the
necessary result of life in a hot climate, or
whether it may be owing to errors of gov
eminent or to the reputed exhaustion Of
the soil of Jamaica, and consequent decay
of the islands prosperity, or even to the
enormous preponderance OF the black
race. For here, as in the other islands,
white faces are the exception; the mass of
the population are black, with certain
proportion of colored people, as those of
mixed blood are called. On the whole
island, by the last census, there were A.,
t32 whites, 100, 946 eolered1 people, and
fA4, 100 DidCAS. w udIGRGI lItG CduSG may
be, the result is repellent, and the aspect
of humanity here does all it can to offset
the attractiveness Of the land.
But that attractiveness, at any rate in
the winter season, is wonderfully great.
After few days at the best hotel. We de-
cided that, in order to spend a winter in
Jamaica with any comfort, it would be
necessary to keep house, and so went to
look at furnished houses in the mOuntaino
back of Kingston. To do this we had
first to drive to the foothills, and then go
on horseback over the narrow bride
paths which led to the summit of the
mountains We wound about through
the mountain gorges thiclIly planted with
broad -leaved bananas and occasional
orange groves Perched above them on
the steep sides we saw solitary negro huts,
matched with palm, with sides woven OF
rude wicker work.
/ had read so often of travellers who
felt a thrill of delight at the first sight of
tropical vegetation that had come to dis
trust them, and was amazed to find that
there really was something thrilling in
the sight Of even such a mildly tropical
vegetation as we saw that day. There
were myriads of hibiscus shrubs with
glowing scarlet blossoms, pillasettiaS
waved across the way like red flags, pur-
pie passion flowers twined along the path,
and strange orchids and ferns nodded
from us SlQeS. Long, Lulu CdCJl CTdWtcu
over the rocks like green snakes, and
near them grew immense clusters of pink
begonia. which the boy with us
called rock bush. 1t was not
that the vegetation, at least
in the part of the mountains
which we traversed was denser or finer
than in some damp northern forest, or the
flowers more plentiful, but that they were
either new or that such as we are accus-
toned to see cherished in lighthouses here
grow wild. After passing for two hours
through scenery of the widest and most
picturesque beauty We finally reach the
summit, where the view was superb The
mountains below us looked like an angry
ocean, and beyond them we saw Kingston
harbor and the Caribbean sea In spite
of all the practical drawbacks to living
here, it is quite a mistaken theory that
either an artist or a botanist has com
pleted his education if he has not been to
Jamaica.
Teaching Out West.
[Exchangel
A Boston girl who is teaching in Colo