Connecticut western news., 1889-01-16
IN THE BAHAMAS.
What Visitors See at Nassau,
 New Providence Island.
The Products and Population of
 a Noted Winter Resort.

The harbor of Nassau is protected by long strip of land called Hogg Is- land. This acts ns breakwater, and small vessels and steamers can run to the docks, but there is not depth of water for larger ocean steamers. We consequently anchored near the light house at the point of Hogg island and sigualled for tug to take us of, which was successfully done, after much toss- ing and pitching, to say nothin of the shouts of the colored seamen upon her.
 The whole island looks as green as an emerald. The orange trees are full of fruit. In a few weeks the present crop will be in perfection; now thoy are rather green. Lines, sugar apples and many varieties of fruit arc now ripe. Most of the fruit trees bear two crops during the year. The air which surrounds us is soft and mild, tho sky clear and the evenings with the full moon shining down on the waving palms and restless W aters, simply en- tran cing.
 Nassau is small settlement contain ing in all population of 12, per- sons, not more than 200O of whom are whites. The city is poor-large for. tunes dwindled to nothing after the close of our war-a few merchants re- tain fair competence, but the most of the inhabitants have become grasping and close, narrow and bigoted from the necessities of life and their isolated sit- uation. There is very little inter- course with other parts and no cable, and steamers from the United States arrive only once a month in summer and only fortnightly in winter: The English government supports one or two regiments of soldiers. The present governor of the islands is Sir Ambrose Shea, who is very popular and who, with his most agreeable wife, entor- tains during tho winter months at the government house.
 Three ports, now quite useless, but v>ry pictures que, crown the heights and give dignity to tho town, which, of course has no high or stately buildings. The houses are low and without chim- neys, and many of them arc conce aled by the denso tropical foliage.
 The colored population which forms the larger portion of this settlement, are study to the stranger They fill all the thoroughfares, they crowd the streets, thoy laugh and shout like chill dren at play, but they are not as az eressivo as one might suppose from their careless. independent habits. They are rather mild and inoffensive. They talk religion, they sing psalms and go to church with great persis- tency, especially when they can dress in their fine clothes, and their lives arc much the same as when ia a state of slavery. Wages are very low. In the sponge yards 50 cents a day is con- sidered good pay for an able- bodied man and he '.6nds" himself.
 A good cook commands $4 or $5 a month, and they gener ally go home at night. All laundry work is done out of the house. Complaining servants would work better if they could see how patiently the colored people of Nassau perform their duties with their crude SUIT rroundinga Their cabins are mostly at Grantstown, mile or two back from the city, and they all possess land enough for tho cultivation of vege- tables, bananas aud oranges, and for the training of beautiful roses, of which they are justly proud and which bloom all around their doors, perfum- ing the air everywhere. Their cabins arc very clean and wholesome. After tho days work is ovor th,y congre- gato at tho doors of their cabins chat ting, laughing and singing like merry children, and fight or street row is an almost unheard-of event among them. They arc superstitious in the extreme and believe in dre,m', charms and in- cantations. -[New York World.