, 1894-09-05

representative est lndldh eleN Gil, gnu WIN
ing up with q return match. The chief
cricket club in Trinidad is the Queens Park
Club, and the ground with a capital pavilion
in the Queens Park, or Savannah, close to
the grand stand, which, as the racecourse
surrounds the cricket ground, is very con
veniently situated when extra accommodation
is necessary, as will be'the case on such nm
occasion as this visit. The Savannah is the
park of the city of Port Of Spain. On the
opposite side of the Savannah is Queens
House, the residence Of the Governor, and it
would be difficult to imagine a greater con-
trast than between this Prin ce'S Building.
1t il of nearly white stone, light and graceful
pillars supporting two tiers Of verandahs
nearly the whole length of the front, and
situated in the extensive and splendid Bctan-
ic Gardens. 1t might DO the palace of Aladdin
a little reduced in dimensions. More impol-
tant to cricketels is the intermediate space
and the quality of tropical turf than the
beauties Of tropical scenery. Nothing ! have
said in praise Of the latter would be hyperbo-
lical Of the former. The grass is rather
broad leafed and low lying, covering the
ground very closely. and trimmed with the
Iaowing machine to great perfection. l was
told the other day by one who had formerly
known the West Indies, that we play on
sand or gravel. | dare say we do, but the
sand or gravel is considerably below the sur
face. Luckily others were present who know
the West Indies as they are now, and SO the
misrepresentation was set light. But 1t 10 the
hold which such entire misaprshsnsiOns
on the conditions of the West Indies have
obtained, and the extent to which they pre-
vail, that deter thousands Of Engllshmen
from seeking them at a time of year when
such 8 climate and such q scenery IS what
they want, and seek and find in less perfec-
tiOn in other and often foreign countries.
Another gentleman told me lie thought the
turf was a little stiff and the ground pl lyed
n trifle slow. OF course, this would be true
in the wet season, but that is not TO be chosen
for the occasion. Without the least paItlallty
it may be asserted that in an ordinary season
the ground ia everything q cricketer can
desire, as green and as tue as q billiard
table, with plenty of room for successive
wickets. AS in Demerara, so in Trinidad,
there will be much to be done besides cricket
as much in fact, as the time will hold
alligator shooting up one Of the rivers, the
Caroni, visits to the Maraccas Falls in the
interior, and to the Blue Basin and he CuesO
Ealls at Masqueripe and for those who for
variety like to see Nature in gloom as we'll as
in sunshine, the Pitch Lake.
The team will leave Trinidad the following
week, probably by Royal Mail steamer Of
Thursday, January "a, going back to Barba-
dos and thence to the Leeward Islands. Be.
tween Trinidad and Barbados The boat touches,
but only for two or three hours at each, at
Grenada and St. Vincent, arriving at Barba-
dos on Saturday morning and leaving or
Monday, the Goth, in the afternoon. From
Barbados the first island reached is St. Lucia
and then Dominica, MOntserrat, Antigua and
S.. Kits. The Royal Mail steamer passes
on to the Danish Island of St. Thomas, and
returns in o week, which is a short allowance
of time between the two colonies (Antigua
and st. kits, and will permit of but one match
being played in each or at most two in one and
one in the other. One of the greatest attractions
of this division of the tour is the passages
from island to island along the southwest or
leeward coasts. With the coasts of the
French islands-Guadaloupe, Martinique, and
Marie Galanta-flling in the intervals, the
voyage is rather like a voyage along the
coast of some mighty lake or river than
amongst a group Of islands, and neither sea
nor sky nor coast line can be surpassed for
beauty of form and outline, or for freshness
of colour, nor the air and climate for their
delicious softness and freshness, whilst the
brisk breeze (the trade wind and the Gaz-
zling crested waves add life and motion.
Leaving Antigua on Wednesday,, February 4,
and rpturninw 10 Barbados on Saturday the