The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-07-23
UPPER MARLBOROUGH, MD FR1DAY,JU1Y %, 1897


stances, was productive of the highest
eNultation on all sides; whilst the re-
Election, that two officers of experience
had returned to Their stations, gave
universal satisfaction, on higher
grounds than those of mere personal
attachment
From the date last referred to, up
to the evening of the 18th, the fleet
either continued to anchor, or beat
about the bay, as if the Admiral were
in expectation of dispatches from home,
or had not yet made up his own mind
as to the course which it beloved him
to follow. At last, however, though
not before We soldiers had begun to
give utterance to many and sore COM
plants, signal to steer in S. S. Z.
direction was displayed. Nj the trans
ports, most of the linc-of- battle ships,
the bombs, brigs, and small craft, in
stantly obeyed; and as the wind blew
fine and fresh, we bounded over the
water like eagles through the skies.
Capes Charles and Henry both hove
in sight before dusk. We rushed
through between them, and the rising
moon found us once again at sea in the
Atlantic ocean.
OF the circumstances which attended
our passage from the Chesapeake to
Jamaica, it is not necessary that
should give here any minute account.
The usual varieties of rough and calm,
fair and foul weather, presented them
selves; and the customary formalities
of shaving and administering oaths on
crossing the line were gone through.
Sharks were fished for, dolphins har-
pooned, and hying-fish secured on the
quarterback, whittier they had leaped;
and water-spouts, thunder-storms, and
other children of the tropics, came by
turns to amusc and to alarm us. Yet
was the period of our lives which ex-
tended from the l4th of October up to
the 2Sth of November but dull and
monotonous one. The scenery, indeed,
after we had fairly entered what is
called the windward channel, became
interesting and beautiful in no ordinary
degree. 1t was delightful to behold
the bold shores of st. Domingo on the
one hand, and the no less magnificent
cliffs of Cuba on the other; whilst the
mvarying progress which we made
under the influence of the tradc-winds
proved of itself source of hearty con-
graduation. But in spite of these
ameliorating accompaniments, six
weeks voyage is, after all, nothing
more than six weeks imprisonment,
where, as DIR. Johnson has observed, in
addition to the loss of liberty. you run
the risk of being drowned. 1t was.
therefore, with feelings of unspeakable
satisfaction, that we at length beheld
the blue mountains of jamaica cast
their shadows upon the distant hori-
zon; and our satisfaction received ten
fold greater force when the anchor was
dropped in Port Royal bay. The
reader will readily believe that we lost
no time in putting foot upon dry land;
indeed, the vessel had not swung round
to the tide, when every officer, except
such as were absolutely required for
duty, abandoned her.
In spite of the excessive sultriness
Of the climate, l shall never cease to
look back upon the period Of my brief
sojourn in jamaica, with sentiments of
unqualified satisfaction. SO many
months had elapsed since an opportu-
nifty OF mixing at all in civilized Eng
lish society was afforded, that though
| can hardly venture to compare the
society of Kingston and it's vicinity to
the polished circles of Grosvenor
Square or Portland Place, even it with
all its drawbacks, (and they were neith-
er few nor tritling) brought charm
along with it, such as | cannot ade-
quately describe. There was some
thing in the very domestic arrange
ment OF the planters houses, which
men, so little accustomed of late to the
sight of such things, could not behold
with Indifference. True, the absence
of wclLbred and we'll educated white
women was severely felt. Not that
there were none such in the island
nay far from it, those with whom we
did form an acquaintance were at least
as polished as women of their own sta
tions at home. But they were few in
number; and where they existed not,
their places were but inditlcrcntly sup
piled by the Mulatto and Mustcc girls,
who, in too many instances, presided
at our entertainers boards Then the
manners ofthe men, hearty and sincere,
no doubt, were at the same time
abundantly rough, uncultivatcd, bois-
ferrous, and dogmatical. Toa stranger,
too, the being waited upon hy filthy
blacks, mal\ and female, proved dis
gusting in the extreme. In spite of
this, however, we enjoyed the change
in the order of our existence amazing
ly. The people were all, without any
exception, frank and hospitable; they
gave us dinners and balls, as well quail
ity as not quality; they did their best,
in short, to make our visit a pleasant