The Republican journal., 1898-12-01

IL II 1tE1gQ
ana burned so badly The nelghhor~ thou@ht
would never be cured took vuur Golden
Medical Discovery and am now well
up in its present place for few years;
afterwards transferred with the govern
ment to Kingston, and lately brought
back to Spanish Town, where let us hope,
it will remain. Among other relics of the
war to be seen in Spanish Town are a
couple of brass 81 FOUNDERS still guard
ing the empty palace On each of them
is inscribed Louis Charles de Bourbon,
Compte, d' Eu Due d Aumaie, 4th May
l14S.' The present population of the
place is about 1000 The old Assembly
room and portion of Kings House are
now days utilized for a government
training school. In the burial grounds sur
rounding the two Episcopal churches you
may read on many rumbling stones the
pompous records of Lord and Dukes and
''Sirs' who ruled Jamaica in the early
days, and OF naval heroes known to his
tory; and sandwiched between their
highly respectable names are those OF
many notorious sea-roVers Of piratical
pr0pensities. The parish of Saint Gather
ines, in which Spanish Town is situated.
was named for the Queen of Charles II,
and is a memorial of the Stuart Eestora-
tion period To thoroughly appreciate
Spanish Town, one must furb sh up his
English history In the same parish are
Linstead and Harbout, both towns OF CON
sequence In the old brick church of
Harbout, the first English settlers who
came over with Penn and Venables wor-
shipped according to their narrow lights
and in the grave yard around it most of
them lie buried Linstead, nestled in q
mountain hollow, is a thriving place tor
trade and marketing, but otherwise unin-
terestng. Driving the five OF six miles
between it and Spanish Town, you pass
the most picturesque bit OF scenery on
the island. Steep mountains on either
side form long, deep and narrow raviue,
down which the Cobre liver dashes on its
way to the sea, amid vegetation OF rich
ness and variety surprising description.
The Spaniards called the place Boea del
Aqua, the waters mouth" which the
English, toh Lord have corrupted to
Bog Walk Nova days the old name is al
most forgotten and Bog Walk prevails
among the unimaginatiye owners of the
island. The first Lady BTassey, original
owner of the Sunbeam" " went through
this ravine on horse back, and describes
it in her happy way, The Brassey party
also drove to Linstead and Montego,
and through the valley of 81 Thomas;
and after three days steady driving reach
ed Boca Rios. where the Sunbeam" "
lay waiting. In Lady Brassey's mimi
table account of it, she speaks of the
great fields of Guinea grass, which day
feed countless herds of sleek cattle, and
tells the story of the accidental introduc-
tion of the seeds of this valuable grass,
from the coast of Guinea. In 1144 a
quantity of the seed was sent as food for
some parrots which had been forwarded
from Guinea to Jamaica. The parrots
died; the seeds were thrown away, took
root and spread, and in time became a
most important factor in the prosperity
of the island
st. AIMS, with its pastures and pepper
groves is interesting as being the place
where Columbus was wrecked, in 1903.
L l., I
whole year in the little bay which he nam
ed Santa Gloria. History relates how the
ships had become unseaworthy, SO he
stranded them and built thatched huts
upon their decks. ''Don Christopher $
Cove" as the precise spot where the car
avals lay is called, is the loveliest little
bay in the world, between walls of coral
rock, with a beach of yellow sand, over
hung with thickets of sea grapes. 1t looks
Just the spot which a mariner of good
taste, or buccaneer Of the opera boutfe,
would choose in which to strand his sink
ing ship. The sloping shore affords Sc
cure resting place and the coral lodges
give protection from stormiest seas aud
heaviest gales.
The way to Gordon Town-an import
ant village in the Blue Range, lies by the
side of Hope river, which cuts its way out
of the mountains through a narrow, fern
fringed ravine. At this time of year, the
stream trickles gently enough along its
rocky bed but during the rainy season it
becomes raging torrent, sometimes ris-
ing thirty or forty feet. Enormous bould-
ers, round as cannon balls and weighing
hundreds of tons, show with what resist
less power the floods sweep down. With
in their limits no green thing grows and
just above high water mark tropical vege.