The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-18


 days utilized for a government training school In the burial grounds sur rounding the two Episcopal churches you may read on many crumblng stones the pompous records of lords and dukes and "Sirs" who ruled Jamaica in the early days, and of naval heroes known to history: and sandwiched be- tween their highly respectable names are those of many notorious sea-rovers of piratical propensities. The parish of Saint Catherines, in which Spanish Town is situated, was named for the Queen of Charles IT. and is memor.a al of the Stuart-Restora.ion period. To thoroughly appreciate Spanish Town one must furbish up his English histo- .ry. In the same parish are Linstead and Harbout, both towns of conse- quenoe. In the old brick church of Harbout, the first English settlers who came over with Penn and Verables worshipped according to their narrow lights; and in the graveyard around it most of them lie buried. Linstead, nes- tied in a mountain hollow, is a thriving place for trade and marketing, but oth- erwise uninteresting. Driving the five or six miles between it and Spanish i Town, you pass the most picturesque bit of scenery on the island. Steep mountains on either side form a long, deep and narrow ravine, down which the Coore river dashes on it's way to the sea, amid vegetation of richness and variety surpassng description. The 1 Spaniards called the place Boca del Agua, the Waters mouth" which the English (Oh LordD have corrupted to Bog walk. Nowadays the old name is almost forgotten and Bog walk pre- vails among the unimaginative owners of the island. The first Lady Brasssy, original owner of the Sunbeam, went through this ravine cn horseback, and describes it in her happy way. The Brassey party also drove to Linstead and Moneague, and through the valley of St. Thomas; and after three days of steady driving reached Echo Rios, where the Sunbeam lay waiting. In Lady Brassey's inimitable account of it, she speaks of the great fields of Gunes grass, which to-day feed count less herds of sleek cattle, and tells the story of the accidental Introduction of the seeds of this valuable grass from the coast of Guiana. Tn 1744 quantity of the seed was sent as food for some parrots which had been forwarded from Guiana 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. Ann's with it's pastures and pep per groves is interesting as being the place where Columbus was wrecked in 1903. He ran his caravas ashore and remained whole year in the little bay which he named Santa Gloria. History relates how the ships had became un- seaworthy, so he stranded them and built matched huts upon their decks 'Don Christophers Cove" as the pre- else spot where the caravals lay is called, is the loveliest little bay in the world, tetween walls of coral rock, with a beach of yellow sand, overhung with thickets of sea grapes. It looks just the spot which mariner of good taste, or a buccaneer of the opera bouffe would choose in which to strand his sinking ship. The sloping shore affords secure resting place and the coral ledges give protection from stormiest seas and heaviest gales.
 The way to Gordon Town, an impor- tant village in the Blue range, lies by the side of Hope river, which cuts it's way out of the mountains through a narrow, fern-fringed ravine. At this time of year the stream trickles gently enough along it's rocky bed; but during the rainy season it becomes a raging torrent sometimes rising thirty or forty feet Enormous boulders, round as cannon balls and weighing hundreds of tons, show with what resistless power tte fods sweep down. Within their limits no green thing grows and the rocks are bare and forbdding; but just above high-water mark tropical vege- tation waves in all it's glory. At Cor don Town the valley widens out and is filled with coffee-groves and cocoa palms. Though only a thousand feet above Kingston, the air is much cooler Here we visited the plantation of a for mer Philadelphian, which lies three hundred feet above the village on a tributary of Hope river. We drove to the villa up a steep, winding lane, be- tween coffee bushes that perfume the air with their jessamine-like blossoms and orange trees glowing with golden , fruit. Ivy and passion vines cover the verandas, and in the beautiful gardens surrounding the house Toaes and gera niums flourish to perfection. From the drawing room windows you can see peak rising behind peak till the highest is lost in the clouds; and below. the val ley of Hope river. with it's groves and gardens and scattered villas.
 On tte other side of the house the tributary stream has carved out a sec ond ravine, dark and deep. from which the sound of falling water, far below