The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-08

l TO-DAY.
 place architecture set, hap-hazard, among ruins.
 One wonders if the saving, An empty house is better than a bad ten ant did not originate in Jamaica. At any rate, here are surprising number of unoccupied houses, and the English law says that empty buildings are not taxed in any way, tenants paying the water-rate and all assessments. The streets of Kingston are poorly paved, If paved at all, dimly lighted at night by gas in infreeuent lamps, and general ly deep in dust notwithstanding an in effectual attempt to sprinkle them. AL though our English cousins have done badly by Jamaica in obliterating, so far as possible, it's natural charm, and it's capital does not compare in pictur- esque beauty with those of the French and Spanish or even the Danish is- lands, at least they are entitled to credit for the best system of wharves in the West Indies. While in most of these southern ports passengers are put to the danger annoyance and ex- pense of a long canoe-ride between ship and shore, at Kingston they have nothing to do but walk over a gang plant; and vessels, coming close up to the wharves that line the waterfront, may receive and discharge their cargoes as easily as at New York.
 The instant steamer approaches Kingston, a singular procession swarms l down upon her. They are the far famed female stevedores, hundreds Of them in line, each with great basket of coal on her wooley head. When filled, the baskets weigh each from 50 to 80 pounds; but the women swing them lightly to their crowns and march off, erect as st5tGes, lawN2ing and shouting jokes at one another as if it were a merry frolic to "coaf' a vessel on a blazing summers day. Planks l are thrown at a steep incline between 1 the ships deck and the coal yard. Up l one plank and down the other they ] prance like young race-horses, under
 their heavy burdens. keeping up the jolly clamor all day long, as if weari- ness were a thing unkown. Seven English shi1lings is the days wages for each of these willing beasts Of burden and the captain says that the earnings of most of them will be spent by their l lords and masters for rum. He did not say husbands, for although there IS l superfluity of clergymen in this British I island the marriage institution does not greatly prevail among the lower l classes Lords and masters" exactly
 exu1 esses it, for each of these tracta- ] bla, industrious ebony females is owned
 body and soul by some lazy darkey 1 whom she practically supports, wheth-
 CT legally married to him or not; and to their credit be it ga that, as rule,
 the couples thus informally united re- main faithful to each other thro gh life At first, judging by the numbers
 met in the streets, the traveler is in- cIined to think that there are great
 many more~women than men in Jamai-
 ca But the census does not say so. The females are much more in evil I dence, because hereabouts they are by
 no means ''the gentler sex" but dc
 most of the work that requires strength
 and physical en urance. They nake | decidedly more noise, too, and are jolli-
 ty and poiteness personifed, and dc not seem to have care in the world.
 The principal landing-plaee at Kings
 ton leads into Victoria market, at the foot of King street, the main thorough l fare of the city. Directly in front is a handsome bronze statue of Admiral | Rodney, who achieved the victory over De Grasse in 17S2, you remember. This l market built a quarter of a century ago, is the pride of the island. It is
 clean and well ventilated, with stone floors and stalls for meats and vegeta-
 bles. Printed placards we pos ed al
 around. warning buyers against being
 cheated in weights. Among the
 heaps and cords of fruits and vegeta-
 bles, the vans for which Jamaica is fa-
 nous are particularly. noticeable some
 of them being almost large enough fol
 back-loea in an old-fashoned fire.
 place. The vendors are mostly womer
 fat, black and greasy, but topped
 with the gaudiest turbans under the
 sun, so that beE'y of them, sJuatteG
 on the ground together, looks like z
 bed of brilliant posies. Occupants o1
 stalls pay certain fixed price pel
 diem, proportioned to the quality o1
 meat or vegetables sold, those dealing
 in the best qualities paying the high
 est rent, thereby as it appears to tht
 ophisticated, rutting premium or
 inferior food-supplies.
 Beyond the market-place King stree
 runs up the slope to the parade
 ground, a good sized square, whic1
 Queen street crosses at right angles
 Harbour street Spelled with an unne cessary u. because ''so English, yot know), runs parallel with Queer
 street, but nearer the waterfront, ant is the chief retail business section while Port Royal street, farther up tn,
 hill, is the wholesale merchants Quar ter. Not one of Kinestons publi buildings is worth visit, unless it b the small public library and miniatur museum on East street. The museum contains fair collection of the anima } and plant life of the island and fey 5 relics and curiosities. Among the lat tsr is the cracked bronzsd bell iron . the Port Royals church tower, wher it's last dirge was rung by the sWayin