Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-16

glass houses in which rare plants were
housed
Kingston possessed an athenaeum. a fine
library and a museum. The latter con-
tanned probably the best collection in the
world Of Carib and Arawak spears, arrows
pottery and other relics Of the aboreines
Besides being the residence of Enos. Lord
Jamaica. archbishop of the West Indies and
British Guiana, the city was the meeting
place of the Anglican synod. 1t was on the
qui vive when bishops from all parts Of the
Caribbean and South American colonies OF
Britain congregated there every two or
three years.
Some Historic Places.
The governor of Jamaica, Sir James Alex
ander Swettenham, K. c. NJ. G., lived in
Kingston. The Kings House, on the old
Half Way Tree road, where Tom Cringle
made love to his Creole cousin, was his
residence. 1t was a very old building, hav-
ing been occupied by scores Of governors
of the island. In previous earthquakes
fears had been entertained for it's safety.
Perhaps the most interesting thing in
Kingston was the old parish church, which
had stood for two centuries. Over its
chancel and nave there hung shot-ridded
flags of the ships of England that crawled
into Port Royal in the old days crippled
but victorious The tablets on the walls
and on the f1agstones told how ''.Midship
man Tom Harrison, the pet Of the ship,
again was a stone which told that brave
Admiral Benbow lay below. He died of a
wound in his leg received In an engagement
with Monsieur Du Case And the island
records showed a statement to the effect
that:
The people thronged very much
To see brave Admiral Benhow laid in Kingstown
Church
Kingston was the center of not only ia
macas trade in fruit. coffee, cocoa, pimento
and dyewoods. but was also a great dis
tributing and exchange center for South
America, the United States and Europe. The
Jamaica Government railroad, built by John
B. Mcdonald for American syndicate
and later taken over by the government,
taps the island from east to west The
main line runs to Port Antonio the Ameri-
can colony on the northeast corner of the
island, while the branch line runs to Mon
tego Bay. in the northwest corner BY this
Y-shaped construction with small branch
running to the base of the st. Ann Noun
tains, every parish in the island is tapped
of it's produce.
The trade of Kingston suffered in the last
year, however, from the removal of the
British troops, which had been stationed at
Port Royal and Newcastle. The officers
and men spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars a year. The city council of King
ston was so incenSed over the removal of
the garrisons by the home government that
it scored revenge by refusing the annual
appropriation for the upkeep of the local
militia, which body was dsbanded. The
ment of negroes.
Kingston was full of old houses where
great men lived and disported themselves.
Here lived Lord Nelson here Rodney
room a Kingston belle was so embarrassed
when the visiting Prince of Wales asked
her to dance that she gasped:
Thank you, Mr.. Wales
The house of Michael Scott, author of
the immortal Log" was also to be seen,
and at another place it is said that the
famous dinner scene when Aaron Bang slid
under the table was enacted. There was
one house in North street about which a
gleeful but whispered fake is told. A
king who is at present reigning became
jovial in Kingston once and at 1 O'Clock in
the morning amused himself by throwing
the furniture out of the window. The
ladies protested to the hostess, who replied
with great dignity.
How dare you! Cannot a king amuse
The harbor of Kingston has seen con-
vusions of nature before. In the famous
earthquake of 1862 it practically found
of the lagoon could be seen the ruins Of
the city of Port Royal. Let the canoe
drift and the eye might trace the streets
where the pirates staggered among the
bales of silk and the kings officers
spurred their prancing horses in the dead
days.
In connection with this drowned city, the
superstitious negroes declare that the
cnurCn Deii sun toiiS uiiuei - water Oh
stormy days The island records show
that the parish clergyman of Port Royal
i said the earth Opened like Jaws and
shut again upon people whose heads after
ward protruded from the ground 1t is
/ a fact at least, that at Green Bay, near
Kingston, there is a tombstone which tells
how one Gladly swallowed by the
earth, and 'by the grace of Cod the next
shock threw him from the earth into the
sea. Gladly lived for years.
1t was out of the harbor of Kingston
that Sir Harry Morgan, the pirate, drove
a ship while the forts Numbered at him.
He had been governor of Jamaica after
! being the wickedest piraN in the Carib-
bean. He got the job to keep him out of
| mischief. The scandal caused the next
king TO depose him. Morgan killed the
kings messengers who brought the news
stole the kings ship that had brought the
kings messengers, gathered the old crew
and sailed to the sackng of Panama.