USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > Texas and the Gulf of Mexico ; or, Yachting in the New World, volume 1 > Part 3
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Bridgetown is a long straggling town. There are no striking looking buildings in it, but the streets are in general broad, and
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the houses white ; there is a disagreeable smell of cocoa-nut oil, but otherwise the city gives you a pleasant impression of freshness and cleanliness, particularly when compared with Funchal, the last town we had seen. There are several churches and chapels, and a cathedral, besides several buildings for charitable purposes. The po- pulation of Bridgetown is about twenty-two thousand. On leaving the town, and the pretty gardens which surround it, our road lay for several miles through an extremely flat country. There is very little wood on the island; some mahogany, cocoa-trees, and palms, and also a good many shrubs, but the country is in general very bare. The flowers, however, are beautiful; the datura scented the evening air, and fuch- sias and heliotropes drooped over the garden walls.
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Oxen are more used as beasts of bur- then than horses, but the meat is not good. We were told, that at the proper season there is plenty of shooting, con- sisting of plover, teal, wild duck, &c. Aloes are very much cultivated, to judge from the number of plants to be seen on the sides of the roads; the ginger is not reckoned so good as that grown in Ja- maica. There is a great deal of land still uncultivated ; towards the North, the coun- try becomes much higher, and is compara- tively cold. This part is known by the ap- propriate name of Scotland, and it must be a welcome change to the scorched inhabi- tants of the South, to refresh themselves occasionally by inhaling its invigorating breezes. Rum is very dear in Barbadoes, at least good rum, such as English sailors like. The proportion of black and coloured
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people to white is about six to one, of which by far the greatest number are black.
The barracks are large, convenient, and airy. We returned by a different road from the one by which we left the capital, and after driving through a considerable portion of the town, we visited the parade ground, where the band of the ninety-second regi- ment was playing for the amusement of some half-dozen coloured people, on foot, who were looking on. I noticed one or two ladies on horseback, and Colonel M'Donald, who accompanied them, told us, for our satisfaction, that the season had been, and was, particularly healthy ; the men, however, looked, I thought, weakened and worn. We then pursued our drive as far as the Government House. Here I was rather entertained at our black charioteer,
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who, pointing out to our notice a large building, surrounded by iron railings, and guarded by a sentry, informed us that it was the " Queen's House, all kep fine, fur- nish, ready for de Queen hersef, when she come to see 'Badian people." He seemed to entertain no doubt of the Queen's inten- tion of crossing the Atlantic, and evidently was rather surprised that her Majesty had not taken an earlier opportunity of visiting this interesting portion of her subjects.
Still, after all there was to be seen at Bridgetown, I should be almost inclined to think, from the oft-repeated question which was addressed to me afterwards, " Did you see Betsey Austin ?" that that worthy lady is the principal attraction of the place. Betsey, or Miss Betsey Austin, as she is called, is a person of considerable import- ance, who keeps the principal hotel at
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Brigetown. She has a large acquaintance amongst naval men, and is justly celebrated in Captain Marryatt's delightful novel of " Peter Simple ;" she assured us she owed much of her present prosperity to the work in question, and seemed duly grateful to the author. " He berry nice man, Captain Marryat." Betsy may have her little faults, as who has not, but she must have a kindly heart in her capacious person from all I have heard. Miss Caroline Lee, her sister, is mistress of another hotel in the town, and makes better preserves of all kinds than any one else in the island. We took in a large supply of live stock, such as turtle, turkies, guinea fowls, and ducks.
Two of our sailors became embroiled in a quarrel at one of the spirit shops at Bridgetown; and one of them, the carpen- ter, after a hard fight, passed a night in
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prison. I do not believe they were much in fault, but the coloured population of Barbadoes is notorious for seeking quarrels with English sailors; and they, as is well known, have no particular objection to a row at any time. On lecturing the carpen- ter, who was a Scotchman, for the folly of his conduct, which had consigned him to the hands of the police, and caused him to spend a night in prison, he replied, " If I had been mysel, it's no the dozen of them should have ta'en me."
CHAPTER IV.
STORM AT SEA. LIGHTNING. FLYING FISH. IRON LIGHTHOUSE. JAMAICA. PORT-ROYAL HARBOUR. EARTHQUAKE OF 1692. PIRATES. COMMODORE BYNG'S HOUSE. WALLACE, THE NEWFOUNDLAND
DOG. MUSQUITOES. COLOURED AND WHITE POPU-
LATION. SPANISH TOWN. THE QUEEN'S HOUSE.
KINGSTON.
UNWHOLESOME CLIMATE. VULTURES.
SUPERSTITION. "THE DOCTOR." SALLY ADAMS. DEPARTURE.
There is a bondage worse, far worse, to bear Than his who breathes, by roof, and floor, and wall, Pent in, a tyrant's solitary thrall : 'Tis he who walks about in the open air,
One of a nation who henceforth must wear, Their fetters in their souls.
WORDSWORTH.
Nov. 4. Left Carlisle Bay at 5 o'clock P.M.
The Imaum, a line-of-battle ship, had weighed her anchor five hours previously, and we hoped to have the " pleasure of her
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company" on the way, a sail being at all times a welcome sight at sea.
Nov. 5. Shortened sail to a squall, took in a reef in main-sail, double-reefed fore- trysail.
Nov. 6. Strong winds, thunder and light- ning, treble-reefed foresail. How impossible it is in words to give an idea of the grandeur, the fearful magnificence of a storm at sea ! What a variety, are there, of stirring and deafening sounds, filling the mind with min- gled feelings of admiration and awe ! There is the shrill treble of the wind, whistling its fractious way through the rigging, joined with the never-ceasing roar of the foaming and angry sea, while the deep bass of the gradually nearing thunder is heard distinct above it all. The sea is one wild chaos of mountains ; mountains never for one in- stant still; now receiving us deep into a
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fearful hollow, from which it seems as though we never could rise again ; and now carrying us over their summits, only to be dashed with greater fury into the raging abyss below. And how manfully the little schooner rides over the frantic waves ! How lightly she rises again, and how care- lessly she dashes the water from her bows, as she passes on, unharmed, over the trou- bled waters ! If a heavier sea than usual breaks, and you hear the dull heavy blow against her side, there is a tremble, a quiver, as though the poor little thing were stricken to the heart; it is, however, but for a moment, and the little Dolphin is bounding on again as proudly as before.
" Oh ! there's a holy calm profound In awe like this, that ne'er was given To pleasure's thrill ; "Tis as a solemn voice from heaven, And the soul listening to the sound, Lies mute and still."
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It would be a cold heart, I think, that would not feel an absolute affection for a ship that has carried one in safety through perils such as these. She seems so like a thing of life, and I am sure I have parted with many a soi-disant friend with infinitely less regret, than I shall experience when I look my last on our safe and happy little schooner.
Two nights before we arrived at Jamaica, the lightning was most vivid. The sky seemed to open, and to have changed its ordinary hues for a covering of flame - while every moment, on this brilliant ground, the red zig-zag forks darted out their angry tongues of fire like some fierce and goaded animal. For hours I gazed on this most magnificent sight; I could not make up my mind to go below, though the rain began to pour in torrents. No one
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who has not witnessed a storm of thunder and lightning in tropical climates, can form an idea of the mingled beauty, and terror of the effect. For all the world I would not have missed the sight, terrific and awe-in- spiring as it was.
Towards night the tempest was at its height, and the sound of the contending elements, as if roaring for their prey, dead- ened the voice of man. Suddenly, a noise more stunning than the rest struck upon the ear. It was the electric fluid against the mainmast ; the sound it made was like that of two hands clapping, but five hundred times as loud. Our mast was only saved from destruction, and with it, doubtless, our own lives, by the circumstance of the rigging being wet, and acting as a con- ductor, by which means the fluid was con- veyed over the side into the sea. One of
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the most remarkable occurrences during the storm was one which affected my own person. At the same time that the mast was struck, I felt a warm and most pe- culiar sensation down my hand, and im- mediately mentioned the circumstance. For many hours afterwards, a deep red mark, about six inches in length, and one in breadth, was plainly to be seen in the place where I had felt the heat, and what I should describe as almost pain. As
I was standing in the direction in which the lightning passed, it is to be supposed that I received at the same time the slightest possible shock. The escape we all had from this worst of dangers was great and providential indeed. In a small vessel, once on fire, with a large quantity of gunpowder on board, our destruction must have been inevitable, had not the
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Power which had sustained us so long among the dangers of the deep, stretched forth a hand of deliverance over us.
During the night, the gale continued with unabated fury. To sleep was impos- sible, and as I lay in my cot, rocked from side to side, and longing for daylight, I heard a strange and unaccustomed sound outside my cabin door. On going out to ascertain from whence it proceeded, I found some flying fish, which had come down the companion-ladder with the wind and spray, flapping their delicate wings on the oil-cloth. It was a strange situation for flying fish to find themselves in !
The Imaum was near us during the gale, and at night we occasionally burnt blue lights, which to me was very cheering.
Nov. 8. Squally, with heavy rain. Under treble reefed topsails.
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9th. We were rounding Morant Point. Oh! what a swell was there. How we were thrown about. For the first and only time the cook requested a diminution of the daily number of dishes, and the sound of breaking crockery was heard playing its destructive accompaniment to the sound of the storm.
A lighthouse, which was not mentioned in any of the nautical books, caused some surprise to those on board who had been in the West Indies before. This lighthouse, which was an iron one, and one hun- dred feet high, had, we afterwards found, been sent out not long before from Eng. land.
During the whole of the 10th, the high- lands of Jamaica were in sight. We passed over the ancient town of Port Royal, which now lies " full fathom five" buried beneath
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the sea; and soon after noon of the 11th, we entered the harbour of its successor of the same name. We went in without a pilot, in a gale of wind, and going at the rate of twelve knots an hour. The Dol- phin, as usual, behaved beautifully, answer- ing to her helm, and dashing through the troubled waters in most perfect style. The rain was pouring down in torrents, such rain as is seldom seen except within the tropics. In these latitudes, it seems not so much to descend in drops, as in a positive sheet of water. The best of Mackintoshes are no protection from its violence ; they are wet through in five minutes. An expe- rienced resident in this climate recom- mended a thick blanket as the best dress in which to encounter these storms.
The town of Port Royal owes its origin to General Brague, in the year 1657. He
E
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first discovered its advantages as a military position. Its safe and splendid harbour, and the opportunities it afforded for com- merce, very soon raised it to a pitch of wealth and prosperity, unsurpassed by any other of our West India possessions. Its greatest source of wealth, however, seems to have been owing to the plunder depo- sited there by the buccaneers. Gold, silver, jewels, laces, and all the riches of the Spa- nish possessions in America, were constantly brought there, and it would be impossible to form any idea of the immense value of the spoils. Port Royal reached its highest pitch of prosperity about 1692, and it is from that year that its gradual decay may be dated. A tremendous earthquake over- threw, and buried beneath the waves, all the principal streets of the once flourishing city of Port Royal. Thousands perished
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through this awful calamity, and the waves of the restless sea rolled over the once splendid church, and handsome buildings of the doomed city. There are some who de- clare that the steeple of the principal church may still be seen many fathoms under water in a calm day.
It was melancholy to reflect on the frightful loss of life, and of the numbers of human beings whose bones were strewing the bottom of the harbour, in which we were now securely floating. The sharks swim carelessly over heaps of treasure, and mounds of gold. I have often wondered why some of our speculators, who in other parts of the world employ their energies in fishing for treasure, have not endeavoured to rescue some of these buried riches from the bottom of the deep.
The glory and prosperity of Port Royal
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seem to have departed for ever. Scarcely, after this fierce and terrible earthquake, had the remaining inhabitants recovered from their panic, and restored a few of the streets to something of their former state, when the ill-fated town was again destroyed by fire. Two hurricanes, one in 1722, and another in 1744, successively razed it to the ground.
Jamaica has always been famous as the resort of pirates. Among the places of his- torical interest, as regards these adven- turers, Cow Bay stands pre-eminent. It was there that, in the year 1681, an en- gagement was fought between the Gover- nor, Sir Henry Morgan, and Everson, the Dutch pirate. The force of the latter con- sisted of but two ships, one of which was taken, and the pirate killed. The other vessel escaped. The crew of the one which
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was taken were desperate, and fought bravely for their lives. Those who were not killed in action were executed on the shore. All the men were English. Some years after this occurrence, the neighbour- hood of Port Royal was visited by a whole fleet of pirates, who then infested these seas. The barbarities they committed along the coast, upon such of the harmless and inoffensive inhabitants who were so unfor- tunate as to fall within their reach, are de- scribed as dreadful, and for miles around, they desolated the country by fire and sword.
There is certainly great beauty in the surrounding country, but Port Royal itself is as ugly as a town can well be. Immedi- ately after our arrival, our kind friend, Commodore Byng, sent to invite us to make his house our home during our stay
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in the island. The offer was gladly ac- cepted, and we were soon landed at the dockyard, under a scorching sun. No sooner had we left the yacht, than the sailors, one and all, threw off their clothes, and plunged into the water. The master, of course, ordered them instantly on board again ; their escape from the jaws of the innumerable sharks which here infest the water, was almost miraculous. The thought- lessness of sailors is really wonderful. The Commodore's house is most comfortable. Never shall I forget the delightful relief it afforded, after undergoing the intense heat of the sun's rays, as they pierced through the insufficient barrier of our quarter deck awning. On shore, we enjoyed exceedingly the green jalousies through which the sea breeze blew refreshingly ; and then the delicious iced water, and the luxurious
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sofas and rocking chairs! I repeat, the change was most delightful. The day after our arrival a sad tragedy occurred, at least it was a tragedy to me. My beautiful young Newfoundland dog, Wallace, who fetched and carried as no dog ever did be- fore, and whose spirits and good-humour rendered him a favourite wherever he went, swam on shore in high health and spirits ; while bounding about in the exuberance of delight, at having escaped from the con- finement of the ship, he suddenly fell down in a fit, having, as we supposed, received a coup de soleil. His sufferings, poor fellow, were soon over, and he was buried in a corner of the dockyard. I grieved for him at the time, and greatly missed his honest greeting when I returned on board.
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The view from the Commodore's house is interesting. Cocoa-nut trees waved their
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hearse-like tops to the breeze close to its walls, and within a stone's throw lay the old " Magnificent." Further off, we descried the delicate masts of our own little Dol- phin, while the flag of the good ship Imaum, was floating in the distance. The opposite land was clearly to be discerned. Up and down, before the house, paced the black sentry, calling the hours as they came round, and the bells of the various ships echoed his cry.
The house, like most of those in tropical climates, is raised from the ground on high pillars. This mode of architecture not only renders the apartments much cooler, but preserves those who inhabit them, in some measure, from the attacks of insects and reptiles. Every expedient is resorted to for protection from the bites of the detes- table musquitoes ; notwithstanding which,
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in common with all new comers, I found them most annoying. It is not so much the actual pain of the sting, at the time, as the aggravation of it afterwards, that is so trying ; and in this climate, where the slightest scratch often becomes a serious affair, the irritation produced by a mus- quitoe bite is often attended with bad, and even dangerous results. Two of our men were in the hospital for some time, in con- sequence of the venemous bites of these vi- cious little creatures.
We had been much surprised at the dearness of every thing at Barbadoes, but we were more astonished, from the same cause, at Port-Royal. Mutton, bad and dry, 10d. a pound; a turkey, £1. 5s. ; and a small bottle of milk, 1s. 6d. Eggs are 6d. each, and all other necessaries of life in proportion.
F II.
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The residents told us it was impossible to open one's mouth, for the purpose of eating, under a dollar, and we found no great difficulty in believing them. Sugar is much dearer than in England, and I need not add, much worse, as it is well known that the refining process of the best is car- ried on in the " old country."
Jamaica, to my idea, presents the melan- choly picture of a land whose prosperity has passed away. Indolence is, I think, the prin- cipal characteristic of the inhabitants of this island at the present day, but it does not appear that one hundred and fifty years ago they were much more inclined to exertion than they are now. You see people of every hue, Creoles or natives, whites, blacks, and Indians; the latter with va- rieties of the species. There is a regular rule here by which to discover and to class
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the different castes, and to ascertain the exact proportion of black blood which runs in the veins of each. I could not under- stand, without taking more trouble than I thought the subject worthy of, the com- plicated classification, which is almost re- duced to a science here; but it is of im- portance, to judge from the pains bestowed upon it.
The Creole is generally handsome, and well made, but from indolence, and other causes, they are apt to become corpulent. They are said to be irritable, but generous, and kind-hearted, and their love of expense and shew is great. Now, however, they pos- sess, generally speaking, but very little of the means necessary to enable them to in- dulge in their favourite tastes and pursuits. That the Creoles have been losers to a large amount by the abolition of the slave
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trade, there can be no doubt; and but little, that the prosperity of the island ge- nerally, its trade and resources, have gra- dually declined. I think it also more than questionable, whether the slaves themselves have found a greater aggregate of happiness since their freedom was declared. They wander about now in rags and destitution ; idleness is their occupation, and drunken- ness their striking vice.
There is a look of hopeless indolence about the coloured population, which I did not remark in any of the other countries we visited. At Barbadoes, there appears to be some cleanliness, and some self-respect, which is visible in their manners, and in their attention to dress, and the adornment of their persons ; here, on the contrary, they seem thoroughly degraded. On my first arrival, finding walking, and even
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riding on horseback, too great an exertion in such a climate, I enquired of a lady who was paying me a visit, and who had been some time in the country, whether there were not palanquins for the use of indivi- duals, who, like myself, were unaccustomed to the climate? She shook her head, " There is not a man in the island," was the reply, " who would consent to degrade himself by becoming a palanquin bearer !" And these people but yesterday were slaves! What they might be, had liberty been bestowed upon them gradually, and in a more judicious manner, I cannot say ; but I have often thought, that had each man been allowed to work out his liberation, the boon would have appeared more valuable, as we rarely prize that which has caused us no difficulty in the attainment. A still more important result would have been,
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that a second nature, the well-known fruits of habit, would have been acquired ; and cer- tainly their present condition is not so good, as not to make any other very desirable.
After writing all this, it has occurred to me, that the same thing has been said before, and much better than I can say it ; but let it go. It is truth, I believe, which is always something in this false generation. No subject, and now I am writing about truth, I may say it, no subject has ever afforded a stronger proof of the depth at which this virtue lies buried, than that of slavery. That there were some who abused their power over the negroes, there can, I fear, be no doubt ; at the same time it is equally true, that the rare instances of op- pression were greatly magnified by the morbid sensibilities, and sickly sentimenta- lities of well meaning abolitionists.
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I was made so very comfortable at the house of the hospitable Commodore, that I can say nothing, by experience, of the dis- comforts attending a residence on the is- land. The Governor, Lord Elgin, with whom we had the pleasure of being previ- ously acquainted, gave us the kindest invi- tation to pay him a few days' visit at his re- sidence in the hills. I did not feel equal to the journey, which must be performed on horseback, and commenced at five in the morning in order to avoid the heat of the sun, but I greatly regretted not being able to see more of the interior of the island.
Our first excursion was to Spanish Town. The route to Port Henderson from Port Royal is by water ; it is about six miles from the latter place. It is very much to be de- plored that the religious edifices, erected by the Spaniards here, should have been so
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little respected by the English, who suc- ceeded them. Whether from fanatical fury, or other causes, they have been mostly de- stroyed, or suffered to fall into gradual decay. Spanish Town is irregularly built, and, partly perhaps from the glare of the white houses, appeared to me still more oppressive than Port Royal.
The town is built on rather high ground, sloping towards the shore ; and as there is no marshy land between it and the sea, the refreshing sea-breeze blows healthily over the town. Spanish Town is long and narrow; its buildings may extend to about a mile in length. There is a church and a chapel. The former is handsome; the pews, pulpit, &c. are of cedar, and the aisles are paved with marble. The chapel stands near the Governor's house; and not far off is the guard-house, where a party of
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regular soldiers are always on duty. The Queen's house occupies one side of a large square. It was built in 1762, and is one of the finest of the kind in the West Indies. The length of the facade is two hundred feet, and it is built of most beautiful free- stone, which in this clear air, and smoke- less climate, retains its whiteness through- out all time.
The Hall of Audience is a fine well pro- portioned saloon, about seventy-five by thirty feet. Some part of this immense building is appropriated to public dinners, balls, &c. The Assembly Chamber, or Common House, is about eighty feet in length, by forty in breadth; there is a raised platform at one end, which is lined with seats for members. The chair of the Speaker is raised a little higher than the rest. Here, among the legislative assembly,
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