known this, he would have been, no doubt, in a devil of a rage; but, as the matter stands, the major lies in his grave, and so " peace to his manes." For the letter it hath survived its writer; and, as I have no doubt of its interest to the generality of readers, for the major was a quaint man, I will insert it for their benefit-Le voici. P CHAPTER XXV. TRINIDAD. "He liked the soil, he liked the clement skies, Thompson. Letter of Major W. DEAR BAYLEY, Trinidad, 4th May, 1827. I AM about to keep my promise, in telling you something of Trinidad. After we left you, we had a glorious breeze all against us, so I went to bed, and went to sleep, and got up, and got my breakfast, and never took any notice of what was going on, for the captain told us that the Duke of York was a fine brig-that was true, and knew her own way into port-that was not true; however, in two days she scudded under full sail, into Boca Grande, or the Big Bogee, as I call it, and passed on to the gulf of Paria, which is the most angelic gulf I ever saw. It reminded me of my boyish days, for I threw one of the ship's blocks into the smooth water, and it made the finest duck and drake imaginable, so I set the incident down in my journal as a remedy, in case of a failure of provision in a smooth sea. When I describe a beautiful place, I always begin with the most beautiful things in it. These you will easily guess, are the women: and of a truth the women of Trinidad are most superb creatures. To be sure they are somewhat proud, but then you know, so are Lucifer and the peacocks. I have been charmed with the fair Parisians, over head and ears in love with the fair Castillians, and over head and ears in debt with the fair English: but here we have French and English and Spanish all in one; so that I am charmed, and in love, and in debt, and no chance of getting out of it; a pretty predicament for an officer in the West Indies! Upon my soul, Bayley, the colored women all look innocent in Trinidad; then they have more of the olive, and less of the burnt umber stuff on their skins than those of the other islands that lay between Cancer and Capricorn. There is, also, a good society of the whites, and fair display of beauty in the ball rooms. All creoles love dress, but I think the creoles of Trinidad are more tasty than others. French fashions are more in vogue here than our English ones, and I always give the preference to Parisian costumes. It is a happy thing that the dress does not affect the principles; if it did, there would be little love towards Old England, in this island. The reverse of this is, however, the case; the best feeling exists between the Protestants and the Catholics, and the English influence is predominant: the good Governor has gained the hearts of the inhabitants, and they are all contented with the British administration. The men love their sovereign, the women their sweethearts, and the children their sweetmeats. So love, loyalty, and lollypops are thriving in Trinidad. Port of Spain is a splendid town; there is nothing Some of the barracks are yet capable of repair; but at present, they totter from their foundations, and shake like an aspen leaf as the wind sweeps over the hill in violent and threatening gusts. There is always more or less rain on Dorsetshire Hill, so that the tanks are generally full; besides which there is a spring at no great distance from the barracks. The whole place is capable of much improvement; and if well fortified, would make a very desirable station for troops. The descent from the hill is somewhat steep, and the road excessively rugged. About half way down the hill it branches off in two directions; one leading to town, and the other to Calliaqua, which is a village on the windward-coast, with a very safe harbour for shipping. Many vessels lie here and take in their sugars, instead of going to Kingstown. Calliaqua is not deemed so healthy as the capital, and is often visited by fevers. The harbour, which is considered one of the best in the West Indies, is defended by Fort Duvernette, which is a steep rock, standing alone in the sea, and nearly two hundred feet above it. There are barracks erected on its summit that will contain thirty men, and a tank to supply them with water. Its ascent was accomplished by blowing off part of the rock, and building steps from the sea to the top, where there is a battery of guns and mortars; as it is literally a banistered staircase all the way up, it would have been impossible to have attempted carrying cannons up tition with your own Laura, and Lieutenant K-s new acquaintant, whom you tell me is the loveliest girl in St. Vincent; nay, I would even venture to predict, that if a second Paris could be found to judge between them, he would award the golden apple to my own fair Helen. Your St. Vincent market-place is very good, but not to be compared to ours; we have shambles, and you have none; then our people are as merry as the devil when he's doing mischief, and mix their French and English and Spanish together, just like the builders of Babel, or the show people at Greenwich. fair. I should be afraid to frequent that confounded, ugly, and damp religious affair of your island, that looks so much like the chapel of a great prison; but here I go to church every Sunday, and get a very comfortable seat, out of which I am not turned by huge drops of rain falling upon my caput," and christening me a second time. Then the architect was a sensible man, and has taken some pains about our building, which is quite a splendid affair, and has very elegant internal arrangements; besides which our olive colored ladies are as well accommodated as the fairer votaries of fashion. Then the situation of the church is unexceptionable, and the lawn that surrounds it is green as the hills of Albion, and smooth as the velvet of France. I went once to the Catholic chapel, and really it is an edifice that no one can find fault with. The officiating priest, too, is a rare good man; and independent of a liberal |