WEST INDIA SOCIETY. 71 



ence of tlie kind whatever. I thought on the old blind bard and 

 his pink of laundresses, Nausicaa : indeed as far as my school 

 reminisciences extend, it were only to leave out mentioning the 

 cart with buck baskets, and the passage had suited aptly enough. 

 In our progress the bay changed its marine scenery for that of 

 an inland lake. The breeze died away altogether, leaving our 

 boat motionless as the quiet spirit who seemed to preside there. 

 On every hand narrow creeks penetrated into the many defiles 

 between .a belt of hills nodding over their silent bed, where the 

 deep clearness reflected back every object within range. At the 

 mouth of one bay a sequestered plantation and sugar works. 

 The droguer at anchor near them slept, like our vessel, in perfect 

 shelter from the trade-wind, and beneath her in the water another; 

 like the two smacks frae Kircaldie, saw by their ane drunken 

 skipper. Further aloof the same trade-wind burst in frequent 

 flows over the startled surface, while high above us, the glorious 

 Santa Maria trees waved their restless boughs under its unim- 

 peded influence. 



With some exertion the shallop was plied up one of these 

 inlets — remarkable for having the skeleton of a British frigate 

 sunk in five fathoms "deep and dark^' across its entrance. There 

 were some other matters of interest for us, and first the shouts of 

 a negro crew housing their boat. These died away just as I 

 caught sight of several brawny forms vanishing through the deep 

 wooded hollow that barred our advance. Afterwards the note 

 was taken up by a stream, that trickled from the cliff', near a 

 dismasted scliooner lying in the creek. We secured ourselves 

 alongside the floating wreck — for she was nothing more — of what 

 had been a Baltimore clipper and a slave vessel. 



One of these marine undertakers visited us lately. A dark 

 sided brig under French colors had ancliored in our harbour, and 

 might have drawn little attention, but towards evening a rumour 

 spread of her having the plague on board. The patron who had 

 mistaken this place for Fredrickstadt, had landed in quest of 

 medical assistance. Tortola was in alarm : king's craft were none 

 here ; and the fort — we have forsworn the guns there, since our 

 only bombardier got himself hurt by the bursting of one. I 

 wish you could inspect the low battery dignified as St. George's 

 fort ! its brass six-pounders, the fleurs de lis on them hinting they 

 might once have graced some Monsieur's quarter deck ; the pow- 

 der magazine just behind, and in front a staff whence our island 

 flag waves out on Sundays and high days. 



