Mr. E. C. Taylor on the Birds of the West Indies. 163 



rather larger than Dominica ; the windward or eastern portion, 

 which is called Grandeterre, is level, formed of coral, and is 

 larger than Barbadoes. These two islands are separated by a 

 very narrow channel, called La Riviere Salee. The steamer calls 

 at Basseterre, on the leeward coast. This is a small town, but 

 is the seat of government of Guadaloupe : it is situated on 

 open ground, which gradually slopes up from the sea to the foot 

 of the souffriere, a fine, picturesque, semi-extinct volcano, 5000 

 feet high. The commercial capital is called Pointe k Pitre; it 

 is in Grandeterre, just at the south entrance of the Riviere Salee, 

 and is a fine, well-built town. Guadaloupe produces a great 

 quantity of sugar, the larger part of which is, I believe, grown 

 in Grandeterre. Basseterre produces coffee as well as sugar. 

 I am inclined to believe that, on the whole, there is more to be 

 seen in Guadaloupe than in any other of the Windward Islands. 

 The next island to the north is Antigua, which differs from 

 most of the rest of this group in not being volcanic, nor 

 mountainous, nor very beautiful. I do not mean to say that it 

 is flat and ugly, like Barbadoes ; but it has no mountains and no 

 forests, which are two important elements of beauty in tropical 

 scenery. The capital is St. John^s, on the north coast, which 

 has no good harbour. The steamer calls at English Harbour, 

 on the south : this is a deep, land-locked, but very narrow harbour, 

 in which is a dockyard and government establishment. Close 

 to English Harbour is the larger but less deep harbour of Fal- 

 mouth, which was lately surveyed by order of Government, to 

 see if it would do, instead of St. Thomas, as the port of tranship- 

 ment for the Windward Islands, Trinidad, and Demarara ; it was, 

 however, declared to be too shallow, and English Harbour too 

 narrow, for the purpose. This is much to be regretted, as in 

 point of location Antigua is perfect, being the shortest route to 

 every important point — which St. Thomas is not. Though much 

 fallen from its former prosperity and importance, Antigua is yet 

 much more cultivated and inhabited, and produces more sugar, 

 than any other of the English islands I have mentioned in this 

 article, except Barbadoes. 



On leaving Antigua, our course, which has hitherto been nearly 

 due north, takes a westerly direction, and we steer for St. Kitt's, 



