186 
Logwood is also grown in the Island, and I saw Mr. Lamont’s 
flourishing plantation near Palmiste which was a_ particularly 
beautiful sight at the time of my visit as many of the trees were in 
ull flower and the air was laden with their scent. 
ENTERTAINMENTS AND EXCURSIONS. 
The Conference by way of properly adjusting the balance between 
business and pleasure, and also of giving opportunities for that social 
intercourse among its widely-separated members which is one of its 
most important functions, indulged in several festive entertainments 
and excursions. Most of them, however, were combined with 
opportunities for practical instruction and observation. 
His Excellency the Governor most kindly entertained the Delegates 
at a Reception at Government House and also to dinner. 
The Conference dinner was held on the Saturday evening and was 
honoured by His Excellency’s presence. It was a great function and 
was attended by the members of the Reception Committee and others 
in Port of Spain who had done so much to make our visit a success. 
In the course of the speeches the thanks of the Delegates for all the 
kindness shown to them in Trinidad were suitably expressed. 
The excursion to the River Estate has already been mentioned 
under the subject of Cacao. Arrangements were made to drive us 
to the Estate and from point to point, so that as much as possible 
might be seen, and on the return journey we were most kindly 
entertained to tea at the Boys’ Reformatory, where we were received 
by His Lordship the Bishop of Trinidad, and afterwards shown 
over the Institution. The boys were all being taught useful trades 
connected with agricultural pursuits and were doing good work, and 
the whole of the arrangements of the Institution appeared admir- 
able. On the same day other visits were paid to places of interest 
near Port of Spain under equally pleasant conditions. 
Professor Carmody entertained the Delegates at Government 
Farm on the Saturday afternoon and an opportunity was thus 
afforded of seeing the Government stock and the various experiments 
in progress. 
One excursion, however, was unique in character and has no 
parallel in the history of these Conferences, By the invitation of 
the Hon. Thomas Cochrane we were enabled to visit the Trinidad Oil 
Fields at Port Fortin, Guapo, and to see something of the great 
possibilities which may be realised by Trinidad as an oil producing 
country. His Excellency the Governor was of the party, and we 
made our journey to the south end of the Island in the R.M.S. 
“ Balantia” which had been chartered by our generous host. On 
coming to anchor we were landed in small boats and proceeded to 
the wells partly on foot and only partly by the Company’s gaily 
decorated railway trucks, owing to certain small accidents which 
fortunately had no untoward results. The day was most instructive 
and interesting as affording an idea of the great natural resources 
of Trinidad in the way of oil; but to the botanist and lover of 
things beautiful the tall derricks, often black and slimy with oil, 
rising among the wreck of tropical forest, the ground in many places 
covered with black petroleum, and the shanties, machine sheds and 
