498 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-III 



jolly, kindly, easy-going old Spanish padre, surrounded 

 by &quot;nephews&quot; and &quot; nieces, &quot; but a more austere ecclesi 

 astic recently arrived from France or Italy. 



In the impressions made upon me by this long and 

 tedious journey across the island, pleasure and pain were 

 constantly mingled. On one hand was the wonderful 

 beauty of the scenery, the luxuriance of the vegetation, 

 and the bracing warmth of the climate, while the United 

 States were going through a winter more than usually 

 bitter. 



But, on the other hand, the whole condition of the coun 

 try seemed to indicate that the early Spanish rulers had 

 left a curse upon it from which it had never recovered. 

 Its inhabitants, in revolution after revolution, had de 

 stroyed all industry and industrial appliances, and had 

 virtually eaten up each other ; generation after generation 

 had thus been almost entirely destroyed. 



Finally, after nearly a fortnight of clambering over 

 mountains, pushing through tropical thickets, fording 

 streams, and negotiating in palm huts, we approached the 

 sea ; and suddenly, on the north side of the island, at the 

 top of the mountain back of Puerto Plata, we looked far 

 down upon its beautiful harbor, in the midst of which, 

 like a fly upon a mirror, lay our trim little frigate Nan- 

 tasket. 



The vice-president of the republic, surrounded by the 

 representatives of the city, having welcomed us with the 

 usual speeches, we pushed forward to the vice-presiden 

 tial villa, where I was to be lodged. 



Having no other dress with me than my traveler s out 

 fit, of which the main features were a flaming red flannel 

 shirt, a poncho, and a sombrero, and having been invited 

 to dine that evening at the house of my host, with the 

 various consuls and other leaders of the place, I ordered 

 two of my men to hurry down the mountain, and out to 

 the frigate, to bring in my leather trunk containing a 

 costume more worthy of the expected ceremony; and 

 hardly were we comfortably established under the roof of 



