278 TRINIDAD. 



The ward-road of Diego Martin is a good carriage-road. At 

 the extremity of the valley a signal-post has been established, 

 which corresponds with that of Fort George. Since emancipa- 

 pation, a free village has been formed in the ward of Diego 

 Martin, and a school established in 1853. 



The ward of Carenage extends to the sea on the south. Be- 

 sides the small river of Cuesa, which traverses the valley from 

 one end to the other, another mountain torrent descends the 

 hills, not far from the mouth of the Diego Martin. There are 

 coco-palm plantations along the beach, and a village has been 

 formed in the neighbourhood of the Catholic church, which is 

 a neat stone building, and on which the inhabitants of that im- 

 poverished district have spent in labour above 3,000 dollars. 



Our enterprising townsman, Mr. William Tucker, has pur- 

 chased the whole valley of Cuesa, where once flourished four 

 sugar estates, and has commenced there the formation of an 

 extensive cacao estate, the belt along the bay being planted in 

 coco-nut palms. On the north coast, and corresponding to the 

 valley, is the bay of Maqueripe, where has been landed the tele- 

 graphic cable connecting Trinidad with the other Antilles and 

 North America. 



The port of Carenage belongs to this ward. Population, 

 1881, 1,329. 



The district is unhealthy, as also the ward of Chaguaramas. 

 This latter consists of the extremity of the north-western penin- 

 sula, together with the islands of Monos and Gasparillo, and a 

 few other diminutive islets. It is entirely hilly, scantily in- 

 habited, and more scantily cultivated. Chaguaramas is, as 

 already stated, a fine land-locked port with bold water. A 

 stream of pure, never-failing water runs down the hill into the 

 bay. This latter is separated from Carenage by a limestone 

 promontory, connected with the mainland by a mere neck, 

 2,000 feet wide, through which a canal has been cut for small 

 boats. 



The islet of Gasparillo, or Gaspar Grande, is well known, 

 account of its extensive caves, which are haunted by vampires 

 and countless bats. The islet is of limestone formation, and 

 the soil good; but vegetation suffers part of the year from 

 scarcity of water. Carrera's Island, lying at the entrance of 

 the bay of Chaguaramas, has been turned into a convicts' depot, 



= 



