280 TRINIDAD. 



ever, is not accomplished without much trouble. Very often 

 immense troops of sharks attack the carcase of the whale, and 

 devour part of it before it can be removed to the establishment ; 

 but they particularly swarm around when the operation of slicing 

 is commenced, from 1,500 to 3,000 sharks sometimes collecting 

 in an incredibly short time, so that some of the men are then em- 

 ployed in killing them with harpoons and hatchets. Great waste 

 often takes place from imperfect resources ; one-fourth of the 

 available parts of the animal being sometimes left on the spot. 

 The number of whales caught annually was from twenty-five to 

 thirty; quantity of oil, about 20,000 gallons. Sometimes whales 

 come in accompanied by their young, and as the female is very 

 fond of its offspring, the whaler aims at wounding the calf with 

 the least possible injury. The mother, in this case, never 

 abandons her young, but continues swimming round, so as to be 

 easily approached and harpooned. 



Huevos is uninhabited, on account of the immense number 

 of rats which have made it their abode. On the north side of 

 the islet is a cave, the resort of guacharos. 



At Monos, Huevos, and Chacachacareo grows the 

 vltae (Guayacum officinale), and, what is locally called h 

 country bark (Portlandia Aexandra), an emeto-cathartic, used 

 the cure of fevers. These islets, as well as Pato, are noted for 

 their centipedes, some of them being from eight to ten inches 

 long. 



Proceeding eastward from Port-of -Spain are the following 

 wards : — Laventille ; this is immediately contiguous to the town, 

 partly hilly, partly swampy, sloping down towards the Eastern 

 Royal Road and the Caroni river. Soil, generally good ; a few 

 cacao and coffee plantations, with provision-grounds and an 

 abundance of fruit trees. The hills are of limestone, which pro- 

 trudes in several parts, of a bluish colour, with veins of pure 

 carbonate. From these hills are- quarried stones for building 

 purposes, and for macadamising the streets of the town and the 

 roads adjoining; excellent lime is also manufactured from the 

 same. Fine gypsum may be procured at the foot of the hills. 

 Several fresh-water springs are found in this ward. Laventille 

 has gained the well-merited reputation of being one of the most 

 unhealthy districts of Trinidad, which it owes to its proximity 

 to an extensive mangrove swamp; the most elevated part of it, 



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