330 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



Port Morant, where again the road touches the 

 coast, is a busy shipping point for the Boston 

 Fruit Company. Here we did not linger, but at 

 Morant Bay, seven miles farther on, we visited the 

 Court-house and square, the scene of the bloody 

 riots of 1865, and heard once more the story of 

 the Insurrection. Blue Mountain Peak is most 

 impressive from the plaza, over which it seems 

 to rise directly. We met Mr. Herbert Thomas, an 

 inspector of the Jamaica Constabulary, who had 

 given much time to an exploration of the moun- 

 tain solitude, and who spoke with enthusiasm of 

 his wanderings. A little pamphlet which he gave 

 me called " Untrodden Jamaica " admirably de- 

 scribes the difficulties and delights of mountain- 

 eering in the island. My time and convenience 

 did not permit me to reach the high altitudes. I 

 was forced to decline the cordial invitation to stop 

 with Mr. Fawcett, the director of the Botanical 

 Gardens, and to visit him at Cinchona, his moun- 

 tain home, where the flowers and fruits of Eng- 

 land find a suitable environment. It is in this 

 vicinity that the governor's family and other 

 European residents enjoy a cool and delightful 

 retreat in the summer months. The drive from 

 Morant Bay to Kingston is through an arid coun- 

 try with dry river courses and parched vegetation, 

 strongly reminding one of the southern slopes of 

 the Santa Catalinas. 



