ST. STEPHEN'S PARISH. 39 



lowing of herds of fat cattle. Nor were swine in 

 abundance, and countless fish of the finest quality 

 from the exhaustless river, wanting to fill up the 

 measure of the people's comforts. 



Before the eye was spread nature in all her 

 majesty and beauty : here the noblest of American 

 forest-trees in all the perfection which prosperity 

 can develop ; there a noble placid river flowing in 

 its slow majestic course, its opposite low and 

 beachy shore fringed with the delicate willow 

 whose branches drooped into the gliding current. 

 On each side were seen nature and art co-operating 

 to produce as rich a prospect as ever caused the eye 

 of the agriculturist to dance with hope. I have 

 never listened to representations of comfort more 

 perfect and exuberant than those often given me of 

 the scenes which I am attempting to describe, by 

 those who had known and loved them. It was my 

 delight, when a boy, to hear told how at evening the 

 family would sit in the humble porch, and enjoy the 

 rich delights of a spring twilight, listening to the 

 songs of the feathered multitude, the stirring buzz 

 of the bees as they carried their last load to their 

 hives, the cackling of the poultry as they sought 

 their proper resting-place, the sad wail of the whip- 

 poorwill, the lowing of the richly freighted cows, 

 and the bleating of their eager young, and admir- 

 ing the rich and gorgeous colors of the trees, 

 shrubs, and plants, varied according to their natures 



