ME queen's chamber. 50 



the hill, and to have drank some cool and pleasant-tasted water 

 which was drawn from it. 



Nor would we if we could forget "The Queen's Chamber," 

 where, for the first time in our lives, we ate and drank at the 

 expense of the British Government. With cheese and crackers 

 and wine, the darkness was in a measure dispelled, and the re- 

 presentatives of the old and new Avorlds there assembled, in those 

 artificial Bahama caverns, drove a few nails into the great inter- 

 national Platform of Peace. 



After drinking to the health of tlic British Queen, and to the 

 prosperity and speedy and rapid promotion of the military gen- 

 tlemen Avho had so kindly given us their time and attention, we 

 ascended into the sunlight, and soon, resuming our carriages, 

 returned to our hotel. 



The military barracks formerly occupied at Nassau an eleva- 

 ted position on the grounds of Fort Charlotte. They were com- 

 menced in 1700, and finished in 1794, and cost the home govern- 

 ment about 1150,000. After being used for between forty and 

 fifty years, they were condemned as unhealthy, and taken down. 

 An obelisque has been erected upon their site, which is utilized 

 as a land-mark by vessels entering the harl)or. Some of the 

 Nassau people, we were told, claim that this removal was accom- 

 plished under a false pretext; that it was ''a put up job;"' that 

 the military oflicers desired to be nearer to Nassau wliile doomed 

 upon the island of New Providence to play the part of Napoleon 

 Bonaparte at St. Helena. The sickness complained of they 

 allege, was caused by imprudence; some of the soldiers, after 

 spending an evening in the city, were too heavily loaded with 

 liquor to get back to their barracks without lying down to rest 

 and sleep in the damp night air. Hence the fevers from which 

 they suffered. But as the prevailing winds swept over the low 

 wet lands of the island before they reached the old barracks, it 



