4 THE BERMUDA ISLANDS. 



country roads, setting firm and hard under almost all condi- 

 tions of weather and temperature. They rarely require repair- 

 ing, and their even compactness well sustains the quality for 

 which the Bermudian roads are famous. Rain affects them but 

 little, except in so far as it assists as a solidifier, and a few 

 moments after a heavy shower they are generally as pass- 

 able as after prolonged exposure to the sun. Here and there 

 extensive villas and gardens betray opulence, but more com- 

 monly it is the appearance of pleasurable comfort rather than 

 the possession of riches which appeals to the eye of the visitor. 

 The recessed house-fronts, opening upon broad, shaded veran- 

 das, typifv a style of architecture doubtless best adapted to 

 the requirements of the climate, while the dazzling whiteness 

 of the exteriors emphasizes an amount of attention bestowed 

 upon house-decoration which would probably surprise even 

 the proverbially neat cottagers of rural Belgium and Holland. 

 We were informed that the operation of whitewashing was re- 

 sorted to as often as twice a year, and where, as is almost uni- 

 versally the case throughout the island group, the drinking 

 water is collected as off-flows from the roof, this part of the house 

 is anointed as well as the sides. At intervals throughout the 

 town, as also in the country, extensive inclined basins have 

 been constructed for the reception of rain-water, and serve 

 as reservoirs for periods of emergency. 



The shops are in the main not attractive, and on the whole 

 they betray a lack of energy in their management which is 

 surprising in a region so largely visited by strangers. We 

 were recommended to a presumably fashionable confectioner's, 

 the floor-space in whose establishment was given up in large 

 part to a display of hats and clothing, and the walls to musical 

 instruments. In another large establishment it was reported 

 that anything could be obtained from a coffin to a pulpit, but 

 we found it impossible to procure an ordinary insect net; nor 

 were we better rewarded as far as this, to us necessary, article 

 was concerned, by inquiry elsewhere. 



As before remarked, the attractive feature of the town is to 



