CHAPTER III. 



AT NASSAU. 



From the sea the view of Nassau, the capital of 

 the Bahamas and the seat of the Government, is 

 very striking, especially to anyone who is not 

 familiar with tropical scenery and grandeur. At 

 the entrance to the harbour stands a lighthouse ; 

 this is rendered necessary as a safeguard to shipping, 

 owing to the presence of the immense sandbank 

 previously referred to. About five hundred feet 

 from the harbour runs a slope which reaches a 

 height of ninety feet, and along which the town 

 of Nassau has been constructed. Flowers of every 

 description and colour abound with tropical pro- 

 fusion, and it is the presence of these, together 

 with the beautiful tints of the sky and the water, 

 that make the place appear to be a veritable garden 

 of enchantment. 



As soon as a vessel nears the harbour a group 

 of native boys collect on the shore by the side of 

 the dock. The visitors encourage them to do this 

 by throwing coins down into the water for them 

 to pick up. When the coin has been located, the 

 native boy places it in his mouth, which, in his 



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