98 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION, 
In the tropics the sun’s rim dips, the stars rush out ; at a stride 
comes the dark. The sun goes down with a jerk—no gloaming. I 
sat up until early morning in order that I might have a good view 
of the Southern Cross, and I had it. 
There are many crosses in the heavens in these latitudes known 
as false crosses, but there is a real Southern Cross, which cannot be 
mistaken. I do not wonder at the religious sentiment of the Portu- 
guese and Spaniards regarding this constellation with holy reverence 
as the sign of their faith. It is an interesting theme to travellers. 
There every morning about one o'clock the Southern Cross is erect ; 
after that it declines. In South America the herdsmen used to say : 
‘It is past midnight, the Southern Cross begins to bend.” The 
stars in the tropics are like moons. 
“Tt is a land where the hue 
Of sea and heaven is such a blue 
As men dream not of; where the night 
Is irradiate with the light 
Of stars like moons, which, hung on high, 
Breathe and quiver in the sky.” 
On a dark night the effect on the vision of the fire-flies is some- 
thing surprising. ‘They are different to ours. They show light in 
their eyes, ours under their wings ; they positively light up things on 
dark nights, and are called gig lamps ; they shoot through the gloom 
in myriads; they glow like torches. In the old and cruel Spanish 
days these fire-flles were snared and made into necklaces for the 
Spanish women to wear at dances, the glitter remaining for hours. 
One seldom sees white troops in the city of Kingston; it is 
considered safer to keep them in the breezy atmosphere among the 
hills. Newcastle, the principal military station, is 3,800 above the 
sea. ‘There it is seldom over 60 degrees of heat. Talking of churches 
in Jamaica, Haster Sunday the number present at morning service 
in the Parish church at Kingston was at least 2,500, and over 1,000 
remained for Communion. It was a grand sight—all hues, all 
classes kneeling together recognizing a common Father. Half-way 
Tree church is most interesting. Its walls are covered with tablets, 
in memory of British heroes who fought and died for British honour. 
The church was built in 1699. Admiral Benbow’s tomb is there, 
and bears the date of 1702. 
