THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. I03 



" Fort and rocks adjoining must have disappeared with the 

 "rest." (They were not disturbed.) To a landsman the 

 harbors of Port Royal with its "Keys" and Coral Reefs, seem 

 difficult of access. The writer retains rather a faint recollec- 

 tion of the well known "Mangrove" Bushes along the lowland 

 coast of the Island, which appeared to reclaim from Neptune's 

 Dominion a portion of the territory lost, perhaps in other 

 times, when "the West India Islands" were part and parcel of 

 the American Continent. 



Sir Henrv de la Reche noticed the Devonian Conglom- 

 erates of Jamaica. An isolated patch occurs near Komoka, 

 Ont., and it appears strange to recognize it in such distant 

 places. Detached rounded fragments occur below "the Falls 

 of Niagara" on the Canadian side. The proprietor of a 

 Sugar Estate in Jamaica told an amusing story of a Naval 

 Officer who had been stationed at Port Royal. On his return 

 from "the West Indies" he spent his leave down in Devon- 

 shire Avith his two maiden aunts. They were anxious to hear 

 all about the Island, particularly the Botanical features. He 

 informed them that one tree there produced the butter which 

 the militarv men used for breakfast and called "Subaltern 

 Butter." The ladies had heard of "the milk in the cocoanut," 

 so thev mav not have been so much astonished to learn that 

 another tree presented a more finished production. 'Twas only 

 natural. But when he added "the Mangrove trees there fur- 

 nish crops of Oysters," their graceless nephew fell considera- 

 bly in their estimation, and they expressed their belief thit 

 the Royal Navy appeared to have but a limited regard for 

 veracity. The inocent-looking Midshipman (so the story 

 goes) felt a little indignant at the manner in which his Island 

 experience was received by his near relations, and congratu- 

 lated himself on abstaining from asserting that "Washing- 

 Soap" used by the colored population of the Island largely was 

 obtained from a species of land plant growing there. How- 

 ever, seeing he had little hope of regaining his Aunts' good 

 opinion, he concluded to reel off a regular sailor's yarn and 

 ascertain what effect that would produce on his relations. , So- 



