FLOWERS. 111 
of the hotel, and was greatly admired. Colored girls daily fre- 
quented the court well supplied with beautiful boquets of flowers 
of various kinds, and particularly of roses, to give to their friends 
whose good will they wished to cultivate, or to exchange for the 
money of the strangers. There is also to be seen a beautiful 
running vine which’blooms about Christmas time, and for that 
reason is called the Christmas flower. Itis not a favorite with 
the agriculturists of Nassau because of its rank and persistent 
growth. 
Occupying conspicuous places in the flower borders in front of 
the hotel were large clusters of rank growing lillies, whose bells, 
suspended upon long stems, with silent eloquence spoke to the 
mind and rang out peals of perfume upon the surrounding air. 
They also grow wild upon the island. We weresurprised to learn 
that the healing balm of which squills are composed is obtained 
from the bulbous roots of this species of lilly. The little negroes 
are accustomed to steal these and other flowers belonging to the 
hotel before they have time to fully mature, and with as inno- 
cent a look as they can command, offer them at the court of the 
hotel for sale. But while fully appreciating the delicious per- 
fumes that gave such a charm to the soothing air, and the end- 
less variety in form, habit of growth and color of the flowers, 
we could not at times refrain from unfavorably contrasting the 
animal life of the Bahamas, with their flora, and to harbor the 
thought which one of Shenstone’s stanzas, slightly altered, ex- 
presses : 
‘Boast, favored islands, boast thy flowery stores, 
Thy thousand hues by chemic suns refined ; 
"Tis nct the dress or mien the soul adores, 
But the rich beauties of the immortal mind.” 
The floral display upon the islands and in Florida was less 
