- 
135 
to the windward of the town has been filled up and the drainage improved 
Castries is acquiring a healthy character. 
Soufriere, near the Pitons, is the next town in importance to Castries, 
with a population of about 2,000 souls. It is the centre of an interest- 
ing oe ultural district, where sugar, cacao, fruit, and spices are 
gro 
December 19.—I landed at St. Lucia from R.M.S. “ Esk” 
6.30 a.m., and visited the Botanical Station. The Curator, Mr. Gra y; 
was laid up at inte with an attack of illness. I rode up to Government 
House on the Morne, and was the guest of His Honour C. C. Knollys, 
C.M.G., the A Aministyasor: The forenoon was devoted to correspondence 
for the mail. After lunch I again visited the Botanical Station with the 
Administrator and the Hon. Charles Chastanet, President of the Agricul- 
tural Society. ag were met by: the Hon. Henry Reeve, Colonial Engineer, 
ge of the station. We discussed care efully 
the steps ans to be taken to lay out the ground and drain it. Also 
the best arrangements for planting the land with shade trees and 
economie plants. 
December 20.— Correspondence oceupied the morning, and I then 
visited the Botanical Station by appointment with the Curator, who was 
so far better that he could attend to his duties. "The ornamental plants 
in the garden were well cultivated td in good order. A large central 
bed was entirely devoted to roses. In the borders on the north and east 
were numerous plants doing well. А good fence of Furerea neon the 
garden from the public road on the eastern boundary. The nurseries 
contained a moderately large stock of economic plants, including such 
fruit trees as oranges, corn: limes, and g mangoes, “purple 
guava, sweet sop, sour sop, and custard apple, pine-apples and 
extilis, Agave ; r 
sisalana, and Boehmeria nivea. neral economic plants such as 
Arabian and Liberian coffee, aes coca, black pepper, vanilla, g ginger, 
в, arrowroot, cacao, nutmeg, cola, and Nicaragua rubber 
( Castilloa elastica). Besides ә and small ‘plants of the above, there 
were represented about 30 species of eM about = varieties of eae 
and numerous other plants of an ornamental character. rator 
reported that black pepper and vanilla “ бте splendidly at St. Lucia.” 
Mr. Gray further added that the particul wroot found in 
St а lately tried at Trinidad, is said by Mr. J. Н. Hart to bave 
the west of the Station. Some Aire a had been undertaken by 
to the Botanical Station was a swamp, which, on sanitary unds alone, 
ought to be filled up or drained as soon as possible. The other p 
had a small area of good land in a hollow cultivated with sugar cane. 
The sides and slopes of this were in grass with a poor, clayey seil. A 
plantation was close to the of Castries, and in а very promising 
condition. The ‚ at е" time of my visit, appeared to suffer a 
good deal from the depredations of rats. We rode back to Government 
House along the Dennery Road, and called to see an excellent kitchen 
garden with all kinds of English vegetables, belonging to Captain 
U 66855. c 
