TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



3 



to, many that passed away would be debarred 

 from having their names descend to posterity. I am, 

 however, a strict belieVer in not unduly offending 

 the living by alluding to the sins of their departed 

 relatives, unless I have some foundation for thinking 

 that they too are following in the criminal footsteps 

 of the deceased, then, indeed, I might be temp- 

 ted to depart from this rule ; but apart from this 

 latter I have hitherto refrained from writing any 

 personal experience, or the part I played in bringing 

 many hidden misdeeds to light. Whether I shall 

 always adhere to this resolve is another matter : 

 time alone will tell. 



Before entering upon my personal experience 

 and impressions, I trust, I may be permitted to give 

 in the preliminary chapters a record of events that 

 happened before my time : the discovery by Colum- 

 bus ; its occupation by the Spaniards ; its capture 

 and annexation by the British ; its last Spanish 

 Governor, and the stirring times under its first 

 British Governor Sir Thomas Picton, thus affording a 

 striking contrast to Trinidad Then and Now. I write 

 these events not only for the information of the well 

 read inhabitants of Trinidad — although many of 

 them are as unacqainted with its salient features as 

 people who live thousands of miles away from its 

 attractions — but also for the information of those 

 who live elsewhere. I hope they will i^ead them 

 and thus become interested in this small, but impor- 

 tant spot on the face of the globe, forming a not in- 

 significant gem in the royal diadem of him who 



