TRINIDAD: THEN AND NOW- 



115 



have repeated your evidence as it is written on my 

 brief ? You have not changed a word ! I think, in 

 fact I am sure, there is not another man in the court 

 who could do it." 



I give these two illustrations, not for the purpose 

 of in any way extolling myself, but that they may 

 serve as a guarantee of the correctness of the sketches 

 which will follow. Memory is a gift, and a very 

 valuable one ; it can, it is true, be cultivated. I have 

 never tried to do so ; to me it is natural. 



Since it became known that I was writing a book 

 many people have said, " We hope you will give us 

 something spicy/' I again repeat what I have said 

 in the introductory chapter, that I will not offend the 

 living by going too closely into the sins of the dead. 

 I am therefore of opinion that those who rely upon 

 anything " spicy" will be disappointed. Except in a 

 few instances where the facts are now only known to 

 myself, and where the identity of the other actors 

 who have passed away will not be indicated, I will 

 adhere to this resolve. But if they are desirous of 

 reading " spicy things" of the Trinidad of the past I 

 refer them to M'Callum's " Travels in Trinidad " 

 and Captain Hodgson's " Truths from the West 

 Indies, ' ' both of which are referred to in this work 

 but not largely quoted. If what they read there does 

 satisfy them I will not supplement it. That the 

 morals of Trinidad have very much improved since 

 Then must be Now apparent to every one. I think 



