TRINIDAD: THEN AND NOW- 



181 



neglected, occasionally used as a dumping ground for 

 rubbish, a grazing ground for goats, a scratching and 

 feeding ground for fowls and a play ground for 

 dogs. The railings, at no time the best, became 

 broken and dilapidated ; active or lazy men wish- 

 ing to save themselves a few extra yards walk- 

 ing, scorned the idea of entering or leaving it by 

 any of the nine gates which open into it, but simply 

 climbed or vaulted over the railings. The old 

 Borough Council, a short time before its demise, re- 

 placed these railings in 1892 by a substantial, orna- 

 mental one, at a cost of £1,520 16 8, which, besides 

 setting it off, makes the goats and lazy men pay more 

 respect, as they can no longer enter where and when 

 they like. Very little more is required to make this 

 fine square a real beauty spot ; it does not require the 

 art of a highly paid or efficient engineer to do it, an 

 agricultural (or shall I call him botanical) labourer 

 with nice taste, and a few East Indian labourers, com- 

 monly called coolies, are all that is necessary. 



The square is surrounded on each of its four 

 sides, except the east, with fairly handsome build- 

 ings. I will begin — in the way one is taught at 

 school to tell off the points of a map. On the north 

 side are the spacious Town Board buildings, built in 

 the old Spanish days, and after a Spanish design ; the 

 fine Public Library, erected in 1901, and four private 

 dwelling houses. 



On the south stands the fine Protestant Cathe- 

 dral, called Trinity Cathedral, because, I believe, it 

 was consecrated on a Trinity Sunday. The founda- 



