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TRINIDAD I THEN AND NOW. 



even where you are, to a certain extent, successful 

 the effort falls miserably short of the reality. 



Many years ago, so far back as the evening of 

 Easter Sunday in April, 1854, 1, by good fortune, had 

 the pleasure of accompanying a party to view the 

 glories to be seen on the far-famed Lakes of Killar- 

 ney. As we passed from one charming lake to 

 another, all dotted over with small islets, fleecy clouds 

 either languidly at rest, or gently floating over head, 

 we had the good fortune to witness a glorious sunset 

 in this enchanting spot which has never been, and 

 never will, so long as memory lasts, be forgotten 

 by me. In the early eighties of the last century, I 

 again had the pleasure of witnessing from a peaceful 

 islet on the borders of the Caribbean Sea, under the 

 soft tropical sky of Trinidad, an equally if not more 

 beautiful sunset than the one referred to. 



Here as I sat in the western gallery of that nice 

 sea-side villa called St. Mary's, near the north-west 

 point of Gasparee, the past was suddenly called to my 

 mind. The afternoon had been rainy but it cleared 

 lip about 5 o'clock. A lady — an artist of no mean 

 order — the mother of one of our wealthy citizens, 

 with members of my family sat beside me. Soon the 

 clouds began to lift and we had the pleasure of seeing 

 one of those beautiful tropical sunsets which once 

 seen can never be forgotten. We sat facing the 

 west overlooking Huevos and Chacachacare with the 

 flrst Boca on our right to the north. We all, especi- 

 ally our guest and her daughter, who was with her, 

 enjoyed that lovely sight, the former frequently ex- 



