1894
Feb. 25
St. Christopher (or St Kitts)
  Just agreeably warm with brief intervals of
sunshine alternating with longer periods of
cloudiness and occasional drenching showers of
fine rain. Still the steady trade wind, stronger
to-day than usual.
  I rose at 5.30 this morning and coming
on deck at 6 found that we were running
in towards the open roadstead off Basse Terre
the chief town of St. Kitts.The scenery was
very beautiful and for the first time I saw
true volcanic mountains with thin pointed cone-
shaped peaks and curiously wrinkled sides as
if cloth has been drawn down over them and
clumsily folded. Their upper slopes are wooded
and dark green but everywhere else, save in
& very near the town, the whole face of the
country is devoted to sugar plantations, brown
newly ploughed fields alternating with great
patched of fully-grown cane which at a distance
in the morning sunlight looked pale yellowish
green like ripening grain.
  After breakfast I went ashore with Dr. Riley.
We found the Hubbards in the park (Pall Mall)
which proved to be so beautiful and attractive that
we spent the forenoon there and returned
to it again in the afternoon after taking
lunch on the steamer. It was filled with
the most beautiful palms and there is a big
"banyan" tree (not the banyan but a Ficus) in the center. 