CHAPTER IV. 



Spanishtown — Governor Grey — His embarrassments — His family 

 — House of Assembly — The Public Printers — The Speaker — 

 His compensation. 



St. J ago de la Vega, now and for more than a hundred 

 years past called Spanishtown by the people, is the politi- 

 cal centre of the island. It lies about east of Kingston, 

 and is reached by traversing twelve out of the only fourteen 

 miles of railroad in Jamaica. The inhabitants do nothing 

 here in a hurry, and it is not surprising therefore, that the 

 average time made by the trains between the two cities, is 

 not less than forty-five minutes, or fifteen miles the hour, 

 for which passengers are expected to pay the sum of 

 seventy-five cents. Slow as it is, however, it is the only 

 punctual thing upon the island. I was told, in this re- 

 spect, that it was working an important revolution in the 

 habits of the islanders. The road had been in operation 

 several months before any body believed it was in earnest 

 in its hours of departure, and no one ever reached the 

 train desired in season. They have since learned that 

 the habits of the locomotive are inflexible, and no one now 



