45 



December 25. 



The sun rose upon Montserrat and Nevis, with 

 the Rodondo rock between them, " apricis natio 

 gratissima mergis, — " for it is perpetually covered 

 with innumerable flocks of gulls, boobies, peli- 

 cans, and other sea birds. Then came St. Chris- 

 topher's and St. Eustatia; and in the course of 

 the afternoon we passed over the Aves bank, a 

 collection of sand, rock, and mud, extending about 

 two hundred miles, and terminated at each end by 

 a small island : one of them inhabited by a few 

 fishermen, the other only by sea birds. Of all the 

 Atlantic isles the soil of St. Christopher's is by some 

 supposed to be the richest, the land frequently pro- 

 ducing three hogsheads an acre. I rather think 

 that this was the first island discovered by Colum- 

 bus, and that it took its name from his patron-saint. 

 Montserrat is so rocky, and the roads so steep and 

 difficult, that the sugar is obliged to be brought 

 down in bags upon the backs of mules, and not 

 put into casks, till its arrival on the sea shore. 



The weather is now quite delicious; there is just 

 wind enough to send us forward and keep the air 

 cool : the sun is brilliant without being overpower- 

 ing; the swell of the waves is scarcely perceptible; 

 and the ship moves along so steadily, that the deck 

 affords almost as firm footing as if we were walking 

 on land. One would think that Belinda had been 

 smiling on the Caribbean Sea, as she once before 



