B ALIZE. 



11 



appearing, if there be no sin in comparing it with cities 

 consecrated by time and venerable associations, like 

 Venice and Alexandrea, to rise out of the water. A 

 range of white houses extended a mile along the shore, 

 terminated at one end by the Government House, and 

 at the other by the barracks, and intersected by the 

 river Balize, the bridge across which formed a pictu- 

 resque object ; while the fort on a little island at the 

 mouth of the river, the spire of a Gothic church behind 

 the Government House, and groves of cocoanut-trees, 

 which at that distance reminded us of the palm-trees 

 of Egypt, gave it an appearance of actual beauty. Four 

 ships, three brigs, sundry schooners, bungoes, canoes, 

 and a steamboat, were riding at anchor in the harbour ; 

 alongside the vessels were rafts of mahogany ; far out, 

 a negro was paddling a log of the same costly timber ; 

 and the government dory which boarded us when \re 

 came to anchor was made of the trunk of a mahogany- 

 tree. 



We landed in front of the warehouse of Mr. Coffin, 

 the consignee of the vessel. There was no hotel in the 

 place, but Mr. Coffin undertook to conduct us to a lady 

 who, he thought, could accommodate us with lodgings. 



The heavy rain from which we had suffered at sea 

 had reached Balize. The streets were flooded, and in 

 places there were large puddles, which it was difficult 

 to cross. At the extreme end of the principal street 



we met the " lady^^'' Miss , a mulatto woman, who 



could only give us board. Mr. Coffin kindly offered 

 the use of an unoccupied house on the other side of the 

 river to sleep in, and we returned. 



By this time I had twice passed the whole length of 

 the principal street, and the town seemed in the entire 

 possession of blacks. The bridge, the market-place, 



