4i6 
THE  TROPICA! 
agriculturist. 
[Dec.  I,  1896. 
1797,”  the  fact  being  that  it  had  never  for  a daj- 
been  under  any  flag  but  that  of  Spain  and  that  i't 
was  not  captured  by  Picton,  but  by  Aberoromby  on 
wliose  staff  the  former  was  serving  at  the  time, 
Such  mistakes  as  these  were  nothing  to  the  most 
uuscrupul'.ms  perverter  of  fiistory  of  modern  days. 
We  will  however  leave  Mr.  Froudo  and  turn  to  his 
most  recent  follower. 
Mr.  Sinclair  does  nqt  soom  to  have  boon  at  all 
favourably  impressed  with  our  chief  Town  for  lie  writc.s : 
‘‘  Port-oE-Spaiu  will  hold  its  own  with  any  city  in 
the  world  for  the  rankness  of  its  smells  and"  the 
vieioivsness  of  it.s  mosquitoes.” 
With  regard  to  the  latter,  a.3  far  as  our  own 
rather  e.Ktended  experience  goes,  the  mosquito 
exhibits  a wonderful  similarily  of  viciousness  where- 
ever  he  e:Tsts.  We  have  never  yet  mot  a tame  one 
and  although  the  poet  tells  us  that  education— 
‘‘  Emollit  mores  neo  sinit  esse  feros.”  Wo  do  not 
think  the  experimeut  has  ever  been  tried  on  these 
wretched  little  pests  who  nre  neither  better  nor 
worse  in  Port-of-Spam  than  elsewhere.  With 
regard  to  smells,  although  we  oaiiii  T deny  that  they 
are  sometimes  rather  too  pronounced,  yet  this  is 
common  enough  in  all  sea  port  Towns  standing  011  a 
low  level,  and  those  who  have  experienced  the  odours 
which  assail  the  nostrils  in  Cologne,  Constantinople, 
the  Bazaars  of  any  Indian  Town,  or  even  in  the  pur- 
lieus of  the  East  Lotidon  Docks,  will  scarcely  think 
Mr.  Sinclair’s  verdict  a fair  one.  I 1 his  next  para- 
graph our  author  gives  the  first  instance  of  the 
very  superficial  knowledge  he  contrived  to  acquire  of 
the  country  he  has  undertaken  to  describe.  He 
alludes  in  it,  and  iu  other  places  also  to  the  “Tamil 
Coolie”  in  a mauuer  showing  that  ho  is  under 
the  impression  that  the  greater  p u’tion  if 
not  the  whole  of  our  Asiatic  population  comes 
from  Southern  India  whereas  as  a fact  we  are  sure 
we  are  well  within  the  mark  in  saying  that  not  one 
per  cent  of  it  is  Tamil.  There  has  been  no  impor- 
tation of  Madrassees  for  over  20  years  although  a 
good  many  have  arrived  here  of  tlieir  own  accord 
from  Martinique.  Although  Mr.  Sinclair  grumbles 
at  the  smells  and  mosquitoes  he  is  fair  enough  to 
admit  that  Port-of-Spaiu  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful cities  in  the  West  Indies.  He  has  a 
word  of  praise  for  the  two  principal  churches 
but  does  not  think  much  of  our  other  build- 
ings. His  description  of  “ the  best  hotel — absurdly 
called  the  ‘Ice  House’ — as  nothing  more  or  les.s  than 
a huge  drinking  bar  wiih  a few  bedrooms  attached,” 
is  incorrect  even  applied  to  the  time  when  he  visited 
us  which  seems  to  have  been  about  five  years  ago, 
and  v/ould  bo  a gross  mistatement  now.  We  wonder 
if  the  Messrs  Siegert  will  Uj^-preciate  his  statement 
delivered  ex  calhnlra,  that  their  world  renowned 
Bitters  are  “ made  from  the  bark  of  small  shrub 
(Galipea  trifoliata)  belonging  to  the  Hue  family”  ? 
We  imagine  that  Mr.  Sinclair  obtained  that  infor- 
mation from  the  same  penson  who  told  him  that  the 
old  Governor’s  residence  was  burned  down  some 
veax’s  ago,  for  one  is  as  correct  as  the  other.  After 
some  complimentary  x'emarks  on  Sir.  Hart,  and  praise 
of  the  Botanic  Gardens,  followed  by  an  extract  from 
Charles  Kingsley's  “ At  Lash”  wo  come  to  one  of 
the  strangest  parts  of  Sir.  Sinclair’s  desciiption  of 
his  experiences  of  Trinidad.  He  mentions  no  names 
but  we  call  see  that  the  valley  .alluded  to  is  that_  of 
Slaraval,  although  it  is  somewhat  ilifficult  to  recognise. 
“ A lovely  ride,  past  the  reservoir  ” is  clear  onoogh, 
but  “ for  some  miles  through  abandoned  sugar  estate.s 
is  puzzling.  “ A pretty  little  bungalow  on  a knoll,” 
may  be  recognised,  and  we  know  of  ‘‘good  natured 
Irishmen,”  who  would  ‘provide  a good  dinner, 
but  we  are  at  a loss  to  locate  any  decent  house 
where  the  following  incident  could  have  occurred. 
“ As  the  hot  niglit  advanced  the  smells  increased 
till  sleep  was  out  of  the  question Daylight 
at  length  came  to  our  relief,  wiie.ii  a seircli  revealed 
the  fact  that  a dead  hen  lay  beneath  tlu!  bed  and 
a dead  dog  on  the  doorstop — boih  supposed  to  have 
been  bitten  by  snakes.”  , , . ,,  , , 
The  description  of  tho  St.  Anfcomo  Cacao  iiistate 
and  of  the  Sta  Cruz  Valley  is  accurate  enough  and 
is  pleasant  reading,  but  the  late  Sir  .Joseph  Needham 
would  not  have  liked  to  be  told,  nor  do  we  think  it 
will  please  our  living  piauters  to  hear,  '■  that  there 
is  no  attempt  at  cultivation.”  We  think  also  that 
Mr.  Sinclair  should  have  abstained  from  i)uoliug 
Mr.  Hart’s  views  on  the  planters  of  Trinidad.  Mr. 
Sinclair  ends  by  saying: — 
“ Wo  left  the  Island  of  Tiiuid. id  — beautiful  as  it 
unquestionably  is— without  much  regret.  T'he  cli- 
mate is  evidently  perfect  for  the  cacao  tree,  but  for 
the  average  Briton  so  enervating  that,  as  Pxoudo 
found  there  is  a constant  ‘ Craving  for  cock-tails,’ 
and  the  viciousness  of  the  mosquitoes  shows  that 
t.here  is  something  very  far  wrong  with  the  sanita- 
tion. Moreover  the  Spanish  element  is  still  too 
strong  to  be  pleasant  for  a free-born  Briton.  .Afti-r 
ui!  the  best  man  in  Tri.nidad,  and  the  hope  of  the 
future,  is  the  sn-c.olled  Tamil  ‘ coolie.’  Why 
coolie.’  I cannot  conceive.” 
We  can  only  siy  that  we  close  our  remarks  on 
Ml'.  Sinclair  a'id  his  book  with  an  equal  absence 
of  regret.  If  Trinidad  has  too  mucli  of  tho  Spanish 
element  to  be  agreea’Dle  to  him  as  a freeborn  (there 
is  a strong  flavoiu'  of  music-hali  patriotism  about 
this  phrase)  his  boi'k  is  far  too  full  of  bigotry,  pre- 
judice and  i ntoleniui'.e  to  be  pleasant  reading  to 
those  who  ''jlieve  tint  whilst  to  be  a British  snhjoct 
is  a great  privilege,  to  be  British  bom  is  not  an 
essential  for  salvation,  either  in  this  world  or  the 
next.  In  the  first  portion  of  his  work,  which  ti'eats 
of  his  travels  in  Peru,  ilie  author  spoils  an  other- 
wise most  interesting  narrative,  by  sneers  in  the 
worst  possible  taste,  at  the  Roman  Catholic  Religion 
and  its  ministers,  and  in  the  part  t'reating  of  Trini- 
dad he  endeavoiu's  to  create  a bad  impression  as  to 
the  value  of  the  island  and  the  intelligence  of  its 
planters.  As  to  the  third  part,  knowing  nothing  of 
Ceylon  we  cannot  judge  of  its  merits. 
Mr.  Sinclair  is  evidently  a man  of  considerable 
po'wera  of  observation  and  we  doubt  not  is  an  able 
botanist,  but  outside  of  his  professional  qualifica- 
tions his  chief  attributes  seem  to  be  narrow-minded 
bigotry  and  intolerance. 
Now,  it  is  evident  tliat  tlie  critic  is  hard  up 
for  complaint  when  in  the  forefront  he  places 
the  extremely  trivial  slip— if  slip  it  be - 
that  to  General  Abercroinby  rather  tlian 
to  his  lieutenant,  tlie_  gallant  Pieton  (wlio 
no  doubt  (lid  the  business)  siionld  be  attri- 
buted tin'  capture  of  Trinidad  a hundred  years 
ago  ! J here  is  really  nothing  else  t(x  notice  in 
the  criticism  calcuiatod  to  jirovoke  more  than  a 
smile  over  the  toucliiness  of  the  editor  wlio 
winds  up  liy  prai.sing  Mr.  Sinclair’s  ability  as 
liotanist  and  observer,  hut  condemns  liis  '•  nar- 
nxiv-iniiided  bigotry  and  intolerance  ” — a cliarge, 
which,  of  course,  is  made  in  ignorance  of  tlie 
fact  that  the  gentleman  referred  to,  a Scottish 
Episcopalian  in  Ins  hringing-np  and  choice,  is 
well-known  as  one  ol  tlie  hroade.st  .and  most 
liberal  of  Churolimen,  the  friend  of  all  schools 
and  sects,  not  excluding  even  the  Roman  Catholic 
priests  and  dignitaries  of  twenty  years  ago  in 
Ceylon.  — One  result  of  the  writing  at  Lore  of  Spain 
and  it.s  re[)uhlication  should  he  an  increased  de- 
niand  liotli  there  and  here  for  the  volume  wiili 
its  'a'cll-written  descriptions,  lively  though  by 
no  means  ill-natnrod  observations,  and  really 
valuable  liotanical  and  planting  inlormation. 
THE  JN'iUAN  AND  CEYI.O.V  EXHIIU'ITO.N 
at  Earls  Court  closed  a few  days  ago,  and  tlie 
lent  articles  have  been  duly  rr-tiirned.  For  1S97 
season,  we  read  : — 
At  Earl’s  C .urt  next  year  lliere  will  be  the  Victorian 
Era  Exiiibitiou,  which  will  sliow  the  progress  made 
daring  the  past  sixty  yearj  in  commercial  and  indus- 
trial pursuits,  economic  and  scientific  interests,  music 
and  the  drama,  .sports,  pastimes  and  recx'oations  : 
wliild  an  important  section  will  bo  devoted  to  women’s 
work.  No  industrial  exhibits  will  be  accepted  which 
do  not  emanate  from  tlie  United  Kingdom. 
