102 
TRINIDAD. 
Ill order to account for this, it may he observed, that 
the mission-village was originally (many years before 
Protestant churches were established in the district), 
a mission to the Indians by the Eomish Church. The 
mission at that time was far in the interior, far beyond 
the circle of civilization ; but, since then, the country 
has been opened up, civilization has extended, and the 
mission, so to speak, is much nearer to the sea-board 
than it was formerly deemed. This settlement of Indians 
soon became mi.xed with Spaniards, and speedily adopted 
the forms and ceremonies of a religion particularly im- 
posing and awe-inspiring to a people so ignoraii'o, and 
withal so simple as the aboriginal Indians. The de- 
scendants of these Indians and Spaniards are, with an 
addition of Africans, the people wdio dwell in the 
mission-village. 
The Established Church has for some twenW years 
had a church and minister at this place, and at Mara- 
hambre, a small hamlet not a mile distant. The Wes- 
leyans have, for a number of years, had a church and 
people. Considering these circumstances, and the fact 
that the population of the village is small, perhaps 
some fifteen hundred, it is not surprising that our chapel 
at the mission should have been thinly attended. In 
1856, the writer, going to the mission, attempted to 
gather a people in this chapel, Avhich had been closed 
some three years, but his efforts were unsuccessful, 
though continued for a y'eai’. It was, therefore, deemed 
advisable to close it, and especially as the missionary’s 
time could be better occupied on one of the neighbour- 
ing estates. Eventually, this building was disposed of, 
and the proceeds applied to the repairs of the mission- 
house. 
At Montserrat, or Sherring Ville, Mr. Cowen pur- 
chased land, and built a chapel of the same dimensions 
as the one at Mount Elvin ; the distance of this place 
frem the mission-house is six miles, a cross-country 
road, very hilly and beautiful, but in the wet season 
