104 
TrJNIDAD. 
them ill the iiuiuner indicated. At the Fourth Com- 
pany there is a number of people wlio were brought 
here in slavery time from the Bahamas, and these people 
are more jieaceful and teachable than the descendants 
of the American soldiers generally are. Perhaps this 
may be one reason why the cause of religion and the 
work of education have made, greater progress here 
than in the other companies. It is very certain, that 
without submission to rule and .authority, there can lie 
no great advance in education, or progress in religion ; 
and it must be admitted that the villages in the Ame- 
rican settlements are slow to vield obedience to law, 
and unwilling to submit, even to rightful authority. 
Er^ery allowance, however, must be made for them,, 
seeing that they are a people dwelling by themselves, 
and haidng no lietter exam}de than their own to copy. 
Such a tiling as public opinion is scarcely known, or 
if known, its influence is very feeble, nor can any great 
change in this respect be looked for, until the people 
become better educated and more enlightened. 
In the year 1863, the chapel built by ]\Ir. Cowen 
was accidentally burnt down. It has been the custom 
of the deacon, every year, to clear and cultivate the 
land around the chapel. Generally, no fire is put to 
the bush till rain has fallen, but this year, the drought 
continued longer than usual, and fire was put. All 
^went well, and about dusk, the good deacon thinking 
that all was safe, went home, lluring the night, the 
fire smouldered on and burnt its way through the short 
dr}' grass, until it reached some shingles under the 
chapel. There the fire smouldered till the breeze sprang 
up, which it does about 10 a.m. The shingles were soon 
in flames, and it being Friday morning, and no school 
kept on that day, no one saw the mischief going on, 
until about eleven o'clock the smoke rolled up in a thick 
cloud and drew the pastor’s attention to the chapel ; 
but before anyone could get to the spot the building was 
so entirely enveloped in fierce flame that not even the 
