English town." One consequence is that the officials are wretchedly paid, being so numerous; and each confined to his own island has no chance of promotion. Moreover, the smaller islands and communities, like the small republics of Greece, have an undue conception of their own importance, the same restlessness of spirit, and the same irritability of temper which have ever been the characteristic curse of all little commonwealths. Each also has its own customs and tariff, to the utter confusion of trade. In Barbados and British Guiana, no export duties at all are levied, and these colonies are conspicuous for industrial success. In the other islands the import and export dues vary indefinitely. The British West Indies want knitting up together.]

Jan. 4th.-Roman Catholics ashore to early mass. For our morning service the Bishop of Barbados came off and preached a compact and rousing little sermon on St Paul's "I keep under my body and bring it into subjection." He spoke in a most pugnacious way of "hitting under the eye" and "bullying" the flesh, by means of self-restraint, temperance and self-denial. The men were very attentive as he stood up and spoke to them on the main deck for twenty minutes without note or book. After which he at once went off for another morning service at his own cathedral ashore. At the afternoon service on board commemoration was made of the naval schoolmaster, Mr. Sims. The ship's company raised a good subscription on the lower deck for a monument to be erected to his memory, which Mr. Blunn, chaplain of the Tourmaline, has kindly consented to see carried out after we leave, and to send them photographs of the same, when it has been placed in the cemetery.

Jan. 5th.-The Governor, the Colonial Secretary, and the Attorney-General came off to bid good-bye, as also did Captain Stirling and Mr. Nimmo, chaplain of the Atalanta, and Lieutenants Charrington and Fisher of the same ship. We stowed away our pots of preserved ginger and guava jelly, cassava biscuit and dried flying-fishes' wings (the last to be used for book-markers), and other Barbadian curios. Got the screw up before dinner and at 3 P.M. weighed casting to port and shaped course south-west-halfsouth. There was a fair breeze from the north-east, so that in the evening we were able to set stunsails.

Jan. 6th.-At 8 A.M. we sighted Tobago on the port bow and at 1 P.M. Trinidad. We have been sailing pleasantly along, making over six knots the last twenty-four hours, and thus cover 130 miles at noon to-day, which leaves fifty-nine. If we had now steamed

VOL. I.

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we could have got into Port of Spain the same evening, but we shall spend another cool night at sea outside the gulf.

At 6 P.M. rove screw purchase and down screw and then tried to tack, but missed stays and so wore ship. The operation was repeated several times during the night as we stood on and off from the land.

Trinidad, next to Jamaica, is the largest of the West Indian islands; it is 48 miles long and 65 broad; its area is about the same as that of Lancashire. It is really an outlying part of South

Its geographical

America rather than one of the Antilles. position is one of great importance both commercially and politically. Its proximity to the delta of the Orinoco, that vast artery that leads to the very heart of the South American republics, entitles it to become the entrepôt of much of their commerce. It was sighted by Columbus in his third voyage to the New World, on 31st July, 1496, when, in accordance with his vow to call the first land which he might see by the name of the Holy Trinity, he christened it La Trinidad. But the Spaniards never made much of the island till 1783.

Jan. 7th.-At 8 A.M. the next morning commenced steaming, and at 9.30 A.M. shortened and furled sails. We entered the Gulf of Paria, through that one of the Dragons' mouths called the Boca de Monos. The early morning had been showery, but it cleared up as we passed into the passage, so that we were able thoroughly to enjoy its beauties. The hills from their very summits down to the water's edge on either side are green; at first you imagine from a little distance they are covered with grass, but this resolves itself on your coming closer into a jagged and feathered mass of gigantic trees; those on the sky-line stand out. clear and distinct, and you begin to appreciate their size by considering those that hang over the rocks and shores beneath. To these in some places we approach within a cable's length first on one hand and then on the other. Here and there the woods are broken into by clearings on which stand a hut or two and gardens of bananas and other fruits: islands and bays alternate, and small groups of fishermen's huts with patches of white sandy beach in front, on which their nets are spread to dry and their canoes hauled up. In one bay on the port side just before entering the gulf was the stranded wreck of a large coolie ship, which had been taken ashore here by the current, which sets very strong through the passage, so that it is very difficult and almost impossible to make the Monos Channel under sail. The difference between the colour of the bottle-green water in the bay and that of the sea outside is great the waters in the bay contain the muddy discharge of the waters of the Orinoco, "waters from the peaks of the Andes 1,500 miles away," which flow into the gulf through its southern entrance.

Away on the starboard hand right across on the western shore of the bay we get our first glimpse of the Spanish Main, where the mountains of Venezuela are towering above the clouds. We alter course to the eastward, and come to our anchorage three miles from

the shore at 2 P.M. off Port of Spain, the buildings of which we can just see in the distance through the masts and rigging of a whole line of coasters and merchant ships which are lying further in between us and them. There is not a breath of air stirring here: we are shut in completely from the trade wind which rushes along half a mile above our heads.

On the right as the sun goes down we see the long straight lines of heavy mist rising from the swamps at the mouth of the Caroni river, while away on the left rise the wood-covered hills with here and there bright patches of flowers, amongst others a great yellowblossomed poui-tree. The Governor's aide-de-camp came off, and Captain Lord Charles Scott went ashore to call on Sir Henry Irving. That evening a large party of sixteen officers from the ship (eight of them from gun-room) dined at Government House, and then went to a ball given by Mr. Leon Agostini, a nonofficial member of the council. Here the floral decorations were the prettiest we have ever seen. Coloured lamps were festooned up both sides of the long avenue that leads to the open space immediately in front of "Coblentz." The lawn with its flowerbeds was thrown into strong relief, for round the outside edge were standing a row of brown and black men holding lights which burnt now red, now blue, now yellow. The outlines of the one storied house itself were ablaze with rows of white lamps, which

ran round every window and doorway. The broad marble-paved verandahs which extended all round the exterior were left unlighted, a cool retreat from the ball-room inside, where those who sat or walked could look out on the coloured flower-beds, down to which, if they felt inclined, they could wander on the dry gravel walk. In the garden at the back of the house Mr. Agostini had erected a large supper-room in which all the guests, about 400, could be seated at once. There were three long tables with one cross one; the interior was decorated with many flags and small arms arranged in stars and other designs. The passage to the supper-room was through the large glass conservatory which in its turn formed a pleasing retreat. The whole place with its well-arranged combinations of subdued light and tropic foliage seemed to us more like fairyland than anything else. Everything went off uncommonly well, and at supper, as it was past midnight after the health of the Queen had been drunk and that of the Prince and Princess of Wales, every one wished Eddy many happy returns of his birthday; then off to the ship in the steam pinnace.

Jan. 8th.-To-day both of us were rated midshipmen; we were at the time the only two naval cadets in the gunroom. Not a breath of wind, and though the thermometer shows only 80°, yet there is a more oppressive feeling in the moisture-laden air than we have ever known before. The hot black hull of the ship lying at anchor retains the heat long after the sun has gone down. In the afternoon Mr. Sendall (secretary to Local Government Board, Whitehall, and who was Director of Education in Ceylon when the Duke of Edinburgh visited that island), a guest of the Governor's, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Tanner (Director of Public Works), came off and arranged about excursions in the island next week. After dinner the "Snowdrop Minstrels" (the Bacchante's Christy Minstrels, composed of blue jackets and marines) made their first appearance; White, Cooper, Emery, Nash and Golding, were the chief performers on this occasion, the latter being the best hand as "Bones" and as a step-dancer. So ended Eddy's birthday festivities.

Jan. 9th.-General quarters as usual on Friday. In the afternoon we landed in the officers' boat and went up with some other mids, and had a good afternoon at lawn-tennis in the Government House grounds, which are very pretty, and in which we saw the cottage where Mr. Kingsley stayed, and then had a swim in the fresh water bath-house close by. We walked down to the jetty and came off to the ship by the six o'clock boat. The negroes here