Antigua and the Antiguans Volume I Part 23

Of modern works there are no end. There, the irresistible charms of that "Wizard of the North," the late Sir Walter Scott, with his "Jenny Deans;" his high-minded "Flora McIvor;" his unfortunate "Bride of Lammermoor," and all his other "gentle dames" and "lordly knights," are displayed before the enraptured reader. There Marryat amuses with his _navete_, and those stirring incidents of a sailor's life, he knows so well to picture. There, "Boz" carries you perforce from the hut to the castle, and makes you weep or laugh in each. There are Bulwer and Ainsworth, who draw their gentlemen-ruffians in such a guise as to lead one to admire even a housebreaker or highwayman; Cooper, who makes us long to lead the life of a backwood's-man; James, with his darling peeps at "by-gone days;" the dear Miss Mitford and Mary Howitt, whose simple annals and sylvan scenes almost bring before us the lovely fields and sweet flowers of England; Mrs. Gore, with all her pageantries; Mrs. Trollope, with her playful but keen sarcasms; the Countess of Blessington, with her elegant diction and pure imagery, as lovely as her own sweet form; with many other authors of note, are equally at the command of the subscribers to this Antiguan bibliotheca.

This society has been established for many years, but it was not incorporated by an act of the legislature until 1839, during the government of Sir Wm. Colebrooke. The members are elected by ballot, and after subscribing for ten years, they become free of the library, retaining all the privileges without being called upon for payment.

The library is kept in the upper part of a large house, well adapted for the purpose, consisting as it does of two good sized apartments, with library tables, covered with respectable green cloth, and pamphlets of all sorts and sizes; the sides of the room are lined with bookcases. Altogether it is an admirable society, and I strenuously advise all inhabitants of Antigua, whose ideas are not absolutely tied down to "profit and loss," to become members; they cannot spend their spare money more agreeably, nor while away their leisure to better purpose.

CHAPTER XXII.

Early rising and "Jamie Thomson"-Journey to English Harbour- Windmills and Don Quixote-Groups of negroes and their equipages -All Saints' chapel of ease-The "Hamlet"-Village of Liberta- Grace Hill-Patterson's and Prince William-English Harbour market-Streets and dwellings-Commissariat's store and government tank-Dockyard-The superintendent-Stores and storehouses-Engineer's workshop-Blacksmith's shop and blowing machine-Limes and roses-Recollections of England-Lieutenant Peterson and Lord Camelford-His lordship's pranks-The ordnance- Clarence House and Dows Hill-The Ridge and "Shirley heights"- Fort Charlotte and Fort Berkeley-Bats Cave-The Savannah and its tombs-Indian Creek-Return to town.

The church clock proclaimed the hour of five, as a gentle rap came at my chamber door. Awakened from a pleasant dream, I started from my couch, and heard with something like vexation, that it was time to dress, in order to prosecute our intended journey to English Harbour.

Beautiful as is the breath of "early morn," still there is something very disagreeable in leaving your comfortable bed, and it may be, your gorgeous dreams, for the dull realities of life, and the necessary, but irksome duties of the toilet. I know I shall be cried down by all lovers of Nature for my unsentimental remarks. Thomson, enraptured with his subject "of early rising,"

exclaims with all a poet's fervour-

Falsely luxurious, will not man awake, And, springing from the bed of sloth, enjoy The cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour, To meditation due and sacred song?

For is there aught in sleep can charm the wise?

To lie in dead oblivion, losing half The fleeting moments of too short a life- Total extinction of th' enlighten'd soul!

Or else to feverish vanity alive, Wilder'd, and tossing through distemper'd dreams, Who would in such a gloomy state remain Longer than nature craves-when every muse And every blooming pleasure wait without, To bless the wildly devious morning walk."

Now, all this sounds very pretty-very romantic indeed; and we begin to fancy the poet amid some "bosky dell," or upland lawn, his shoes liberally bedewed with those glittering gems, which "hang in every cowslip's bell," and his unpowdered locks streaming behind him in the morning gale. But stay, gentle reader! hast thou not heard that Thomson was himself a very sluggard, and loved his warm bed far better than any sylvan scene he could so well describe? And in truth, many and many a poet, even to "Joanna Bailey," the morning rhymester, has been of the same mind. Then, why should I not tell the truth, and own my sloth-although at the same time, when once abroad, no one feels the nameless "melodies of morn" more than I do.

But to resume my subject: the incidents of a day's journey to English Harbour. After partaking of a light breakfast, and quaffing of that cup "which cheers, but not inebriates," we stepped into the phaeton, and drove through the town, leaving our friends in "Scotch-row" busily employed in arranging their incongruous goods to the best advantage.

The day was very favourable to our undertaking, for it was fine, but overcast. The sun was robbed of his extreme l.u.s.tre by the intervention of various clouds, which pa.s.sed along the sky in many beautiful forms. Some dark as ebon night; others of a silverish grey; the eastern ones tinged with gold and purple; while some again looked so white and fleecy, that you could fancy them so many snow-wreaths spread out upon an ocean of blue. The lights and shadows, too, of the far mountains, with all their blended tints, were beautiful objects in the landscape; and the occasional sight of a herd or two of cattle, standing in their usual dreamy posture, completed the picture. We pa.s.sed several windmills (used in grinding the sugar-cane) with their sails unfurled, and going round merrily in the breeze; but unlike Don Quixote, I took them not for so many giants, nor wished myself a knight-errant, that I might rescue the "beautiful and high-born damsels" from their clutches.

The road to English Harbour is, however, for the most part dull and uninteresting; only here and there a pretty prospect attracts the eye. But on this day (Monday[84]) it was rendered more cheerful by the groups of negroes, who, of every age and s.e.x, were coming into town to purchase their weekly stores. Baskets, trays, and boxes-all kinds of vessels, indeed-were placed in critical positions upon their heads; but this appeared to cause no impediment to their ambling gait, while the chatter and song among themselves, and the smile and courtesy as they pa.s.sed us, with the accustomed "How d'ye, ma.s.sa?" "How d'ye, missis?" shewed that they considered their errand as one of pleasure rather than of toil. Carts were also put into requisition by the more extensive purchasers; some drawn by a ragged Canadian pony, similar to the little Sheltie breed; others by a tall grim-looking American horse, with its bones sticking out as bare as "Rozinante's;" and others again dragged along by a slight-made Creole, its mane and tail the colour of flax. Cattle carts were also bringing in loads of sugar, drawn by six miserable-looking oxen two abreast, their poor necks weighed down by the heavy wooden yokes.

In one part of the road we pa.s.sed All Saints' chapel of ease, belonging to the parish of St. John's. It is a very plain building, surmounted by a gothic pinnacle, answering the purpose of a steeple, with an aperture in the middle, intended, I suppose, for the admission of a bell.

After pa.s.sing a ruined estate, where the long gra.s.s grew upon the walls of a roofless building, once used as a boiling house, and accomplishing a steep descent, and one or two abrupt turnings in the road, we came to a cl.u.s.ter of houses, known by the t.i.tle of "the hamlet." Many of these rural dwellings are very neatly built of native stone; and their little gardens appear to be well stocked with the country produce, such as potatoes, peas, eddoes, arrowroot, &c. A short distance from the hamlet is another similar collection of dwellings, bearing the name of "the village of Liberta," (as a painted board informed us,) and equally abundant in its bright green patches of edibles. The emanc.i.p.ation of the negroes, and their desire to possess a portion of the soil in perpetuity, gave rise to these villages, of which there are many in different parts of the island. Here they erect small houses, and plant ground provisions. Some of these little dwellings are very neatly constructed, being raised a little distance from the ground, and the front door graced with a flight of steps and a small portico, while the open windows are furnished with white curtains.

Adjoining the "village of Liberta," lies the Moravian settlement of Grace Hill, snugly ensconced in its leafy fence, and, like other settlements of the kind in this island, breathing an air of happy tranquillity.

Leaving Grace Hill, and travelling on some distance, we arrived at an estate called Patterson's, belonging to the Hon. John Athill, and celebrated in Antiguan history, as being the spot where the murder of the governor's child was perpetrated, (already narrated in the legend of Ding a Ding Nook,) on the occasion of the abduction of his lady in 1640. The "great house"

upon this estate was honoured by a visit from our late lamented monarch, William IV., who in 1798 pa.s.sed a night there.

We here once again came within sight of the sea, which greatly added to the attractions of the scene, while on our left hand rose Monk's Hill, surmounted by its fortifications, and strewed in some parts with ruined Carib's houses. Pa.s.sing through the town of Falmouth, we gained a kind of marsh, dotted over with clumps of aquatic shrubs, and here and there opening to the sea, and in a few moments entered the village of "English Harbour."

The market is just at its entrance, and consisted, upon the day we visited it, of about ten or twelve persons, squatting on the ground, and having before them shallow wooden trays, containing a few country vegetables, a miserable-looking chicken or two, a few strings of strong-scented fish, a store of sun-burnt bread, and other similar luxuries!

The houses are in general of very mean construction, and dest.i.tute of paint. There are, however, some very pleasant residences belonging to the crown, from which beautiful sea-views may be obtained; for the village is built along the margin of the sea, and in some parts the waves come rippling up to the very street, and wet the feet of the pa.s.sengers. Dogs and ducks were enjoying themselves in the water,-the former dashing in and out, and rolling in the sand, while the latter, with their eyes almost closed, were resting upon their gla.s.sy couch, in all the luxury of idleness.

Before entering the dockyard, we pa.s.sed the commissariat stores; and on the opposite side of the road, a large tank, capable of containing 240 tons of water, built by the legislature for the use of the shipping, but from which the inhabitants of the village are allowed to draw water, the dockyard being so well supplied with those necessary reservoirs. This tank bears many a sculptured name; among the rest, that of "Nelson," that laurel-crowned hero, who visited Antigua in 1784.[85]

A pair of strong, well-secured gates guard the entrance to the dockyard; which being thrown open, we drove in, and alighted at the office of the superintendant of the establishment, preparatory to inspecting the accommodations of the place.

The dockyard consists of two separate departments. The first, since ent.i.tled St. Helena, was commenced in 1726, during the administration of John Hart, Esq., and at the suggestion of Capt.

Francis Cooper, commander of H. M. S. "Lynn," and Capt. Arthur Del Garno, commander of H. M. S. "South Sea Castle." These experienced and clever naval officers saw the advantage of having proper wharfs, &c. for careening ships in Antigua, instead of being obliged to despatch the vessels appointed to this station, to the northern colonies, when any repairs were necessary, as they had before been in the practice of doing. The land chosen, as being most applicable to the purpose, consisted of two portions, of ten acres each, which in 1718 had been granted to Joseph Green, and William Greatrix, privates in H.M. troops, disbanded in consequence of the cessation of war. These lands were, however, forfeited to the crown by the non-settlement of them, by the grantees; and they were consequently appropriated to the purpose of establishing a dockyard, which is now not to be equalled in this part of the globe.

This establishment having proved of such advantage to Antigua, and the rest of the Leeward Islands, his majesty, George II., ordered that another wharf, with magazines, stores, and other appendages, should be constructed. Accordingly, in 1743, a tract of land was purchased from Thomas Bodkin; five acres of which was to be appropriated for the site of the new naval buildings; and the remainder to be allotted to poor white settlers, at the discretion of the commander-in-chief, the council, and a.s.sembly of Antigua. Such was the origin of the village of English Harbour, which, on account of being princ.i.p.ally crown property, is disfranchised.

The dockyard presents a fine and n.o.ble appearance; and under the able superintendence of Joseph Hart, Esq., everything seems to be conducted in the best possible manner; while the yard itself is kept so beautifully clean, that a walk through it affords real pleasure. The exertions of Mr. Hart may perhaps be better appreciated when it is considered that only six labourers are allowed him to perform all necessary duties; and that these men are also liable to be called upon by the pilot, at a moment's notice, whenever that officer is employed in piloting vessels of war in or out of the harbour.

The storehouses upon St. Helena are princ.i.p.ally used for storing coals, and in consequence, her majesty's steam-vessels frequent more that side of the dock. The largest ships of war (that visit these seas) can go alongside this wharf when necessary.

On the south of St. Helena lies "Freeman's Bay," where such of H.

M. vessels as are intended to remain but a short time generally anchor; the offing being more readily gained from thence than when further in.

The last-erected part of this naval establishment, or "the dockyard," as it is more generally called, is separated from St.

Helena by the blue waters of the dock, and contains various buildings, of which I shall first mention the commissioner's room, and pay offices, (under one roof,) as that was the first place I visited. The commissioner's room is a very pleasant apartment, with windows to the east and west, and folding-doors to the south opening upon a small stone terrace, with a flight of steps leading to the wharf beneath. From this terrace a delightful view may be obtained. St. Helena lies exactly opposite, its warehouses reflected in the clear, blue sea, which flows at your feet; on your left, Clarence House, and the adjacent country; while, on your right, the mouth of the harbour, guarded with its forts, and the blue ocean, with its snowy crested waves, blends with the sky in the distance. In the apartment itself are considerable quant.i.ties of Psalters and New Testaments, designed, I suppose, for the use of the naval seamen; but those annoying pests, the c.o.c.k-roaches, have made sad work with the bindings. Leaving this room, we walked into the pay offices, divided by blue railings, into the commissioner's office, master shipwright's office, master attendant's office, and storekeeper's office; as the several white-lettered inscriptions informed me. These paying offices are all contained in one apartment, measuring about 8 feet by 4 feet. They must not be corpulent persons who occupy them, or they will be less at their ease than poor "Hudibras" was in the "Wooden Bastile."

Descending another flight of stone steps, we crossed part of the yard, and arrived at the naval officers' quarters, a very pleasant and handsome building, along which runs a pretty verandah, commanding a similar view to that obtained from the terrace of the commissioner's room. Underneath these quarters, is the princ.i.p.al tank, divided into twelve compartments, and capable of containing 1000 tuns of water. From this tank pipes pa.s.s under-ground, to the edge of the wharf, (a distance of a hundred feet,) which being furnished with a c.o.c.k, the water can be turned into the casks at pleasure; or, when in great haste, another pipe is fixed from thence into the hold of the ship, which in this manner receives its proper allowance of water, at a distance of 100 feet from sh.o.r.e.

A few paces from the officers' quarters, stands a large building, 100 feet by 90 feet, used as a copper, steamer's, and lumber store; attached to which are four semi-circular tanks, capable of holding ten tuns of water each. Pa.s.sing from this, we came to the cordage, sail, canva.s.s, and clothing store, of a similar size; and opposite to which, at the distance of about ten feet, is the working mast-house, (100 feet square,) and joiners' loft above.

In this building a party of men were busily employed in making a new mast for H. M. schooner, "Fair Rosamond," which, having met with an accident, a few days before, had put into Antigua to repair. Parallel with this building is another working mast-house, and joiners' loft above, of similar dimensions to the former, used also for the accommodation of the yard engines.

Peeping into a snug little box, called the porter's lodge, and pa.s.sing the guard house, store for condemned articles, and paint store, we entered the boat-house. By this time the sun had gained its meridian height, and poured a blaze of light over the whole yard, which, reflected from the white, sandy ground, dazzled my eyes with its powerful radiance, and oppressed me with its excessive heat. As I entered then this building, how delightful did its cooling air strike upon me!-how sweet was the breeze which pa.s.sed over my brow, and allayed its throbbing! while the gentle plash of the water sounded most musically to the ear. One part of the boat-house is floored; the other has a channel cut in it to the depth of 18 feet, for the admission of the water. The roof is supported by 16 round stone pillars, of 12 feet in circ.u.mference; and above is a loft, where ships'-sails are kept.

Leaving the boat-house, we entered the tar and block stores, where we found a part of the crew of the "Fair Rosamond" employed in making _spun-yarn_, used for the purpose of lashing, &c.

About 20 feet distant, is a building containing painter's cabin for grinding paint, and the engineer's office, beneath is a lead cellar. We next visited the engineer's workshop, where we were agreeably entertained with seeing the cutting and punching machine put into motion. I am not engineer enough to describe this machine in a technical manner, and must therefore only remark that, by means of an oblong wheel, if I may be allowed the expression, worked by two men, it is capable of cutting through the thickest piece of cold iron, with the same ease and quickness a person would cut a sc.r.a.p of paper, and at the same time, punching holes of about the diameter of a shilling through another piece of the same metal. We also saw a turning-lathe capable of turning any description of iron from three inches to 28 in diameter. There were also innumerable machines, of other forms, and for various purposes, which were put into motion for our amus.e.m.e.nt; and a piece of the iron, which had been cut and punched in divers figures, was tendered to me-a memento of an engineer's workshop in a West Indian dockyard.

The next place we entered was one more suited to a hyperborean climate than an Antiguan noonday-a blacksmith's shop. Here, six forges can be worked; and several Cyclops ply their skill amid their dingy implements. To these forges, immense bellows "turned their iron mouths," and, impelled by swarthy hands, sent forth a shower of glittering sparks. We also saw, two patent blowing machines, manufactured by "Thomas, late Halley and Co.," which, by a peculiar arrangement, propels the blast upwards and downwards at the same time. The master blacksmith worked them for a few moments, but informed us they had not so much power as the first pair of bellows we observed upon our entrance, which, from its magnitude, ought to be called the "King of the Bellows." He bid us place ourselves before the mouth of this last-mentioned pair, and we should be convinced of the truth of his a.s.sertions; but as I felt no wish to be blown away in a gale of ashes, I declined the invitation, humbly subscribing to his superior knowledge in such matters. I could not help thinking, that had Eolus known the use of these "blowing-machines," what a far more powerful wind he might have raised, than (as it is pictured he did) by employing the sons of Astraeus to blow so painfully with their distended cheeks amid his mighty caverns.

Leaving the blacksmith's shop, we pa.s.sed the sawpit shed and smaller tank, and the shipwright's house, and then turning an acute angle, came to a very pleasant residence, occupied by the superintendent of the yard, Mr. Hart. Here I met with some of my favourite lime-trees, their pearly flowers redolent with perfume.

Mr. Hart kindly plucked for us some of the golden fruit; and afterwards presented, what was dearer to me, from the recollections they call up, three beautiful roses.[86] I may be laughed at for being so fanciful, but I never see a rose, I never inhale its rich fragrance, without wandering in imagination through the flowery gardens of my own land. "Oh! England, my own dear country! never did one of thy children love thee better than I do! In the midst of sickness, in the midst of suffering-when the fervour of a tropical sun burns through my very frame, and the climate throws its languor around me-my mind still reverts to thy verdant fields, I see again thy hawthorn-hedges with all their snowy blossoms, thy carpeting of lovely lowly flowers,-I breathe thy countless odours,-I hear thy sweet-toned birds, or the soft chime of thy village bells, and feel upon 'my very cheek thy bland and healthy breeze.'"

But to return to Mr. Hart and his roses. I kept them through the hot day, bore them in safety to my home, and they now stand before me. But, alas! their beauty is all gone,-their discoloured leaves seem to mourn their own dishonour; and only that "the scent of the roses hangs round it still," I should scarcely know what the vase contains.

After resting in a cool apartment for some time, and taking a gla.s.s of lemonade which Pomona herself would not have refused, the carriage was ordered to the door, and we were in the act of stepping in, when it occurred to us that this was a good opportunity to visit the spot where Lieut. Peterson received his death wound.

I have already mentioned, in the historical part of this work, this unfortunate incident, but, with the permission of my readers, I must again allude to it. At the time of the occurrence, Lord Camelford commanded the "Favourite," sloop of war, and Commodore Fahie the ship "Perdrix," Mr. Peterson holding the rank of first lieutenant on board the last-named vessel.

Commodore Fahie had left Antigua a short time before, to take temporary command of the fleet, then anch.o.r.ed before St.

Kitts,[87] and during his absence, Lieutenant Peterson was, of course, left in command of the "Perdrix."

It was the custom, in those troubled days of warfare, for boats to row backwards and forwards across the harbour during the hours of night, the sailors of the different ships in the dock, headed by one of their officers, taking it by turns to keep this watch; and the sleeper might often be roused from his dreams as the deep-toned _all's well_ resounded through the still night air.

Lord Camelford and Lieutenant Peterson were unhappily at variance; and, perhaps to mortify his rival, Lord Camelford ordered Mr. Peterson to take the watch upon the very evening that a gay ball was to be given at Blacks Point to the naval officers.

Unfortunately Lieutenant Peterson entertained the idea that as he was in command of the _ship_ "Perdrix," in the absence of Commodore Fahie, he was superior officer to Lord Camelford, who only commanded a sloop; and, in consequence of this false impression, he positively refused to obey his lordship's orders.

The disastrous evening approached, and the lieutenant retired to his quarters above the capstan-house, in order to dress for the festive party. Arming himself with a pair of loaded pistols, and telling his boat's crew to attend him, Lord Camelford quitted his retirement, and stationed himself directly between the capstan house and the guard house, (now called the commissioner's house,) and there waited the approach of Mr. Peterson, whom he had already summoned to attend him.

Upon the unfortunate young officer making his appearance, accompanied by some of his friends, his lordship again commanded him to take charge of the watch for the evening-the command was again refused-when, taking one of the pistols from his bosom, Lord Camelford immediately fired, and the ball pa.s.sing through the breast of the brave, but inconsiderate lieutenant, he fell a corpse upon the ground, the deadly stream welling from the wound, and staining, as it flowed, the gay ball-dress which he wore.

No sooner did the well-aimed weapon do its work, than, drawing the other from its resting-place, his lordship turned to the second lieutenant of the "Perdrix," and pointing it at him, asked if he would obey his orders, or meet the same punishment as Mr.