variety of posture, and moved in slow attitudes, devoid of all grace, and accompanied with appropriate distortion of body and countenance; during the varied continuance of their manoeuvres each kept up a mournful cry of "a Low, a Lee," and each time their bodies came in contact, the delighted multitude set up their usual shout.

Juan Griego, the chief town,and residence of the principal inhabitants of the island, skirts the shores of the bay to which I have previous alluded, and contains about 500 inhabitants: it is an irregular assemblage of huts, partly built of stone, covered with a red tile, but by far the greater number are of mud, straw, or Bamboo, and none exceeding in height a single story; the rooms, generally speaking, are spacious and airy. There is a good Billiard Table in the village, which is well attended by the resident French merchants: Hazard and ving et une, particularly the latter, are common sources of amusement,and tended considerably to lighten the purses of some of our officers, who were foolish enough to risk their fortunes on thedie, and deprive themselves of the only means by which they might add to their own, or the comforts of their more destitute friends. There is an excellent market, abundantly supplied with Turtle, a variety of other fish, and delicious fruit, in the quality and cheapness of which Marguaritta surpasses any of the other West India islands, especially in its Pine Apples, Melons, and Oranges. This island

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also affords Horses, Pigs, and Goats; there are no Black Cattle, but what are brought from the Maine, and Mutton is not to be had at any price. But all these comforts are inadequate to compensate the inhabitants of Juan Griego for the scarcity of fresh water, as none can be procured within a shorter distance than three miles, and even that scarce, and of a miserably bad quality, being procured from a stagnant pool, and rolled in barrels the entire distance; the badness of the roads, preventing the possibility of any other kind of conveyance.

October 1st-My friend BROWN and I having agreed to visit together the interior of the island, and procured mules for the purpose, had, in honor of our journey, taken a comfortable breakfast at BLACK SAM's, and started. The road, or rather pathway, from Juan Griego to Forte Norte, a distance of six miles, is, for the greater part, through an extensive Jungle, consisting of low shrubs, and prickly furrs, so closely interwoven that the passage is almost impervious to an European, although the natives can find their way with as much ease as the animals whose footsteps they trace; I doubt much, had we strayed from the regular path, whether the clue of Ariadne could have extricated us from the labyrinth. As we proceeded we saw several flocks of a small species of Parrot, called by the natives Paroquetta; the bill, wings, and plumage, are uniformly grey; they are apt scholars, and quickly

taught to imitate the varieties of the human voice. We also saw the bird, from its cry called Tropyall, a bird much sought for, about the size of our common thrush; it has a bright yellow top, with breast of the same colour, whilst the wings and back exhibit a mixture of white, red, and black: its plumage is highly prized, as an ornament, by the Indian Chiefs on the Maine. The brilliant colours of the Woodpecker frequently arrested our attention, and a numerous list of other kinds which it would be foreign from my present purpose to notice. We were now delighted at the prospect which presented itself as we issued from the Jungle; the ground seemed highly cultivated, and as far as the eye could reach, we beheld fields of Indian Corn, the stalks of which groaned beneath the weight of their load; reminding us, in general appearance, of the lands of our nativity. On turning a little to the right, we caught a view of the Church of Norte, and proceeding onwards we soon slackened our pace,that we might, with more accuracy, take a survey of the town. itself. Approaching it slowly, our entrance was somewhat retarded by the remains of a breastwork, made up of hampers filled with sand, which the Spaniards had thrown together to protect the town, when they had possession of the island. The houses, as we got into the town, were poor and irregular, but improved considerably upon approaching the Grand Square,the buildings. of which are superior in structure to any we had

yet seen. In the centre of the square stands the Chapel, the finest and most substantial building in Norte.

It was now two o'clock, and we had been exposed to the rays of the sun for some hours, and felt considerable gratification when we arrived opposite the only Inn in the town, where we alighted, and considered ourselves peculiarly fortunate in being able to procure an interpreter, the only one residing within a circumference of some miles. The walls of the house, of which we were now inmates, were about ten feet in height, the centre of the roof about twenty, and the inner walls were raised higher than those of the inside, lest the current of air might be obstructed; owing to the scarcity of glass, the windows were provided with wooden shutters, which were, in the hot season, seldom closed; the rooms were unceiled, and the floors earthen : indeed this description of our Inn, may serve as a model of the better sort of houses in Norte, where there were only, we were told, three upon a superior construction-those of ARISMENDI, the Priest, and Colonel LOPEZ. My curiosity was now raised to know something of the former, whose deeds I had so frequently heard recounted, and the garrulity of our interpreter seemed to promise a speedy gratification. This communicative Negro, seemed above the usual class, and had acquired a degree of knowledge and reflection beyond the generality of his countrymen: he ex

pressed a strong partiality towards the Irish, owing to the kind attentions he had once received from a Surgeon, an Irishman, who attended him during the effects of a severe wound he had received, upon a former attempt of MORILLO to make good a landing upon the island.

Having dined sumptuously upon Fish fried in oil, we, taking ROMANO, our interpreter, as a guide, went to view the fort, which is situated upon a rising ground behind the town, and commands a delightful prospect. The Spaniards who constructed the fort, erected a platform on its summit, eight feet high, having an apparatus encircling it, one hundred feet in circumference, around which a pivot gun, a 24 Pounder, traverses, and can, of course, be used with effect, in every possible direction. We ascended the ladder, and having gazed upon the surrounding scenery, seated ourselves upon the gun, requesting ROMANO to let us know something of ARISMENDI, whose "look-out Tower" he pointed out, at some distance, on the top of a commanding eminence. ROMANO, " nothing loath," commenced his interesting detail, the substance of which 1 record, particularly as the general accuracy of his statements have corroboratory testimony in their favour.

"The cruelty and brutality, uniformly exercised towards the native inhabitants by the European Spaniards, had rendered their name odious; still, born as the unfortunate natives were, in