lover of the picturesque, should such be among our visitors, as they may prove to them what your many "Handbooks" are to our Creoles. Grenada, October 1845. A CORRESPONDENT. EVERY part of the world, however small or isolated, has its peculiar sights and wonders, which may be explained, "something worth seeing, and perchance surprising." 66 Though few, according to the general remark, come to the West Indies to seek fortunes, yet many, in search of wealth or money, as much as those connected with the public service, make an occasional tour amongst the Islands,' as it is technically called. Now, for the benefit of all so circumstanced, into whose hands these Sketches may chance to fall, I beg to state that, with the exception of the Pitch Lake and Mud Vulcano in Trinidad, and that at present dormant in St. Vincent, "the Grand Etang" in this island is "the greatest lion" in the tour. The general appearance of Grenada, near or distant, is prepossessing; and the approach to St. George's, the principal town, from either side, is beautiful. From the north, after passing the romantic rocks and islets forming" The Grenadines," the towering evergreen hills and cultivated vales, intersected by tree-crowned ridges descending towards the sea and terminating in abrupt and picturesque precipices, ever varying in appearance as the vessel advances, raise ideas of the sublime, soft, and beautiful, and give a foretaste of the pleasures to be derived from a closer inspection. From the south, the scenery, though tamer, is more soft, and has aptly been compared by Coleridge to the true Italian. The appearance of the town itself, built on a ridge and sloping on one side towards "the Carenage" or Harbour, and on the other to the sea, is inviting;-the objects most attractive being the Established Church, with its light and handsome spire; the Presbyterian Kirk, with its massive and elegant tower; and Fort George, crowning the extreme point. All who land, even after a monotonous or long voyage, should not be so anxious to disembark as to make the attempt in "the Bay," should the surf be no obstacle, for, rowing round the Fort into the Carenage, by the short delay they will be gratified with the appearance of the large merchant vessels moored in line, the regularity of the wellbuilt wharves, and the magnificent buildings occupying them. better part of the town is to the eye entirely English, and, with the exception of the pavilioned roofs, destitute of chimneys, the traveller might fancy himself in a British town in the very finest day in July, although the period of his visit may be in December. From St. George's there are but three roads leading to the interior. The first passes through "the Square" and "Fish Market," (and, though the greatest thoroughfare, is not particularly inviting,) along the sea-beach in a northerly direction. The second, called "Lower Montserrat," scarcely superior, leads to the south-east; and the third, by far the most preferable, towards "Government House" and "Richmond Hill." The situation of the former, which is a handsome and commo dious building, is delightful; commanding a view of part of the Town and Harbour, and the beautiful vales of "Tempe," "Beaulieu," and the upper part of “ Beausejour," terminated by the mountains on either side of the Grand Etang. Richmond Hill rises abruptly to a height of 800 or 900 feet, crowned with comfortable barracks and extensive fortifications, promising protection, or frowning defiance, as the case may be. To visit the Grand Etang, I would recommend the last-mentioned road, turning off to the left at the upper gate of Government House. This will place you at once on classic ground-" Mount Parnassus" being on the right, and "Tempe's" verdant vale before and below you, with, I presume, the "Peneus" meandering through it. Our Tempe, however, is not very poetical, but is certainly a very pretty sugarestate-the works, mansion, and negro-houses forming as fine a picture as you are likely to meet with in the course of your peregrinations. Those massive buildings for the manufacture of sugar, and that deardelusive fluid-rum, form a pleasing contrast with the snug, comfortable thatched cottages of the negroes, rising row above row, like the grades of an amphitheatre, and half concealed by the orange, the mangoe, and the broad-leafed plantain. We must, however, descend, and proceed on our journey, along a road safe but rugged, passing "Mount Gay" with its fantastic bridge, Snug Corner"-not a misnomer, and "Vendomme," where the spicy clove of the East entwines with the bright-red-leafed and yellow-podded cocoa of the West. If you are not "pressed by Time," make one turn towards "Annandale," and take up a position opposite to that romantic cascade, formed by the river Soulier in passing into its valley. At this moment, a giant of the hills has been swept down in the torrent, and stands erect in the waterfall, stripped of its leaves and branches—a blackened trunk; the water, as it froths and leaps from point to point, gives so perfect an idea of the motion of the tree, that you might imagine an endless monster of the American Sea-snake genus making his ascent. 66 To resume :-On crossing the limpid and cool Soulier, you arrive at the region of the arboraceous fern, which must be seen to be fully appreciated, and take leave of cultivation, darting amongst the aboriginal tenants of the hills. The ascent from the fifth milestone, on the bank of the stream, to the sixth, is very abrupt and fatiguing; but before you gain "the mountain's top," there is an acute turn of the road; at this point take your stand, and declare where you have ever seen a more imposing view. The whole valley of Beausejour appears at your feet; "Point Saline," in the distance, stretches to the southwest, its eminences apparently levelled, and bearing no fanciful resemblance to a huge crab's-claw; "Mount Moritz'" lofty cone is in the centre, and to the left, the perpendicular and tangled hill overlooking Vendomme. In your immediate vicinity the crimson blossoms of the Costus and Pitcarnia almost eclipse the less-paraded beauties of the smaller Rhexias, whilst all around the bamboo waves its colossal plumes. The descent to "the Post," about half a mile, is gentle in comparison; and here "the Lake" breaks suddenly on the view. The extent is not great; I should suppose about three miles in circum ference so it cannot be that, nor the appearance of the surrounding scenery, though grand, that strikes the imagination so forcibly. But as I am describing, not moralising, I shall continue. At "the Post," you will find the officers' quarters and barracks of the Colony Rangers: the former, neat and substantial; the latter, formed of the produce of the vicinity, being wattled and thatched with grass, and very comfortable and safe where sudden atmospheric changes are so frequent. There is likewise a tavern, but not so well supplied as to warrant any party who esteems the good things of this life-and I know of no excursion more likely to call the stomach into active operation to go wholly unprovided. From a small eminence to the east, (in former times a telegraphic station,) a magnificent view opens: the highly-cultivated plains-stretching from the base of the mountains to the sea-the rock-surrounded harbour of "Grenville"-and the Grenadines, with their conical hills, far in the distance. The extent of forest, never yet subjected to the woodman's axe, is another good text for the moralist. I here end this my first excursion. To me, it has been one of pleasure and it is to be hoped that it will prove so to my readers, as it is not improbable that we may take the road again. VIATOR. METEOROLOGY OF NEW SOUTH WALES FOR FIVE YEARS. THE following are some general results obtained from a careful review of the Meteorological Register kept at the South Head of Port Jackson, Sydney, from its commencement to the end of 1844, a period of four years and nine months. BAROMETER. A comparison of the monthly and yearly mean atmospheric pressure during the above period, computed from all the periodical observations collectively : January March 1841 1842 1843 1844 .... 1840 no obs. May June. Annual mean pressure calculated for each period of observation : The maximum and minimum of atmospheric pressure in each year From which it appears the extreme range of the barometer, during these five years, has been 1.140 inch, and its mean range 1·0594 inch; or in round numbers about one inch and one-sixteenth. Mean pressure summer and winter, i. e. upon an equal division of the year, and taking April to September inclusive, as winter months: Summer. Winter. Difference. Monthly and yearly Mean External Shade Temperature, calculated from all the periodical observations collectively, during the years— January March .... 1841 1842 1843 1844 75.41 71:03 70.92 71.49 69.36 70.43 67.66 6146 60 91 57 46 June... From the foregoing table it appears that the mean temperature of April and October, which approximate to mid-autumn and mid-spring, may be considered as nearly as possible the mean of the whole year. In England the month of October has been found, from a complete series of hourly observations, kept during the years 1833 and 1834, to furnish a mean temperature nearest to that of the year. This observa tion holds in all these years except 1840, when May and September are found to give the nearest mean temperature. But the cause of these two colder months giving in that year the nearest to the mean of the year is attributable to, first, the absence of three summer months' observations in the latter calculation; secondly, to the hours of observation (nine, noon, and six,) then adopted, producing a result below the medium temperature of the twenty-four hours. The year 1842 shows a depression of temperature below 1841 of about two degrees, which chiefly accrues during the first five months, some of which discover a decrease of five degrees; and this is the more remarkable, inasmuch as the periods of observation in those months of 1841 were nine, noon, and six, which, as before said, furnish a medium temperature below that of the twenty-four hours. The year 1844 likewise shows a decrease of more than one degree below 1843, and this depression of temperature extends through all the months, except Feb., Aug., and Oct. Annual mean internal and external Shade Temperature, calculated for each periodical observation; also the wet thermometer :— 1840-(April to December.) Internal.... Noon. 6 P.M. 68'02 62.33 9 A.M. 65 15 68.60 N.B.-That these extremes of temperature are not obtained from a register thermometer: consequently, although the maxima may be taken as pretty correct, the minima cannot be so considered. |