Familiar letters to Henry Clay of Kentucky : describing a winter in the West Indies

Letter I Voyage From New-york, And Entrance On The Tropics

Flushing, L. I. Sixth-month {June) 1st, 1840.

I seize the first day of leisure that has fallen to my lot, since I left Washington, in order to commence a narrative of my late tour in the West Indies ; and I gladly avail myself of thy obliging permission, in addressing a series of letters, on the subject, to Henry Clay of Kentucky. Sure I am, that the present state of the West India Islands, in a pecuniary, political, and moral, point of view, cannot be a matter of indifference to any American statesman. I know that thy feelings of interest in the great experiment which is now developing its results, in that part of the world, are deep and lively ; and I venture to believe that thou wilt give no severe reception to the familiar incidents — the trifling descriptions, whether in verse or prose — with which my story may probably be interwoven.

I must however premise, that I undertook this journey, neither in the pursuit of pleasure, nor for the specific purpose of ascertaining the effects of emancipation ; much less as the agent or representative of any body of philanthropists, either in England or America; but in the character of a minister of the gospel. My primary object was to preach the glad tidings of peace and salvation to my fellow men, and from persons of every class, condition, and party, in the West Indies, I have met with a cordial welcome, and the kindest attentions.

VOYAGE FROM NEW-YORK.

In company with Mahlon Day, a highly respectable citizen of New- York, and a young friend, who kindly undertook to act as our attendant and helper, I sailed from that city on the 22nd of last Eleventh-month, (November.) in the Camilla, Captain Watlington. Our ship's company consisted of about twenty individuals, (mostly in search of a warmer climate and better health) who had taken their passage, in this accommodating little ship, for Santa Cruz, The fine, but cold, frosty day, on which we left your shores, gave them a sufficient warning, that the season was at hand, when the rigor of a North American winter would become dangerous. At the same time, it afforded such of us as were in good health a delightful opportunity — as we swept along under full sail — of observing, under the brightest aspect, the rare beauty of the harbor of New- York, the bay, and the neighboring islands.

We had not continued our voyage more than three days, before we found ourselves in a genial climate. The thermometer stood at 70, and light clothing gradually came into requisition. The change was almost magical, and certainly it was no small luxury thus insensibly to glide into warmth, and as it were, to catch summer again by the skirts. We were -now crossing " the Gulph Stream," where it is said to have a breadth of two hundred and fifty miles, and the temperature of the air was probably heightened by the heat of the waves below. To account for this enormous current of warm water which runs up from the Gulph of Mexico, in a north-easterly direction, to so great a distance, seems to be nearly impossible. What the causes are which occasion the magnitude of the current, and the heat of the water, seems to be mere matter of conjecture ; but its beneficial effect in melting the ice, and unlocking the harbors, of North Amsrica, affords one evidence among ten thousand, that even the wildast sports of nature are subservient to good and wise purposes, in the order of a benevolent Providence. Boisterous weather and a strong adverse gale, were our portion as we crossed ^' the Gulph." The foaming waves, with tops of a light transparent blue, rose to an unusual height, and were in beautiful contrast with the troughs below, of a deep dull lead color.

Camilla, whilom swift of wing

Can now no longer fly, In vain her gullant sailors sing ;

She faints and longs to die.

The waves o'er which she loved to dance,

Now horrid in her eye, In awful alpine forms advance,

And curl their snows on high.

O, were it not for sore affright.

They might have charmed her view.

Dappled and marbled o'er with white,

And tipped with azure blue.

But the vales and pits that yawn below

Are dull and dark as lead ; They bid her every hope forego —

Fit chambers for the dead !

But quail no more thou blithsome maid,

Beneath the howling blast, Sunshine alternates still with shade,

Such fury cannot last.

Thy guardian sylphs shall soon prevail,

To dry those tears of sorrow, A smiling sky, a favoring gale.

Await thee for the morrow^

This prediction was verified ; for on the following day, the wind was favorable, the weather fair, the sea of the finest ultra-marine blue, and nothing could be more delightful than our voyage. We were particularly pleased with our first sight of the flying fishes, which we observed scudding along with wonderful agility, over the surface of the water. Our Captain assured us, that he had watched one of them which flew for the full distance of half a mile, before alighting. One of them winged its way on board our ship ; and a more exquisitely beautiful creature I have seldom seen, about eight inches in length, his eye black, his back of the brightest dark blue, pure silver beiov/, his wings flbred like a leaf, and perfect}/ transparent. The creature bears not the touch of man — he quivered, and presently died, in my hand. At night, the phosphoric ilkimination around the ship, as she flew before the wind, was wonderful. Though there was no moon visible, one might easily have supposed that it was moonlight, and the waves sparkled, and almost blazed. The following lines are graphically true, without poetic licence.

The moon beneath the waters sleeps,

The stars are veiled with clouds, The vig-orous breeze o'er Ocean sweeps, * And swells the rustling shrouds.

Regardless of the gale, the storm,

Camilla flies ahead, And, lo, around her angel form

A mystic glare is spread.

The foam she dashes from her side,

Dispels the gloom of night.

And seems diffusing far and wide,

A supernatural light.

The myriad sparks of liquid fire *

, Dance to the virgin's fame ;

And the billows from her brow retire,

All flickering with flame.

As we found our way into the tropics, we observed that the atmosphere became clearer and clearer ; no mists were perceptible ; the sun seldom obscured, and the appearance of the sky and stars, at night, peculiarly bright and clear. The moon, in these latitude?, often assumes an almost vertical position ; and many of the stars which belong to the southern hemisphere, are visible. Before day light, one morning, the Captain called me upon deck, to look at the southern cross, which is certainly a constellation of rare beauty. One of the five stars which form the cross, however, is of inferior magnitude, and not in the true position, which somewhat mars the image. When I turned towards the east, I enjoyed a still finer spectacle. The horn of an almost expiring mioon, Venus,, and IMars, were in all their splendor ; and the profusion of azure, lilac, ultra-marine, pea-green, orange, and crimson, which mantled the sky, about half an hour before sun- rise, I never before saw equalled. The sunset in these warm regions, is also remarkable for mellow beauty, but not as I imagined, of a splendor equal to the sun-rise. One evening, a " golden edged cloud" suggested a few lines of consolation to one of the ladies on board, who with much sorrow and anxiety, was nursing her interesting little boy, evidently sinking by degrees into the arms of death.

A dark cloud was skirting- the edge of the sea,

A frown on the brow of the west, And nature was shrouded with sadness to me,

As she sank in the ocean to rest ; But the sun that was wrapped in that mantle of woe,

His radiance begins to unfold, And the veil that was darkening the billows below,

Is fringed and embroidered with gold.

The scene is a signal for mental relief,

While it charms and refreshes the sight ; It bids me believe that the cloud of my grief,

Shall soon wear a border of light.

The gilding of hope, and the beaming of love,

"Victorious o'er sorrows and fears, Are heralds of mercy from heaven above

To illumine this valley of tears.

No one needs to lack amusement during a voyage; especially within the tropics ; — nature is constantly presenting objects of interest, and the sea, in its ever varying phases, is a sio-ht which never tires. We were amused, one morning, by watching the motions of a great shark, called, from its known discernment and cunning, the " Sea lawyer." His broad head, agile body, and flopping green fins, with the numerous little myrmidon fishes which accompanied him on his journey, formed a striking spectacle. At another time, a dolphin followed our bait — a much more taper and active fish than I had imagined • his fine blues and greens quite glittered through the waves. On a third occasion, the sea was seen sparkling with myriads af minute blue fishes, specided with silvei. The "man of war birds," to all appearance black, with long wings and swallow tails, were often perceptible, soaring above us to a great height. I am told that they form a curious link between the albatross and sea eagle. Their gyrations resemble those of the latter bird ; and it is said that during the hunicanes which so often occur in the West Indies, in the autumn, these birds are seen rising, in great numbers, above the sphere of agitation, and enjoying themselves in the tranquillity of the skies above.

On the 3d of the Twelfth- month (December,) we caught our first sight of land, the conical rocky peaks of Virgin Gorda, risinof before us to a considerable elevation. Soon afterwards we saw Tortola, St. John's, and St. Thomas — all, however, at a great distance. The next morning, those islands were full in sight to the westward, and in the distant east, we obtained a view of the mountains of Porto Rico. The appearance of these tropical islands, rishig suddenly from the sea, and forming steep, pyrimidal elevations, sometimes of bare rock, at other times covered with greenness, was to many of us a perfect novelty ; and one is immediately led, as a matter of course, to trace their existence to some vast impulse from below. There can be little doubt, I suppose, that they are, in general, of volcanic origin ; and that they are not of that fathomless antiquity to which some of the geological strata pretend, is plainly evinced by the circumstance, that the fossil shells and corals which are found imbedded in their mountain tops, are often of precisely the same kinds as are still discovered in the Carribean seas. Our course lay through the " Virgin passage." During the clear but moonless night we passed by a precipitous rock, called the " Sail rock." Such is its resemblance to a ship in full sail, that, as the story goes, it was once battered, by mistake, as an enemy, by a French frigate. We seemed to be driving directly upon it, our mate having failed in his endeavors to steer to the leeward of it ; but a sudden tack of the ship was effected, so as to prevent the too probable contact. The next morning we were becalmed within sight of Santa Cruz, though at a distance^ from that island, of forty miles.

To our right — also at a long distance — lay Crab island, which is said to be of considerable fertility and value. I understand that the chief part of it, is still covered with fine forest timber, that parrots abound in the woods, with wild animals and game of various descriptions. For a long time this island continued unsettled and unclaimed ; but of late years it has fallen into the hands of Spain, and is said to be a kind of dependency on Porto Rico. The governor is a Frenchman ; and slaves have already been introduced into the island. It is greatly to be feared that it not only affords a refuge for the slavers of Cuba and Porto Rico, but that, it will itself be gradually peopled with slaves from Africa. It seems to be a questionable point whether Great Britain is not in possession of the first claim on this island. — If so, it is surely most desirable, for mercy's sake, that she should assert her rights. As we lay motionless, on the deep, we observed two negro boys making their way towards us, from a far distant sloop, in a crazy little boat which they were skilfully working with paddles. We fondly hoped that they were bringing us a supply of fruit ; but on their arrival, we found that their mission was to beg for a little water and provision. The interview, however, was one of considerable interest ; for they were the first of the emancipated British slaves whom we saw in the West Indies. They came from Virgin Gorda, and were employed by the Captain of the sloop, himself a negro, with three others, in cutting wood on Crab island, for the use of the hospital in Santa Cniz. Their wages were five dollars and a half, per month, for each man, besides board ; thus, under the new system, they were earning their living by honest industry ; and they appeared to us to be at once well behaved, and contented.

In the evening — when the patience of some of our company

was beginninof to flag — a favorable breeze sprung up ; the

" night was mild and clear, and the sky studded with stars ; our

passengers assembled on the quarter deck, enjoying the scene;

every body was in good humor in the prospect of a speedy termination of our voyag-e ; and fair was the wind, the next morning, which wafted us safely to our harbor.

The appearance of Santa Cruz, as you approach it from the North, is picturesque and pleasing— to us who had been so long at sea, and were strangers to West Indian scenerj?-, it seemed clad with beauty — a succession of rounded or conical hills and mountains, cultivated to their very tops ; partly red (being the color of the soil) where the hoe had been at work ; and partly bright green, where already covered with the sugar cane — neat planting settlements visible in various spots ; severally consisting of a mansion, a boiling house, a number of negro huts, and a wind mill on some neighboring elevation, for grinding the sugar — the green wooded dells between the hills — and the cocoa-nut trees, with their tall stems, and strange looking, but elegant, deciduous branches, scattered over the whole scene. We landed at Fredericksted or West-End, exactly two weeks after our departure from New-York. Good boarding houses, well suited for invalids, were ready for the reception of all the passengers. For ourselves, we found a peaceful and commodious resting place in the house of our kind friend Rebecca Rogers ~a house which we can cordially recommend to the notice of West Indian travellers. The hot-house warmth of the atmosphere, was very preceptible to our feelings on our first landing ; but we were soon refreshed with the delightful easterly breeze which seldom fails to blow in Santa Cruz ; and certainly it was not without a feeling of heartfelt gratitude to the Creator and Preserver of men, that we first landed on a West Indian shore. One consideration alone was oppressive to us — we had come to a land of slavery.

But it is time I should close my first letter.

I am, with great respect, &,c. &c.

Letter II Santa Cruz

Flushing, L. I. Sixth-month [June) 2d, 1840,

The charms of a tropical country, when novel, are calculated to make a delightful impression on the mind ; and as we roamed along the lanes, and cane-fields of Santa Cruz, during the first few days after our arrival, we could easily conceive the pleasure enjoyed by Columbus and his followers, when the fertility and beauty of West Indian scenery first burst upon their view. Many beautiful productions of nature however, not indigenous, are now added to the catalogue of wonders, which inflamed the imagination of Columbus.

Almost every plant we saw as we drove or rode about the country, from the largest tree to the small weed, was unknown to us, and formed the subject of somewhat troublesome enquiry. It was a new world to u?, as well as to its first discoverer ; and several days must be passed amidst these scenes, before one can obtain any thing like a familiar acquaintance with the productions of nature. Splendid exotic plants which would be regarded as rarities, even in the greenhouses of England and America, are cultivated in the little gardens of Santa Cruz ; and the wild flowers are scarcely less attractive. Amongst them, we observed large kinds of convolvulus, white and pink ; yellow bell-llowers, scarlet creepers, bright b'ue peas of singular beauty ; and to crown all, the " pride of Barbadoes,'' sometimes crimson, sometimes yellow, with butterfly petals, long pendent stamina, and acacia like leaves, adorning the hedges in great profusion. The trees are, for the most part, bearers of fruit, and many of them are covered with luxuriant foliage. To select a few of the most remarkable, I wouM just mention the plantain and banana., (nearly the same in appearance.) with pendent leaves of vast dimension, and a profusion of finger-like fruit grouping in clusters — the wild orange tree., covered at the same time with fruit and flowers — the lime., which lines the hedges, and is etiually fragrant, producing in abundance, a small kind of lemon — the guava., with pink blossomis and pearlike fruit, also frequent in the hedge rows — the mango., heavily laden with foliage, and with fruit in its season — the maramee., growing to a great size, and profusely covered with glazed, dark green, foliage — lastly, the tam,arind., with its light feathery leaves and long pods which contain the fruit used for a preserve, spreading its branches far and wide, lil?:e the British oak.

The sweet orange, and those larger species of the same genus, the " forbidden fruit," and the shadock, are produced only by cultivation ; but they grow in Santa Cruz veiy plentifully. In company with a young friend, I rode one morning to visit the gardens of Prosperity estate, which, for want of some of that labor, now monopolized by the sugar cane, are left in wild confusion ; but these delightful fruits are still produced there in luxuriant profusion ; and a visit to Prosperity is an easy method of gratifying the sight, the smell, and the taste. Of these three senses, however, the first perhaps is the best pleased on the occasion ; for nothing scarcely can be more beautiful than those rows of orange and shadock trees, laden with fruit, green and gold. '" .

The branches of the cocoa-nut tree diverge like the ribs of an umbrella, from one common centre ; and just at that centre, far out of reach, hang the clusters of cocoa nuts. In their half ripe state, they often supplied us with a delicious beverage of sweet milky water, a provision of nature admirably adapted to a hot climate. But va uable as is the cocoa-nut tree in tropical climates, it is much inferior, in beauty, to the cabbage palm, or mountain cabbage, which may be regarded as the greatest ornament of this delightful island. Its straight branchless trunk.

from 30 to 50 feet high, bulges out a little in the middle, and is covered with a smooth grey bark, neatly divided into ringlets which mark the periods of its growth. Out of the top of the trunk rises a second stem equally straight, of bright green, which contains the cabbage so much esteemed as a delicacy at table ; above this green stem, the palm branches spring forth like those of the cocoa-nut, but with greater luxuriance ; finally, a thin spiral rod forms the summit of the tree. The high road between West-End or Fredericksted, and Bassin or Christiansted, the seat of government, (about fifteen miles in length) runs between rows of cocoa-nuts and cabbage palms, which have been carefully planted on either side. On one part of this road, the latter trees are remarkably lofty and beautiful ; and so regular, and even artificial, is their appearance, that one might imagine onesself to be travelling between some of the colonnades of Paestum, or Tadmor in the desert.

One good resulting, among many evils, from the despotic government of this island, is the careful preservation of its trees. No man is allowed to cut them down, even on his own estate ; for they are not only valued for their shade and beauty, but are supposed to attract the showers ; and Santa Cruz depends almost entirely on the skies, for its supplies of water. Another favorable result of arbitrary power, is that the inhabitants have been compelled to pay for the macadamising of their roads. The travelling in Santa Cruz, is, in consequence, rapid and easy, and the evening drives through the picturesque valleys in the neighborhood of West-End, afford a luxurious enjoyment, even for invalids.

On the top of the spiral rod of the cabbage-palm, I have frequently observed a handsome grey bird, somewhat less than a thrush, called the chincherry. Like the king-bird of North America, it is said to mock even the hawk, and to assert its dominion over all the fowls of the air. Humming-birds and bright little barbets are seen contending for the blossomed sweets of the yellow cedar ; a sly looking black bird, in shape like a jay, and generally called the black witch, abounds in the hedges ; quails and minute doves are numerous ; and a small species of bittern is often seen floating along over the lower grounds of the island. Lastly, the brown pelicans, on the sea coast, flopping lazily over the waters, and ever and anon diving for their prey, are as numerous as gulls on the coast of Great Britain. It may be well to observe that the southern part of Santa Cruz is an extensive plain, I believe of shelllimestone formation. The highlands, composed of an indurated clay, conspicuously stratified, and tossed into various angles by some vast impulse from below, form the northern barrier ; and very beautiful is their undulation. The loftiest of these hills is Mount Eagle, which rises 1200 feet above the level of the sea. An hour's ride, from West-End, brings you to the top of Prospect or Bodkin Hill, from which there is a magnificent bird's eye view both of the hills and plains, all, with little exception, under careful sugar cultivation. But it is on the sea shores of Santa Cruz that the American or English visiter will probably find his greatest amusement. The large blushing conks and other shells which strew the beach, the corals, madrepores, sea-fans, and sponges of many definite and curious shapes, not to mention the " soldier crabs," dressed in regimentals of purple and scarlet, and inhabiting every empty shell they can find, cannot fail to attract the attention of the lovers of nature, even when, like myself, they have little pretensions to science. Yet, it must be confessed, that all these rarities are nothing in comparison with the fishes.

The fish market at West-End is held under some cocoa-nut trees, on the shore, a little before noon, every day. To watch the arrival of the boats, on these occasions, and to examine the live fish, before they are taken out, or after they are laid on the grass, under the shade, is a source of almost endless amusement. The variety of the kinds, and the brightness of their colors, are truly sui*prising. I know only their vulgar names, and vulgar indeed they are ; but I cannot do justice to my theme without specifying the grunt, striped with alternate lines of yellow and purple ; the'- ^oa^, pink and silver; the doctor, of burnished copper ; the Welshman^ pink with yellow stripes ; the hind., white with red and browii spots ; the rock-hind, green with brown spots ; the parrot, dark brown, blue and yellow ; the silk-fish, of a bright pink ; the blare-eye, pink with a prodigious white eye ; the Spanish hog, bright yellow and brown ; the angel, of the finest gold and purple ; to which list might be added a multitude of others. These fishes are generally from one to two pounds in weight, and with others of a larger dimension, but not so splendid, are generally good for the table, — no small resource even for the poorer inhabitants of Santa Cruz. Our friend, Dr. Griffith, an able naturalist from the United States, who was with us on the island, was very successful in preserving these gaudy creatures, without destroying their color. I understand that he has since presented his collection to one of the scientific institutions in Philadelphia.

The town of Bassin or Christiansted is much larger than West-End, well built and agreeable, with a good harbor for shipping, within the reef or bar. The Government House is handsome and commodious ; the hills near the town lofty and picturesque ; and the views from them of the port below, the sea coast, and fine tracts of country, both to the east and westj. amply repay the labor of the ascent. The same may be said of Bulow Minda, the Governor's country seat, a handsome place, on a high hill about two miles west of Bassin. There, fine prospects, and pure, cool, air may be enjoyed in abundance. West End, however, from its numerous excellent boarding-houses, and the pleasant rides in the neighborhood, is the better place for invalids. The thermometer ranged during our stay there from 75 to 80, with little variation at night. The hot sun must be avoided during the day ; but during the early mornings and evenings, the weather and country air, are, in general, delightful.

No man need require a more wholesome or agreeable diet than is afforded by the fish, the sweet pork and mutton, the edible vegetables, and the fruits, of S anta Cruz. The yams, when; in perfection, are a good substitute for a mealy potatoe ; the ripe plantains and bananas, especially the latter, are excellent fruits, and, when fried, are among the nicest of vegetables ; the oranges are delicious, and the shadocks and forbidden fruit, when of the best kind and fully ripe, are not less so. To these may be added the sour-sop, sugar-apple, sappedilla, bell-apple, pomme do Cythere, star-apple, and above all the mango.* This last, when of an inferior kind, has the taste of turpentine ; but the better sorts have somewhat the flavor of a peach, and are very luscious. This description applies with variations, to the other West India islands. Nature has done wonders for them. Our friend, Dr. Stedman, who has been practising for fifty years on the island, as a physician, sent us a present of the bread fruit. It is round, of the size of a cocoa-nut, and covered with a gi-een rind, divided into hexagons, like the honeycomb. We were directed to keep it for a day or two, then to bake it, and lastly to cut it in slices, to be toasted for breakfast. We found it a sweet, agreeable, farinaceous food, probably the best substitute for bread that has yet been discovered.

The sugar crop was now commencing on several of the estates, and we visited the property of our friend, Adam Stevenson, of North-End, to witness the process of sugar making. When there is wind enough to turn the mill, the canes (already conveyed to it on asses or mules) are forced between two almost contiguous iron cylinders, kept in constant rotatory motion. The liquor thus pressed out, is conveyed by a long wooden pipe, down the hill to the boiling house. It is there received by a large vessel called the clarifier, and thence it passes through a succession of boilers, subjected to different degrees of heat. First it is converted into syrup ; next into the thicker fluid called sling. The sling is conveyed by troughs into the graining pans, where it granulates, and assumes the form of sugar mixed with molasses. It is then transferred to the hogsheads, from which the molasses gradually drain into receivers placed below ; and, finally, the sugar is left dry and pure, ready for exportation. The sugar of Santa Cruz, is generally of a fine grain, and light and delicate color, — much more so than that produced by moister and more luxuriant soils. Every part of this valuable plant is applied to some use. Vhe leaves form excellent fodder for pigs and cattle ; the refuse cane, after the juice has been pressed out, receives the name of trash, and is carefully stacked, under cover, for the purpose of fuel.

It is a circumstance much to be lamented, that the distillery is an almost unvarying appendage to the boiling-house, and every two hogsheads of sugar are accompanied by at least one puncheon of rum. The new rum of the West Indies is a tempting, but most unhealthy, liquor, and has, doubtless, caused an unnumbered multitude of untimely deaths. Our friend Stevenson drinks only water, and with an honest consistency, manufactures no rum. The " scummings" of the sugar-liquor, from which (with a mixture of molasses) the rum is usually distilled, are, on his estate, pumped back into the clarifier, and converted into sugar, as excellent as any that he make?. He is confident that this change of system is economi'-,dl and profitable ; and greatly is it to be desired that his <:xample may be followed throughout the West Indies.