Some of the officers, of whom I was one, went ashore at Port Royal, to
enjoy an hour or two's recreation, and to stretch their legs, a luxury
which it may well be imagined was most acceptable to them, after being
cooped up within the narrow precincts of a few planks nailed together,
and with only the interminable marine view as a relief to the mind.
We entered a tavern, in the lower part of the town, where we indulged
in a copious draught, known by the name of porter cup, an excellent
and refreshing beverage, made of Madeira wine, Port, and other
ingredients, and which I commend to the notice of any traveller who
may hereafter travel that way. This tavern was kept by a facetious and
eccentric character, well known by the appellation of Johnny Feron, a
sort of French adventurer. His house was generally well frequented by
strangers, who, during the period that they remain within his care,
he, by means of an exorbitant bill, relieves of the troublesome
burthen of any loose cash by which they may be overloaded.
The house of this wily Frenchman was crammed full from top to bottom
of soldiers and sailors, carousing, smoking and revelling. The
galleries were occupied by a noisy crew, who with loud and
obstreperous mirth made the slender fabric ring. Upstairs and down,
the landlord with his train of dusky waiters were running to and fro,
so many were the calls for the attendance of these worthies; the
tongues of the bells chimed in with that of their master, while a
garrulous jargon was kept up, that made us gladly take leave of this
Pandemonium for the more tranquil regions of the ship; we therefore
hastened to the beach, where a boat was in readiness to convey us on
board.
The hotel, (which from the number of its customers was entitled to
that designation,) was a light and flimsy tenement, and, like other
buildings throughout the island, was but a mere piece of framework,
lathed or boarded in, and having verandas and jalousies, painted in
various gaudy colours. In consequence of the prevalence of storms and
hurricanes, the elevation in these cases is never beyond the first
floor, from whence project a range of galleries, supported by the
pillars of the colonnade below. The whole arrangement of the slender
edifice is such, that any inconvenience arising from the heat and
other effects of such a climate is but slightly felt.
The town of Port Royal, (situated, as is well known, on that
remarkable strip of sand that forms the eastern barrier of Kingston
harbour) has had many awful visitations, being so often destroyed by
earthquakes, and as often rebuilt upon the ruins, that it is fit only
for those who, being tired of their lives, would venture on the
chances of a new and summary mode of making their final exit. However,
the importance of the station as a naval depôt, as well as that of the
works commanding the entrance of the bay, have outweighed all other
considerations, and have induced the government at home to keep so
strong a garrison there, that the remnant of a town is yet preserved,
although from past experience one might expect that desolation and
tottering walls would be its only monument.
The long narrow bank, which is terminated at its point by a strong
battery, is barren and unfruitful, presenting not the least vestige of
cultivation, or other object pleasing to the eye, with the exception
of some straggling cocos, standing like sentinels at the water's edge,
and the scattered tumble-down looking houses, with many indications of
decay, forming a sort of close irregular street, of which, taverns,
gaming houses, and other receptacles of vice, are the most prominent
features.
On the following morning, at day-break, we jumped upon deck, with all
the eagerness and impatience of a bevy of gaol birds on emancipation
from their prison house. Rowing across that wide and beautiful bay, we
hauled to, along side of the wharf at Kingston, where, on landing, the
several fellow travellers separated, each for the quarters to which he
was bound. Accompanied by Ensign William Ross, of the 50th, I
proceeded direct through the principal street to the house of Mr.
Smith, a respectable merchant, under whose hospitable roof many
officers of the garrison found a cordial welcome. Our friend was
enjoying himself under the cool shade of his veranda, where he
received us in an open and generous manner, and, arriving just in time
for breakfast at the usual hour of six, we partook of an excellent
repast, to which our morning excursion on the water enabled us to do
sufficient justice.
The habitation of our worthy host was a pretty fair sample of those
throughout the town, and, although not large, was commodious, and
furnished in a style adapted to the climate; matting of split cane, or
straw, instead of carpets, the chairs of cane, and every other article
to correspond. Within the piazzas, on the ground-floor, were the store
and offices, and, opening from the galleries above, were the several
domestic chambers.
Without delaying to explore the geography of Kingston, we started
about eleven for the barracks at Up Park Camp, in a sort of gig
or cabriolet peculiar to the island, and arrived about twelve
o'clock.--Here we found the 50th stationed, under the command of Lieut
Colonel John Bacon Harrison, to whom having duly reported, we were
handed over to the apartments allotted for our reception. The troops
then in Jamaica were the 50th Colonel Harrison; 58th Colonel D.
Walker; 61st Colonel Ryal; and the 92nd Colonel ----; the 50th and
92nd, the latest comers, whose ranks diminished by the sickness of the
last year were almost reduced to skeletons, were little better than
the shadow of what they were at the time of landing.
Of the old 50th but few remained.--Completed before they sailed, to
the full establishment, by a fine set of young men from the North of
Ireland, they departed from that country in the highest state of order
and equipment for this island, where they had not been stationed for
many months when the most sickly season set in that for many years had
been remembered.
Full of strength, and the vigour of youth, the new soldiers soon
became the victims of disease; indulging immoderately perhaps in the
pernicious rum, and ignorant of its baneful effects, they lay
prostrate in dreadful numbers beneath the dreadful pestilence. So
great a sacrifice of human life had not taken place in all our hardest
battles combined together, and the oldest inhabitants here tried in
vain to recollect a more severe and afflictive dispensation.--With
regard to the officers, from the Colonel to the youngest Ensign,
including staff, the greater number were carried away.[36]
[36] From the year 1819 to 1826, the 50th and 92nd lost 1409
men, which is at the rate of 88 per year each regiment, in
the eight years.
The 33rd and 91st, from 1822 to 1829, (eight years,) lost
1036 men, or about 65 a year, each.
The 77th, from 1824 to 1829, (six years,) lost 433, or 72
men a year.
The 22nd and 84th, lost from 1826 to 1829, (three years,)
501, or 84 men a year, each regiment.
In Jamaica the most unhealthy months in the year are August
and November, and the most healthy are May and June; in the
former months the mortality is four times as great as in the
latter months. Dividing the year into two equal parts, the
"healthy season" may be considered as extending from
February to July, the "unhealthy season" from August to
January. The deaths in these two seasons are as ten to
twenty-seven.
The seasoning, or period of severe mortality, generally
occurs in the latter half of the year in which a regiment
arrives.
Among the 50th, the fever broke out in July 1819. The 92nd Highlanders
did not arrive until the early part of the summer in that year, and
were therefore badly seasoned. Being a long time companions in the
same brigade, the meeting between these corps was consequently joyous,
and in order to celebrate the happy event they dined together in the
camp. Sobriety of course was not a member of the party; and, as might
well be expected, the hospital was not without its portion of the
company on the ensuing day. Predisposed as the men in general were by
former habits, as well as by frequent exposure to the nightly dews,
the malady broke out with violence unparalleled among both regiments;
from that period it raged throughout the island, sweeping all before
it, and even among the civilians the mortality was unbounded.
In some localities the ravages were far more dreadful than in others;
Up Park camp, Spanish town, Fort Augusta, and Stony hill were among
the fatal number, and at a small place on Kingston harbour, called
Greenwich, no human being could exist. In a fort erected there, upon a
low and swampy piece of ground, a party of artillery had been posted,
the whole of whom soon died; another was sent, but they followed their
companions; and so rapidly did each in succession fall under the
pernicious exhalations arising from this deadly spot that it was, at
length, abandoned altogether.
On the list of those who perished was Colonel Charles Hill of the
50th, who, after beholding with grief the loss of nearly all his
officers, was himself attacked while stationed at Fort Augusta. His
mind and body were thoroughly exhausted, and the sufferings he
underwent were, in themselves, enough to bear down a stronger man, but
when the fatal illness came, he was indeed badly able to withstand its
violent effects.
Alone as it were in the midst of pestilence and death, his fortitude
was well nigh overcome by the affliction he was doomed to suffer, in
following to the silent tomb, one after another, his friends and
faithful companions in arms. It was, indeed, a trial too hard for the
firmest mind to bear, and affected this estimable man so much, that,
afterwards, he never held up his head.
Few were then remaining to pay the last and mournful tribute to his
memory, but those few, with heartfelt sorrow, witnessed his interment,
where so many of his soldiers had previously been laid. To perpetuate
the worth of the excellent and gallant officer, a monument was
erected, in the church at Kingston, where, although upon the marble
was inscribed abundant testimony of his fame, an inscription far less
perishable is deeply engraven on the hearts of _all_ who had ever
been under his command.
Colonel Hill was above forty years in the 50th, serving with them in
every clime, and during every time of peril. Possessed of
independence, he might long since have retired to the enjoyment of
private life, but no,--the regiment was his home, the officers and
soldiers were his family; with them he passed the flower of his life,
with them he passed to an honorable tomb. An earnest desire for the
welfare of his country, together with an ardent zeal in the service of
his king, were the actuating motives by which he was influenced to the
latest hour of his existence.
Up Park Camp is beautifully situated on an extensive piece of level
ground, at the base of the Liguana mountains, enclosed by the prickly
pear, and a great variety of flowering shrubs. The verdant plain is
interspersed with numerous rich and valuable trees, whose luxuriant
foliage has a brilliant and enlivening effect. The spacious esplanade,
upon which the barracks stand, is ornamented and embellished with all
the taste displayed in the park of some noble mansion, while the
magnificent hills, in the back ground, clothed to their summits with
impenetrable wood, serve to heighten the grandeur of a scenery that
stands unsurpassed by any thing to be met with in this habitable
globe.
Notwithstanding the assemblage of lovely objects, which are presented
on the face of this bright landscape, and however it may be a paradise
in appearance, all its advantages are neutralized by its pernicious
climate, and the camp, after all, is but a gilded mausoleum.
It is likewise morally impossible to enjoy existence in a place where
so many annoyances must hourly be encountered, not only from the
excessive heat, but from innumerable tormenting insects, and crawling
things, that banish all repose, and interfere with every comfort which
one might otherwise enjoy.
The report of a heavy piece of ordnance called us up at day break, and
the performances commenced by the parade taking place soon after.
During the breakfast hours, the spacious green, (then brown with
heat,) before our quarters, presented some amusement to the gentlemen
at the windows; for sundry maidens, with complexions that would rival
Day and Martin, flocked about the settlement, vending their different
wares, consisting of tawdry ornaments for the soldiers' wives, and
fruits of luscious quality to tempt the officers.--Passing off their
jokes and pleasantries, the sable fair-ones, (to use an Irishism),
puffed up their goods, while they patiently endured the fire of a
volley of oranges, which was discharged from the galleries at their
lovely heads.
From eleven till twelve the second breakfast, answering to the Eastern
tiffin, was ready in the mess-room, where a banquet was spread out
that would have tickled the palate of a Nabob.--The remainder of the
day till sunset was one unvarying round of dulness. Sometimes,
however, strange as it may seem, the active game of cricket was
engaged in, when, under a broiling sun, with jackets off, the
characters in the sport seemed using their best efforts to end all
their troubles by finding a speedy mode of exit.
Evening parade, at five, was the rallying point for a grand turn out;
warlike evolutions, and the military music, in strains harmonious,
attracted the fair and languid belles of Kingston. These fascinating
daughters of Eve, while in graceful attitudes they lounged in
curricle, or landau, cast many a bewitching look upon the gallant
heroes thus honoured with their presence.
The rolling of the well known drum, at six, announced the hour of
dinner, and round the board were soon collected the hungry candidates,
for fame before the trenches, (quere, trenchers)? The happy votaries
at the shrine of Epicurus were duly arranged in order of battle, and
with Aldermanic science acted their parts, to the no small havoc of
the quickly vanishing fare.
Were it possible to exercise the reasoning powers in this abominable
furnace there was sufficient means of so doing; for a well stocked
library of chosen books afforded a source of enjoyment, that, in any
other situation would have been invaluable. But with the thermometer
at 90° in the shade, and bright Sol nearly vertical, the faculties of
the mind were almost paralysed, and as for the body, it was kiln dried
with a vengeance.
Although the months of December and January are considered more
temperate than any other throughout the year, the heat when we arrived
was intolerable; and as for going out of doors in the middle of the
day, it was in truth a melting concern. The sun being at its greatest
power between nine o'clock and two in the afternoon, (the interval
between the land and sea breeze,) during that time no one in his
common senses would venture abroad. The most agreeable portion of the
twenty four hours is about sunrise, when the oppressive effects of the
sultry atmosphere are tempered by the fresh and balmy air of morning.
The evenings, likewise, are pleasant and refreshing, and it is then
that exercise and driving about are much enjoyed. The heavy dews at
night are highly injurious, and an exposure to their influence is
dangerous, if not fatal, particularly to the stranger, or newcomer,
who, not being seasoned to all the vicissitudes of these torrid
regions, becomes an unguarded victim to his inexperience.
One of the greatest evils attendant on a residence here is the
constant thirst, arising from the extreme aridity of the climate, and
the violent action of the Solar rays upon the human frame and
constitution. The appetite is therefore in general slight, but the
inclination to drink is excessive. Hence it is, that sangaree,
swizzle, and other mixtures, not exactly in accordance with the rules
and laws of the Temperance Society, are continually in requisition,
and find their willing votaries at every hour. An old hard-going
veteran, who had been tanned and roasted to a cinder, on being asked
for his opinion of the country, replied, like a true Salamander, "O!
'tis the finest place in the world, because one is always thirsty, and
there is always plenty to drink." The bacchanalian remark was true;
for Madeira, Rum and Brandy, flow in copious streams from a fountain,
whose source is never exhausted. From the table these liquids, with
their accompaniments, are seldom, on any occasion, absent; and the
custom of quaffing the intoxicating beverage, in draughts unlimited,
is general throughout the length and breadth of all these sun-burnt
islands.
The rains seldom fall, but when they do, it is in right earnest,
descending with so much violence, that they have some resemblance to a
second deluge, of which our puny showers at home can give no adequate
idea. To be overtaken in one of them is an adventure of no common
peril, and unless the traveller succeeds in a precipitate flight to
some adjacent place of shelter, he is in a moment drenched as
thoroughly as if he were dragged across a horse-pond.
An attack of fever is the certain consequence of getting wet, and
remaining in that condition for the shortest time. Lieutenant
Richardson of the 50th, an officer who had been much on service, going
to Stony Hill, where he was quartered, was suddenly caught by a
downpour, which fell so unmercifully that in a minute or two he was
completely soaked.
Having no place of refuge from the storm, he rode on quickly towards
the mountain, at the foot of which there was a small tavern where the
Lieutenant hastily alighted, and, without making any change in his
apparel, he drank freely of some rum and water. The weather clearing
up, he was anxious to arrive at his barracks before sunset, and
therefore proceeded without much delay upon his journey, at the end of
which he found himself quite dry. The effects of his imprudent conduct
were soon evident, for the fatal malady got possession of his frame,
and his life was terminated on the following day.
While the fever was at its height among the troops, Mrs. Ross, wife to
Surgeon Baily Ross of the 50th, an amiable young woman, interesting
both in manner and appearance, embarked in one of the traders bound
for England; but scarcely had she left the island when a violent
tempest drove back the ship, and cast her on the rocks to the eastward
of Port Royal, where she went to pieces and became a total wreck. The
passengers, however, with great difficulty, and after extreme
sufferings, at length succeeded in getting safe ashore, to which,
although with loss of all their baggage, they were thankful that they
had escaped with their lives.
Poor Mrs. Ross, alone and unprotected, was ill prepared to meet the
sudden and unexpected blow, and with her companions in misfortune,
bereft of every thing but the clothes she wore, she returned again to
Kingston.
Anxiety of mind, together with the hardships that she must have
undergone, were too much for so delicate a frame, and before she could
obtain another passage, she was seized with fever, and all her trials
and sufferings were shortly ended. The sad event called forth the
grief of those who had known the worth of this kind and gentle lady,
who, in the bloom of youth, was thus cut down, like a fair and lovely
flower, when her bright hopes of returning to her friends and country
were about to be realized.
Kingston is a good sized town, situated on an inclined plane, sloping
to the water side, where all the principal warehouses and the markets
stand. The streets are regularly planned, intersecting each other at
right angles, abounding in shops (or stores), well filled with all the
varieties of European manufactures. The appearance of the town, in
general, has something of a dull and sombre character, in consequence
of the finery and other things being hidden within the stores, in the
windows of which there is little or no display;--the market, however
is a lively place where the chattering and good-humour of the negro
girls attract the observation of the stranger more than the rich and
delicious fruit they carry in their baskets. The Hotels and
boarding-houses were most expensive, their respective proprietors
taking good care to make the unfortunate traveller or tourist disgorge
most woefully.--The bill was usually in accordance with the inverse
ratio of the conscience; of which latter commodity there being little
or none, the length of the former, may easily be guessed at.--In fact
one could not open one's mouth under a dollar, even if it were but a
glass of porter, and the residence of a night made a wide breach in a
month's pay, or caused a doubloon to look exceedingly foolish on the
ensuing morning. Between black waiters, black chamber-maids, and the
whole establishment of sable beauties, the work of fleecing was
vigorously carried on, until the unlucky griffin was cajoled and shorn
of his last penny.
From all that we could learn respecting the fair sex in Kingston, or
of Jamaica at large, they were interesting and pretty; at least so
much might be said of those who favoured us with their company on the
parade at Up Park camp, while we passed in review before them.
Accustomed as they are to a life of listless indolence and luxurious
ease, they use but little exertion of mind or body throughout the day,
and the enervating influence of the climate promotes a languishing
effect in the manner, as well as in their attitudes, that is really
very attractive. Beyond the limits of their well-shaded saloons, or
closely screened balconies, they hardly ever move; there, gracefully
reclined on couch or sofa, the lovely nymphs dream away the lazy
hours; decked out in purest white, with ornaments most brilliant, they
simper, smile, or perchance, by great exertions, may enter into
converse, with some admiring youths, with whom it would be sacrilege
to laugh. Dancing is their favourite amusement, and one which they
enjoy with all their life and soul, considering their usual half
torpid habits, this is a circumstance not easily accounted for, but so
it is. Their energies seem to be all reserved for this their chief
delight, and, during those hours when all around are wrapped in sleep,
these happy fair ones linger in the ball-room, until Aurora, peeping
through the jalousies, reminds them that their charms may suffer by
comparison with her rosy beams. The pallid hue, which they soon
acquire, is made still more like the lily by these nightly revels,
while the total want of healthy exercise in the fresh and open air
tends to perfect the fragile ensemble of a West India belle.
The male bipeds of the community must not be overlooked, lest they
might be haunted by the green-eyed monster. The planters, or those
engaged in trade, together with the whole professional tribe, had
their pens, (or country houses,) and in some sequestered dell or glade
the modest mansion rises. Here they retired, after the heat and bustle
of the day, to feast and ruminate upon the best of living.
Kingston was like a city of the plague from twelve at noon till six
the following morning. Transacting their affairs in cooler hours, by
sunset all were on the move, and, like the land crabs, journeyed in a
body to the mountain districts, the money-changers driving to their
rural homes, or to the military parade.
The burning heat of the town, although so near the water, is
insufferable, and the Creoles, however enured to it, feel its full
effect.--They sink into drowsiness and apathy, lounging on the
galleries, or before their shops, (I beg their pardon, _stores_ I
ought to say,) with their pedestals stuck up against the walls, or on
the backs of chairs, and they keep up such an oscillating movement
that a new comer would suppose they were making an experiment to
discover the perpetual motion; on being addressed they lazily drawl
out the words as if it were painful to articulate.
Spanish Town, to which there is a good road from Kingston, is situated
on the unhealthy banks of the Cobre, and is perhaps one of the hottest
ovens under the sun. Its chief importance is derived from the
circumstance of the government house being there, and of its being the
head quarters of a regiment. The 92nd Highlanders were stationed in
the barracks at that time.