My first voyage to Antigua--Visit upon deck--The booby's
welcome--Nearer approach--Harbour of St. John's--The Black
Pilot--North Sandy Island--Wreck of the mail-boat--Dangerous
navigation--Long Island--South Sandy Island--Panoramic views
from the vessel's deck--Light winds--Disappointment made
pleasing--Anchorage for the night
Having noticed the most important of its historical events, I
must now be allowed to give some description of the appearance of
Antigua, and of my first visit to its shores. After a voyage of
many weeks, early one morning we were agreeably saluted with the
cry of "land!" Sleep was immediately banished from my eyes, and
with a beating heart I waited until the day should "pour in
apace," and allow me the pleasure of viewing for the first time
one of those tropical islands I had often thought of with
delight. A fair wind filled our sails, and we rapidly gained upon
the distant object, which (when I first peeped up the companion
ladder) looked like one of those shadowy clouds I had so
frequently seen resting, as it were, upon the bosom of the ocean,
at the utmost verge of the horizon.
By this time the sun was fast mounting up the sky, and shone with
all its fervour upon the glassy waves below; and as we
noiselessly glided on, the mountains began to assume a distincter
form, and proved beyond doubt that we were near the end of our
voyage.
A bustle upon the deck, the trampling of many feet, the rattling
of ropes, and the sound of strange voices, and a stranger
dialect, announced the arrival of the pilot; and unable any
longer to suppress the longing desire I had to behold Antigua
from a more eligible situation than my peep-hole, I hastily tied
on my bonnet, and spite of the increasing heat, sought my
companion upon the deck. Seated upon a hen-coop, which had been
arrayed in all the glories of bright green paint, I prepared to
look about me; when suddenly I felt a peculiar sensation, which
told me, that, like "Achilles," I was anything but invulnerable
in my heel. A "booby," or gannet, an aquatic bird, which had been
captured the night before, and placed in "durance vile" within
the self-same coop, was bidding me welcome to her native clime,
by unceremoniously inserting her bill into that very susceptible
part; and as I was not stoic enough to receive such favours
unmoved, she expressed her displeasure by a doleful unharmonious
scream. "Well," thought I, "this is not the pleasantest welcome
possible," and turning my eyes towards the land, "nor this the
most interesting looking island in the world." In fact, it looked
dull and dreary; its mountains appeared barren and sunburnt; and
the distance prevented me from seeing the valleys and dingles
which in some degree redeem it from insipidity.
Our gallant vessel, however, still kept on her way, and--
"Walk'd the waters like a thing of life;"
and as we approached the land, the scene changed for the better.
Bright green patches of the sugar-cane appeared amid the brown of
the foremost mountains; while the more distant of the chain
presented that harmonious blending of a thousand dyes, which
poets love to sing, and painters love to study. As it happened to
be that season of the year when the sugar harvest was in
progress, the white sails of the various mills glittered in the
sunbeams, and upon the eminences the manager's house (or in the
language of the country, the "great house") looked down upon its
little hamlet of negro huts, picturesquely embosomed in trees.
On, on we glided; the merry breeze piping in our ears, and the
snow-white foam curling and writhing around our prow, until at
length we came so near that we could see and almost count the
waves as they dashed upon the silver sands of the surrounding
bays. In one part a number of tall cocoa-nut trees stretched
their long arms to the blast, whilst upon every side of us the
light skiffs of the fishermen danced like cockle-shells upon the
buoyant waters, and their dusky masters intently pursued their
trade of entrapping the finny race.
Our good breeze did not desert us; and rapidly and surely we made
way, until we passed over the bar, and entered the harbour of St.
John's. What a busy scene now presented itself to my view; the
various ships from England, Scotland, Ireland,[58] and America,
distinguished by their several flags; the boats and droughers[59]
hurrying backwards and forwards with their loads; whilst the
hallooing of the sailors, and the screaming of the negro
watermen, conspired to render it the very imagery of discord.
The town of St. John's, with its white houses and green
jalousies, lay stretched before us, surmounted by its neat and
pretty church; and upon our left the Fort of St. James and Rat
Island. While looking at the latter, up went a flag, which,
fluttering in the breeze, announced to the good people of St.
John's the arrival of a ship from "_home_" as the Antiguans
always call England. Several boats now joined us from the shore,
conveying friends to welcome us to Antigua; a harbour-master, (a
very agreeable and worthy personage by-the-bye,) to make certain
inquiries; custom-house officers, (of a superior class of men to
those who board vessels in the Thames, and are so disagreeably
distinguished by their undeviating devotion to that herb, which
Sir Walter Raleigh, in his excessive overflow of human kindness,
is said to have introduced into England,) to see that if you
smuggled yourselves on shore, you did not smuggle your goods; and
plenty of black boys, to grin and chatter, and get all the
biscuit and beef they could.
But I must not omit to give a more particular account of the
black pilot. A very pompous personage he was, and one who no
doubt stood vastly high in his own estimation, as he lent upon
the rail of the vessel, with his large straw hat, and gigantic
snuff-box, giving orders to the sailors, and in the interim
discussing the news of the island. "Hab fine rain last night; you
bring good _wedder_--(war for you 'tand staring dere for, you
black nigger ?)--yes, feber berry bad last month, many buckra die
--(war you go do, run de ship on de shore?)--Crop bery good dis
year; ship load fast 'nough--(why you no haul dat rope good?)--
Yes, gubbernor bin bery bad; better now tho'." And thus he ran
on, until, the proper place gained, down dropped the ponderous
anchor, a boat received us, and in a short time landed us "all
well" upon one of the wharfs of Antigua, amid blacks and whites,
porters and boatmen, and boys and girls clad "à la Venus."
The harbour of St. John's is reckoned one of the finest and most
commodious in the West Indies. The entrance is defended by Goat
Hill Fort on the south, and St. James Fort on the north; across
the mouth of it runs a shoal, known as the bar, which extends
from a bay called Hog John, to Fort James. The depth of water
upon this bar is only from seven to fourteen feet; and
consequently, ships, when they are partly laden, pass over this
shoal, and take in the remainder of their cargo off Dickenson's
Bay. The principal trade of the island is carried on at this
port, the harbour is generally full of shipping; and during the
hurricane months, many vessels from the neighbouring islands come
here for safety. The approach to it is, however, intersected with
numerous rocks, and about three miles from its mouth lies a small
island, surrounded by reefs and breakers, to which the name of
"Sandy Island" has been attached. It was upon these reefs that,
in 1826, the "Maria" mail boat was wrecked, and, with her hapless
crew, went to the bottom. She had been down to St. Thomas and the
other Islands with the mails for England;[60] and upon her
return, putting into Monserrat, took on board the Wesleyan
missionaries, and their wives and children, who had been to St.
Kitts to attend their yearly district meeting, and who were
desirous of returning to Antigua, the scene of their labours.
They had left St. Kitts a few days before, in a small vessel
hired for the purpose; but finding it rather "crank," they were
unwilling to proceed, and determined to wait at Monserrat for the
arrival of the "Maria."
But who can look into futurity? who can tell what may be in store
for him? The _crank_ vessel reached Antigua in safety; the mail
boat and all on board, with the exception of one solitary female,
perished in the treacherous waters, almost within sight of their
own homes--within hearing of the church bell. I never pass the
spot without shuddering, and fancying what must have been the
feelings of that _one_ who was spared to tell the dreadful tale.
A woman of lively imagination and affectionate disposition, she
saw friend after friend washed away by the remorseless waves. The
pride of manhood!--the shrinking delicacy of woman!--the
helplessness of infancy!--all of no avail!--a splash--a bubble--
and all was over, and their bodies filled the maw of some
rapacious monster, or rested in some coral cave beneath the
waters, there to remain until that great day, when sea and earth
must give up their dead. Of the ill-fated voyagers, all who
remained were, she who was destined to be the sole survivor, her
husband, and the master of the vessel. Worn out by mental agony,
and unavailing exertions to attract the notice of the many
fishing-boats and other vessels which were constantly passing
within their sight, but which either did not perceive or would
not assist them, the master of the vessel gave himself up to the
dominion of the "giant despair," and losing his hold of the
wreck, was quickly carried away by the waves. One more victim was
required--and that was the dearest, the best beloved--her husband
died in her arms, and after holding him for many a painful
minute, and struggling for mastery with the billows to retain the
much-loved corpse, nature became exhausted, and she sank into a
state of insensibility. In this state she remained until the crew
of some passing vessel raised an alarm upon their gaining shore.
A party of gentlemen went in search of the supposed wreck, and
finding the inanimate female, quickly conveyed her to the main
land, where every care was lavished upon her, and happily not
without success.
No one can read the affecting details of the sufferings of this
unhappy crew (an account of which Mrs. Jones, the name of the
lady, afterwards published) without feeling deep sorrow at the
event. At the same time, no one dares to ask "why was it so?" All
we can allege is,
"God moves in a mysterious way."
This melancholy catastrophe was known at St. Kitts as soon as (if
not before) it was at Antigua: the dead body of a child (one of
the unfortunate passengers) conveyed the first direful tidings.
Sandy Island is by no means the only sentinel which Nature has
placed to guard her favourite land from the sudden inroads of the
enemy, the whole of the north side of Antigua being surrounded by
rocks and breakers, which make it dangerous navigation. On this
account ships generally come down the south side of the island,
although some masters of vessels, from the impulse of a daring
spirit, or from a want of knowledge, pursue the other course, and
often have to lament the issue.
On the northern and eastern sides of Antigua a great number of
small islands are scattered, and it is from some of these that
the smooth yellowish free-stone, of which the Court-house is
built, is obtained; this free-stone is proved to be composed of
carbonate of lime and oxyde of iron. The principal of these
islands are, Pole-cat Isle, Goat's Isle, Guana[61] Isle, Maiden's
Isle, Cochran's Isle, and Long Island.
In 1700, Long Island, then the property of the Honourable Edward
Byam, was sold by him, and it is now in the hands of the
Honourable Bertie E. Jarvis. Since the Emancipation Act came into
operation, a great part of it has been let out at an annual rent
to the negroes, who plant it with provisions. It is noted for a
peculiar breed of sheep, its rabbit-warrens, and the number of
sea-side grape trees (_Coccolobo uvifera_) which grow in all
directions. In former times, there was a mill and sugar works
upon it, (the ruins of which are still to be seen,) and more than
a thousand hogsheads of sugar have been known to be shipped from
thence in one year. This apparent improbability has been thus
accounted for: large quantities of sugars used to be smuggled
from Martinique and Guadaloupe, and landed safely and silently
upon Long Island, which is particularly favourable for such
adventures. These sugars were afterwards shipped to England as
the _produce of the island_, by the following evasion of the law.
It was customary at that period, to swear before one of the
magistrates, as to the quantity of sugar made and intended to be
shipped; and the certificate was then taken to the collector of
her majesty's customs, who, seeing the signature of the
magistrate, allowed all was correct. The parties who were
possessed of this smuggled sugar, and who were wishful of
transporting it to its destined market, would come before a
justice and assert that the seven or nine hogsheads which they
intended shipping on board such vessel were the real growth of
Long Island; the customary oaths were therefore administered, the
magistrate signed his name, and the cocket was presented to the
shippers to hand over to the collector. On the road to the
custom-house, however, with ready pen they added a _ty_ to the
seven or nine (or whatever it might be) in the space which was
cunningly left for that purpose, making it of course _seventy_ or
_ninety_; and as no questions were asked by the collector, they
were in this manner enabled, from 100 hogsheads of the actual
growth of the island, to ship from time to time more than the
above number of 1000 hogsheads. This practice of evading the law
(while they soothed their own consciences) gave rise to these
shipments being called the "T. Y. sugar," as will be remembered
by many to this day.
Guiana and Cochran Island also produced sugar at one time; and in
1725, it was enacted by the legislature, that if the proprietors
of those islands, as well as Long Island, suffered any loss from
the inroads of the enemy, they should be reimbursed from the
public treasury as well as any other inhabitant of Antigua.
Following the line of coast from the north, before we once more
make the harbour of St. John's, we meet with, another "guard," in
the shape of a small island, bearing direct west from English
Harbour, with a reef running three miles into the sea, and which
is known as _South_ Sandy Island. This is also very dangerous to
unwary mariners, particularly when the storm king rides the
blast, and "warns the devoted wretch of woe and death."
But, with all its rocks and breakers, beautiful, very beautiful
are the scenes which present themselves to your notice, as,
seated upon the deck of some vessel, whose graceful sails are
filled with a fresh and favourable breeze, you skirt along the
sunny shores of lovely little Antigua. It has happened, in some
of my frequent trips around the island, that, although the breeze
has been fair, it was so light as scarcely to lift the canvas
from the mast. But yet, the disappointment of not gaining land so
soon as we expected has been amply compensated for by the
beauties we have had more time to discover. Overhead is the
sweet, clear blue of the sky, here and there dotted with a cloud
so fair, that it might serve to pillow a sleeping Juno; and
beneath, the crystal waters sparkling like gold in the beams of
the blazing sun. In some parts, the green mountains descend to
the very shore; while in others a calm and silent glen opens upon
your sight, and the zephyr comes laden to you with the scent of
its various flowers. Numerous creeks run far inland, and appear
amid the surrounding verdure like chains of silver; and here and
there a few negro huts lie nestling among a clump of splendid
trees, with their neat-looking provision-grounds spread before
them. As you pass Grace Bay, the land looks sprinkled over with
gold, from the flowers of the aloe, (_aloe vulgaris_,) which
grows there in vast profusion; and the shore is bordered with
sand, on which Amphitrite and her train might love to dance, and
wreathe their flowery locks with the dropping seaweeds. And thus
we while away the day, enjoying an ever-changing panorama, until
the glorious sun reaches the west, and throws his rich beams on
every cloud which "throngs to pavilion him." Suddenly he appears
to touch the bosom of the flaming waves; and then sending forth
one long vivid line of glory, sinks to rest on his golden couch.
Now comes "still evening" on, and Hesperus and all "the starry
host" people the heavens, until at length the moon
"Shews her broad visage in the crimson'd east,"
and robs them of their brightness. And there she paces through
those azure fields, not with the cold, pale aspect she wears in
my own severer clime, but with the glow, the fervour, with which,
in other days, she was wont, as "fabling poets" sing, to visit
Endymion on the flowery heights of Latmus. Lovely is it, at such
a time, to lean over the vessel's side, and watch the limpid
waves, as they throw up their sparkling foam. All turbulent
passions die away--a pleasing calm ensues--and then, casting
aside all heathen folly, and allowing the mind to revel at its
will, come thoughts, indistinct, but beautiful, and dreamy
imaginings of that happy land, where
"The crystaline stream, bursting forth from the throne,
Flows on, and for ever will flow;
Its waves, as they roll, are with melody rife,
And its waters are sparkling with beauty and life,
In the land which no mortal may know."
But earth's chains are still about us, and the fairest scenes may
prove the most deadly. A kind voice warns me of the increasing
cold of the night-breeze; and as the last inch of the cable
slides through the hawse-hole, and the tremor of the vessel, as
it is suddenly stopped in its course, shews we have anchored for
the night, I leave the cool air upon deck for the confinement of
the cabin, with a prayer of thankfulness upon my lips for my
frequent safe trips across the "blue waters," and a hope that
to-morrow's dawn will bring us safely to shore.
------
[58] The Scotch and Irish, in addition to the Union Jack, hoist a
distinctive national signal.
[59] Droughers are small vessels used for conveying the produce
of the island from the neighbouring bays to the shipping.
[60] At that period, the mails from the different islands were
conveyed to St. Thomas's, in small vessels employed for that
purpose, from whence they were despatched to England in one of
her Majesty's packets.
[61] Formerly called Guiana Island, from the English settlers who
emigrated thither from Guiana, when that country was surrendered
to the Dutch by the treaty of Breda. The name is now corrupted to
Guana.