Description of the town of St. John's, the capital of Antigua--
Situation--Arrangement of the streets--Hucksters--Houses--
Springs--Small shops--Stores of the retail dealers--Grog-shops
--Merchants' stores and lumber yards--Definition of lumber--
Auction sales--Scotch Row and Scotchmen--Incongruous display of
goods--Fire in 1797--Ruins--Fire in 1841--Its devastations.
St. John's, the capital of Antigua, is situated on the west side
of the island, and contains about 979 houses. It is built upon a
slight declivity, and commands a beautiful view of the harbour,
which is one of the prettiest in the West Indies.
The town, which is well arranged, covers a space of about 150
acres of land; most of the streets are wide and well-kept, and
intersect each other at right angles--the principal ones running
in a straight line down to the sea. There is one peculiarity
attending the construction of these streets, which is, that there
are no causeways; and consequently, the pedestrian traveller has
to elbow his way amid trucks and handbarrows, gigs, carriages,
and horsemen, droves of cattle, or cargoes of mules, just landed
from other countries, cattle-carts, or moving houses.
At the corners of the different streets are seated hucksters,
(black or coloured women;)[68] some with their shallow trays,
containing cakes of all descriptions, parched ground nuts, (the
_arachis hypogoea_,) sugar-cakes, and other confections, and
varieties of fruits and vegetables; others have piles of cottons,
coloured calicoes, bright-tinted handkerchiefs, &c., placed by
them, or carefully spread along the sides of the most frequented
streets, to attract the eye of the passer-by. As most of the
Antiguan houses are raised a few feet from the ground, which
necessarily requires the use of a step or two, the hucksters are
very fond of monopolizing such appurtenances; and it is no
uncommon thing to be obliged to wait until they remove their
different wares, before you can enter the house, or else take the
chance of breaking your neck over heaps of potatoes, or come in
closer contact than is advisable with bottles of ginger-drink, or
pots and pans of gorgeous colours, from the well-known English
potteries.
The houses are generally built of wood, painted of a white or
light stone colour, with bright green _jalousies_, or glass
windows and green Venetian blinds. The greater number have
covered galleries running along the sides or fronts of them, in
which the good people love to assemble in the cool of evening,
and while away the hours in converse sweet, or scan over the
island newspapers--two of which issue weekly from respective
presses, to enlighten the worthy inhabitants as to what is
passing in their little colony.
Some of these dwellings are very commodious, and make a good
appearance, particularly when shaded by a few beautiful trees, or
standing, as many of them do, in a small garden, embellished with
Flora's splendid children. But as for following any of the _five
orders_ in their architectural adornments, that is quite out of
the question; or at least, it is an order of their own invention
they prefer, and which may be called the Antiguan.
Within these last few years, a few houses have been erected, with
low roofs and parapet walls; the usual plan is to have that
necessary part of the dwelling raised in the fashion of an
English barn, or an Egyptian pyramid. One peculiarity which
strikes the eye of a stranger in these dwellings, is the absence
of chimneys--the kitchens being, in most instances, detached from
the house; and the heat of the climate, as a matter of course,
renders all grates or stoves, and their accompanying flues,
unnecessary.
Since the serious droughts in 1833, springs or wells have been
dug in various parts of the town, which, although the water is
brackish, are of great use for many domestic purposes,
particularly to the lower classes, who do not possess a cistern.
These springs have been lately modified by having water-engines
attached to them, and enclosed by a low wall and wooden
palisadings, painted of a bright sky-colour. Methinks, however,
that Master Sol will soon spoil their flaunting beauty. It is a
pity the directors of these improvements did not choose green
instead of the other colour; for, from the whiteness of the
streets, and the extreme glare of the sunbeams, we require
something to relieve and cool the eye; and much as we admire the
lovely tint of the heavens, light blue palings do not equally
fascinate our gaze.
In different parts of the town are numbers of small shops, of
about six or eight feet square, in which varieties of trades are
carried on. In one may be seen a cobbler--no! I beg their pardon
--a _cordwainer_; himself shoeless, busily employed in forming,
from his not very fragrant materials, a pair of creaking
high-heeled boots, for the use of some black exquisite. A bunch
of human hair attached to the end of a long stick, and moving
with every breeze, bespeaks the abode of a barber and
hair-dresser; while a multiplicity of shreds of cloth,
half-finished vests, a goose, and other _et ceteras_, with a
group of mortals seated _à la Turque_, proves beyond doubt that
the inmates are of that particular class of beings, nine
individuals of which are required to form one ordinary man.
Others, again, of the receptacles of trade, are stocked with
provisions, such as small quantities of salt pork, corn, flour,
candles, butter, (of the consistence of honey,) a few dried peas,
or horse-beans, and any other little matters; while some contain
_dry goods_, as it is customary, in this island, to term all
articles of drapery. Small as these tenements are, many of them
are divided by a lathed partition, forming on one side a
butcher's shamble, where an array of sheep's heads, miserable
specimens of legs of mutton, and saffron-coloured pork, may be
met with, which, carnivorous as it must be allowed we all are,
few like their eyes to dwell upon; while, on the other side,
gown-pieces, and "blue checks," with other "odds and ends," claim
the frequenters' attention.
Next to these small shops, come the stores of the retail
provision dealers, which are upon a larger scale, and of course
better supplied with goods. Then there are the _grog shops_, as
they are termed, where to the heterogeneous mass of eatables,
crockery, and tin-ware, is added the more exciting articles of
brandy, rum, gin, porter, wine, &c.; and where of an evening,
amid fumes of every description, (from Yanky cheese to Virginia
tobacco,) and dim smoky oil lamps, parties of soldiers, sailors,
dingy-looking blacks, and unfortunate females--ay! and men of
better rank of life, who ought to blush to be found in such
places--love to congregate, and barter health and money, for
dirty goblets of those fiery liquids.
When passing, in an evening, these _store-houses for crime_, they
forcibly bring to my mind thoughts of Pandemonium. The dusky
lamps, at one moment sending forth their long flaming tongues,
the next, only serving to make darkness visible; the crowds of
negroes, with their gleaming eyes and glittering teeth,
presenting the appearance of so many attending demons; the groups
of white soldiers or sailors, looking more pallid in the
flickering lamp-light, and greedily quaffing the deleterious
fluid, which, sooner or later, preys upon their very vitals--and
then the various sounds of cursing and quarrelling, idiotic
laughter, discordant singing, and incoherent talking, as the
miserable frequenters arrive at the different stages of
intoxication,--conspire to render it more like a council-chamber
of tormented spirits, than the self-chosen place of amusement of
rational creatures.
The next grade of these places of merchandise are, the merchants'
stores or warehouses, with their attached lumber-yards. These
are, in most instances, large, dismal-looking buildings, whose
unwashed rafters afford safe protection to innumerable spiders of
every size, or present a desirable spot for the freemasons (the
ichneumon bee) to erect their clayey dwellings upon. One corner
of these vast emporiums is latticed off, forming a
counting-house, decorated with a coat of white, green, or yellow
paint, and shewing its chequers of red tape, for the purpose of
sticking orders, letters, or bank-notices for payments, due at
the Colonial or West India Bank. Here, on a high-legged stool, of
dingy look, sits the merchant, dressed in his round, white
jacket, snowy pantaloons, Panama or Paget hat; and, with pen in
hand, and a pinch of _Lundy-foot_ between his fingers, (to assist
his ideas, I suppose,) calculates the probabilities of his
_'specs_, which in other days afforded such golden harvests as to
give rise to the belief, that the streets in the West Indies were
paved with doubloons and dollars.
But let it not be imagined that this worthy and numerous class
employ all their business-hours in calculating their gains and
losses, poring over the leaves of a dusty ledger, or puzzling
their brains over their "bank accounts." Oh! no, no--the Antiguan
merchants are far too wise for that--many a bowl of
"pepper-punch" is brewed; many a long cork of approved brand is
drawn, and the "rosy red" _Vin de Bordeaux_ is poured into the
tendered crystal; and many a bottle of champagne, or "Tennent's
pale ale," is unwired, uncorked, and its creamy excellence
effused for them. Nor is the tongue idle; well-seasoned jests and
brilliant repartees abound; news is discussed, wit flies like
arrows, and many a rosy face grows more roseate, and many a
laughing eye becomes dewy before they part.
But I must say something more about the stores--what a scene of
confusion they present to the unaccustomed eye!--what varied and
multiplied articles do they display! In one part are hogsheads of
salt cod, herrings, and other salted fish; bins of Indian corn,
rice, peas, and salt; flour, tobacco, barrels of blacking, and
kegs of lard. In another part may be found barrels of beef and
mess-pork; hogsheads of prime Cumberland hams, kits of ox
tongues, and barrels of biscuits; sparkling Moselle, hock,
seltzer-water, and lamp-oil; preserved meats and soups, and kegs
of crackers; pitch, tar, rosin, and oats; block-tin tureens,
spirits of turpentine, and Cognac brandy; crates of earthenware,
rose nails, and hogsheads of tin-ware; with London pickles,
agricultural implements, and hair-brooms. On another side of the
store lie huddled together hogsheads of Barclay's brown stout,
boxes of soap, bundles of wood-hoops, and cases of gilded
cornices; boxes of raisins and currants, paving flags, and masts
and oars; firkins of Cork butter, hogsheads of lime, and patent
corkscrews; Hyson teas, Durham mustard, loaf-sugar, and Havannah
cigars; potatoes, onions, Bologna sausage, and blacksmiths'
coals; artificers' tools, anti-corrosion paint, currycombs, and
_gold watches_; the whole wound up with Rowland's Macassar oil,
floating soap, and quack medicines, consisting of Morrison's
pills, and Swain's Panacea, which, if we believe the labels, are
to cure every ill "that flesh is heir to;" while from the ceiling
dangle in graceful negligence, coils of rope, and horses'
halters.
To prove to any of my readers who may be sceptical of the truth
of such a _various_ assemblage of goods, as I have stated the
merchant's stores contain, I will give a _correct copy_ of a
cargo handed about to the different merchants, as brought by an
American vessel arrived to-day:--
CARGO ON BOARD BRIG "RANDOLPH," FROM PHILADELPHIA.
12 barrels pitch 1 box fine beaver hats
118 covered hams 100 boxes cheese
2 casks of shoulders 3 doz. Windsor chairs
30 barrels pilot bread 16 nurses' rocking chairs
10 do. navy do. 8 ladies' cane do.
30-3 do. sugar biscuits 1 doz. children's do.
20-3 do. soda 49 barrels potatoes
20-3 crackers 18¼ gross lucifer matches
50 kegs lard 1 mahogany spring-seat sofa
30 blls. mess pork 1 do. wash-stand, marble top
100 kegs butter 3 boxes stationery
13 boxes lump tobacco 4 backgammon boards
20 do. champagne cider 12 bridles
20 doz. buckets 22½ doz. black ink in boxes
50 boxes soap, 24 lbs. 1 mahogany spring-seat, rocking chair
700 do. 16 lbs. 2 wooden arm chairs
50 do. mould candles
17 do. do.
Offers in cash, or negotiable notes, 1 o'clock.
From the store we will take a walk into the lumber yard. But
before I proceed to describe it, it will be necessary for me to
make another digression, and let those of my readers who may be
yet ignorant of the real meaning of the term know what "lumber"
is. Upon my first acquaintance with West Indians, I was
particularly surprised to hear them talk so much about _lumber_,
and of Mr. This and Mr. That dealing in such commodity. As my
mind has ever been apt to roam far and wide, I no sooner heard
the merits of this peculiar article (if I may so call it)
discussed, than my schooldays' tasks presented themselves to my
recollection, and I mentally murmured with Dr. Johnson, "lum-ber,
lumber, old useless furniture."
Having arrived at this definition, again I fancied myself amid
broken chairs and tables, sofas minus a leg, shattered
looking-glasses, musty, dusty, rusty, grates, antique bottles,
and similar chattels, where in one of my hoyden days I had
scrambled to look for a bird-cage in which to imprison a poor
half-fledged skylark, captured for me by a little ragged
_protégé_ of mine, known by the true English name of "Bill."
Yet still I was not satisfied; for what, thought I, can West
Indian merchants find so particularly valuable in all these
divers specimens of mutilation, as to induce them to deal so
largely in them? I could only answer mine own query by exclaiming
"'tis strange! 'tis passing strange!" Time wore on, however, and
I arrived at Antigua; then my wonder soon ceased, and I found out
that in fact a _lumber merchant_ signifies nothing less than a
dealer in _timber_.
Having endeavoured to give the Antiguan definition of lumber, I
will now proceed to describe "the yard." It is generally entered
by passing through the store, at the hazard of putting your foot
into pools of rosin or varnish, slipping over stray peas, or
half-breaking your neck over heaps of brickbats. At length the
yard is gained, and drawing a long breath, as much from heat as
exercise, I look around. On each side of the door are huge stacks
of staves, piled up in a very uniform manner, used for making
hogsheads or tierces for packing sugar, or puncheons for the
conveyance of rum. In other parts of the yard are bundles of
cypress or cedar shingles,[69] white and pitch pine boards,
planks and scantlings, all packed in appropriate order; that is,
when they are not landing cargoes, and the master has an eye to
tidy appearances; but if this is not the case, the different
species of lumber are tumbling about in all directions.
Then there are large sheds erected in various parts of the yard,
for the purpose of securing "hard-wood" (as mahogany,
mill-timber, &c.) from the effects of the weather. There is also
very generally a pigeon-house or two to be met with, and their
pretty inmates may be seen gliding about, picking up the
scattered grain, or, perched upon one of the lumber stacks, watch
your every movement with their bright round eyes, while their
variegated breasts glitter in the sun-beams like so many gems. At
the bottom of the yard large gates open to the sea, furnished
with a huge crane; and here it is that all those incongruous
articles which fill their stores, and bring wealth to their
coffers, are landed.
When the merchants are visited by certain fears and twitchings,
relative to the fact of their not being able to dispose of their
diversified merchandise, they "call an auction;" and under the
auspices of the red flag,[70] and with the assistance of the
auctioneer's lungs and hammer, instead of harlequin's magic wand,
turn all these "creature's comforts" into pounds, shillings, and
pence.
In some parts of the town are auction rooms, where, with the same
laudable zeal for "charming variety," things as distinct from
each other as the nadir is from the zenith, are put up, the
mysterious words "going, going, _gone_" uttered, and finally
knocked down to the attendants--whites, blacks, and coloured.
Having mentioned the stores of those philanthropists, who, for
the mere consideration of a little dirty _pelf_, undertake to
provide so liberally for the inner man, it will be necessary to
take a look at those temples of fashion, fancy, and fascination,
commonly known in this island as "Scotch shops," or in other
words, Antiguan haberdashery stores.
In a particular part of St. John's, running north and south, lies
a well-made broad street, which, from being inhabited principally
by Scotchmen, is known by the appropriated name of "Scotch Row."
Capital stores (when I _am_ at Rome, I like to do as Rome does,
and give everything its approved title) flank each side of the
street, and display their glittering wares to the admiration of
passers-by; and from whence (with but few exceptions) emanate
those dresses and ribbons of a thousand dyes, with which the
_fair sex_ of _every colour_ delight to enrobe their lovely
forms.
Here, as in the merchants' stores, may be found articles of the
most opposite natures. In one part lies a delicate white satin
bonnet, with its bunches of "orange flowers," to grace the head
of some blushing bride, or decorated with the snowy plumes torn
by the swarthy African from some swift-footed ostrich; while by
its side reposes a broken ewer, or an iron pot.
You may, in truth, buy anything and everything in these "Scotch
shops," from three farthings' worth of tape to the most costly
articles. Dresses of all kinds; ribbons, laces, flowers, and
bonnets; coats, vests, pantaloons, umbrellas, and shoes; blondes,
scarfs, mantelets, perfumery, and _tenpenny nails_; paint,
frying-pans, and carpets; jewellery of every description,
dripping-pans, and Seidlitz powders; Epsom salts, ginger-beer,
and white lead; horses' halters, cherry-tree chairs, and
preserved fruits; children's dresses, lanterns, horse-whips, and
coffee; sugar-loaves, saddles, bonnet-shapes, and white-handled
knives; ladies' corsets, Valenciennes edging, and Westphalia
hams; pigs' tongues, truckle cheese, and bird-seed; dish-covers,
bottle-baskets, hooks-and-eyes, and brimstone; harness, cattle
medicines, and lozenges; "Mechian" razor strops, and Metcalf's
toothbrushes; with brandy, champagne, Madeira, sherry, port,
sauterne, Rhenish wines, bottled stout, pale ale, glasses to
drink all these good articles out of, and I know not what
besides. Loaves of sugar dangling by the side of zephyr scarfs,
or candle-boxes _vis-à-vis_ with ostrich feathers.
Oh! ye tradesmen of Regent-street, so polite and perfumed, and
such _calibre_, who stand behind your glossy counters with the
air of "my lord duke," or glide with noiseless steps and mincing
airs over your Persian carpeted floor,--what, _what_ would you
think of our Antiguan shops? Or how would those over-fashionable
gentlemen at Storr and Mortimer's be astounded, when tendering
for approval to "beauty bright" those costly gems which carry us
back to the days of the Arabian nights, if they came in contact
with a brass kettle or an iron pot!
I often wonder how the pale-faced, straight-haired clerks (for
they are not termed _shopmen_ in this part of the world) manage
to get on among such a multiplicity of dissimilar articles; or
that from being asked for so many contrary goods during the day,
they do not make many and greater mistakes. A lady drives up in
her carriage to the door of one of these labyrinthan _depôts_ of
vanity, and in that "low soft voice so sweet in woman," asks to
be shewn some orange flower chaplets, and essence of
_Frangipanier_. The poor clerk, his brains turning round like a
revolving light, flies to obey her commands; but lo! in his hurry
and confusion, he catches up a _frying-pan_, and with streaming
brow, presents the inelegant article to the lady's astounded and
horrified gaze, instead of the delicate perfume.
The master of these gay and changeful stores, is as diversiformed
as his goods are various. In the morning he stands behind his
counter, and "bows to" and "ma'am's" any black member of the
_canaille_ that condescends to purchase a few yards of
"half-a-bit" (2d. sterling) ribbon to sandal her mill-post ankle;
while in the evening, in all the glories of white pantaloons, new
coat, smart buttons and embroidered stock, he figures away at an
aristocratic dinner party.
Times are indeed altered with these Scotchmen. In former years,
when Sawney left his mountain home, his trouty lochs, and oaten
bannocks, for the hot suns and debilitating climate of these
"Isles of the West;" he did it for the sake alone of _siller_. As
to ambition--faugh! he hated the very name, or else, like the
cock in Esop's fable, he spurned the glittering bauble, of which
he knew not the worth. They plodded on from year to year,
increased their stock of goods, and added many a round dollar to
their worldly wealth, and then sat down contentedly to enjoy the
smoky flavour of their usquebaugh, forming no greater
acquaintance with the governor, than as they saw him proceed to
the court-house in discharge of his high office, or knowing no
more of government-house than the outer appearance.
But the Scotchmen of the present day scorn the lowly ideas of
their predecessors. They ape the man of fashion, call their
haberdashery store a merchant's warehouse, and foregoing the
vulgar title of draper, take to themselves the loftier name of
_merchant_. Nor is this all. They attend the governor's _levees_,
play the amiable at a quadrille party, frequent the billiard
table, or perchance take wine with his excellency, and grin and
bow with approved precision. Their shops prove an agreeable
morning lounge for the superiors of the island, and in a glass of
_sangaree_, or a flowing bowl of _pepper-punch_, the difference
of grade between the entertainer and the entertained is
overlooked.
That "there is no rule without an exception," is a true
apophthegm; and among the many emigrants from the "land o'
cakes," some very respectable individuals are to be met with.
I believe it a correct statement to assert, that "Scotch Row"
begins with one of this superior class, and ends with him who has
been called "The father of the Scotchmen," not from his age, but
from his high conduct.
Mr. H------ is a man in whom great urbanity is blended with
strong determination of character. He possesses varied talents,
and is no mean disciple of St. Cecilia's; and although, perhaps,
not altogether ranking among the _literati_ in the fuller sense
of that term, yet he
"----laughing can instruct Much has he read,
Much more has seen: he studied from the life,
And in the original perused mankind."
Philosophy to him, however, is no gloomy subject; no solemn
stalking about wrapt up in his own stately ideas, and scorning,
with cynic's eye, any harmless mirth. In the words of one of
Britain's poets, I may say of him--
"----nor purpose gay,
Amusement, dance or song, he sternly scorns."
Nature seems to have intended him for a higher occupation, than
to stand behind a counter and sell a few yards of tape, or a
paper of pins.
The streets of the capital have all their proper appellations,
although no painted board announces such a fact to the traveller.
The east and west streets, beginning southerly, are--
South-street, Tanner, Nevis, Ratcliff, St. Mary's, High, Long,
Church, Newgate, Wapping, North, Bishopsgate, St. John's, St.
George's; north and south streets, beginning easterly, are--
East-street, Cross, Church-lane, Temple, Steeple-street, Corn,
Market, Friendly-alley, Gutter-lane, Newgate-lane, Popeshead,
Thames, Coney-Warren-lane, Subscription-alley, Craw-lane,
Wilkinson's-street, and Mariner's-lane. Some of these lanes and
alleys are famous for their _grog-shops_, particularly that
establishment known by the appropriate name of "The
Hole-in-the-Wall," for the only entrance is a low arched door-way
scooped out of its massy walls.
One part of the town bears the somewhat lofty title of "The
Parade." In former years it answered as a kind of exchange, where
the merchants congregated together during "'Change hours," and
discussed the business of the commercial world. Cargoes of all
descriptions were here disposed of; dollars and doubloons in one
moment changed owners, and human flesh and blood was openly
bartered. For a long period, however, the Parade visibly declined
in importance, and became but the shadow of itself; but within
these last few years, it has, phoenix like, sprung up with
renewed vigour, and presents to the passenger's eye many good and
bustling stores.
St. John's has, at various times, suffered severely from
conflagrations--a circumstance not to be wondered at, when we
consider the great number of wooden buildings, and the
carelessness of persons in throwing about particles of fire. In
1769, an accident of this nature occurred, which was most direful
in its consequence. It arose from the negligence of a woman who
was employed in ironing, and who omitted to extinguish the fire
in a coal-pot, after finishing her labours.
It may be necessary, perhaps, for the comprehension of some of my
readers who may not be conversant with West Indian domestic
subjects, to mention more fully the construction of a coal-pot.
In some of the islands these utensils are composed of clay,
moulded into the form of buckets, and baked in a moderate fire;
but the Antiguan coal-pot is nothing more nor less than a deal
box, clamped with iron or tin, and lined with bricks plastered
over. A few pieces of old iron hoop are placed horizontally
across the box at stated intervals about halfway from the bottom,
and upon these is placed a layer of charcoal. The irons are
arranged upon the top, and the coals ignited; no bellows are
used, except what Nature has afforded in the owners' own lungs;
or when their breath fails, and the fuel still proves refractory,
their large straw hat is displaced from their heads, and
brandished before the mouths of their little stoves, with sundry
ejaculations of "Eh! eh! war do de co-als to-day, me b'lieve dem
no want to burney."
But to return to the fire in 1769; it burnt with fearful
rapidity. The gaol, custom-house, indeed nearly the whole town,
fell a prey to the destructive element, 260 houses being levelled
with the ground, and some of the finest stores and richest
merchandise destroyed. Government granted 1000l. for the relief
of the sufferers; and their kind friends in Liverpool collected,
during the following year, the sum of 346l. 2s. 6d., which was
thankfully and gratefully received.
Many other fires have occurred since then, the vestiges of which
remain to this day; one in particular, known by the appropriate
name of the burnt wall, is still pointed out to the notice of the
stranger. Part of this land has been lately purchased by the
Wesleyans, who have erected a small chapel upon it, which answers
also for a school-room, and where preaching is held on Friday
evenings.
But the conflagration which happened on the 2nd April, 1841, has
effaced the memory of all other events of the same nature. It
broke out in the house of a person carrying on the business of a
straw bonnet-maker, after the family had retired to rest, and it
was only discovered in time for the inmates to make their escape
by jumping from the upper windows.
A few moments after it was first perceived, the walls fell, and
the flames burst forth with a fearful rapidity, curling and
twisting themselves in all directions; seizing upon every thing
within their reach, and illuminating the heavens with their
awfully grand lustre. The church bell tolled forth its solemn
warning; drums beat an alarm; and, in the words of an old writer,
when describing the fire in London in 1666, "dreadful screams
disturbed the midnight quiet, and raised the affrighted people
from their beds, who, scarce awake, all seemed to be a dream.
Each one appeared but as a moving statue, as once Lot's wife,
viewing her flaming Sodom, was transformed into a pillar."
So saith "Samuel Wiseman," and his graphic description answers
equally for the fire of Antigua, as it did in yore, for that of
London.
House after house, store after store, fell beneath the raging
element; or, when built of stone, only their bare and blackened
walls were left standing. No sooner was one house on fire, than
the flames were pouring into the windows of the next; scathing
the trees as they passed, dismantling them of their verdure, and
leaving them only a seared and withered trunk. Again the Custom
House fell a victim, and to this cause many deficiencies in the
statistical part of this work may be attributed; for, from the
suddenness and violence of the fire, many valuable records were
lost.
Still the fiery deluge rolled on,--at one moment the sky was
almost hidden by the dense masses of smoke; at another, bright
spiral lines of flame shot up into the air, and cast a lurid
light on all around. I am sorry to record it, but the negro-men
behaved very ill, refusing to lend assistance, (in most
instances,) but employing their time in plundering from the
sufferers. To the glory of the women, be it spoken, _they_ did
not follow the example of their kinsmen, but cheerfully and
firmly laboured through that awful night. The crew of two French
ships of war, which chanced to be lying in the harbour, also
assisted, aided by the sailors from the English and island
vessels; and the gentlemen of the town, headed by the
lieutenant-governor, Major McPhail, (who flew to the scene of
danger stockingless and almost slipperless,) worked with
undaunted courage and good-will; and by dint of energy, and
pulling down several small houses, so as to make room for the
flames in their gyral evolutions, at length succeeded in gaining
the mastery over their formidable enemy.
But, alas! when morning came, and threw a steady light upon the
picture, what a melancholy sight was presented to the view. A
long line of building, including the best and finest houses,
entirely destroyed; lumber-yards and warehouses despoiled of
their goods, and the very streets strewed ankle-deep with burnt
salt-fish, peas, rice, flour, and similar articles! In some parts
might be seen groups of negroes carousing around some gutted
dwelling, tearing out the burning provisions, and, amid all this
desolation and the mournful feelings of men, who, in one short
night, had lost that for which they had toiled for years,
shouting forth from their stentorian lungs snatches of some
bacchanalian song, or allowing their vacant heartless laugh to
vibrate painfully upon the silent morning air.
Ever and anon, the smouldering fire sent up some fitful glare; or
a brilliant coruscation of sparks, shot forth from some still
burning log of pitch-pine, gilded the surrounding scene with
their beautiful but dangerous showers. The fire burnt down to the
sea-side; seizing upon the very timber of the wharfs and cranes,
and destroying them to the water's edge. The amount of damage has
been estimated at 250,000l. sterling; but the loss is more than
can be calculated, for it has despoiled and depopulated one of
the finest and busiest streets in the town, and which, from the
depressed state of trade, will be long, very long, before it is
again rebuilt.
More than eight months have silently rolled by since that awful
cry of "Fire" awoke the Antiguans from their tranquil slumbers,
and sent a thrill of dismay through the hearts of all. And there
stand the ruins, blackened and cracked by the intense heat which
caused the very glass to pour down in streams, which, when
congealed, appeared like icicles; or else, only shewing by the
open space, where the ill-fated dwellings stood--where the voice
of happy infancy once uttered many a jocund shout--or where the
soft full tone of riper years carolled many a light and gladsome
lay. Long grass and luxuriant weeds have already grown up in the
spot once dedicated to business or pleasure, and the bat and the
lizard have made it their own.
------
[68] The whites, or Buckra's, as they are called in the West
Indies, however indigent in circumstances, pride prohibits them
from engaging in such industrious pursuits.
[69] Used for covering the tops of houses, as tiles or slates are
in England.
[70] A flag is always hoisted upon places where a sale is held.