ce
lived in its vicinity. The cathedral still stands entire and is still
used as a place of worship, but the walls of the convent attached to
the cathedral have yielded to the corroding influences of time and the
climate, and are crumbling into ruins. The palace of Diego Columbus, the
son of the immortal admiral, who to Castile and Leon gave a new world,
is still pointed out, but that, too, is a mere shell, the roof having
entirely disappeared. The population is a wretched mongrel indolent
race, and there is little to do there. The whole island, indeed, long
ago fell from its high estate, and everywhere thorns and brambles grow
where once there were well cultivated plantations. I had previously
visited many portions of the island, and saw wherever I went, the same
evidences of misrule and indolence; but, the negroes, who hold the
western portion of it or Hayti, are physically, at least, a finer race
of people than the degenerate, puny hybrids of the eastern part, who
have "miscegenated" to an extent that would satisfy the most
enthusiastic admirer of our sable "friends and fellow-citizens." I have
never seen finer specimens of stalwart manhood than in "Solouque's" army
years ago, although the "tout ensemble" of it was sufficiently
ludicrous; the officers being mounted on ponies a little bigger than
goats; and some of them wearing no apparel, except a coat and cocked
hat; with spurs on their naked heels; and the ragged half-naked privates
chewing one end of a big stick of sugar cane (their only rations) as
they marched. Upon one occasion, an officer of the ship to which I was
attached, had died at sea, and was buried at Gonaives, with military
honors. The drummer and fifer of our guard of marines were little
fellows of twelve or thirteen years of age. The black military
commandant of the district was so captivated with their appearance, as
they marched at the head of the funeral procession, that he "corralled"
all the little "niggers" within his district the next day, to select
from them a few drummers and fifers; and I believe there would have been
a "casus belli" if our little musicians had been sent ashore, for I
doubt if he could have resisted the temptation to kidnap them.

We arrived at St. Thomas two days before the mail-steamer was due and
took up our quarters at the only hotel of which the town boasted, but it
was an excellent one. The black steward, who superintended the staff of
waiters, was a noticeable perso