from the yards, a horrid object of terror to
all who might chance to fall in with her."

CHARLES. "Almost as dreadful a vessel to fall in with as the Phantom
Ship in Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner,' I always feel uncomfortable
when I read that poem, and yet I admire it very much."

MRS. WILTON. "It is replete with such truthful descriptions, that
you are involuntarily borne on the wings of imagination until all
seems reality, and you identify yourself with the Ancient Mariner."

MR. WILTON. "I anticipate we shall all be ancient mariners before we
conclude our voyage, but we must not be idle ones. Lead on, Emma,
we will follow."

EMMA. "I have no more bays yet, and it is mamma's province to
describe the islands."

MRS. WILTON. "Well and good: here are the Antilles. I shall not
hasten over _them_, for they are _our_ isles, whither we hope
shortly to sail in reality; therefore it is highly necessary that we
should be well informed concerning their locality. They form an arch
between the two continents of America, and extend from the Gulf of
Florida to that of Venezuela. They are divided into the greater and
the less; Cuba, Jamaica, St. Domingo, and Porto Rico are called the
Great Antilles, all the others the less Antilles.

"Cuba is the largest and most important: it commands the windward
passage, as well as the entrance into the gulfs of Mexico and
Florida, and is for that reason sometimes called the Key of the West
Indies. It is more than 700 miles in length, and its medium breadth
70 miles. Havannah is the capital.

"Jamaica is a delightful island, endeared to me by many fond
recollections; it is mountainous, extremely fertile, and abounding
with springs (as its name signifies) of delicious water, a great
luxury in a warm climate. The top of the highest mountain, Blue
Mountain Peak, is 7800 feet above the level of the sea. Kingston is
the chief place for trade. The island is 150 miles from east to
west, and its breadth is 60 miles in its widest part.

"St. Domingo, capital same name, is a pleasant fertile country. The
first town founded by Europeans in America was St. Domingo. The
bones of Christopher Columbus and his brother Lewis are deposited in
two leaden coffins in the cathedral of this city.

"Porto Rico is 100 miles long and 40 broad. It is beautifully
diversified with woods, valleys, and plains, and extremely fertile."

GRANDY. "The Antilles are lovely islands, and some of the happiest
moments of my