The English in the West Indies or the bow of Ulysses

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THE

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THE

WEST

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of the old Anglo-West Indians, men whose fathers and grandfathers were born in the island, and whose fortunes were bound up in it. Aaron Bang! what would not one have given to meet Aaron ? The real Aaron had been gathered to his fathers, and nature does not make two such as he was; but I might fall in with something that would remind me of him. Paul Gelid and Pepperpot Wagtail, and Peter Mangrove, better than either of them—the like­ ness of these might be surviving, and it would be delightful to meet and talk to them. They would give fresh flavour to the immortal ‘ Log.’ Even another Tom was not im­ possible ; some middy to develop hereafter into a frigate captain and to sail again into Port Royal with his prizes in tow. Nature at all events could not be changed. The white rollers would still be breaking on the coral reefs. The palms would still be waving on the spit which forms the harbour, and the amber mist would be floating round the peaks of the Blue Mountains. There were English soldiers and sailors, and English people. The English language was spoken there by blacks as well as whites. The religion was English. Our country went for something, and there would be some persons, at least, to whom the old land was more than a stepmother, and who were not sighing in their hearts for annexation to the American Union. The governor, Sir Henry Norman, of Indian fame, I was sorry to learn, was still absent; he had gone home on some legal business. Sir Henry had an Imperial reputation. He had been spoken of to me in Barbadoes as able, if he were allowed a chance, to act as Viceroy of all the islands, and to set them on their feet again. I could well believe that a man of less than Sir Henry's reputed power could do it — for in the thing itself there was no great difficulty —if only we at home were once disenchanted ; though all the ability in the world would be thrown away as long as the


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