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like phenomenon which is described by Tom Cringle. A fathom deep, in the ship's shadow, some shark or other monster sailed slowly by in an envelope of spectral lustre. When he stopped his figure disappeared, when he moved on again it was like the movement of a streak of blue flame. Such a creature did not seem as if it could belong to our familiar sunlit ocean. The state of the harbour is not creditable to the Spanish Government, and I suppose will not be improved till there is some change of dynasty. All that can be said for it is that it is not the worst in these seas. Our ship had just come from the Canal, and had brought the latest news from thence. Fever and pestilence, deaths by revolver and deaths by stiletto, robbery and waste, piles of costly machinery, sole representative of the squandered millions of francs, rusting in the swamps. Drink shops and gambling hells, women plying their vile profession there, solving the question of the Schoolmen whether the devils were of both sexes or only one. Money still flowing in rivers, and the human vultures flocking to the spoil. No law, no police. Murder, and no inquiry into i t ; bodies lying about unburied, and wild dogs and Johnny crows holding carnival over them. Beautiful last creation of the progress and enterprise of the nineteenth century. At dawn we swept out under the Moro, and away once more into the free fresh open sea. We had come down on the south side of the island, we returned by the north up the old Bahama Channel where Drake died on his way home from his last unsuccessful expedition— Lope de Vega singing a pÌan over the end of the great ' dragon.' Fresh passengers brought fresh talk. There was a clever young Jamaican on board returning from a holiday; he had the spirits of youth about him, and would have pleased my American who never knew good come of despondency. He had hopes for his country, but they rested, like those of