THE HARBOUR OF ST. JOHN'S.
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amid the brown of the foremost mountains ; while the more distant of the chain presented that harmonious blending of a thousand dyes, which poets love to sing, and painters love to study. As it happened to be that season of the year when the sugar harvest was in progress, the white sails of the various mills glittered in the sunbeams, and upon the eminences the manager's house (or in the language of the country, the " great house'') looked down upon its. little hamlet of negro huts, picturesquely embosomed in trees. On, on we glided ; the merry breeze piping in our ears, and the snow-white foam curling and writhing around our prow, until at length we came so near that we could see and almost count the waves as they dashed upon the silver sands of the surrounding bays. In one part a number of tall cocoa-nut trees stretched their long arms to the blast, whilst upon every side of us the light skiffs of the fishermen danced like cockle-shells upon the buoyant waters, and their dusky masters intently pursued their trade of entrapping the finny race. Our good breeze did not desert us ; and rapidly and surely we made way, until we passed over the bar, and entered the harbour of St. John's. What a busy scene now presented itself to my view ; the various ships from England, Scotland, Ireland,* and America, distinguished by their several flags ; the boats and droughers †hurrying backwards and forwards with their loads ; whilst the hallooing of the sailors, and the screaming of the negro watermen, conspired to render it the very imagery of discord. The town of St. John's, with its white houses and green jalousies, lay stretched before us, surmounted by its neat and pretty church ; and upon our left the Fort of St. James and Rat Island. While looking at the latter, up went. * The Scotch and Irish, in addition to the Union Jack, hoist a distinctive national signal. †Droughers are small vessels used for conveying the produce of the island from the neighbouring bays to the shipping.