d importance, being a head centre
and mart for the industry in negroes. Emancipation, however, wrecked
Nevis, together with a good many other of the Antilles.

At Montpelier, on this island, Lord Nelson enjoyed his honeymoon, but
now only a few trees and a little ruined masonry at the corner of a
sugar-cane plantation appear to mark the spot. Further, it may be
recorded, as a point in favour of the place, that it grows very
exceptional Tangerine oranges. These, to taste in perfection, should be
eaten at the turning point, before their skins grow yellow. We cannot
judge of the noble possibilities in an orange at home. I brought back a
dozen of these Nevis Tangerines with me, but I secretly suspected that,
in spite of their fine reputation, quite inferior sorts would be able to
beat them by the time they got to England; and it was so.

We stopped half-an-hour only at Charlestown, Nevis, and then proceeded
to St. Christopher, a sister isle of greater size and scope.

At Antigua, there came aboard the "Rhine" a young man who implicitly
leads us to understand that he is the most important person in the West
Indies. He is the Governor of Antigua's own clerk, and is going to St.
Christopher with a portmanteau, some walking-sticks, and a despatch-box.
It appears that his significance is gigantic, and that, though the
nominal seat of government lies at Antigua, yet the real active centre
of political administration may be found immediately under the Panama
hat of the Governor's own clerk. This he takes the trouble to explain
to us. The Governor himself is a puppet, his trusted men of resource and
portfolio-holders are the veriest fantoccini; for the Governor's own
clerk pulls the strings, frames the foreign policy, conducts, controls,
adjusts difficulties, and maintains a right balance between the parties.
This he condescends to make clear to us.

[Illustration: "THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WEST INDIES."]

I ventured to ask him how many of the more important nations were
involved with the matters at present in his despatch-box; and he said
lightly, as though the concern in hand was a mere bagatelle, that only
the United States, Great Britain and Germany were occupying his
attention at the moment.

The Model Man said:

"I suppose you'll soon knock off a flea-bite like that?"

And the Governor's own clerk answered:

"Yes, I fancy so, unless any unforeseen hitch happens. Negotiations are
pending."

I liked his last