is a queer little town built on the shore of a bay at the
foot of a very high mountain. When the French possessed the place it was
called "La petite Paris," but an earthquake tumbled all the buildings,
and generally wrecked the whole place. A great many of the ruins still
remain. Some of the stone was utilized for new habitations, but most of
it was left where it had fallen.

The negroes had no ambition to restore the place to its former grandeur,
and only a few white men were to be found among its inhabitants.
Mahogany, logwood, and coffee were the only exports, and those only in
small quantities. We had arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and several of
us went on shore to visit the American consul, as an act of courtesy,
and then strolled through the town. Whisky was not allowed on board a
man-of-war, and it was quite natural for us to want a drink on our
arrival in a foreign country. Stopping at the only hotel, we ordered a
"brandy smash," and it nearly paralyzed the whole crowd. The atmosphere
was quite warm, and so was the brandy and water. There was no ice in the
whole town, and of all the mixed drinks I ever had that was the worst.
We had received some gold money from the paymaster, and a five-dollar
piece was given in payment for the aforesaid drinks. Well, the change
that was returned almost finished what the "smash" had not quite done,
for about sixty-four one-dollar bills were counted out, each printed on
bright yellow paper, about five by seven inches in size. "Une
Gourde"--meaning "one dollar"--was printed in large and small letters
all over the face of the note, and then, in French, something about its
redemption at a certain period.

The landlord was a Frenchman and had learned to speak English while on
board an American whaling vessel. He gave us considerable information
about the town, and also advised us to have our gold exchanged for his
Haitien currency, so we each got five dollars' worth from him. The
"gourdes" were at a discount of ninety-three per cent, making each one
worth seven cents in gold. Such a roll of bills as we received! The
bundles had to be put in our coat-tail pockets, no other place being
large enough to hold them. The only amusement in town that would take
place that night was a masquerade ball. Each of our drinks came to one
"gourde," rather cheap for brandy. We bade our host adieu until evening
and returned to the Nereus. Lieutenant Mullen, the surgeon, paymaster,
three ensigns, an