o be perfectly idle and perfectly happy,
surrounded by the daintiest beauties of an English hothouse, with palm
trees waving like fans to cool one, and with sensitive plants, which are
common as daisies, strewing themselves under one's feet to be trodden
upon.

After breakfast the heat would be considerable, but with an umbrella I
could walk about the town and see what was to be seen. Alas! here one
has something to desire. Where Pere Labat saw a display of splendour
which reminded him of Paris and London, you now find only _stores_ on
the American pattern, for the most part American goods, bad in quality
and extravagantly dear. Treaty or no treaty, it is to America that the
trade is drifting, and we might as well concede with a good grace what
must soon come of itself whether we like it or not. The streets are
relieved from ugliness by the trees and by occasional handsome
buildings. Often I stood to admire the pea-green Nelson. Once I went
into the Assembly where the legislature was discussing more or less
unquietly the prospects of the island. The question of the hour was
economy. In the opinion of patriot Barbadians, sore at the refusal of
the treaty, the readiest way to reduce expenditure was to diminish the
salaries of officials from the governor downwards. The officials,
knowing that they were very moderately paid already, naturally demurred.
The most interesting part of the thing to me was the _hall_ in which the
proceedings were going on. It is handsome in itself, and has a series of
painted windows representing the English sovereigns from James I. to
Queen Victoria. Among them in his proper place stood Oliver Cromwell,
the only formal recognition of the great Protector that I know of in any
part of the English dominions. Barbadoes had been Cavalier in its
general sympathies, but has taken an independent view of things, and
here too has had an opinion of its own.

Hospitality was always a West Indian characteristic. There were
luncheons and dinners, and distinguished persons to be met and talked
to. Among these I had the special good fortune of making acquaintance
with Sir Charles Pearson, now commanding-in-chief in those parts. Even
in these days, crowded as they are by small incidents made large by
newspapers, we have not yet forgotten the defence of a fort in the
interior of Zululand where Sir Charles Pearson and his small garrison
were cut off from their communications with Natal. For a week or two he
was