to bring us to head-quarters. I was
sorry I had no means of sketching any part of the beautiful landscape,
which, besides the striking features I have mentioned before, now
displayed a broad river, over which there is a white stone bridge of
several arches; at one end, a large house, more like a palace, with its
arches and corridors, and the encampment of the army and the horse
picquets, and, in short, a bustle and animation that seldom happen to
adorn so fine a scene. Our guide soon returned with eighteen or twenty
mounted soldiers, whose appearance was rather wild than military: the
guard presented arms as we parted from them, and we soon cantered down
the hill towards the main body of the troops. Not above two hundred had
the arms or accoutrements of soldiers; but there were dresses and
weapons of every kind, leather, cloth, and linen; short jackets and long
Scotch plaids, and every tint of colour in their faces, from the sallow
European to the ebony African. Military honours were paid us by these
ragged regiments, and we were conducted to the palace square, where Mr.
Dance and Mr. Caumont dismounted, and I determined to await the issue of
their conference, with my cousin in the court.

This, however, was not permitted. In a few minutes, a smart little man,
speaking tolerable French, came and told me the _government_ desired my
company. I suspected a mistake of the word government for governor, and
endeavoured to decline the honour; but no denial could be taken, and the
little man, who told me he was secretary to government, accordingly
assisted me to dismount, and showed me the way to the palace. The hall
was filled with men and horses, like a barrack stable, excepting a
corner which served as an hospital for those wounded in the late
skirmishes, the groans of the latter mingling uncouthly with the
soldiers' cheerful noisy voices. The stairs were so crowded, that we got
up with difficulty, and then I found that I was indeed to be confronted
with the whole strength of the provisional government. At the end of a
long dirty room, that had once been handsome, as the form of the windows
and carving of the panels on which there were traces of colour and
gilding, indicated, there was an old black hair sofa, on the centre of
which I was placed, with Mr. Dance on one side, and Mr. Glennie on the
other; by Mr. Dance sat the little secretary, and next to him our
interpreter, in old-fashioned high-backed chairs; the rest of the