f a very promising young man from Aberdeen, who had been in the
island only a few months, I succeeded, through the kind exertions of Mr.
Church, in obtaining the situation.

The Hermitage was one of the finest plantations in Grenada. It was
pleasantly situated on elevated ground, a few miles from the sea
shore, and was the residence of Mr. Houston, a gentleman of great
respectability, who was attorney for the estate, and also for the
plantation adjoining, called Belmont. Some years previously the
Hermitage had been the residence of the owner of these estates, an
Englishman named Bailey. He had spared no expense in stocking the
grounds with fruits of various kinds, had planted bread-fruit and
bread-nut trees, which, besides proving ornamental, furnished nutritive
food for the slaves. Mr. Houston found, however, that the fruit orchards
required more labor and care to keep them in good condition than could
be profitably spared from other duties; and the beautiful and umbrageous
bread-fruit and bread-nut trees shaded some portions of the fertile land
capable of producing good sugar cane. The axe was, therefore, freely
used, and, one after another, nearly all the trees which produced this
excellent fruit were cut down. Other fruit trees, as the orange, the
guava, pomegranate, avocado pear, golden apple, water lemon, soursop,
etc. grow spontaneously on almost every plantation, and furnish an
abundance and a variety of refreshing, nutritious food, at different
seasons. Plantains, peas, cassava, kalliloo, yams, and several other
kinds of esculent vegetables, some of which bear a close resemblance to
the potato in every thing excepting the form, are raised in abundance
with very little labor. The calabash tree is also found growing wild
on every estate. It resembles an apple tree of moderate dimensions, and
bears calabashes of every size, from those which contain several gallons
to those which hold only half a pint. These calabashes are of great
value on a plantation, being used as vessels for all purposes and
occasions except for cooking.

It is hardly necessary to say that my debt to Mr. Thomas was liquidated
as soon as I could obtain the means, even by anticipating my salary; and
I eagerly looked forward to the time when, by exercising the strictest
economy, I should be able to quit a place where, notwithstanding many
things which were unpleasant, I had found valuable friends and enjoyed
many comforts, and had been treated b