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Show 60 DOMINICA. that the eu,.,o rts now makt"ng • for the purpose, are at once co. nsid-erable and successful. There are nearly 700 scholars m the four Mica schools, which are ably conducted, and bemg qtute clear of sectarianism, are not opposed by the Roman Cnthohc pn·e sts. G eo. Clark • the laborious and exemplary nnm. ster of I · 1 cllttrch at Roseau has four schools under h ts care. t te pans 1 l • ' • The Methodists hnve five mission estabhshments, 1017 mem-bers of their church, and eleven schools besides two held only on the First-day of the week. Thus the cause of Clmstmn instruction is now making rapid progress, and will, I hope, ere very long, pervade this island, as it docs Antigua. . . The quantity of provisions raised in Dommtea, ts stated, m a late official report, to have increased 50 per cent, m the year 1839. The soil makes generous repayme~t for a little culture, and as we rode along, the fruitful provtston grounds, either of the independent settlers, or of free laborers on the estates, met our eye in every direction. The oranges, and other kindred fruits, are peculiarly fine, and we shall not soon forget the refreshment of some ripe and juicy " forbidden fruit," which a negro shook from his tree, and kindly bestowed upon us, in the course of our mountain ride. On our return home, we overtook a peasant with an agouti in his hands. It is a small, hairy animal, which seems to unite the natures of the pig and the rabbit. We bought it, and our "methodist mother" afterwards cooked it for our breakfast. The zoology of Dominica is quite interesting. The wild boar is found in the woods ; a species of boa constrictor is also met with, and not unfrequently pays a fatal visit to the poultty· yard. Parroqueets are numerous, and several kinds of humming birds, abound. Immense numbers of land-crabs, at certain seasons, afford excellent food for all who take the trouble of catching them. The same may be said of the crapcaus, very large frogs, which frequent the pure, running waters, and are, as we can testify, an excellent article of diet-the meat tasting like that of a chicken. But it is the vegetable luxuriance of this island, which is the most striking to the eye of a stran· DOMINICA. 61 ger,-far exceeding any thing that we have elsewhere witnessed, except perhaps, in some parts of Jamaica. Innumerable shrubs, plants and trees, novel to us, with broad-leaved creepers of various kinds, cover the hills with a remarkable depth of verdure. The most bemltiful of these productions is the tree-fern, which grows to the height of 20 or even 30 feet, and waves its bright green feathers over the whole scenery of the island. . After riding many hours, we were fairly overtaken by the mght-fall, and were glad to return in safety to our comfortable quarters. W c afterwards spent an agreeable evening at the Governor:s- On the next day, the first of the week, we held our meetmgs m the Methodist meeting-house morning and evening. In the evcnmg, the Governor and his lady, and most of the gentry of the place, attended, with a large number of others, of vanous shades of color. As the colony is much distracted by partles, tt was, we hope, for a good purpose, that we endeavored to hold up the standard of Christian charity and unity" There shall be one fold and one shepherd." . Our friend Joseph Phillips, a stipendiary magistrate, had kmdl Y come from a d.istu.nt part of the island to visit us, and furmshed us witl1 a variety of important and encouraging informatwn. He gave us an unqualified good account of the condLrct of the free-l aborers. They are remarkably honest and bags of small coin, intended for the payment of wages, are' conveyed about the countty, without risk. In the early part of the apprentteeslup, the number of punishments per month in his district was _70. . They are now reduced to an average ~f only two. . One mvahd constable is sufficient to keep his whole distnct ll1 order. In a late report addressed to Sir William Colebrooke, he observes, " The amount of crime in this colony of 20,000 souls, ts perhaps less than in any other part of her MaJesty's Dominions." We received similar reports from other magtstratcs, especially a colored gentleman-William Lynch, an acttve and mtellrgent stipendiary, whose firm support of the nghts of the laborers, has done him high credit. Accompanied by this magistrate, and Fillan and Bellot, as 6 |