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tlie ‘ Eoyal Alfred,’ the ‘ Terror,’ the ‘ Irresistible,’
and a numher of gun-hoats, and the life and music
and colour inseparable from a military station, to the
Avest of us ; the tortuous channels AA'ith Avhicli aa'c
AA'ere soon to he very familiar betAA'een the reefs,
marked out hy divers-coloured buoys and leading
among the many islands of the ‘ great sound,’ to
Hamilton, to the south ; the north coast of the main
island stretching in a succession of shalloAA' bays and
Avooded knolls and low cliffs, fi-om Spanisli Point to
the high grounds at the entrance of Castle Harbour,
to the east; and the Avonderful variety and hrilliancy
of colour of the sea all around us — Avas very
heautiful.
Captain Nares and I Avent in the forenoon to pay
our respects to Admiral Panshawe, commanding on
tlie North American station, and to the governor,
General Lefroy. We roAved across the glassy sea,
clearly mapped out into patches of bright purple and
strijies of the most vivid green by the reefs and the
sandy spaces betAveen them. Over the reefs in some
places the AA'ater AA'as only a fathom deep or less, and
Ave could see the great round masses of brain coral
beneath us, and the groves of purple gorgonice and all
kinds of feathery zoophytes, interspersed AA'ith yellow
sponges and hunches of sea-Aveed in all shades of
olive and bright green and red. Clarence Cove, tbe
landing place for Clarence Hill, the admiral’s official
residence, is an inclosed little hay, Avith the dark cedar
Avoods coining close doAvn on all sides to the water’s
edge. A. garden rich Avith the luxuriant foliage-
vegetation Avhich suits the climate and the sheltered
situation so Avell, runs along one side of the coA'e
u n d e r t h e h i l l ; a n d in t h e g a r d e n a l i t t l e m o u n d
m a r k s t h e g r a v e of a m id d y , aa'Iio d ie d , p o o r h o y , o n
t h e s t a t i o n , a n d Avho w a s b u r i e d in t h a t q u i e t p la c e
in a c c o r d a n c e Avith a n o t u n n a t u r a l Avish.
A AA'inding path leads through the wood up to tho
house. Outside the drawing-room Avindow there is a
verandah looking down upon anotlier small terraced
garden, and commanding a very lovely vicAv over the
islands. While Ave Avere standing at the Avindow enjoying
it, a little flock of birds, some of them bright
scarlet, and others of a splendid metallic blue, more
like the fancy birds on an old brocade than real
pirates of a kitchen garden, alighted on one of the
trees beloAV us. The ‘ red bird ’ {Guarica cardinalis),
and the ‘ blue bird ’—the hlue-robin of the States
{Sialia vnlsoni), are probably commoner and more
tame at Clarence Hill tban elseAA'bere, because
Mrs. PanshaAve especially protects and encourages
tbem; but they are frequent all over tbe islands,
aud they are so very ornamental that various laAvs
have been enacted by the legislature to prevent tbeir
extermination.
Prom Clarence Hill Ave Avent on to Mount Laugton,
tbe residence of the governor. "We Avei'e unfortunate
in not finding the governor at home on this occasion,
but AA'e had the pleasure of seeing him very frequently
afterAvards, and the kindness AA'ith which he did everything
in his poAver to make our visit pleasant and
profitable Avill long he remembered by all of us. We
Avere indebted to Admiral PanshaAve and to Captain
Aplin, captain-superintendent of the dockyard, for
eA'ery possible accommodation and assistance in carrying
on our AA ork, in addition to the greatest personal
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