Show JUNKETING IN JAMAICA yew castle jamaica oct 15 16 unlike most of these islands the traveler finds jamaica easily arcessa ble in every part besides the excellent coasting service railway and tram lines there is an extensive system of highways as well constructed in their way and as carefully kept as the boula bards of any northern city and where here cars or mall mail coaches are not carriages carr fages and saddle horses may always be hired the main road as it is called answering to the camino real of the spanish islands runs around the eastern shore of jamaica from kingston through various port towns to annatto bay where ere a junction road striking ross is the island connects the i the north coast leav 14 an uly the main road conan cont wa die coast to ocho R rios Ws C IU ivere huvers whence the two sides of le e island Is again connected by a road running through moneague Mo then the great highway wanders east through linstead and spanish town and sends a branch close along the sea to falmouth st anns and trelawny another road starting from monteagle Mon teague bay goes straight across the island to mack black river and savanna la mar and others criss crossing in every direction like a mammoth spiders web reach lucia green island and every other coast or interior village and hamlet even the ascent of blue mountain peak the highest point in the range which was formerly extremely difficult of accomplishment is now a delightful excursion over the fine road which governor sir henry norman caused to be built at his own expense it to is nece necessary s sary to take along blankets and food supplies leaving kingston early ro in the morning you reach the mountain top feet above the sea before dark there Is a tiny house on the peak in which the traveler may find shelter for the night making a picnic of it with his own blankets blanc ets ini i rid provisions and having enjoyed a florous sunrise and some of the finest views to be had in this grand old world he may descend the mountain of interest on the return to kingston another favorite ex curson is to Fl anstead feet above the sea you go by carriage to the government gardens aA a thousand housand feet above kingston and the rest of the way on the wiry little island doland ponies life takes taken on a keen edge in these tropical moun tans the climate of Fl amstead is like that of northern june and the temperature of midsummer mid summer is never above 70 degrees in the evenings cheerful wood ores fires are built and at night more than one blanket is in needed for comfort there Is a hotel up there at Pl Fl amstead some boarding houses and cottages and always in winter a pleasant colony of foreign visitors every house his its garden gay with flowers from year to year ferns plantains plant ains cedars tam arulas and wild orange nourish flourish to perfection amid tall spires of cacti the motin tan roads are lined with masses of beautiful pink and white be gonias all the hedgerows hedge rows are overrun with Corge gorgeous ous and every bank laden with wild strawberries th hill slopes are mostly planted with what Is lB known as blue mountain bof tee fee which commands a higher price in than any ant other while the landt lands between are devoted to potatoes yams bams and other vegetables for the kingston market the views from Flaim Fl amstead stead cannat be described in words on a clear day you may see port royal and kingston at opposite ads of the shining lagoon the palisades fort augusta the twelve apos the Carri carridean bean les IPP and on every side sea dotted with islands to the horizon Ja maicas square miles of territory are divided into districts which offer differ as materially from one another 1 in n their natural characteristics industries and ties as do the mountains of colorado efrom pom the ithe prairies of illinois the pine woods of maine from the everglades of florida thigh alo near to the equator there lare are frequent frosts in the uplands of jamall Jama ioa in its irta mountain valleys valley all the products of the north can be grown while come came fields and corn fields coffee plantations and cattle farms suggest a wonderful blending ot of the temperate and zones sometimes the mixture of crops in the same field is striking carrots carrota and cao cassava save corn corm and sugar cane bananas and pumpkins growing side aide by side aide it Is a charming reproduction of english agricultural life bathed ba bai thed in the eternal ernal ft or of one may choose hla his own climate lit itt jamaica from the constant beert of the domst plain alaina through the subtropical sub tropical temperature of the lower ranges to the cool bracing air of elf the n spanish town la Is only thirteen miles from kingston a most delightful drive unless you prefer 60 spoil the trip by making it in a parlor ciar car this former capital of jamaica which was founded by columbus son diego Dle gK and by him christened san jago de la ba vega st SL jamea of the valley waa w an sacrilegiously dubbed spanish town by tahe english a century or so later the th e very first capital of ct the island tel and you know was sevilla bevella nueva new seville beville near st anns sounded founded by the same diego columbus in the year 1496 though the glory of spanish departed with the transfer of the govern to kingston it la Is still a quaintly charming place full ot of memories of the past with its deserted plaza rambling lanes and tow low vine wreathed casa among its ita few sights which interest the ithe vebor are old legislative halla balls and public buildings a quaint red brick cathe cathedral and the massive m kings house webb wl bh pretentious col and where the early Govon oes resided in front of the kings house te dis an admirable eta eb atuel tue I 1 by bacon of lord rodney he who routed the french fleet under caunt de grosse grasse which has wandered about like an unquiet ghost it was wag held in land for a time then set up in its present I 1 place tor a few years afterwards transi transferred red rhth the government to kingston and lately brought back to spanish town where let us hope it will remain among other relies relics of the war to be seen in spanish town are a couple of brass braes 82 still guarding the empty palace on each of them Is ie inscribed louras charles de bourbon compte deu dac dAu dAur anale aale ath mily may 1748 the present pre ent population of the place Is about the old assembly loomand room and a portion of kings house are now days diada utilized tor for a government training school ach ool inthe in burial grounds the two churches you may read on o n many crumbling the pompous ws records of lords lorda anid and dukes and airs FIrs who ruled jamaica in the early days day and of I 1 naval heroes known to history and sandwiched between their highly respectable spec table name are those these of many rw rao dorious om oa aven of area aldies the parish of 0 in which spanish to wo wn to 1 situated was waa barned for the queen of charles II 11 and is a memorial of the stewart t restora tion period to thoroughly appreciate town D one must furnish sh up arp his english history in the same parish are Lih istead and har bout both towns of consequence in the old brick church of harbolt Har bout the first english settlers who came over with penn and venables worshipped wor shipped accord in to their narrow lights and in the grave yard around it t most of them lie buried linstead nestled in a mountain hollowit hol lowis a thriving place for trade and marketing but otherwise u binter esting driving the live five or six miles between it and spanish town you pass the most picturesque bit of scenery on the island steep mountains on either side from a long deep aind narrow marrow ra vine down which the bobre bobr river dashes on its way to ta the sea amid vegetation of richness and variety surpassing des the spaniards lards called the place boca del agua the waters which the english oh Lor dhave corrupted to dog bog wall now new days the old name is almost forgotten and bog walk pre prevails vadis among the unimaginative owners of ehte island the first farat lady brassey original owner of the sunbeam went through this ravine on horseback horse back and describes it tn in her happy way the brasbey party parly an all also drove to ll instead and moneague Mo and through the valley of st and atter after three days ot of steady driving reached echo rios where the sunbeam lay walting waiting in lady Braa Bras aeye account of it she speaks of the great fields of bulnes grass which today feed countless herds of sleek cattle and tells the story of the accidental i introduction of the seeds of this valuable grass froom the coast of gulanes Oui Gu anea lanea in 1744 a quantity of the seed was sent as tood food for some parrots which had been forwarded from gulanda to jamaica the parrots died the seeds were thrown away took root and spread and in became a most moat important factor in the prosperity prosperd ty of the island st anns anne with its pastures and pepper groves is interesting as being the place where columbus was wrecked in 1503 he ran his caravans oara cara vals ashore and remained a whole year in the little bay which he named santa gloria history relates how the ships had became so go he stranded them and built thatched huts upon their thedr decks don clove as the precise spot where the oara cara vals vials lay is ie called ta is loveliest little bay in the world between walls of coral rock with a beach of yellow sand overhung with thicket thic kete 0 of sea grapes it looks just the spot which a mariner of good tast eor a buccaneer of the opera gouffe would choose in which to strand his ship the stooping shore affords a secure resting place and the coral ledges give eve protection n from stormiest seas and heaviest gales the way to gordon town an important village in the blue range ties lies by the side of hope river which cuts its way out of the mountains through a narrow fern fringed ravine at this time of year the stream trickles tackles gently enough along its rocky bed but during the rainy season it becomes a ragtag raging torrent sometimes raising to thirty or forty feet enormous boulders round as cannon balls and weighing hundreds ot of tons show with what rest restless power the floods sweep down within their limits no n o green thing grows and the rocks are bare and but just above high water mark tropical al vegetation waves in all its glory at gordon town the valley winds out and to la filled with coffee groven and oat cocoa palms though only IL a thousand teet let above kingston the air Is ia much cooler here we visited the plantation of a for aich iz owlett above the vilt egeon a tributary of hope river we drovetz drove to the villa upa up i steep winding lane lame between coffee bushes that perfume the air with their jet jea like eli blossoms and orange trees flowing with golden fruit ivy and passion vines cover the verandas and in the beautiful gardens surround hig the house roses and geraniums flourish to perfection from the draw drawing ng room windows you can see peak rising behind the Is lost lz in the and below the valley of hope river with its groves and gardens and scattered villas on the other side of the house the tributary stream has bas carved out a second ravane ne deep arid add dark comes fedot ly to the ear gordon town answers for a halfway half way house between ak hagston and new castle where the english troops are garrisoned a mile above the wa sea high overhead through openings in the hills you catch glimpses of the white barracks like specks of snow of the rugged scopes of the upper heights at gordon town horses must be buted for wheels and wraps and waterproofs er provided for sudden rains are apt ap to surprise the traveler in this land of the sky however clear and sunny it may be below space forbids a description lon of the pretty cottages and gardens of her maje officers the and aind einch cinchona orm plantations you should come and see it al for yourself As for the prospect from new castle words are of no use in convell ng an idea of the wide expanse of mountains ains spread out on every side some softly bounding and undulating others rugged with sharp declivities and seamed with deep ravines all veiled sm mists and clothed to their summits with the richest and most varied vegetation WARD BRIGHAM BRIG HAM |