Well," he replied, "it depends on what you call retrogression."

"Because," said I, "the ordinary British idea of a West India colony is a place where planters of enormous wealth live surrounded by happy negroes, perpetually dancing and singing when they are not

from thence to the moment when a morsel | lived here so long, how the colony is getof perspiring ice-pudding is dashed on ting on. Is it getting on at all?" our plate, preparatory to the introduction He laughed, and shrugged his shoulby Swipes of that rich old Château ders. "Don't call me a pessimist," he Margaux at forty shillings, every detail said, "but really, I can't say it is." of those dreadful dinners is familiar to us, "Retrograding?" I inquired. their heat, discomfort, and general misery. Here, on the contrary, everything was cool and fresh and pleasant. Gorgeous masses of roses, pink, yellow, and red, bordered by slender ferns or delicate laceplant, bloomed amid the silver and glass on the table, and filled the room with their fragrance. Instead of that abomina-working." ble Swipes and his greasy satellites, two smart young negroes, in white jackets and trousers, waited on us. Swift, noiseless, and attentive, they seemed all eyes and hands. Did you look round for the anchovy sauce? There was Joey at your elbow with it. Were you thirsty? Sam had your favorite beverage, iced to a nicety, ready in a twinkling.

Meantime, the talk flowed on. Mrs. Edgeware and Miss were deeply interested about the marriage of a naval officer with a Jamaica belle, which was soon coming off, and at which the young lady was to assist as bridesmaid; also about a ball, to be given by the officers of the guard-ship. Mr. S Mr. S and the judge were discussing the prospects of sugar and some Jamaican question of land reform; while our hostess, Edgeware, and myself were gossiping about the natives and their habits.

"My dear sir," said Mr. S―, "the ideal planter is as extinct as the dodo. I know the island pretty well, having lived here upwards of forty years; and with the exception of " he mentioned two or three names "there are not a dozen sugar-planters in solvent circumstances on the island. The sugar industry, the staple of the island, is simply a thing of the past. I am sorry to say it, but it's true."

"Indeed," I replied. "I thought the labor question, which I suppose is the great question" ("Only one of them,' said Mr. S), "had been solved by the coolie importation."

Mr. S laughed. "You'll find plenty of people to say so," he said; "and perhaps they believe it. My answer is a very practical and prosaic one. If you were to come over on a visit to me to Trelawney, I'd shew you, in a morning's ride, districts extending for twenty or said, when we ❘ thirty miles, which were formerly valuable sugar estates, all abandoned by their owners."

"It is a great point with them to imitate the whites," Mrs.

were sitting over our coffee; "and sometimes the effect is rather absurd. For instance, a friend of ours, Mrs. Mmade her housemaid a present of a castoff riding-habit and tall hat; and next Sunday the girl made her appearance in church with the tall hat stuck on the top of a red turban. It was too much for my husband's gravity; and he made me tell her that in England a hat and turban were never worn together."

"Left absolutely derelict, do you mean?" I asked.

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Absolutely derelict," he replied; "and the same process is going on. Day by day, estate after estate is being abandoned, as not worth keeping."

"And what becomes of the land?" I inquired.

"In some cases, it is squatted on; in others, it goes to bush; and in many cases the government is taking it up, and selling it out to the people at four or five pounds an acre. Indeed," continued Mr. S- "this abandoning of estates by their owners has been attended by most disastrous consequences to the poor people."

"How is that?" I asked.

"Well," he replied, "it happens this way. After an estate is abandoned, somebody assuming to be owner or attorney [land-agent] of the property, takes it,

breaks it up into lots, and sells it to the poor people, putting the money in his pocket. Then, fifteen or sixteen years afterwards, the owner, or some purchaser from him, hearing the land has become worth something, comes back, and ejects all the people who have bought. But our friend the judge can tell you more about this than I can."

"The fact is," said the judge, “John Bull is taking a pull at his purse-strings. The sums of money spent in the island in former days were enormous. We had a bishop, four archdeacons, and a numerous clergy, paid by the State. We had a general commanding, a huge staff, and innumerable functionaries. All that is a thing of the past. We are dropping to our proper level accordingly."

"I can," said the judge. "What Mr. S has told you is perfectly true as to "The question is, what our proper level the scandals and hardships of the present will be, and when we will reach it," said state of affairs. And the reason of it is Mr. S- "It's a dangerous thing atthis, that the law regulating questions as tempting to prophesy; but given an to the possession of land in this island is island without trade, manufactures, or three centuries old. This law-I'll avoid capital-with the white race decreasing technicals, to spare our fair friends - but and the black increasing with no upper this law, in force here at the present mo- classes except a knot of salaried officials ment, would in some cases allow an owner-lastly, with an immense extent of land to stay away beyond seas for any time in the hands of government, ready to be less than sixty years; and then, when he sold to the negroes at five pounds an acre did come back, give him ten more years - it's not difficult to guess what we are to bring his action of ejectment. In drifting to." order to confer a prescriptive right in Jamaica, it is necessary to have had unchallenged possession of a piece of land for twenty years, and this possession must be what lawyers call ' 'adverse.'

"What?" I asked.

"to the

"Simply," replied Mr. Soriginal state of the island before a white face was seen here. The island from end to end will be covered with a multitude of "That's a technical, I'm sure," cried peasant proprietors, each cultivating his Mrs. Edgeware. one or two acres. Emigration and cli"Come, come!" said the judge, laugh-matic causes will thin out the few thouing. "You are right, Mrs. Edgeware; it sand whites in the country, and none will is a technical, and a disastrous one for come here to replace them. It will be Jamaica peasants who become purchasers one of the quietest, most orderly, and of land. It is enough to say, that under most standstill communities on earth. its operation a man might formally buy When the last white is gone, and the last land, pay his money for it, remain twenty-acre bought by a negro, why then five or thirty years in possession, and then Mr. S- paused. be turned out by the absentee owner. It is needless to say that the common sense of the British legislature has swept away the legislative cobweb."

"What then?" said I.

"Why then," said Mr. S- -, laughing, "John Bull will begin to consider whether it is worth his while to keep up an army of officials, and to spend thousands of pounds in keeping troops at New-Castle to watch Quashee planting yams."

"You see," resumed Mr. S-, "it was the sugar industry that was the foundation of the island's wealth. The collapse of that, consequent on emancipation; the "And then," said the judge, rising, abolition of protection; the production of "John Bull will pension off liberally that beetroot sugar, and other things, have knot of salaried officials' you mentioned, brought about the collapse of everything Mr. S. And you and I, dean, will else. We have no manufactures no learn whist, and betake ourselves to Bath trade, except a small trade in cattle and or Cheltenham to end our days. Goodfruit; there is no immigration —no influx night, good folks all. Good-night, Mr. O. of capital, and no prospect of either." I am sorry you're leaving us. Let them know at home that we're not quite savages up here in our hills;" and the judge departed.

"A while ago," I remarked, "when I asked you was the island retrograding, you said it depended on what I called retrogression. Now the picture you paint seems very like what I call retrogression." Still," said Mr. S—, smiling, "we are progressing towards peasant-proprietorship, which a great many people think a very desirable state of things."

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It only confirmed what I had heard before | saw a lot of urchins in the school near from various sources during my stay in Jamaica. All the evidence showed me that any scheme of white immigration was out of the question. In several parts, and those the healthiest parts of the island, it had been tried, and failed. While the white man going to Jamaica, may with reasonable precautions preserve his health, there is a steady deterioration in his descendants. Nobody who has lived in the island can fail to notice the languor and listlessness and want of physique apparent in the Creoles even of the purest white blood. If, then, this white race were to die out, was there any chance of the blacks bettering their position? All that I had heard or seen led me to the conclusion there was none. I know no instance of any, even the smallest rumshop, being owned by a black. They seem totally devoid of the mercantile instinct. Go into any of the Kingston stores. The clerks behind the counters and at the desks are sometimes white, nearly always colored, but never black. On the other hand, the heavier menial work is always done by blacks. There is nothing to prevent their rising in the world apparently. A good education is within the reach of all, and money in comparatively large sums they can and do save. Two generations almost have grown up since emancipation, so that its degrading associations have had time to pass away. Yet the Jamaica negro does nothing. Living on next to nothing a negro can live easily on a couple of shillings a week he saves and saves till he buys an acre of provision-ground. If he has a grown-up family, he saves and saves till he can buy another acre, on which he plants a son or daughter. The same process goes on repeating itself ad infinitum; but I never heard of any instance | of a negro attempting anything more than this. The younger men having acquired this provision-ground, spend all their money on clothes.

It must be said in their favor that they are a quiet, orderly, sober race; I never, during several months' stay in Jamaica, saw a drunken negro. They are religious too; and their religious tendencies are sometimes a nuisance, inasmuch as a favorite spiritual exercise of theirs is to assemble together and keep roaring Messrs. Moody and Sankey's hymns all night. But as to ideas of progress, they have none. Yet in some respects they are intelligent enough. Especially they have considerable dramatic powers. I

Craigton act some dramatic scenes with extraordinary spirit. On another occasion, Charley Edgeware's servants extemporized a theatre out of a half-ruined out-house, and played the opening scenes of the first part of "Henry IV." They had posters stuck up on the trees about, and actually got tickets printed. We all went up for half an hour; and really, considering the difficulties they labored under, the affair was a great success. The wild prince was arrayed in red and white striped knickerbockers, an old scarlet tunic, and a French képi stuck on the back of his woolly head. But it was darkly hinted to me that they had not the faintest glimmering idea what the speeches meant which they recited so glibly. Their teachers will tell you that up to the age of thirteen or fourteen, they manifest very great quickness of apprehension; but after that, their mental growth seems to stop. They are as imitative as monkeys, and as vain as peacocks. They imitate the English in every way. A negro wedding is a sight to see. I am afraid, by the way, that it is the opportunity for display that it affords, rather than any regard for the sanctity of the tie, that induces them to marry at all. They have a regular swell breakfast, all sorts of joints, sweets, wine, fruit, etc. The funny part of this is, that the ordinary Jamaica negro rather dislikes meat, preferring a mess of split peas, rice, and salt fish. But as the whites have meat, so must theỳ. Their dresses on such occasions, the women's especially, are sometimes irresistibly ludicrous, from the extraordinary jumble of colors and materials composing them. saw the major's cook going to a wedding. He had a black frock-coat, white waistcoat, patent boots, and an enormous bouquet. Over the waistcoat hung a huge eyeglass, through which, I need hardly say, he could not see. So that all the difference apparently, between the negro of the past and the present is, that the latter can read and wears clothes. Having come to which conclusion, I fell asleep.

I

to

All my luggage being sent on early, I started down hill with Charley's groom next morning at half past six, having bid farewell a long one I am afraid my kind host and hostess. For the last time I crawled down the rough bridlepaths, dismissing the groom at the bottom of the hill with a gratuity which will enable him to buy the most splendid waistcoat in Kingston. For the last time I

bumped over the uneven road, and reached | falls away slowly toward the Chesil Bank, Kingston about an hour before the "Mo- while on the dim horizon the white rock selle"-for it was she was to start. I of Portland stands like a huge wedge of had secured my berth beforehand, and limestone against the faint skyline. The Allen was there to welcome me to my old thick end of the wedge turns toward the place. Shortly, the hawsers were cast off land, and rises some five hundred feet in and the great screw began to throb, and I sheer height; the thin end tapers off to was on my way home again. As we sea-level in the direction of the open passed Port-Royal, a voice from behind channel, and prolongs itself under the accosted me. Stranger," it said, "I waves for many miles in the dangerous reckon Jamaiker is a one-horse consarn." Race of Portland- a rocky ledge better It was an American gentleman who known than loved by homeward-bound made the observation, and — I am afraid ships. The cliffs in this direction have I agreed with him. all lost their top layer of chalk by the wearing action of water, and only show the lower tiers of sandstone covering the lias - an arrangement which has secured for the tallest among them the name of Golden Cap. But to the west the white chalk still peeps out picturesquely above the whole mass, through green trees and broken undercliff, though its advanced shoulders hide the view along the shore towards Seaton, and it is only in clear weather that we can catch a glimpse of the distant Devonshire coast, including the long promontory of Berry Head and the dim but bold outline of the Start.

From The Cornhill Magazine. LYME REGIS; A SPLINTER OF PETRIFIED

HISTORY.

the

IN the very deepest bend of the great West Bay which sweeps round in a wide arc from the grey Bill of Portland to the red coast of Devonshire near Torquay, nestles the little forgotten borough of Lyme Regis. A quiet wee town is Lyme, set at the bottom of a tiny valley, where a miniature river cuts its way through soft Here at Lyme the present writer generlias cliffs into the sleepy sea. On the ally poses as an idyllic Melibus through three landward sides the hills shut in the the summer months, accompanied of town, so that every road which leaves it course by Phyllis and all the little Delias in any direction mounts at once a few or Damons. It is indeed a strictly buhundred feet or so to the level of the colic place, almost six miles from the downs above. These downs consist of nearest railway, and as yet unassailed by three different rocks, a soft blue lias be- school-boards or women-suffrage associalow, a yellow sandstone belonging to the tions. And as Ithe Melibœus in greensand formation midway, and a grey-question ish white chalk on top of all. Once upon a time (as fairy-tales and men of science say) the downs stretched all along the coast for many miles at a uniform height of some six hundred feet, and showed on their seaward escarpment all three layers of blue mud, yellow sandstone, and white chalk. Gradually, however, the water has worn a channel for the little river Lym through the two upper strata, and at the bottom of the small amphitheatre thus formed stands the existing town of Lyme. Similar channels have been worn further to the east by the rivers Char and Brit, and at their seaward extremities are built the towns of Charmouth and Bridport. Lesser valleys, again, break the line of cliff in between these three main openings. So now, if you stand on Lyme Cobb as we call the old stone pierthe view to eastward embraces an undulating coast, which dips down into frequent hollows and rises again into bold bills, till at last the whole country-side

depend largely upon neighboring walks for my mental stimulation, I have naturally learned to love every field, path, and village for ten miles around. Moreover, being (amongst other things) of an antiquarian turn of mind, I take an interest everywhere in the local names and the history which they contain. For every local name has of course a meaning, and it was first given for a definite reason. Thus we may regard names in some sort as a kind of philological fossils, and we shall find that to hunt out their derivation and origin is not less interesting to the mind (and far less rough on the clothes) than to hunt for ammonites and saurian bones in the lias cliffs around us. I propose, therefore, to take you all, my kindly readers, for a few walks in the country about Lyme, examining as we go the names of the various points we traverse; and I hope to show you that these splinters of petrified history are far more interesting, even to the casual observer, than you would be at all likely to

suspect at first sight. I choose Lyme | stock on the Culm, and Tavistock on the merely because I happen to know the country well; but if I once set you upon the right track, you will be able easily to look up the local names of your own neighborhood in the same manner, and you will find the occupation, I trust, both amusing and instructive.