The Bermuda Islands, Part III [pp. 376-379]

And the shell-plant appears-rarest of all-with
bulbous root and grass-like leaves, out of whose
folds arises a stalk that eventually bends to
the weight of a cluster of flower-shlells, at first
rolled up in white petals, tipped with red, but,
by and by opening their lips, so beautifully
crimsoned and veined with yellow! But the
century aloe must not be forgotten, which forms
tirom the ground a circle of long, fibrous, nar rowv, spiked leaves, out of which rises a shaft to
the height of twenty feet, with lateral branches,
becoming shorter and shorter, until lost in the
tuft at the top. On these branches come out
scores of golden, globular flowers, filled with
sunlighlt and nectar, of which, if the gods do
not drink, the bees do! The legend about this
plant, that it blossoms once in a hundred years,
seems to be that it blossoms once and dies,
but, like the banana, from the decomposition
of its leaves, springs forth the new offspring.
The cottages of the islanders stand, for the
most part, on the slopes and sometimes on the
hill-tops, catching the cool sea-breezes, and
commanding fine outlooks, while they thlem selves are quite conspicuous. They are built
from the coral limestone of the islands, sawed
by hand into blocks of the needed sizes: the
roofs, also, are covered with the same material,
prepared as slabs or slates. Many of the cot tages are whitewashed annually, which washing
not only keeps them sweet and clean, but it
also fills with lime the pores of the stone, and
thus shuts out the dampness. The wood-work
of the houses is of the durable cedar; and as
you look upon these snow-white dwellings, with
their green blinds, and contrasting so strongly
with the flowering shrubbery and creeping vines
that entwine them, you can not but admit the
picturesqueness of the scene! Sometimes, too,
the houses are down by the water's edge, and
the towns and villages often curve prettily
around the arms of the glassy sea! The gov ernor's house, the adlmiralty house, and the
commiissioner's house, are among the finest in
the country-the two former are on the hills
overlooking the town and harbor of Hlamilton
the latter stands on the high extremity of Ire land Island. The grounds around the gover nor's and admiral's house display thle chief
beauties of Bermudian scenery. The clean,
short, crab-grass covers the lawns, as, indeed,
it covers the vales and hills every-where be neath the cedars, and the plants and flowers, to
which I have referred, meet and greet you at
every turn! On the sea side of the admiral's
residence are some noted caves. The Earl of
Dundonald, several years ago, when naval com mander-in-chief, availed himself of the talent
and experience of some Cornish miners who
appeared among his crews, and had the cliff
undermined for a considerable distance along
the sea. The tunnel which they dug opens
at one end in a large apartment, which commands fine views of Grassy Bay and Ireland
Island. At the other extremity are pools of
clear, green-tinted water, which do so invite
you to a cool, refreshing bath, while boats
and yacthls belonging to the admiralty seem to
take pleasure in casting their mioving shadows
upon the mirroritng tides. The commissioner's
house is palatial in size and appearance, with
its double rows of verandas, and iron pillars
and railings, though it has been suffered to fall
much into decay: the wood-work is of solid
mahogany, and the mantel-pieces of fine marble.
A magnificent marble bath completed the luxuries of the establishment, while the out-houses
for various purposes were numerous. The whole
concern, under the circumstances, was one of
those stupendous follies which public functionaries have sometimes an aptness for committing, and cost the British Government ~6o,ooo
sterling, or $300,000!
But upon another of the Bermudian hills is
one of the finest and most useful structures in
the world. I refer to the light-house which
rises so conspicuously and cheeringly on Gibbs
Hill. The hill itself is about two hundred and
fifty feet in height, and the light is elevated in a
tower one hundred and thirty-three feet. The
flash of the lamp, which continues for six to
eight seconds each time, and is repeated every
minute, is one of the intensest of those known,
and throws its brilliance forty miles out at sea,
startling the mariner into assurance that he
is at least so near the reef-bound islands, and
must give no slumber to his eyelids! The view
from the gallery of the light-house, as from several of the hill-tops, is to be reckoned among
the finest of its kind in the world: the numerous evergreen islands so gayly anchored in the
seas, with only their crags and cedars, or with
grassy slopes and embowered cottages; the
seas themselves, now stretched out in their
blueness and glittering in the sunshine, or
green and glassy as they flow up under the
land; then the towns, with their white buildings, rising around the harbors; or the houses
and cottages, scattered over hill-sides and valleys, peeping out of the dark cedar shrubbery,
combine to make up a sea view of unsurpassed
beauty!
There are not many varieties of birds to enliven the scenery of Bermuda, or make the
groves or gardens vocal with their notes. The
few species that appear brighten with their
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