Hence the glowing description which he transmitted to his royal patrons, Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain. 'These countries as far exceed all others in beauty and conveniency, as the sun surpasses the moon in brightness and splendour. Never will the writer forget the feelings of wonder and admiration with which he first beheld Jamaica, the most beautiful of the group. He was standing on the deck of the vessel as she entered the harbour of Port Morant, at its eastern extremity. It was at an early hour of the morning, the land wind had died away, and not a breath swept the glassy surface of the dark blue sea. Before him stood the Blue Mountains rising by an almost abrupt acclivity from the water's edge, their tops enveloped in clouds, and covered from their base to their highest elevation with huge forest-trees and shrubs of novel appearance and beauty, partially obscured by the dense fog that crept along their sides. On either hand, as far as the eye could distinguish, the margin of the sea was fringed with the mangrovetree, interspersed with occasional clumps of the cocoa-nut and mountain-palm; far along the enchanting panorama were dwellings that now caught and reflected the first rays of the sun, while ever and anon, the full tide played in white breakers or in silver crescents on the shore."

"Beautiful islands! where the green
Which nature wears was never seen
'Neath zone of Europe; where the hue
Of sea and heaven is such a blue

• As England dreams not; where the night
Is all irradiate with the light

Of stars like moons, which, hung on high,
Breathe and quiver in the sky,
Each its silver haze divine

Flinging in a radiant line,

O'er gorgeous flower and mighty tree
On the soft and shadowy sea!
Beautiful islands! brief the time

I dwelt beneath your awful clime;
Yet oft I see in noon-day dream
Your glorious stars with lunar beam;
And oft before my sight arise

Your sky-like seas, your sea-like skies,
Your green banana's giant leaves,
Your golden canes in arrowy sheaves,
Your palms which never die, but stand
Immortal sea-marks on the strand,-
Their feathery tufts, like plumage rare,
Their stems so high, so strange and fair!
Yea! while the breeze of England now
Flings rose-scents on my aching brow,
I think a moment I inhale

Again the breath of tropic gale."

Of the birds of Jamaica, Mr. Phillippo remarks:

"It is notorious that, with the exception of the nightingale, or mocking-bird, but few of the feathered tribe are distinguished by the variety and melody of their notes. Their plumage, however, is exquisitely beautiful, and their

number, in addition to their variety in size and colour, affords a fine field for the gratifying pursuits of the ornithologist. The green parrot, the banana-bird, the green todie, the small martin, and the different species of the hummingbird, are the most attractive. The beauty and elegance of the latter, in form and plumage, defy description, exhibiting alternately, as it flutters and shifts its position to the sun, all the colours of the rainbow, in exquisite combination-now a ruby, now a topaz, now an emerald, now all burnished gold.

. On their restless fronts

Bear stars illumination of all gems.'

Some of them are not larger than a moderatelysized beetle, and weigh not more than twenty grains. The most beautiful is the long-tailed species. It has plumes of about six inches long, crossing each other and expanding themselves into a fan-shaped tuft. They are otherwise distinguishable by their long and slender bills. The mandibles of the bill are finely toothed, or serrated on their edges-and their tongues, which are capable of considerable extension, are terminated by a small fork. This beautiful bird might be much more appropriately called the Bird of Paradise than that which has now the honour to bear the name."

A GOOD SERVANT.

SOME years ago an intelligent servant, then a slave, who was a member of the church at Spanish Town, came to her minister in great concern, saying she was about to remove with her mistress and family to Falmouth, where she would be deprived of all means of spiritual instruction. Her minister presented her with a Bible, and, knowing her ardent love to Christ, and her zeal for the promotion of his glory, encouraged her to hope that she might be taken there, in the providence of God, to open the way for the preaching of the gospel in that town and neighbourhood, at the same time recommending her to exert herself to the utmost for this object. She did so, seizing opportunities as she could obtain them from her daily work. She talked to her fellow-servants, went from house to house on the same errand of love, held prayer-meetings, formed a class, and so successfully persevered in her benevolent efforts, that in the course of two or three years she collected a number of between 200 and 300 souls, whom she presented to the missionary who first opened the station as her children in the gospel. After some further probation, and an investigation of their character

and qualifications, the greater part of them were baptized, and formed the origin of the church at Falmouth. Among the first fruits of her pious labours were two of her fellow-servants, who were baptized by the author in Spanish Town, whither they had come with their master on his annual visit as a member of the council. One of them was chosen a deacon of the church at Falmouth, and both himself and this devoted woman have ever since been among its most useful members and distinguished ornaments. Several other cases have occurred in which female servants have been instrumental in the conversion of their mistresses. The writer is personally acquainted with six such cases; two were wives of clergymen of the church of England, and the others ladies of equal respectability, while numbers have been induced to go to the house of God as the result of the importunities of their dependants. The influence of pious servants in this respect among the higher and middling classes of society in Jamaica will never be known until the resurrection of the just. Finding their inspiration in their theme, it may be said of these devoted people that, "Daily in the Temple and in every house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."