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aid, though small in itself, is yet of material consequence in augmenting the inadequate salaries of all the clergy, has been extended to all denominations, and its principle of payment has been deemed an equitable

one.

Other religious bodies than the Church of England in Bermuda hold their property either by trust, deed, or special act of incorporation by the Legislature. In January 1896 the Salvation Army began their work in Bermuda at Hamilton. Bermuda now boasts of a cathedral, as Trinity Church, which was destroyed a second time by fire some years ago, has been entirely reconstructed and constituted a cathedral under the act of the Bermuda Legislature of 1894. Hamilton therefore should now be considered a city. The design of the building is not suited to the climate, as the ventilation is insufficient, and at times it is oppressively hot inside; it would be better suited to a more northern clime. No expense has been spared in its construction, stone having been imported from Caen in Normandy for use in the arches, dressings of doors, windows, mouldings, &c. Some freestone was also procured from Nova Scotia, and polished granite from Peterhead, Scotland, for supporting the arches of the nave and aisles. Arbroath pavement stones were obtained from Leith, Scotland; the bosses of groining in porches came from South Devon, England. In addition to this the best native limestone has been used.

The educational interests of Bermuda have been maintained principally by private enterprise. The Act of 1870 relating to popular education, successively renewed, is that under which the present system of public education exists, so much per head with certain allowances being granted each school under the inspection of the Board of Education through their inspector. Bishop Berkeley's name is preserved in an educational associa

tion for promoting higher education, called after him, in which the well-to-do of the coloured population have taken a considerable interest.

The Devonshire College, under the Act of 1816, existed only between the years 1829 and 1835, when the building was utilised for another purpose, and the funds divided between the white and coloured in equal shares for the establishment of a grammar school and master's residence for each class, within at least one mile of the town of Hamilton. The funds for the coloured school have not been sufficient to lead to much practical result, but those for the former class have been utilised in buying a house and grounds, which have been leased to Mr. Thomas Waddington, B.A., London, the head-master of the Saltus Grammar School. This institution was endowed by Samuel Saltus, Esq., who died in 1880, leaving the residue of his estate towards the support of a good school for white persons in or near Pembroke Parish; it was opened in 1880, and is well attended, boys even being sent over daily from as far as Ireland Island. There is a High school for girls, the head-mistress being Miss Tothill, of the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, England. There are also several other schools in the islands.

Bermuda possesses three newspapers-the Royal Gazette, the Bermuda Colonist, and the Bermuda Times, or People's Journal, published weekly.

The dockyard is of great importance, as it is used for refitting the North American Squadron; it contains the largest floating-dock in the world, which is, however, not now of sufficient capacity for our monster ironclads, so that it is proposed to build a large dry dock capable of accommodating the largest ships we are likely to send to those waters.

Bermuda is reached from England via either New York or Halifax; the passage takes from two to three days from New York and four from Halifax. Direct

steam communication between England and Bermuda would do much to remove the isolation which is at present felt by English residents in Bermuda in consequence of the delays often experienced in transhipping at New York and Halifax. Mr. W. T. James, Bermuda, has a steamer which takes cargo out direct from London and a few passengers, once in every month or six weeks, but there is no direct communication for the return journey. There is a service of

steamers between Bermuda and the West Indies.

Telegraph communication was opened with Halifax on the 14th July 1890 by the Halifax and Bermudas Cable Company, and their system has recently been extended from Bermuda via Turk's Island to Jamaica and the West Indies, and proved of great service during the Hispano-American war, as otherwise the West Indies would have been practically cut off from the rest of the world.

Telephonic communication between the different parts of the island is extensively utilised by the inhabitants, nearly every house being connected with one or other of the different exchanges.

The currency of the islands is British sterling, but American dollars circulate freely.

In writing this brief account I have drawn largely on "The Memorials of Bermuda," by Major-General J. H. Lefroy, R.A., C.B., F.R.S. (Longmans, Green, and Co.), a book which should be studied by every one desiring an intimate acquaintance with the history of Bermuda. I should mention also "A Historical Geography of the British Colonies," by C. P. Lucas, B.A. (Clarendon Press, Oxford); and “Bermuda: Past and Present," by John Ogilvy, M.A., M.D., Hamilton, Berinuda.

II.

WEST INDIES, CENTRAL AMERICA,

AND SOUTH AMERICA

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