pear as if they had been rifted on purpose to give it a paffage. The vale is almost daily throughout the year overcaft with a thick fog, which begins to rife flowly on the approach of evening, grows denfer as the night advances, becomes gradually diffused into all the contiguous vales or inlets among the furrounding mountains, is heaviest about the dawn of day, and remains fettled until the fun has warmed and agitated the air; then it rifes higher, expanding in the atmosphere; and between the hours of eight and nine in the forenoon it begins to flow away in two principal ftreams, the one Weftward among the mountains on that fide, the other Southward, following the courfe of the river. Early in the morning it is extremely thick; and, if viewed at this time from the fummit of the mountains, it affords the most lively reprefentation poffible of a large lake, or little fea: the feveral vales and collateral inlets. appear to be arms, harbours, bays, and creeks; the elevated spots, dispersed through it, and covered with trees, buildings, or canepieces, resemble fmall islands, which here and there uplift their diminutive heads above water, combining into view the most picturefque and delightful variety. This fog has been remarked as a fingular phænomenon almost from the first fettlement of the island. I shall not pretend definitively to explain the physical causes of it; the fubject has puzzled much abler heads: but as every one has a right to offer his conjectures; fo I may be allowed to submit mine, without affecting to controul the opinions of others.

The great abundance of rain that falls on the encircling mountains, their prodigious furface and fudden steep rise from the vale on all fides, may probably occafion a vast quantity of water to defcend inceffantly, through fubterraneous chafms, into fo low a fituation, as it were into a huge fink. The foil of the vale, which in general (as has been obferved) is a clay, may poffibly obstruct the free emergency of this water to the furface, except in particular places, where, the ftratum being thinner, the refiftance is lefs; or where gravel, fand, or mould of a loose texture, predominate. Accordingly, we obferve it copiously watered with several springs and rivulets, which have their fource among the adjacent high lands. But although thefe currents do not burst forth in all parts, yet the fmaller globules of water may gradually be rarefied and evaporate,

affifted

affifted by the native warmth of the marle below, and the action of the folar heat above; which enable thofe globules to penetrate the furface in form of vapour. In a vale encompaffed with fuch prodigious mounds, the folar rays muft ftrike with confiderable impreffion, and fupply the earth to a certain depth with a large ftock of heat, which doth not wholly leave it for many hours. after fun-fet. The ingenious Dr. Hales remarks, that fo great a heat as the fun occafions, at two feet depth under the earth's furface, muft needs have ftrong influence in railing the moisture at that and greater depths; whereby a continual reek must always be afcending, during a hot feafon, by night as well as by day; for the heat at two feet depth is nearly the fame night and day. The impulfe of the fun-beams giving, the moisture in the earth a brisk undulating motion, thefe aqueous particles, when feparated and rarefied by heat, ascend into the atmosphere. In the day-time, the rarefaction of these particles is fo great, that they pafs from the earth imperceptibly after fun-fet, the cool air, rushing downwards from the mountains, condenfes, and renders them vifible. In this state the fog refts brooding over the vale, for want of heat to raise it higher, or of wind to difpel it; for the land-wind does not ufually blow here with an impetuofity fufficient to drive it over thefe lofty barriers that hem in the vale: but it is obferved, that ftrong Norths in the winter-months force it vehemently through the opening of the Southern chain, through which the Cobre flows, and disperse it for feveral miles, even to Spanish Town, and fometimes beyond it; but, whenever this happens, no fog is to be feen in that quarter of the vale bordering on the Northern range of mountains from which the wind then fets. Another fingularity is, that, on the approach of a rainy day, this fog does not appear the antecedent evening; the reafon of which may be, that fuch evenings being always clofe and fultry, it is probable the rarefactiom continues as well by night as by day, and, the ufual condenfation: not taking place, the particles are not rendered obvious to the fight, although perhaps the reek at fuch times is rather more copious than at others. So in the low lands, on the evening preceding rain, the atmofphere feels unufually clofe and moift, the thermometer does not fink after fun-fet, no perceptible vapours are

noticed,

noticed, and no dew appears on the grafs. The unaltered ftation of the thermometer is alone an evident proof, that the heat of the atmosphere is not diminished, and confequently, that the vapours

remain uncondenfed.

Fogs are generally fuppofed detrimental to health; but the fog of Sixteen-mile-walk by no means deferves this imputation. The inhabitants do not fcruple to expofe themfelves to it freely; nor is it known to produce any effects injurious to them. The principal caufe of its inoffenfive quality may be, that it is not mixed with any fulphureous or noxious exhalations; at least, it is without any fenfible fmell; which would moft certainly not be the cafe, if it was much impregnated with any fuch effluvia. Its good effects confift in the copious dew which it theds upon the trees and herbage, and which fupports them in the driest weather in a flourishing ftate. Thofe long drowths therefore, which fometimes happen in this ifland, fo fatal to the eftates in general, affect the plantations in this vale but very little; the fog fupplying, in a great measure, the want of rains, or at least fo far as to fave the canes from perifhing in the manner they do in other parts of the island.

The North-west part of this vale is called The Maggoti, a tract of favannah lying near the foot of Monte Diablo. The name of this favannah gave rife to a story, that, whenever it rains here, the drops which fall upon any perfon's cloaths become maggots in half an hour. This wonderful metamorphofis, reported probably at first by way of joke to fome credulous inquirer, has with all its abfurdity been fwallowed, and retailed by feveral authors, copying one from the other, and gravely recorded by them among the notabilia of this ifland. Thefe maggots, however, never exifted, except in the brains of the inventor. The name, perhaps, was of Spanish extraction, compounded of Maga (an enchantrefs), and Oteo (watching on a high place); alluding probably to the pinnacle of Monte Diablo, over which the thunder-clouds fo frequently break, as, together with its horrid afpect, to make it seem a proper refidence for a witch, under patronage of the Devil, to whom the mountain was dedicated. The road leading from Sixteen-mile-walk to St. Anne croffes this mountain, traverfing the face of it, which is fo fteep, that few travelers venture to de

fcend

fcend on horse-back. Some tradition, perhaps, remained concerning the origin of the Magotti, when a fmall house of refreshment was kept on the highest part of the road, many years ago, known by the fign of Mother Red-cap; which name that part still retains,

The cavern at River-head in the North-West part of the vale extends near a quarter of a mile under a mountain, or perhaps more, it being impoffible to explore the whole length, on account of the river Cobre, which occupies the inmoft part of it, and, running for a confiderable way, fuddenly fhoots through a hole in the rock on one fide, and continues its current under ground for a confiderable diftance from the cave. That this river draws its origin from fome large ftream in the mountains, far beyond the cave, seems evident, by its rifing or falling in exact proportion as the rains are heavy or otherwife in the mountains. After very heavy rains, the river is fo fwelled, that, unable to vent itself at the hole, the fuperfluous water disembogues through the mouth of the cavern. An ingenious man attempted, a few years fince, by fixing a flood-gate acrofs the hole, to force the current of the river into a regular channel by the mouth of the cavern, and conduct it from thence to turn water-mills on the neighbouring estates, The undertaking had all the appearance of being practicable, but was laid aside after the death of the projector. Near the foot of the Northern ridge, at no great diftance from the road which leads over Monte Diablo, is a cocoa-nut tree of very fingular growth. About thirty feet or more above the bafe, it divides into two diftinct ftems, which, continuing their afcent for feveral feet, at an angle thus V, and at pretty equal elevation above the main ftem or body of the tree, are crowned with tops of beautiful foliage, and nearly of the fame magnitude; but whether both are productive of fruit or not I could not learn. As no other of the like figure has been observed in the island, it may be regarded as a lufus naturæ, of a very unusual kind. The pafs which admits a communication between Spanish Town and this vale ought not here to be unmentioned. After traveling about three miles from the town on a pretty level road, we come to a fugar-plantation, formerly called by the Spaniards Los Angelos, and now The Angels. Juft beyond this begins the entrance of the pafs. From hence to VOL. II.

I

the

the opening into Sixteen-mile-walk, for the space of four miles and a half, is a continuation of precipice on both fides, divided only by the river, except a fmall elbow at the end of four miles, where a few acres of level ground at the foot of these ridges has admitted of a little fugar-work. The road cut into the fide of the mountain falls by an eafy defcent to the bridge, and croffing the river is conducted along the remainder of the way not many feet above the furface of the water: it is therefore fubject to be broken away in many places by the violence of floods; but this inconvenience is fubmitted to from the impracticability there appeared of carrying it higher through fuch immenfe maffes of rock as form impediments the whole way. For a confiderable length, the road is walled up; and, as it is fo liable to damage, not only from inundations of the river, but the falling of large trees, rocks, and earth, from the impending crags and precipices under which it runs, the expence of repairing it is very great, and requires a standing body of workmen, who are employed the whole year to keep it in order. The height of the mountains on each fide overfhadowing it morning and afternoon, the paffage is extremely cool and agreeable; every turn of the road prefenting the eye with new appearances of the river, the rocks, and woods; whilft the water, fometimes roaring and foaming in its current, where it is confined to a narrow and rugged channel; at other times gliding smoothly and filently along, delights the traveler with an alternate variety. At the end of four miles, the mountain called Gibraltar opens to view vaft folid wall of rock of prodigious height, whofe furface, apparently perpendicular, is nevertheless cloathed with trees and fhrubs from the bafe to the fummit; the tops of one row terminating where the roots of the next row begin, fo as almoft to feem growing one upon the other. After heavy rains a cataract fpouts from the pinnacle of this ftupendous mafs, rendering it still more awful and romantic. The defile continues not far beyond this majestic object, though not widening till we enter at once the extenfive and beautiful vale of Sixteen-mile-walk. The air of this vale was fufpected formerly of producing the Weft-India colic or belly-ach; but, as that disorder does not feem at present to be particularly attached to the spot, fome other cause must have made