ings, which I fhall particularly fpeak of. The church is fituated in the South-East quarter of the town, near the entrance coming from Paffage Fort. It is an elegant building of brick, in form of a cross, confifting of four ailes, of which the main aile meafures one hundred and twenty-nine feet in length, and twenty-nine in breadth. As it is without a tower, the congregation is fummoned by a small bell hung in a wooden frame, which is erected in the church-yard; the pulpit, pews, and wainscotting, are of cedar and mahogany; and the ailes for the moft part paved with marble. The altar-piece is handsome, and adorned with carved work; and the decalogue in gilt letters: fronting it, at the Weft end of the main aile, is a gallery fupported on columns, and furnished with an exceeding fine organ, which coft 440/. fterling, and was fet up in the year 1755. The organift has a falary of 120l. per annum currency, paid by the parishioners, and receives other emoluments, his affistance being generally required at the funeral obfequies even of the free Negroes and Mulattoes buried in this parish. The cieling is neatly coved, and graced with two magnificent chandeliers of gilt brafs; and the walls are hung with feveral monuments of marble, plain, but well-executed. The governor's pew is diftinguished from the reft by being raised higher, and crowned with a canopy. The two chandeliers were the gift of private perfons; and part of the communion plate, I have been told, was plundered from a Roman catholic church fome years ago, at the attack of Port Louis, in Hifpaniola: it has more of grandeur than elegance in its fashion. The building was erected in two years, at the parochial expence, on the foundation of the former one, which was irreparably damaged by the hurricane of August, 1712. About the year 1762 it received a thorough repair, and at present yields to none in the ifland for a becoming neatnefs. The provifion made for the rector confifls of a very convenient dwelling-house in the town; fixty acres of rich pafture-land, within a small diftance of it, the donation of Mr. Edward Morgan in 1674; and upwards of five hundred acres in the neighbourhood, patented in the fame year for the use of the parish of St. "Catharine, towards the maintenance of the minifter:" but this latter parcel has not as yet been appropriated to the original defign;

the

the different incumbents having been either unwilling or unable, by reafon of the expence, to disturb the poffeffion of those perfons who have occupied it; though it will fcarcely admit of a doubt, but that it was meant as a glebe, to be annexed to the rectory in perpetuum, there being no other affigned to the purpose. The prefent rector is Doctor Lindfay; the ftipend is 300l. currency per annum: but the whole profit of the living has been estimated double that fum at least; for, as the duty is great, the occafional fees are confiderable.

The chapel ftands on the South fide of the square, near the governor's house. It is built much in the ftyle of the common-halls belonging to the inns of court in London: the walls are crowned with battlements; and on the centre of the roof is a cupola and clock. It was founded just after the earthquake of 1692, in a religious panic, during the adminiftration of Sir William Beefton. How long it remained confecrated to pious ufes is uncertain; but the founder, as if conscious that a wicked race of people would fucceed, who, forgetful of that calamity, might incline to profane it, caused an infcription, cut in marble, to be fixed up on one end of the building; which denounces a moft terrible imprecation against any person or persons who should dare to put it to any other use than that for which it was originally intended. Notwithstanding this, it was afterwards converted into an arfenal of fmall-arms, chiefly for the free Negroes and Mulattoes. In the year 1760, it contained two thousand fix hundred and feventy-two ftand of firelocks, and three hundred and three brace of pistols: it generally has a ftand of about three thoufand; for keeping of which in good order, the affembly pay an annual falary to an armourer. Adjoining to this ftructure is the guard-houfe; where a party of regulars are every day on duty to attend the governor. The governor's, or, as it is more usually called, the king's houfe occupies the whole West fide of the fquare. The plan of this pile was defigned and approved of under the adminiftration of lieutenant-governor Moore; but the building was not completed till the arrival of his excellency governor Lyttelton in 1762. It was erected, at the fole charge of the island, under the inspection of Mr. Crafkell, then engineer of Jamaica, and defigned for the ufual place of refidence

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of the commander in chief. The expence of building and furnishing it amounted to near 30,000l. currency; and it is now thought to be the nobleft and best edifice of the kind, either in North-America, or any of the British colonies in the Weft-Indies. The first floor is raised about four feet above the ground; the fecond is an Attic ftory; the length of the façade is about two hundred feet; and of the whole range, including the yard and offices, about two hundred and fixty. The cornices, key-ftones, pediments, copings, and quoins, are of a beautiful free-ftone, dug out of the Hope river course, in St. Andrew's parish. The entrance is by a lofty portico, projecting from the middle of the front about fifteen feet, fupported by twelve columns of Portland-ftone, of the Ionic order. The pediment which rifes above the Attic story is fuperb, and very properly ornamented with the imperial arms of GreatBritain, in carved work well-executed. The pavement of the portico is of white marble, the afcent to which is by a flight of steps of the fame material. This portico gives an air of grandeur to the whole building, and very happily breaks the length of the front. Two principal entrances lead through it into the body of the house; the one opens into a lobby, or ante-chamber; the other, into the great faloon, or hall of audience, which is well-proportioned, the dimenfions being about feventy-three by thirty feet, and the height about thirty-two: from the cieling, which is coved, hang two brafs gilt luftres. A fcreen, of feven large Doric pillars, divides the faloon from an upper and lower gallery of communication, which range the whole length on the West fide; and the upper one is fecured with an elegant entrelas of figured iron work.. The Eaft or oppofite fide of the faloon is finished with Doric pilafters; upon each of which are brafs girandoles double-gilt; and between each pilafter, under the windows of the Attic ftory, are placed, on gilt brackets, the bufts of feveral ancient and modern philofophers and poets, large as life; which being in bronze, the darkness of their complexion naturally fuggefts the idea of fo many Negroe Caboceros, exalted to this honourable diftinction for fome peculiar fervices rendered to the country. At the North end, over a door which opens into the lobby, is a small moveable orchestra, made to hold a band of mufic on feftive occafions. The furniture below

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below confifts of a great number of mahogany chairs and fettees, fufficient to accommodate a large company; this room being chiefly ufed for public audiences, entertainments, balls, and the hearings of chancery and ordinary. At the South end are three foldingdoors, opening into a spacious apartment, in which, by the governor's permiffion, the council ufually meet; whence it has received the name of the council-chamber. At this end it was defigned to place full-length portraits of their prefent majefties, and likewife of the prince of Wales and his late majefty, between the pilafters; but I am informed they have not yet been obtained. Above the council-chamber is a banqueting-room, or drawing-room, of the fame fize, hung with paper, and neatly furnished. This room communicates with the upper gallery and a back stair-cafe, and enjoys view of the faloon through fome windows ranging with thofe of the Attic ftory: it is feldom used, except on public days, and is fectly well-calculated for the purpose. These different apartments take up about one-half of the whole building. The room over the lobby, being fomewhat darkened by the pediment of the portico, was converted by governor Lyttelton into a chapel, for private devotions. It is neatly fitted up, and with great propriety adapted to this ufe. The Northern divifion of the house confifts of three large rooms below, communicating with each other, and with a long gallery; all of which are handfomely furnished and well-lighted: this gallery has commonly been used either for public fuppers, when balls were given in the hall, or as a sheltered and retired walk in wet weather. The upper ftory is difpofed in a suite of chambers, divided by a long narrow gallery from a range of fmaller apartments or closets, intended for lodging the governor and part of his houfhold. The two Northernmost rooms above and below are provided with a chimney, and all the neceffary apparatus for a good fire; which in the rainy feafons is healthy and not difagreeable. In this new building are three ftair-cafes, all of which are private; a circumftance, perhaps, overlooked when the plan was drawn, and not more attended to when it came to be executed: yet there is fufficient fpace in the lobby for carrying up a very magnificent central one, anfwerable to the other parts of fo capital a ftructure; and this no doubt will, fome time or other, be

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added, as a neceffary improvement to compleat it. Behind is a small square garden, laid out in dry walks, and planted with Seville orange, genip, and other fruit-trees, with fome flowering fhrubs intermixed; but it is not fo well cultivated as to merit a further defcription. Adjoining to it are two little fquare courts, furrounded with the old buildings, which comprehend feveral lodging-rooms, the private fecretary's office, a large fervants hall, kitchen, and other convenient offices., South of the whole is a fpacious area, environed with the ftables, coach-houfe, granary, &c. and this area communicates with, the parade, or great fquare, by a large gateway. All the apartments and offices belonging to the house are extremely commodious and airy. In fhort, I believe there is no one of all the colonies where the commander in chief is lodged in a manner more suitable to his convenience, and the dignity of his rank. On the oppofite fide of the parade, directly fronting the governor's house, is a coloffal building, erected likewife by the inhabitants of the ifland at a very great expence: it was begun about feventeen or eighteen years ago; but is not yet completed, nor probably ever will be. It puts us in mind of the gentleman's beard, defcribed by Martial, that grew under the operation of a bungling barber; the half first-fhaved called again for the razor before the other half was finished. This huge pile of brick and mortar is rudely raised into two ftories. Below is an arcade of large extent, of fixteen circular arches, and one elliptical in the centre, of ruftic work, upon the top of which is a lofty pediment raised upon four Doric columns. The body of the building is retired, to afford an open gallery, fecured by a ballustrade, and floored with pitch pineboards, very badly adapted to the climate, where the rain and fun are fo deftructive to wood-work thus expofed. The upper ftory is afcended by a large ftair-cafe, which divides from the first landing into two branches, both terminating at the two ends of a spacious lobby; the South end opens into the affembly-chamber and speaker's room; the other end, into the court-house and jury-room; and the front, into the gallery. Below are ranged the feveral offices of the ifland fecretary, provoft-marthal, register in chancery, and clerks of the crown and court; for the ufe of which, as they coft fomewhat annually in repairs, thefe officers pay to the public a certain moVOL. II. derate

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