THE town of Trinidad, upon the south side of the island of Cuba, presents a very picturesque appearance from the sea. The dark blue mountains of St. Juan, rising to the height of three thousand feet, form the background of the picture, throwing the town into fine relief with its white walls and turrets. At a distance, it appears like a white blur upon the mountain-side. In any other region than the tropics it might, at first glance, be mistaken for a drift of snow, or a cloud resting upon the dark mountain's side, but the one is as impossible as the other, for, during the dry season, from October till April, not even a wreath of mist floats in the pure ether by day, or dims the brilliancy of the spangled blue of night. Gradually from this white obscure are shadowed

forth, in faint outlines, turrets and cupolas, at every step becoming more distinct, till at last the miniature houses with little dots for windows, stand forth brightly in the glare of a mid-day sun.

The ground between the sea shore and the town is barren and sandy, covered with brushwood, with here and there a clump of palms and the umbrageous mango, broken into lagoons, or pools of salt water, near the shore, which at a distance have a pleasing effect, but upon inspection, the delusion quickly vanishes. These pretty lakes are in reality nothing but salt bogs, tenanted by the land crab; the shores furrowed by the sand grub; and haunted by myriads of musquitoes.

The harbour, with its little port of Casilda, is formed by a thin strip of land, about two miles in length and densely covered with mangrove bushes. At the extremity of the point, or entrance to the harbour, is erected a small fort, which is apt to be submerged during a hurricane, and is never garrisoned by more than half a dozen soldiers. Between this fort and Cayo Blanco, a small island, is a narrow and intricate passage, through which can pass vessels only of a light draught.

With this bird's eye view of the town and harbour, we will proceed with our narrative.

In the latter part of the month of September of the year 180-, some forty or fifty of the merchants and planters of Trinidad were collected together at the head of Calle de Gutierez, discussing the various topics of the day, in which the probable rise and fall of the prices of sugar and molasses were decidedly the most interesting. Amongst this group, were the keen-looking Catalonian, the blunt Biscayan, and vivacious Andalusian-emigrants from the mother country, in the pursuit of wealth.

The joke was bandied about in that boisterous vein so peculiar to the Spaniard, interrupted occasionally by the presence of a passing signorita with flowing mantilla, when compliments would fall freely from the lips of all. Far from being offended, the lady appeared to consider it a just tribute to her personal charms-and reply with great gravity, muchisimas gracias, Caballeros-and pass on, with the grace and dignity of a queen. A Montero, upon a high-mettled pacer, darted up to the door, and saluted the group with that natural air of polite respect from which a true Spaniard never departs.

Senores, Caballeros; dios guard ustedes." "Gentlemen, God be with you-what do you think of the weather?"

"It looks bad enough," replied one; 66 we shall have it tough and strong-the mountain passes are dark as night, with heavy clouds."

"Yes," said another, "and the sea moans, and heaves upon Cayo Blanco in a way that forebodes a hurricane."

The sea did present a strange and unnatural appearance, covered—almost obscured-by masses of vapour rolling over the surface. The atmosphere was so perfectly calm that the flame of a candle burnt as steadily in the open air as if enclosed within a crystal vase. All were now busy speculating upon the indications of the heavens with the exception of one; to whom calms and storms apparently were alike indifferent.

Seated upon the counter, with abstracted air and folded arms, kicking his heels against the boards; there was an air of recklessness about the youth that plainly told his fortune to be desperate, and that he was at that

very moment turning over in his mind the probable chances of success for a dinner, already having failed in procuring a breakfast. The light blue eye, fair hair, and ruddy complexion disclosed at a glance his Anglo-Saxon blood; and as he gazed at the dark-eyed sun-burnt features that surrounded him, there was an expression which seemed to say-"Let it blow the whole island over to Africa for aught I care: I have neither kith nor kin here, and am as penniless as a Spanish beggar." Something out of the common order of events appeared to animate the group; some were collected together apart, in earnest conversation; others were mounting horses and scampering off to the Casilda, whilst a party upon the house-top were gazing through spy-glasses at the sea. The youth, before described, inquired of an individual who had just come down, and who closed his glass with a snap that shattered the instrument, exclaiming at the same time, " Caraho, she's gone!"

"What is the matter, Senor? there seems to be a screw out of place somewhere: what is it?"

"Why, Senor Americano, mio, there is a barque outside there, in which we are all interested—a good half million of freight, that is likely to be swamped by this infernal hurricane, or nabbed by John Bull, that's all."

The youth spoken to, mounted the steps and was quickly upon the parapet. Almost all the houses of Trinidad are constructed with flat roofs, with a parapet about three feet high, for the purpose of catching rain water during the wet season.

Upon reaching the parapet, he was astonished at the sudden change from a breathless calm to a furious gale

with every premonition of one of those terrible hurricanes that sometimes, in a single hour, lay waste whole districts. The inhabitants were hurrying to shelter in the greatest trepidation, closing their shops and barricading their doors and windows-the streets were already strewed with fragments of roofs and broken tiles torn from their fastenings by the first fury of the blast. The vultures, those licensed scavengers of every West India town, at all hours of the day, skimming over the tops of houses, or soaring to a great height in gigantic circles, were now crouching beneath the parapets, and the atmosphere was filled with flocks of screaming sea gulls, driven from their habitations upon the coasts and numerous islands, by the irresistible fury of the wind.

A drift, like smoke, rolled over the ocean and spread across the land to the foot of the mountain. At intervals, the surface of the sea, to the utmost limits of the wide extended horizon, was distinctly visible, lashed into a foam, and whirled aloft in wreaths of spray from the tops of the curling waves.

Two vessels were distinctly seen, scudding before the wind under close-reefed topsails. Onward they both came with the speed of race-horses, the one further seaward, from the cut of her canvass and squareness of yards, evidently a man-of-war, in full chase. As she rose upon a swell, her long dark hull and line of ports were visible; from the bow at the same moment issued a volume of smoke, which as suddenly was swept away by the wind, and mingled with the floating spray and haze, and ere the sound of the cannon had reached the shores, (in low, suppressed murmurs,) the Spanish barque had rounded Cayo Blanco, dropped her anchors, and