Our first stage was to Spanish Town, the political capital of the island, and the head quarters of the Legislature and Government. It is reached both by railway and road. The railway is the only one existing in Jamaica, and in its construction the zeal of the capitalists of the colony seems to have exhausted itself. For although an Act stands on the Statute Book enabling the proprietors to carry it some miles further, to Old Harbour, several years have elapsed without any attempt at its completion. The stations have a desolate look, and are much in need of repair. Three trains a day carry all the passengers. It is a single line, and runs for the most part through swamps, and a forest of acacia trees, the firewood of Kingston. Near Spanish Town are a few cultivated spots, and a penn or two; and over these clearings are obtained glimpses of the mountain ranges beyond.

The turnpike road, a good macadamized highway, in excellent repair, led us by gardens fenced with cactus, and under the shade of some magnificent cotton trees; it skirted plantations of sugar cane, and passed numerous neat dwellings of the peasantry. After the comparative bustle of Kingston, the capital appeared exceedingly dull as we drove through its streets; and indeed, excepting that portion of the year in which the Legislature is in session, it can scarcely be said to exhibit any signs of life.