During this voyage a heavy
tornado tested the little sloop to her utmost. She was driven far out of
her course. It was four days ere they reached Kingston on the southward
of the island, instead of Richmond whither they were bound. They spent a
few days in the quaint, old town and picked up several curiosities. The
sloop was then headed for the Cariacou islands, a large group which
dot the ocean between St. Vincent and Granada. Many of these islands
are uninhabited by human beings. They are low and loaded down to the
water's edge with rich, tropical vegetation. The sloop spent six weeks
in this group. Every available part of the boat was packed with coral
and all kinds of curiosities. A run was then made to Charlottetown,
Granada, where the collection was discharged, cleaned and packed in
hogsheads all ready for the first boat that would call, bound for New
York. Here the sloop was again provisioned, then she set out for Tobago
about one hundred miles southeast. A cruise was made around the entire
island, but the collection was not remunerative. The sloop was then
headed to Trinidad, and along the north coast, valuable specimens were
picked up. In this same locality they struck on a reef of exquisite
brain coral, with which they loaded the sloop.
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