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CHAPTER XXI.

FORT CHARLOTTE.

"I'll to my charge, the citadel, repair."

Dryden.

PERHAPS I could not have been on a more delightful spot than the citadel at Fort Charlotte. A sprightly and refreshing breeze, blowing over the battlements, cooled the air, and gave a pleasant medium to the temperature of the atmosphere, making it neither too hot nor too cold. Then the view on all sides, above and below, was of surpassing loveliness. On one side Kingstown, sleeping in the valley below, and encircled with a grand and mighty chain of majestic mountains, whose lofty summits were seldom visible; on the other, the deep blue waters of the Atlantic, extending as far as the horizon, where ships, destined for some other island, might be seen passing in the distance like mere specks upon the ocean. Opposite the Grenadines, a beautiful little cluster of islands and rocks, some barren and some cultivated, then the bay itself, crowded with small craft, such as sloops, schooners, cutters, &c. in the midst of which, like giants among men, were some dozen of square rigged vessels, with their ensigns flying at their

peaks in honor of his Majesty's Brigantine, the Duke of York, which looked prettier than all, as she lay, with her raking masts, painted ports, and sails bent, displaying her white banner and waving her long pendant in the passing breeze.

I admired the view greatly; and on my expressing a wish to see more of the fort, Major D-— kindly offered to accompany me round the fortifications, a description of which may not be uninteresting to the reader.

Fort Charlotte is erected upon Berkshire Hill, an eminence six hundred feet above the sea, from which the ascent is steep, rocky, and inaccessible.

After crossing the drawbridge on the road from town, the first object that presents itself beyond the guard-house, is a small parade ground, situated on the top of a rock immediately before the commandant's quarters; then all along the way leading to the citadel, which is dangerously steep, are the quarters and barracks of the engineer and staff officers; half way up is the mess room, before which is a platform where the regimental band entertain the officers with music during dinner; higher up than this there are three roads, or rather, pathways, branching off in different directions; one leading through an arched gate to the citadel itself, another to the officers' quarters, and the third to the barracks allotted to the men and officers of the artillery.

The regimental barracks are within the citadel, constructed of solid masonry, and capable of containing five hundred men. I should think they must be

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