The party to which we have alluded, consisted of the Earl of Derwentwater, a noble looking gentleman, who, apparently had but just spent the prime of life,—­his fair niece, Mary Hamilton, a stately and beautiful girl, about twenty-three years of age,—­Arthur Huntington and his twin brother, Henry—­a huge red headed but fat and good natured son of the ‘Emerald Isle,’ who acted in the capacity of servant to the earl, and last, though by no means least, a beautiful golden haired, cherry cheerful nymph of fourteen, whom for the sake of a name we shall call Ellen Armstrong.

After having rambled about for a short space of time, the earl and his fair niece suddenly encountered each other on the brow of a rising eminence, when the latter then accosted her companion: 

’Dear uncle, this lovely island seems to me, like a miniature paradise, wherein I could always wish to live as long as the precious boon of life should be granted unto me.’

‘I declare, Mary,’ replied the earl, as a slight smile passed over his noble countenance, ’you appear to be an enthusiast in every thing.  I grant, that this is a beautiful spot, yet not to be compared in my estimation, even for a moment, with my lovely park near London, in merry old England.’

‘But, you forget, dear uncle,’ replied Mary Hamilton, ’that our English parks are not now what they once were.’

’How so, Mary, do not the staunch old oaks, grow to a height as lofty as of yore?’

’Perhaps they do, but still, uncle, there is too much art mixed up with nature, in our English scenery.  Here all is nature.’

’And I think you must be a very great lover of it, if you prefer this hilly, iron bound island, to the level green sward of Derwent park,’ replied the earl.

’I must still plead guilty of the charge of loving nature as it is, uncle,’ responded Mary.  ’I have seen it in a great variety of forms.  I have viewed its high grandeur amid the forests and mountains of America; but never before this hour, have I ever seen it so pure, so serene, and so calmly beautiful.’

‘I must needs own, that this is at present, a quiet place enough,’ answered the earl, ’but do you not know, dear Mary, that even here, the face of nature is oft times suddenly changed, by the awful sweep of the howling hurricane, or the thundering shock of the subterraneous earthquake.’

’Why, I really believe, that you are getting to be enthusiastic now, dear uncle,’ replied Mary Hamilton, ’but we cannot exactly agree, I move that we drop the subject forthwith.’

‘And I second the motion,’ laughingly responded the noble earl.—­’But look at the ship, Mary, and see, she is almost hull down in the distance.’

The vessel to which the earl alluded, the white sails of which were just visible to his eyes and those of his companion, from the eminence on which they stood, was the honorable East India Company’s ship Gladiator, to which belonged the boat that had conveyed the Earl and his party to the shore, in the manner before related.  She was bound to Rio Janeiro, from thence to Batavia, and as they had a long passage from the Downs, Captain Rowland was easily persuaded to allow his distinguished passenger the long coveted recreation of visiting the small though beautiful island of Trinidad.