The town, or rather that part of it which can be seen from the roadstead, presents anything but a creditable appearance; only the outskirts can be seen, built on the base of the far-famed and world-renowned Peter Boite mountain, which rears its cone-shaped summit aloft in the regions of upper air. Midway up the ascent is a signal station, which informs those initiated into the mysteries of the system of signals, of the appearance in the offing of inward bound vessels; and when these are near enough, by the arrangement of Captain Marryatt’s signals, consisting of four small flags, or rather three flags and a whip, they ascertain the name of the vessel, whence from, her cargo, and to whom consigned. The entrance to the harbor, which, by the way, appears from the roadstead tolerably full of shipping, is guarded by two elevated fortifications and a mole; so that, from the number of fortifications, I should judge that the harbor was pretty secure in case of assault. It is very easy to remark the difference between the English and American method of transacting harbor business. If we had anchored near an American city, within the jurisdiction of the quarantine physician, our anchor would have scarcely left the cat-head, ere he would have boarded us and been satisfied as to our general healthiness; but here, from half-past 10 until 3 o’clock, we were left in a blessed state of uncertainty as to whether we should communicate with the shore or remain stationary; when the dilatory physician boarded us, and, after marshalling the crew aft and satisfying himself as to our general sanitary condition, gave us a red flag to fly at our fore royal truck, which was our certificate of health, and guaranteed to us permission to transact business with the city. Those vessels that are condemned by the port physician as unfit to enter into communication with the inhabitants of the island, are removed to the quarantine ground, about a mile below our anchorage, where, at present, some dozen vessels lie, guarded by the police boat, that prevents any interchange of goods that may lead to the introduction of infection into the port. The port officer, who accompanied the physician, left with us a small book containing the harbor laws and regulations, for the government of vessels of all nations which anchor within its precincts. These laws are printed both in French and English, and purport to emanate from Sir John Higginson, lieutenant-governor; they are comprised mostly of stringent quarantine restrictions, which led me to suppose that at some earlier period they had suffered severely by the importation of dreadful contagious diseases, which I can easily imagine would find abundant food amid the miscellaneous population, assisted as it naturally would be by the extreme heat of the climate.