A vacancy having occurred on the Hermitage estate, owing to the sudden death, by yellow fever, of a very promising young man from Aberdeen, who had been in the island only a few months, I succeeded, through the kind exertions of Mr.
Church, in obtaining the situation.
The Hermitage was one of the finest plantations in Grenada.

It was pleasantly situated on elevated ground, a few miles from the sea shore, and was the residence of Mr.Houston, a gentleman of great respectability, who was attorney for the estate, and also for the plantation adjoining, called Belmont.

Some years previously the Hermitage had been the residence of the owner of these estates, an Englishman named Bailey.

He had spared no expense in stocking the grounds with fruits of various kinds, had planted bread-fruit and bread-nut trees, which, besides proving ornamental, furnished nutritive food for the slaves.

Mr.Houston found, however, that the fruit orchards required more labor and care to keep them in good condition than could be profitably spared from other duties; and the beautiful and umbrageous bread-fruit and bread-nut trees shaded some portions of the fertile land capable of producing good sugar cane.