Kingston Harbour

William Beckford, A descriptive account of the island of Jamaica, 1790, p. 20-21: “Every situation that commands the harbour of Kingston, takes in a prospect which can hardly be surpassed in any quarter of the world, as in that prospect are strongly varied, and magnificently brought together, the pleasing and the romantic. The extensive and the sublime. The majestic sweep, and beautiful curve of the Bay of Port Royal, the numerous sails that catch the wind in every direction, the romantic projection of the town that gives it name, the dotted houses that mark the situation of Kingston, and the numerous masts of vessels that rise above their summits, present a scene of business and variety: the level pastures and the sandy beach, the extensive marsh and tufted groves, afford the pleasures of quiescent nature: the rough and threatening aspects of the different batteries which seem to overawe the placid scenery.