variety of sufferings, to which they become subjected, by the accumulation of years, the visitations of disease, and the pressure of misfortune !

The style of building in use among the natives, is very different from what we should expect to find adopted in so hot a climate ; experience is, however, in its favor, and sanctions that which, no doubt, resulted from observation, more than from experiment. The walls of such edifices as are intended to be permanent, are usually constructed of mud ; which, being laid in strata, of perhaps 18 or 20 inches in depth, each being suffered to dry before another stratum is added above, becomes extremely firm, and far more durable, though not quite so neat, as unburnt bricks laid in mud cement. The thickness of the wall is proportioned to the intended height; probably about 26, to 30, inches at the base, may be considered a fair average; tapering above to about three fourths of the breadth below. I have seen some bungalows run up with mud walls, which, after being chipped down to an uniform thickness, and properly plastered with fine sand, mixed with chaff,, were neat enough but all mud walls invariably crack considerably while drying; consequently, are apt to harbor centipedes, scorpions, and even snakes, within their fissures. This is a most serious defect; completely counter-balancing the advan-

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