Fisher photograph collection

230 x 179 mm. A view looking down on the military emplacements perched on the side of a steep hill: 'High, High, High high up in the hills' behind the capital, appearing as white specks on the mountain side, are the military cantonments of Newcastle, hanging in terraces like a monastery in Tibet... Perched at a height of four thousand feet above the level of the sea, these barracks were erected by Sir Charles Metcalfe, Governor from 1839 to 1841, for the benefit of the white troops, which were literally decimated by yellow fever during the 'sickly season' on the plains. In this eyrie the remnant of the white garrison must find time hang rather heavily on its hands, since there are no shops, and no petticoats for miles... but to compensate for these shortcomings there is the fresh mountain air and exquisite scenery' (Aspinall 1928). This shortcoming is to some extent being remedied in this photograph, where a squash court can be seen in the process of construction.

A detailed description of the military cantonments at Newcastle can be found in: Aspinall, Algernon Edward (1928), A wayfarer in the West Indies, London: Metheun and Co., Ltd.

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