The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

THE PURCHASE OF ST. THOMAS BY THE

UNITED STATES.

Vice-Admiral Porter, of the United States navy,
has written the following letter, describing the value of
the island of St. Thomas as a naval station :

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, 51d.,
Nov. 6, 1867.
Sir,—St. Thomas, the principal of the Virgin Islands,
holds the most praminent position in the West Indies as
a navalandcowtocrcial station. It is situated in latitude lb
deg. 22 min. N., longitude 6.sileg.2limin. W., and lies right
in the track of all vessels from Europe, Brasil, East Indies,
and the Pacific Ocean, bound to the W'est India Islands or
to the United States. It is the point where all vessels
touch for supplies when needed, coming from any of the
above stations.lt is a central point from which any or
all of the West India Islands can be assailed, while
it is impervious to attack from landing parties,
and can be fortified to any extent. Nothing can
he more beautiful than the town and bay of St.
Thomas as sew from the sea, or from the great summit
that overlooks them. The hay, at the head of which
lies the town of St. Thomas, is almost circular, the
entrance being by a neck guarded by two heavy forts
which, although not capable at present of resisting the
heavy ordnance now in use, can be so strengthened and
protected that no foreign power could ever hope to take it.
St. Thomas is a small Gibraltar of itself, and could only
be attacked by a naval force. There would be no posit-
Witty of landing troops there, as the island is surrounded
by reefs and breakers, and every point near which a vessel
or boat could approach is a natural fortification, and only
requires guns with little labour expended on fortified
works. It is 'true that this island was captured by the
British in 1807, while under the charge of the Danish
governor Van Schotten, but there was not a shot fired, or any
effort made to defend the place. This is the only instance
where the island has ever been in the bands of a foreign
enemy, and the British would have held it to this day, in-
stead of for seven years, could they have done so with-
out difficulties. There is no harbour in the West Indies
better fitted than St. Thomas for a naval station. Its har-
bour, and that of San Juan, and the harbours formed by
Water Island, would contain all the vessels of the largest
navy in the world, where they would be protected at all
times from bad weather, and be secure against an enemy.
Gregorie Channel, half a mile to the west of the harbour of
St. Thomas, is, if anything, a better harbour than St.
Thomas, and inaccessible to any enemy if ppropelproperly forti-
fied. No enemy's vessels can enter these harboan,fortheir
entrances are so narrow that they can be completely ob-
structed by heavy chains agsinst which no ship would
I venture to ran, with a number of 15-inch guns firing on
her.

The harbour of St. John, eight miles to the east of St.
Thomas, is a still better harbour than St. Thomas, and has
some advantages not possessed by the latter. It is
capable of being thoroughly defended with cannon and
chain, and in all these harbours forts of single guns can
be built up from height to height in such a manner that
the plunging shot would destroy any vessel rash enough
to approach within range.
If it ever should be intended to make agreed naval depot
in the West Indies, St. Thomas otters all the advantages
and facilities for making diy docks! coal stations, and
arsenals, all under complete protection. Great Krum
Bay is a natural dock itself, with a depth of 4 A fathoms,
and :an entrance MO feet in width. It would only require
tilling up across the mouth, and to be pumped out, to
make a tine basin for the largest sized ships. The natural
resources of the island of St. Thome. are not great, unless
it may he in materials yet undiscovered. Its chief value is
as a naval station and a great commercial point. :Its small
size is in its favour, because it cannot subsist an army of
any kind, and an enemy could not land anywhere without
the reach of guns ; the whole area of the island is only 45
square miles, the surface rugged and elevated, and almost
devoid of trees, which, having been cut down unspar-
ingly, have laid the island open to the run, and' caused
a scarcity iu the supply of water. This deficiency is, how.
ever, supplied by tanks, which are kept filled at all seasons
by the reins. No doubt water could be obtained by sink-
ing artesian wells, as at San Juan there are several springs
flowing out of the rocks. The distinguishing characteris-
tics of at. Thomas are its advantages as a place of trade. •
fact evinced by the great number and large extent of the
merchants' stores, the immense piles of merchandise the
contain, and the number of vessels of all nations which
are lying in the harbour. It is the great centre for all the
steam lines that run through the West Indies and to
Europe, and is the stopping place of our United States
line to Brazil. No stronger proof of its being a central
point than this circumstance is needed. A steamer comes
in daily, and In St. Thomas, more than any other place in
the West Indies, can we know what is going on in the
world.

Nothing can be more delightful than the society of St.
Thomas. Hospitable to a fault, all strangers, particularly
Americans, receive the greatest kindness and attention.
These hospitalities are on a scale commensurate with the
wealth and importance of the inhabitants. There are few
more beautiful prospects than the splendid panoramic
view from the highest point in the island, where the whole
town and bay of Sc. Thomas is spread out like a map at
your feet, and whence vessels at sea can be seen approach-
ing at a distance of :10 miles. This is in fact the best look-
out in the West Indies. Nearly all vessels run for the
Anegada passage in making the West Indies, and cannot
pass without being seen from St. Thomas. The following
named islands are in plain sight from St. Thomas in all wea-
ther : The verdant island of Santa Cruz and the large island
of Porto Rico, also the innumerable small islands of the
Virgin group, which make it an enchanting place to cruise in.
The trade-wind blows throughout the year over the hills
and bay of St. Thomas, although it in rather hot in the
town in midsummer. The summit is covered with hand-
some cottages, where those of the inhabitants who can
affordit retire forcomfortandfresh air. The tropical shrubs
which abound in this island are especially beautiful, the
gigantic cactus and aloe growing in all the wild freedom of
unchecked nature, and everything else luxuriating in the
most fantastic conformations, forming a scene of much no-
velty and beauty to a stranger. There is no place where
a stranger enjoys himself more than at St. Thomas, and if
the island was the property of the United States it would
become a popular resort. The inhabitants have traded
with us so long that their habits aasimilate with ours.
They are republican in their institutions, and would not
have to change their actual form of government in coming
into the Union. Although in fact belonging to a monarchy,
their system is republican. All the officers of the island,
except the governor and one or two others, are appointed
by the home government. It may be well to mention chat
the inhabitants are meetly coloured. but they are extremely
well educated. Nearly all the clerks in the stores are
coloured.

The following I consider the advantages of a naval sta-
tion in the West Indies :—The great difficulty we have of
maintaining a fleet of any size in the West Indies is the
want of • station of our own. Were we to have • war with
en European Power, the role adopted towards us during
the rebellion would, no doubt, again be enforced with the
same rigour, and we would have to contend on the meet
unequal terms with • powerful antagonist having his naval
depot aloft at hand, and who could also, in ease of damage
in a fight, go into • port provided with means of repair,
while in a similar case we should be obliged to go north.
Any one can see the disadvantage • government would
labour under that had to withdraw • Sect from before •
place for the want of provisions and coal, and there is
hardly any place in the West Indies where • vessel in time
of war could lie in the open sea and transfer stores to ano-
ther vessel. In carrying on warlike operations a depot is
necessary, and here we have the pick of all the West India
Wanda. The expense of going from the West Indies to one
of our porta would be a tremendous item, to say nothing of
losing the service of • vessel at a time when she would
very likely be most needed. St. Thomas, although not
the best harbour in the West Indies, is certainly the most
important, the proof of which is in the number of vessels
that go there for repairs and stores, and it is, for the ma-
jority of vessels, the most easily reached. There aro so
many good points in the harbour of St. Thomas, San Juan,
and behind Water Island, that it would be difficult to de-
cide which would be the hest place at which to establish •
depot. The harbour of St. Thomas itself is well provided
with all the conveniences of wharves, buildings, and coal
depots that world answer, temporarily, for naval purposes.
Eve 7 prevision is mule for the cooling of large steamers,
and in no part of the \Vest Indies can • vessel be coaled so
rapidly as at St. Thomas. If the government do not desire
to go to any great expense, and only wish the place as a
coal depot, there will be no necessity for further outlay.
We, in fact, acquire a elation already established. In
time of war it would not be easy to blockade
St. Thomas by any force. No vessels would he able to lie
within gunshot, nor could they anchor anywhere in front
of the port close enough to prevent a steamer, or any
number of them, from going in and out at night. There
are no intricate channels through which a vessel of ours
would have to work her way of a dark night, but she
eouldrun right direct for her port with nothing to atop
her. This is not the case with most of the harbours in the
West India islands. Cuba, Porto Rico, and one or two of
the English islands, are the only places where good har-
bours exist.

St. Thomas has hitherto been considered one of the
rifest ports of refuge against those dreadful hurricanes,
which, however, are so erratic in their course that first one
island and then another feels the effects of their fury. St.
Thomas has been leas visited by hurricanes than other
West India islands, and the harbour of Kul Juan is the
resort of vessels during the hurricane month■ as a place of
refuge. San Juan, St. Thomas, and behind Water Island
may almost be considered one harbour, for neither of them
are much further apart than Jersey City and East River,
and are all very much safer.

There is some doubt about the health of St. Thomas,
from the fact that on two occasions there have been fear-
ful epidemics on the island. This, however, bar been
entirely owing to the absence of all precautions against the
introduction of disease. Ships from all parts of the world
seek that port. Steamen come and go, bringing invalids
from infected ports, and the sick are landed at the hotels
in St. Thomas without a question being asked as to what
is the matter with them or where they came from. The
great quantity of English coal landed there of late years
has also introduced airiness for the want of coal sheds
over it, and the evaporation of the eaten in that hot
climate, it is said, cause' disease. This would not happen
with American coal. On the whole, however, St. Thomas
is as healthy as any of the other islands, and with proper
quarantine regulations would be considered quite a salu-
brious place. I know that American and European