The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-05-20

It's Past and Present ConditiOn-HOw IL
is Governed and Taxed-Population,
Commerce and ACCOMPLISHMENTS n
Enterprise-Annexati TO the United
States the Hope OF the People OF all the
Antilles. &c.
OUR TRINIDAD CORRESPONDENCE.

OUR TRINIDAD CORRESPONDENTS.
PoRr OF ssArs TRINIDAD, April a. 1886.
With this island the chain OF these superb Antilles
ends At almost stones throw does 1t appear,
the Venezuelan coast It's rugged front Draw line
across the mouth Of the Gulf of Para and with one of
your famous guns, the echoes from which have been
heard, am told at Paris planted that line, you
throw shot into the Province Of Cumana. Last then,
but not by any means least, Of these islands,
Trinidad the best regulated and most prosperous
to Barbadoes Of Engands possessions in these waters
Books of travel tell how much the English people
OF Trinidad, and In respects the boast very
proper one nasmuch nature has done much for
the island could be expected We boast Of the Falls Of
Niagara and ] suppose we have . right to boast
Of them; but we did not make them. They were there
before the Maynowcr reached Plymouth Rock, before
william Penn the pous English Quaker, sold slaves 70
the planters Of the Old Dominion. So 1t is with Trinidad
and the British coIonists They have done very little If
anything towards making the island Of the finest Of
Great Britains possessions.
Trinidad not than fifty mile long by thirty to
thirty five WIDE containing superlce Of two thousand
and twelve miles, or one mion two hundred and eighty
seven thousand six hundred acres about one-thrd Of
which may be calculated beng under cultivation
Vegetation is exceedingly luxurious Immense quanti
ties of the finest timber In the world yet untouched
Water is, generally speaking abundant though there
are occasional droughls. There is no finer harbor
the globe than the Gulf Of Para, so large expanse
Of water can be called harbor II is thirtyeght miles
wide and about half from the town Of Port Of
spain TO the entrance The combined naval and
cia fleets Of the world might meet here in concord with
room for all and spare The climate IL fine,
in all the Antilles and not extraordinarily hot con-
sderng that Is situated In latitude ten degrees north
From November 70 May is exceedingly enjoyable and
charming In the plans and valleys, while on the hills
Is cool ana salubrious all the year round.
From this very condensed and think correct sketch,
II may be understood that nature has done great deal
for Trinidad. Now, let US see what man has done
tow ard making the island useful member Of society;
and We shall begin with the spanards, who held II from
the Of its discovery by Columbus in july 1885, till
It's violent by the English In 1797three hundred
years less one They laid out some towns, wherein
few people lived, the principal being this city OF
Port Of Spain, the ground plan OF which s admirable.
In regularity rectanguarity and rectnear propriey,
width, well macadamised and we'll kept the spanards,
however, having bad nothing TO do with these latter
good qualities The ei'y built on the saf shore
II TO extent with water. When the English took
1t, now nearly seventy years ago, the population was
only one hundred and twcny.sI whites, from which
fact may argue that the entire population OF the
island must have been very Insignificant and its value
no cose a 70 ,boasapS pSa, ~ the ep
tire island beng between eightynve and ninety thou
sand II any records exist OF the extent TO which tho
spaniards cultivated the island they not at this
within my REACH but from the fact that the sugar
was at the time they driven out very re-.
population cultivated ground enough enable them
live and no more just when the cane BEGAN TO
flourish the English came. Al that time Exeter Hall
did exist, and Africans plentiful and cheap;
yet considering all that might have been done which
not been done, II Is quite likely the spanards would
have done just as well had they renamed. With tbe
exception Of the FORTS which may may not be Span.
ish, all forts look much alike cannot discover
Of spanish occupation The few Spanish houses that
were formerly here have all disappeared
Under English rule the city has grown and the island
has certainly prospered thanks to the sugar cane but