, 1873-01-04
"TH e AVIS"
S5tristia4ate8, 81. grniz,
SATURDAY 4rH JANUARY 1878. :.

has passed off in its usual dull manner, if
possible even more so than ever, when we
except that sprinkIing Of bOistcrou8 carous-
ing and m~erry-making which still remains
as a remnant offormer CarnivaI-Iike Christ
mas seasons. 1t would perhaps be harsh
and unsympathetic with youthful sent
ments to wish those remnants of times,
otherwise blotted out, relegated to the dark
shades of their comrades, especially as
nothing whatever in the shape of popular
amusements has been devised. Such sere-
nades of vocal and instrumental music as
those executed in our streets during a cOu-
pie of these nights, are however not caIcula
ted to remind you that you are living in an
enlightened community, butrather point to
other regions and other times from which
our schools and churches were supposed to
have separated us by an impossible abyss.
OF whatever temper or nature the New
Year may be, it can hardly be necessary to
usher it into the world in so bOjsterous a
manner. Nor has the old year with all its
shortcomings been so bad as to warrant
the demonstrations of 10y or other feelings
which may be supposed to be expressed by
the yelling and drumming at it's departure.
This is however no new development in our
Christmas pastimes, but rather a shadow
of old times, which we are CAD to see is
becoming fainter every year, and will,
we hope, be superseded in a short time
by more rational amusements.
We may now pass over to a continuation
of our reflections on the old year. We
mentioned in our last some internal mate
rial developments, some already partly
achieved, others still "under contcmpla-
ton" What has now been done in the
past year to put us in connection with
the outer world Major Moore had a
Steamer built to trade between the islands,
encouraged, it is said, by Governor Billie.
The Steamer arrived, but, long before and
ever after its arrival, Vaccinations have
been at work against it. First and fore
most there were the "would be Governors
OF our own" who, of course, would per-
suade US of the impOssibility Ofoneman gov
erning these three little islands next, some
of the traders here and those interested in
the schOOners, and lastIy, though not least,
some of the merchants of st. Tho
mas, from reasons we shall cndeavour
to explain in another connection. Gov
ernor Garde seems intent on doing his
to get a regular communication establish
ed, including, we hope, a telegraph; and
we sincerely trust he will succeed, and
spare us the ridicule of seeing established
here a petty viceroyalty, as embodied
in Governor Bille's impracticable plan
of a hybrid double Government. This
Steamer question brings us at once
into the very heart of politics, for
on the success of it depends our future
Government, on which again depends, in
a great measure, almost all other reforms,
as we cannot conceive it possible to
achieve any of these with the circumlocu-
ton affair that would otherwise exist. The
people of st. Thomas who had the seat
of government transferred thither, are, of
course, needless of the sort of administra,
ton with which we here may be infict-
ed, and hence they seem to be oppos-
ed to contribute towards Steam Com
munication. The people of this Island
having become disguised with the pre-
sent administrative arrangements and with
the manner in which the people ofSt. Tho
mas deal with this Steamer question, have
at times been inclined to re-echo the old
cry of st. Thomas perfect separation,
with a governor OF our own, having no
thing to do with the one in the other Island.
That plan would certainly present no diff
fculty from a pecuniary point of view and