Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25

steady flow. During the past year or SO
the West India Islands have been visited
by great many travellers from America
and from Europe, both by tourists in search
of pleasures that have the charm OF novelty
and by those travellers who leave the cold
bleak north at the approach of winter and
migrate with the swallows to warmer and
more genial climes.
This part of the western hemisphere is be-
ing redIscovered, and the process seems to
afford as many surprises and as much pleas
ure to the latter-day discoveries as it did to
Columbus 400 years ago. These islands
have been practically out OF the world. or
out OF history, since the stirring DAYS of the
buccaneers and the pirates of the Spanish
main, and of the wars between the French,
the Spaniards and the English.
Natural Scenery Unsurpassed.
But American capitalists have recently
discovered that the Spaniards did not ex-
haust all the wealth of the islands and
American tourists have found in them
wealth OF natural scenery and attractions
unsurpassed in the world. The tourists
seem to have tired of Bermuda, of Nassau
and even OF Cuba, and have pushed further
aheld into the more enchanting region of
the tropics, where nature is at her loveIiest
and where to the enjoyment of a winter
climate which is simply perfection is added
that of a wealth of superb scenery and a
quaintness of people and customs not pos
sessed BY any OF the more frequently visited
winter resorts.
In the French islands of Guadeloupe.
Martinique or Reunion, and in some of the
Danish islands, the architecture o the little
towns and the manners and customs of the
people have changed so little in the past two
or three hundred years that one almost seems
TO be living In the seventeenth century, and
the brilliant sunshine and luxuriaut tropi-
cal vegetation lend strange charm to the
little narrow streets OF old French houses
and the curious crowds Of creoles and negroes
that throng them.
Almost Like Darkest Africa
Here in Jamaica, and in some others of the
British islands, one gets glimpses back into
the old planting days, when sugar was king
and the planters were princes, who lived in
magnitcence. In others, where the negroes
are in almost complete possession, leaving
out OF consideration the black Republic of
Haiti, which, though one of the loveliest OF
the gems OF the Caribbean Sea, is not de-
sirable place for white tourists to visit, one
beholds scenes and conditions of life that
are entirely unique, unless their counter
part may be found on the line of Stanley's
march through Africa. All the islands
possess many attractive features, but no two
have exactly the same characteristics. and
each has something novel to interest the
tourist
While all the islands have been visited
by many travellers during the past year or
so, this little island of Jamaica has come in
for lions share of the attention OF tourists.
and IL bids fair to become in the near tut
ure faVorite winter resort for Americans.
1t is the largest o. the British West India
islands and rejoices in the proud title of
Queen of the Antilles" 1t has quite re-
Gently been invaded by enterprising Ameri-
cans, who have invested considerable
Capital in New Enterprises,
bought out manv old industries and so
stirred up the place and the people that the
country is fast becoming Americanized, so
far as its commercial aspect is concerned.
The Jamaicans regard the transformation
with great satisfaction, and very large