Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-13

where they are raked over and over by bare
footed negro girls that walk over them with
utter disregard to their future use asa beyer-
age on an English or American breakfast table.
After II Is well sun dried it is put up by the
bushel in coffee bags and shipped all over the
world. The after process of making il palata-
Die consists merely in scorching II brown In an
oven. grinding it and mixing il with some sub
stance that will allow 1t to be worked into cakes
suitable for sale in the markets. but the famous
brands one buys IN American groceries are no
better than the beverage made by grinding the
dry and scorched nut between two stones IN a
West India mountain side camp and boiling 1t
in goats milk Skeptical cooks may doubt
this. but the proof Of the pudding Is In the
eating"
To the southwark of st. Thomas, and within
sight of il on a clear day. lies the little Island
OF Santa Cruz, which Is yeritable httie
fruit garden. in which most of the rich fruits
sold in the St. Thomas markets are grown. In
this little island is the far-famcd Avenue OF
Palms, broad walk nearly mile long. lined
on either side by row OF stately cocoa palms,
that rise without stalk or leaf fifty or sixty
stand tleaI branch out into broad spreading
tufts Of deep, queen palm leaves, with the big
green-hulled cocoanuts under them IN cius-
tiers. When the coeoanuts are green the milk
in them is quite palatable, and As they may be
easily cut open with a knife the milk forms a
fayorite drink. After they get ripe the outer
hull cracks and finally, if left to themselves,
the nu; drops out like a big hickory nut and
falls to the ground, as we see it In American
markets.
THE PRODUCT OF BAY OIL
The great staple product of st. Thomas is bay
oil, from which bay rum is made The Oil Is
highly concentrated essence from the green
bay tree and a pint OF it diluted with warm
water will make several quarts OF ordinary bay
rum. which Is of worldwide use to gentlemen
who shave and to every one who batnes. Inc
IN hob n Nanfa lrvn 10 raH-
them mere huts. and noticeable feature Is the
almost general absence of window panes- As
IL never becomes cool enough to make 1t nee
essary to keep out the air, the only means OF
closing the windows is by means pf barred
shutters In passing the houses it is hard to
keep from associating these iron-barred win
dows with jails and an occasional black or
creole face peering through them only height
ems the idea. The people who live In the coun-
try part of the island and work on the sugar
plantations live in roughly built wooden huts
with matched roofs and Imprinted sides. Yet
these huts are nearly always kept scrupulously
clean and the small front yard generally con-
tains pretty garden of roses that rival their
northern hot house cousins In everything ex-
cept the odor which they almost entirely lack.
Living is cheap in the islands and the good
natured negro can generally find something
to eat If IL Is only bananas and oranges, and
he can always make his .'cassava bread from
the fruit of the bread fruit tree. As no cold
weather ever snakes his rheumatic Joints, ne
need ''have no fear wherewithal to clothe HIM
self. and many OF them exhibit very little fear
on this subject but rule the women dress
gaudily and wear turban or headdress of
some gay-colored silk or cotton material.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLAND.
To assist the governor general in the ardu-
Gus duties of governing the colony there is a
colonial council, partly appointed by the King
Of Denmark and partly elected by the inhab-
itants, SO that affairs run very smoothly, with
only occasional trouble over the entrance of
some quarantined steamer or the killing of an
animal without permission from the council.
There are quite number of white residents,
many of them charming people who are ever
willing to extend every courtesy In their
power to visitors DESTROYS of seeing the island,
and among them the United States consul, Col
Horne of New Haven, Conn, holds a leading
place, and it has not yet been discovered that
he has attempted to pass any wooden nutmegs
on the simple negroes of the island or taught
them to make wooden cocoanuts.
If the United States needs coaling station
in the West Indies, and no one doubts that,
there could scarcely be place better fitted for
it than the mountain-ribbed island of St.
Thomas, with its sheltered harbor, and a.
"a, DOC, 900 it would be paying investment to
any purchaser. As 1 journey on to other
islands of the Lesser Antilles leave st. Thomas
with regret, and Its wide clean streets and airy
arched houses form a memory of comfort and
health unsurpassed by anything have seen in
the Indies.