The morning call., 1892-01-31
MARKET DAY IN FREDERICRsr4D

then for orders or protection. During
tile turbulent reign OF the bucca-
neeTs it was a stronghold and shelter.
A vessel there was safe, even though the
craft anchored at IFS side was pirate. This
situation, indeed. often occurred. The Danes
did not undertake to suppress system OF
warfare which France, England and France
were now openly, now secretly, encOurag-
ing. They guaranteed no more than the
security Of ST. Thomas, and that guarantee
they performed. They did not make dis
tinctions. They we're as hosptabie to a
pirate as to merch tman, but they didn't
permit any piratical warfare in the neigh
bOrhOOd of their coasts, nor did they allow
pirate vessel to leave their harbor On the
heels of a prize. There are visible to-day
numerous relics of those romantic and dis
agreeable days. There Is a schooner more
than q century old, but trim, feet and
'natty" yet, now used to carry mails be-
tween the Islands, whose decks have wit
messed horrors enough to supply the night
mares Of a generation, In st, Thomas there
are two old stone Notifications, originally
put up by the Government, but known far
into tie past as aCkbearpS and Blue
boards castles. There is abundant evidence
of their occupation by pirates whether by
the particular rufians whose names they
bear or not
ST. Thomas waxed fat on the spois Of
two centuries of warfare Forty years ago
the city Of Charlotte Amalia was pre-emi-
Rent a resort Of shipping. The island
was never productive in any considerable
measure, and after the emancipation of the
negroes agriculture was largely abandoned.
The negroes. as a body, did not want TO
work anyhow, and such Of them as did were
able to find better employment around the
wharves than In the fields. The islands
fortune was its harbOr, deep, cOmmOdiOus,
wcll-sheltered aud easily entered. No Othe
OF the Lesser Antilles has anything to com
| pare with 1t, except 81. Lucia and st. Lucia
! was out OF the way. Vessels OF every kind and
| degree passed in and out Of the harbOr OF
! Charlotte Amalia, enTiching the town and
! rendering 1t the heart Of West Indian trade.
| It's enterprsing people used their advan-
tage well. They built whaTves and cOaling
| sheds. enormous warehouses and superior
! floating dock, capable Of receiving all but
! the heaviest irOnclads. English influence
| and the windward position of Barbados
! have recently taken from st. Thomas a
! large part of its trade. Added to this is the
! fact that vessels now fnd it profitable to go
! directly TO the points where their cargoes
are destined, rather than to employ any
| place as distributing point The great
! European shipping lines come into Barba-
| dos and run thence on to the Spanish Main
| and Colon. tn Jamaica and Cuba or up the
| Lesser Antilles. ST. Thomas has ceased, in
| a large measure, to be either a necessity or
a convenience Its natural advantages re-
! main, but commerce does not need them.
So far as production is concerned, ST.
| CroiX, or Santa Cruz, as 1t is more popularity
known, Is the most important of the Danish
| Islands. II is we'll populated, fairly we'll
| TILED, and pretty, as Ii lies low in the sea.
1t is tropical only as Florida and Louisiana
are tropical-that luXuriance and magni6-
cence of vegetltion which the popular mind
associates with southern countries do not
appear in the Lesser Antilles. Equatorial
heat Is necessary for their development.
Still the flora of Santa Cruz Is impressive
The trees are grand, lofty and noble In all
their proportions. The flowers are wonder
fully rich in color. SucA ye flows anu reds are