, 1892-08-13
SIR CHARLES LEES ON BARBADOS.

O4u N41AI(4LC LIED YIN
Among those who took part in the discus
sion Of Lord Brassey's paper ON the West In
dies referred to above, was Sir Charles Lees,
our late Governor; and our readers Will be graf
flied to read what he said about Barbados, and
especially his remarks with reference to the
health of the island. AdverUing TO the re.
marks which had been made by previous
speakers with respect to the relative merits If
Barbados anu st. Lucia as O station for the
troops, Sir Charles said =
| may state that | had the honour of being
Her Majesty's representative in Barbados
when the Government, acting on the report
Of the Commission, came to the decision
to remove the troops from Barbados to st.
Lucia. The barracks were in course of
erection when l left in 1889. As to the
h~ealthiness of Barbados, I may set the mat
ter at rest by asserting, as a fact, that Of all
the places on the globe where the British
troops are quartered-I include the United
Observation-Disclosures stands at the top Of
the list for healthiness. Sir Charles Pearson
was in command Of the troops when ! was
there, and he told me that all the regiments
had improved in physique and in chest
measurement as the result of their residence
in the island. They can enjoy football,
cricket, and other gaines, and every arrange
ment is made for their comfort. | believe
that at st. Lucia there is very littlo fiat coun-
try where these exercises can be indulged
IN, and, as u previous speaker has pointed
out, troops Will 90 down to the town, and
hurrying up the plateau of an evening, at
the last moment, they are liable to take colds
and fevers. Bat, as Sir Lintorn Simmons
remarked, Strategical reasons override all
other considerations, and 1t was found neces-
sarv that the troops should 90 to st. Lucia.
One reason for the change is that Barbados
has an open r0adstead, which it would be
most difficult to protect efficiently as a coaling
station. while Castries Bay has a narrow
entrance-you might almost throw a biscuit
across-and it can be effectuaily protected.
1t would of cour g be undesirable and unsafe
to have a coaling station IF the security Of
which there was any doubt. If q vessel of
war Were to arrive there and find no coal, the
result might be disastrous. One other point
in Justice to Barbados. It thinks very much
of itself, and | rather like the people for it.
Now, Mr.. FrOude has been quoted. He visit
ed the island IN the sad times which followed
on the distress in the sugar industry, and
Lord Brassey has suggested that Mr.. Froude's
view Of the West Indies was partly coloured
by the dull and Disappointing state OF things
then existing. 1t is true that Barbados is
cut up into u great many small estates, but
they had paid we'll enough to enable the
owners to give their sons and daughters a
good education. Some of the young men went
to Oxford and Cambridge and took hOnours.
They returned to Barbados and managed
their own estates. and when the crisis arrived
there were intelligent and cultured men
who boldly faced the difficulty. They set to
work to improve the methods of agriculture,
and to apply the best scientific processes in
the manufacture of sugar, the result being
that the cost of production was very much
reduced and there is a margin of profit. l
do not think the prices will ever be lower
than they were, and / think Barbados
may now be said to be fairly dosted and
that no such disastrous times will again
overtake her.