The Republican journal., 1896-04-09

few ports OF the world from which ships
could carry their cargoes unmolested
through hostile blockade to the cities of
rendezvous of refugees during the North
American war for independence; : and..as
late as our own civil war it's commerce
received remarkable stimulus from the
blockade declared by the Union com
manders. As to history, ST. Thomas was
first colonized by the Dutch in 1857.
Ten years later the English got possession
of it. In 1911 it fell into the hands of
the Danes, who Immediately introduced
slavery, and began cultivating sugar cane
to great advantage In 1861 the Bran
denburgh Company, composed of Dutch
traders, secured control. In 1888 it was
coded to Denmark and has ever since re-
manned under Danish rule, except few
years early in the present century when
the Dutch held it.
The town Of Charlotte Amalie is one of
the most attractive in all the West Indies,
with delightful scenery an atmosphere of
eternal summer time and of infinite rest.
1t is built mainly upon three hills, with
handsome villas dominating the heights
and pretty cottages scattered through the
valleys The whole island is rugged and
picturesque, about Is miles long and four
wide, with mountain ridge of volcanic
origin running across tits edges sur
rounded by reefs and breakers.
Landing in front of a little plaza over
hung with palms and mango trees, you
are at once in the midst of strange peo-
ple-black, brown and yellow men and
women, with hardly white face among
them The clothing of the crowd, too, is
peculiar to northern eyes-as lavish in
coloring as scanty in amount, the men
| straw hats, the women single garment of
gaudy calico OF bedraggled white, always
! hitched Up on one side to the bare knee
and topped by a twist of bandana hand
kerchief beside which for blending of
hues Jacobs coat of many coiors would
not be worth mentioning; while the as
| toushing number of children tumbling
about everywhere under foot. with white
teeth cleaning IN perpetual grlns and eyes
shining like glass beads, are all dressed in
full suits of fast black just as nature
made them. Women saunter along carry
ing broad fiat trays on their heads, heap
ed with vegetables fruits, bread squakng
chickens tied lee to leg, chunks of raw
meat, bloody livers, steaming tripe or
fish. Others importune the stranger to buy
strings of shells, sea- beans, job $
tears pieces OF coral sea fans and other
ocean products: while others squat on
THEN heels all day long under the friend
ly shade OF the mango trees beside their
little piles of yams, peppers, lines and
joints of sugar cane. The business part
of the town is comprised in one long street
that follows the curvings of the shore
and at either end merges into a road
which runs all around the island. Red
tiled roofs of white washed houses rise in
regular graduations up the steep hill
sides. Climb any of the cross streets, and
presently you come upon charming pic
ture of villas in the foreground, painted
in all the colors of the rainbow, the beau
tiful bay with its ships and islets in the
middle distance, and beyond, across
blue expanse of ocean, the shadowy forms
of Porto Rico, Santa Cruz and other of
the Lesser Antilles. The population of
st. Thomas is about 5000, and fully
seven eighths of the people are black, lazy
and ignorant. At every one of these
islands, and nowhere more forcibly than
here, the fact is impressed upon you anew
that the West Indies are the negroes para
disc, exactly suited to his taste in the way
of climate, and in the prodigality of
nature which enables him to live without
the necessity of hard labor. They are
mostly mixed race, formed by the union
of white and variously "colored;' but in
such combinations the negro blood always
predominates, a law OF nature as i'm
mutable as the other law, that the whittier
| IdCe, lHouSH HumeIlCdlIy insignificant,
are the rulers and magnates, the property
owners and business directors, and bear
themselves toward the other races with
the pride of conscious superiority. There
are not so many Caribs, Hindoos and
Chinese here as on some of the neigh
boring islands, but Creoles, descendants
of the English, French or Spanish settlers
mixed with African or other blood, are a
numerous and powerful element. Though
Denmark has owned this island more than
200 years, off and on, there is nothing
about it to speak of the mother country
beyond the uniforms of the little garrison
and the Danish flag floating over the
dilapidated forts. The business of the
port, principally in the hands of English
men and Jews, is conducted in the English
language. AS in all the other islands,
the Roman Catholic faith prevails, and
the influence Of the priests over the color
ed people is paramount, and generally fol
good. In the islands that belong to Great
Britain there is always an English church
!, or two attended nv the English officials