The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-25
COLUMBUS NAMED IT
THE ISLAND OF TRINIDAD, WHICH
COMMANDS THE ORINOCO'S
MOUTH.
CENTENARY TO Gel FBRATE.
FOURTH OF ITS DISCOVERY AND
FIRST OF IT'S OCCUPANCY
BY BRITISH.
WORTH A VISIT FROM TOURISTS.
Regarding Vene1ueIa's Near
Neighhor.

PORT OF SPAIN, Island of Trinidad
Jan. 10-How many readers of the
G o b e are aware of the existence of
the Island of Trinidad, so named by
Columbus when he discovered it in
1893, and which, three centuries later
in February, 1897, was captured by a
British force under Sir Ralph Aber-
crOmby and Admiral Harvey, and has
remained a British colony ever since?
1t must not be COMPOUNDED with thac
other island of the same name belong
ms to Brazil, and which, among other
and far graver subjects, threatened at
one time early in this year to still
further disrupt the already troubled
waters of European politics.
This Trinidad is an island with an
area of 1850 square miles, separated
from the mainland Of Eastern Venezu-
ella by the Gulf of Paria and the mar
row straits to the north and south.
known respectively as the Bocas del
DragO or Dragons Mouth, and the
BOca del Sierpe. or Mouth of the Ser
pent Though, in the opinion of the
great Napoleon, a most important
strategetical and commercial point, IT
has never been looked at in that light
by England When the negotiations
were in progress which led to the
short-lived peace of Amiens, Napoleon
for long While resisted the final ces-
sion of Trinidad to Great Britain on
the ground that with it's magnificent
land-lOcked harbor, never visited by
hurricanes and, lying, as it does, at
the mouth Of the Orinoco, and so con-
nected with the vast network of rivers
which cover the greater part of South
America, 1t was the key to a whole
system Of commerce, which he was re-
luctant to place in the hands of the
English, then the first commercial ma
ton of the world. Canning, in the
house of commons, in 1904, protested
against Trinidad being made into a
sugar colony, on the ground that to do
so would give a fresh impetus to the
slave trade, but the influence of the
large West India firms was too great,
and the sugar planters ruled supreme
in Trinidad, as they did in all the other
West India colonies. So long as sugar
paid, things went tolerably we'll, but
the ruin which resulted from emancipa-
ton, or, to be more accurate, from the
foolish resistance made to that meas
ure by the planters, very nearly
wrecked the future of the colony
Fortunately for Trinidad, 1t does not
depend entirely upon sugar. Cocoa
grows there in abundance, and al
though not what it might have been,
there has always been a considerable
trade with the mainland Of Venezuela.
FThnCn
colony breathing time, and thanks to
the energy of the then attorney gen
eral, the late Charles w. Warner, and
the wise government Of Lord Harris,
immigration under indenture was in
trOduced from India, and the colony
was saved. In 184S Lord Harris re-
ported that the treasury was empty,
but in 1895 the revenue Of the colony
was f605.514.
The exports in 1850 were of the value
VI --........-.-- OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1913, 1874
The exports in 1895 amounted to-. 2,O65, 104
imports III 1S5O Observation-Disclosures. 476,91O
Imports in 1895 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2,276 S54
Population in 1851 ............... 6S 500
Population in 1895, about .......... 1900
The centenary Of the capture of the
island is to be celebrated in February
next, with much public rejoicing, The
sum of $500 having been voted by the
legislative council Of the island for the
purpose. The well known firm of
Brock & Co., of Crystal Palace fame.
are to receive $1,000 for a magnificent
display of fireworks, and the balance
is to be expended in various ways, en-
tertainments, sports, banQuets, ETC.,
etc.
AS large number of visitors are ex-
pected, some description of the island
and its various attractions will be use
fTl We n1JOtQ from a nj nd
interesting work, The Geography of
Trinidad" written by a native, Mr.. De
Sue:
The surface of the island, though in
general fiat, may be best described as
diversified with well defined mountain
ranges, lovely valleys and fine extern
sive plains. Three ranges Of beautiful
mountains stretch across the country
from east to west, all heavily timbered
from base to summit, standing at con-
Venient intervals, as SO many Of Ma
lures grand monuments, imparting
variety to the scenery. The more ele-
waited portion of the island is the north
ern district. 1t is occupied by the
Northern range, which contains the
lcftiest peaks, the largest caves and
the prettiest waterfalls. This range
extends along the northern coast line,
from Point Mono to Point Calera, is
fully seven miles broad at it's base, and
covers an area Of $50 square miles. It
Is composed Of two distinct and parallel
ridges, the lower of which rises in
some places, from the sea margin, to
an average height Of 800 feet The
main ridge is the more inland, and
throws out offsets, between which are
beautiful valleys. 1t attainS an aver
age height of l, 800 feet; Ell Tucuche, its
highest peak, rears it's lofty head to a
height Of 3,100 feet above the level of
the sea.
1.-THE central portion Of Trinidad has
an irregular and broken range Of hills
running diagonally across from Pointe-
a-Pierre to ManzariIla. 1t is thirty
FIVE miles long, four miles broad, and
takes UP a space of about 120 square
miles. The famous Tanana, standing
c0rspicuOUsly near the center of the
island, belongs to this range The
view from Tamana,' say Messrs. Wall
and Sawkins, possesses q peculiar
charm; it is by far the most compre-
hensive in the island The eye luxuri-
ates in every shade Of the richest
green. A vast extent of woodlands
from Eastern to Western sea, from
Northern to Southern mills, without the
slightest trace Of cultivation, save
where the scarlet flowers of the Madre
del CGcao GmmortaO mark the windinz
course Of the CarOni. testifies the su-
prem2cy OF nature. Scenery more sub
lime may be readily obtainable, but
for loneliness Of hues. for eXuberance
of vegetation, this is a prospect which
can scarcely be surpassed
''Nor far from the southern shores ot
the island is the broken and least ele-
waited Southern range 1t runs par.
abel to the Northern range, from eas
To west, as far as Erin, where It grad
UallT terminates if> low can1,y yoo;,,-