Evening star., 1898-05-14

lie those most attractive Of insular para
discs, the Lesser Antilles, with their feet
in the tropical waters and their heads In
the clouds. st. Kits Is the most northerly
of account, consisting mainly OF an I'M
mense mountain, Mount Misery, 1900 feet
in height, with vast belt entirely around
its base of the richest sugar land in the
world. Owing to its great area of culttva-
BILE land st. kits keeps Its revenues few
thousands ahead of it's expenditures, and
its exports exceed it's imports by $4O0, 1000;
but 1t has debt of about $1o0, 900, and
pays its governor (here styled a commits
sioner) only So, 600. There is no good har-
Dor here. but in the last century the Brit
ish erected the great fortifications on Brim-
stone Hill, which have been styled the ''Gi-
braltar of the West Indies,' though now
far gone in ruin.
Nevis and Montserrat are two small is
lands, south of it, raising enough sugar and
lines to keep the wolf from the door, but
not enough to encourage any lavish eX-
penditure. Antigua is the capital of this
group, known as the Leeward Islands, with
revenue and expenditure each about $780,
900, having $4,000 acres of land and a popu-
lation of 81 900.
Next south lies the mountainous island
OF Dominica, with the French island of
Gaudeloupe between it and Antigua. Its
surface is SO rugged that but $4,000 acres
of its total 10000 are cultivated at pres
ent, though it's scenery rivals that of the
worlds most famous countries. Coffee is
raised here, as we'll spices of all kinds,
and the climate is very good for Americans.
1t has debt of about $150000 and a rev.
enue annually of about S120,0OO which is
exceeded by it's annual expenses for gov
ernment and improvements
Both Antigua and Dominica have fine
harbors, though. strange to say, not those
of their principal towns. English Harbor
OF the former is small but deep port, land
locked, with a naval and dockyard, practi-
cally abandoned, while Prince Rupert's bay
OF Dominica is deep and spacious, though
very unhealthy and boz dered by a wilder
ness.
South Of Dominica lies Martinique. a
French island with at least one fine and
world-famous harbor at Port Royal, three
miles wide and seven miles deep, protected
by Fort st. Louis, a vast but ancient struc-
ture. There is a fine dry dock here capa-
BILE of taking in vessels 800 feet long and
drawing twenty-siX feet, but 1t is owned
and controlled by the French government,
and our ships might have difficulty in Sc
curing permission to use it at the present
time.
Strongly Fortified.
Distant some thirty miles from the south
ern end of Martinique is the Island of St.
Lucia, which is now considered the most
important of the Lesser Antilles, owing
TO the great outlay by the British govern
ment toward making it an impregnable
port of call and coaling station. The
island is only twenty miles long by about
nalf that in breadth, yet contains within
Its confines many natural wonder, as its
volcano and sulphur region. Like all the
Caribbees, 1t consists of a main mountain
mass thrown up abruptly from the ocean,
with innumerable offshoots covered with
eXuberant tropical vegetation. 1t is ex-
tremely fertile, but very unhealthy and
has beer the scourge of soldier and settler
for nearly 800 years Yet this is probably