The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-15
THE WEST INDIES.
Details Of our Commerce With
British Possessions.
THE RECIPROCITY TREATIES
That are Under Consideration Dis
eussed by summary Issued by the
Treasury Bureau OF statistics-The
Importance OF the Barbados Trade
With che United States.

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 1.-THE
details Of the commerce Of those por'
lions OF he British West Indies with
which reciprocity treaties are under
consideration are discussed somewhat
in detail by the monthly summary of
commerce and finance. just issued by
the treasury bureau OF statistics. The
imports of Jamaica and Barbados,
with which reciprocity discussions have
reached such an advanced stage as to
render this subject a matter OF special
interest, amount TO nearly 900
annually. Discussing the details OF the
commerce Of these two islands, the
summary says: Jamaica, the largest Of
the British West India islands. lies %
miles south Of Cuba, and 100 miles west
OF Haiti; has an area of 1900 square
miles and a population OF $4,000. The
total number of acres under cultivation
and care in 1897 was 66S,56o. OF which
4Ss ,9l6 was under pasture, 2s.764 acres
was devoted to sugar cane, 1887 to coc-
fee, 1870 to bananas. 1878 to cocoa
nuts, 1871 to cacao. 962 to pImento, 245
to corn and SO,656 to ground provisions.
The tIilable soil of Jamaica has. since
the abolition Of slavery, passed to a
great extent from the hands Of large
holders to those OF small owners, and
the productions have at the same time
been greatly diversified. coffee. banan-
as, cocoanuts and cacao having in many
cases, occupied the area formerly de-
voted to sugar cane. Business facilities
include colonial bank. with circula-
ton OF &l.9s5.O97 and assets OF $685.
ga. The government Savings bank has
SO.66O depostiors, with deposits amounts
ing to isS,1ss pounds sterling. The local
currency is that of Great Britain, but
various American coins are also cur
rent. The registered shipping of ia
malca consists of 124 sailing vessels Of
1884 tons, and one steamer of 459 tons.
There are in operation 1856 miles Of rail-
way and 9S7 miles Of telegraph.
Products of Jamaica.
The products of jamaica are, besides
tropical fruits already mentioned, dye
woods, cabinet woods. spices and other
valuable tropical products. The coffee
raised in certain districts OF the Blue
mountains brings, 1t is said, the high
est price paid for coffee In the London
market. The exports from Jamaica in
the year 1s07-sS included S54lO cwt. of
coffee, A5.S6 pounds sterling of banan-
as, 11,55S.726 cocoanuts. Ss,9l3,99l Or
anges, 1,4Os.1e6 pounds Of ginger, 1SS79,-
27S gallons of rum. 2S4.S75 cwt. Of raw
sugar, 1850 tons of logwood, and SS,S2s
cwt. Of plEnento. The total value of the
exports of 1ss7-sS was 1,44s.443 pounds
sterling, and Of the imports 1,66O,667
pounds sterling. The imports included
32,657 cwt. Of bread and biscuit, 1855
cwt. Of butter and compounds, 56,62S
tons Of coal and coke, SOO4O1 cwt. of
tons OF coal and coke, SOO,4O1 bushels
OF corn, S7,OS3 barrels of meal. 2oS,Sl7
pounds sterling of cotton maufac-
lures, 1852 cwt. OF dried or sailed fish.
1886 barrels of flour, 2S424 pounds
sterling Of hardware and cutlery, 1915
pounds sterling Of linen manufactures.
millinery and hnberdashery, 9,5OO.00O
fet OF lumber S,5oO,OOO pounds of rice,
and 2,4O3.12O pounds OF soap. OF the
1 $50, 6s7 pounds sterling value of ImpoS-
tatlons in 1895, 776,SS9 pounds in value
was from the United Kingdom, 7l9,76S
from the United States. 1883 from
British North America, while Of the
!, 44s,443 pounds sterling value Of eX-
ports in 1895. Sl3,S53 pounds went to the
United Kingdom and 9o2.9S2 to the
United States.
Jamaica was discovered by Columbus
May 3, 1894, taken possession OF by the
spaniards in 1909, but taken in 1865 by
a British expedition sent out by Crom-
well, which, after an unsuccessful at
tempt to capture the island Of San Do
mingo, seized Jamaica, which has since |
been held by the British government,
having been ceded to England in 1870.
The Barbndocs.
The island Of Barbados, with whose |
government reciprocity treaty has
already been signed, lies on the east Of |
a chain of islands which stretches
from Porto Rico to the
coast OF South America. and which ge-
ographers divide into 'wtndward" and
'leeward" groups. Its poulatIon is, ac-
cording to the Statements Year Book
OF 1899, about 10000; It's area about
I6s square miles, and the area under.
about lOs,47O acres. The
staple product of the island is sugar,
about 10000 acres being annually plant
ed with sugar cane. which yielded in
1897 $500 hogsheads OF sugar, as
against ss,45l in 1895 and 1899 in 1896.
There are AL sugar works, and rum
dlstlllerles. Sugar is the chief export,
though 1850 tons OF "manJak," or
glance pItch"-a bitumInous petro-
leum for fuel-was exported in 1891,
In the exports of that year were 56,s97 |
hogsheads OF raw sugar, valued at
&2,O5s,4l7: 2,2O3 hogsheads of other