The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-06-22
A Sunny Trip to Martinique and Other
Ports.
Correspondence of The Journal. j

TCorrespondence of The Journal
When March had thrashed its days away
in stormy anger, and the first quarter of
April had smilingly advanced, we sailed
from Philadelphia for the French island of
Martinique. In five Gays we were well
beyond Bermuda, and the whole outward
passage was entirely too mild for remarks.
In the bay of St. Pierre we found the
American cruiser Montgomery, four other
Americans, and nearly a dozen French
is something remarkable for beauty, and
there is more scenery than a stranger
knows what to do with A sleeping vol
cano rises directly from the rear of St.
Pierre, and the highest peak is no more
than four miles from the city. In good
weather it is generally covered by clouds,
and when not covered it may be to foretell
a hurricane, an earthquake or some other
affection When the clouds fly low-half
way down the mountain side-and ust
after shutdown, so they look dark-they
summer ea-fogs flying in over the outer
islands of the Penobscot while our farmer
is hurrying in his hay. What struck me
the most foreibly and pleasingly about
Martinique is the running water, coming
down The mountain through gorges and
Tayiner and running to waste in the open
sea. The high land is continually CON
densing the clouds in a more or less mod
crate way. and often drawing down delug
ing tcmpests, SO the natural waste pipes
OF the island lead enough water into the
sea TO cleanse and refresh filthy and
thirsty world. These eternal streams of
water sometimes becoming rivers, with a
decline 50 sharp that tie speed is terrific
and the force irresistible, is what has
carved Out such a surplus OF scenery and
znawcd tile hilsides into such fantastic
shapes and grandeur Everywhere, out
side OF the sepentiue gorges and water
courses, the multiplied rounded hills,
r5yine> ana graceful Plateaus are covered
either by trees and dense bIusbwood or
by rich and pleasing cultivation: all form
iu.. every shade of eololne that vegetation
may possibly reduce; and these two con
dit.cls-tIe wildly fuuowed earth divid-
M Ills and t9bing lands dressed iii such
pleasing and valiegated verdule-canuot
tail tN attract the eye by the simple
beauty If the latter inteIw woven With the
grandeur oil heights and the rocky gorges
through which the everlasting cool, chrys-
tai streams dash downward to The sea.
The city of 81, Pielre has been called
beautiful. but have not been able to de
tect anything ot that kind. The buildings,
many Of which are more than two cen
tunes old, are If the oden style of French
atel.tectule-Leary pitched roots with
doumeI windows The roofs are covered
with French tiles, which are red when
new, hut browuish black when old. Al a
little distance. when the blinds are open,
die windows all being sashless and with
oUt ass, and the shadows Of the interior
beng emphasized by the brilHance of the
sunlight without. every building has the
uupleasng appearance of being deserted.
This alone from the anchorage, destroys
any other beauty that the city might
possess.
The Creole of Martinique is character
of itself particular type, aud might now
be termed almosta distinct raee-certainly
as much 50 AS the American o. even the
Freuchman. lie came into being centuries
ago in the early colonization Of the island.
through the sins of the white man-when
the native Canb ana the Al lcan slave
were equally at the Will and mercy of the
mpaUous European colonist. This crea-
t4Is ot triangular blood was then pro
dae-G, which in many ways is so remark
adle and Aa, the natural power to continue
with -reat teeundity the propagation Of
IFS kind without further aid from its orig
inai triple parentage Together with tie
more regular aud proper mulatto, they
have become an overwhelming proportion
o. the whole people, though neither White
nor black, and are looked upon with blame
and dislike 10y both OF those more regular
races, which together woulD now form
only a minute minority OF the people. In
this peculiar and interesting tribe the
most hideous features of the African have
been lost. The form is good and the lips
thin, the feet and hands are small and
graceful, and the whole physical construc-
ton, in formation and carriage, is equal
to that of the white race. In disposition
and mental qualities, however, it would
seem that the strain of inferior blood had
held its own; but that may be partly ex-
cused by the faults of environment and
the lack Of chance to improve. BY repub-
Hcan France granting universal suffrage,
they are now (perhaps unfortunately
largely the rulers of their own fortunes
and destiny. After centuries of misrule
and the immoral examples of the white
man this untutored progeny cannot help
10 govern itself successfully and is sure to
degenerate at first, though it may work
out more moral and prosperous civilian
ton in generations to come In ways Of