The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-04-18
FROM MARTINIQUE.

The DAILY JOURNAL has received the fol-
lowing two letters from Rev. j. Edward
Wright, one written at Martinique and the
other on the steamship Madiana, home
ward bound. Both are OF unusual interest.
Mr.. Wright landed at New York Thurs
day noon and will reach Montpelier this
evening.
Editor of Journal: st Pierre is the COM
mercial metropolis of Martinique, but Fort
de France Is the seat OF government We
have made the former our headquarters for
about week, and expect to remain here a
few days more, then to take the s Gamer Ma
diana, which will stop for mails, etc, at
several islands, and reach New York, we
trust, about April 8.
st. Pierre is a very compactly built city
of perhaps 10000 inhabitants, crowded in
between high bluffs on the east and the sea
on the west. 1t has no harbor, only an
open roadstead; but so deep is the water
that the dozen or fifteen vessels now here
are moored with their sterns very near the
shore. Almost all the houses are made of
cement, or artificial stone, painted yellow
with white trimmings and are covered with
reddish tiles.
They seem to be packed with men,
women, children. small dogs, and poultry;
and, as the streets are very narrow, and the
sidewalks still narrower in proportion, 1t is
necessary for the people to be much out OF
doors to avoid suffocatiOn. The sewerage
Ia carried to the sea on the surface OF the
streets, there being almost no underground
drains. Fortunately the water supply is
abundant, and copious streams flow con-
stantly in the CUTTERS, cooling the air, and
carrying away refuse that otherwise must
breed pestilence. The buzzards which we
have seen elsewhere seem to have no occu-
patton in 81. Pierre. The poorest OF the
people have free access to pure water flow
ing freely at numerous open hydrants.
There are many places where liquor can
IA
here from refuse molasses)-but we have
seen hardly any cases OF intoxication.
There are horses and carriages, but no i'm
Fortunate hackmen. There are newspa-
psrs, but no newsboys eager to sell them.
While most OF the people go barefoot, there
are many who wear shoes. yet nobody
pleads with these to "have shine" There
are, however, beggars-not a few OF them;
and apparently, there are large numbers
Of men who are willing to let their wives
and daughters enjoy "woman's right to la
bor." Certainly the women are in evidence
in the streets, markets and stores, carrying
burdens buying and selling, and perform
ing the most irksome tasks, far more than
the men.
AS to the labor troubles the discord has
been chiefly in the agricultural districts,
and none OF it appears to us here in the city.
The field hands wanted a large increase Of
pay above the thirty cents or so per day
which they received. In some instances in
which it was refused they resorted to acts
of violence and incendiarism.
Martinique is a French colony, and thor
oughly Roman Catholic in religion. Shops
were generally closed on Sunday, but the
market was open, and traffic there was as
noisy as ever. 1t seemed to me very odd to
find "mid.lent" celebrated on Sunday af-
ternoon by crowd Of boisterous negro
youths OF both sexes, dressed in grotesque
costumes, and singing and dancing through
the streets to the music Of 'calithumpian
| band"
The weather has been delightfully."- COM
Portable within DOORS but frequently the
midday heat outside is too powerful for us,
| and keeps us in our room for several hours
siesta; and 1t is hard to believe that the
month of March is not yet ended. JEW.
March q, 1900.