The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-29

er-sevis-A Place Where There Is No Poverty.
 Especial Correspondence of the Journal |
 and Courier)
 Basse-Terre, St. Kits, |
 British w. I.
 June Sth, 1902. One seldom sees the female quality" of these islands out on foot, even OH the way to church. A rather eXassel- ated opinion of their own importance requires them to leave preamoulatloh exclusively to the serving class, ana to ride on all occasions, if only going to pay mornig call to a near neignpor' The universal West India carriage Is peculiar kind of phaeton, pulled by two miserable little ponies; and as the very best euuipage in St. Kitts looks coeNal with Noah's ark, you can perhaps mag inc how fresh and smart are the mapor- ity. But so beautiful are the Creole faces. so brilliant and flirtatious the hlack eyes that peer out of them, you quite forget to notice the VeIhcle though the driver is generally lashlns the ponies with the tireless arms or windmill. It seems to be the tasflon in this part of the world to wear curl papers, dressing sacques, or any other oId things indoors, at all hours when company is not expected, and to array oneself as for grand opera at every ap- pearance in public-except at church where plain black is the rule. You meet ladies out shopping in the morning " driving around the parks in the atter- noon. in what we consider full dress - decollette and often sleeveless gowns, or nale-tinted silks or satins, elaborate cultures without covering of any sort and jewels galore.
 St Kitts is an eminently religious lit tie island, in it's way; and all the people are Protestants, except perhaps a score of French and Portugese Roman Catholics, The whites of all the Brit ish islands universally attend the Eng fish Episcopal churches Whle the hIaeks and mixed races are generally Moravians or Wesleyans' prlinnlihs over with what they term religious fer yer, of the shouting type. Though only thirteen miles long by about six Wlue, St. Kitts has nine churches-some or them very large and handsome and all well attended. They are mostly sltuat- ed on high ground near the sea, TOT the sake of coolness during the hours of service. and incidentally they command views exquisite enough to divert the most pious mind from it's prayers. on Sunday morning we went up to the quaint ofd church of Saint Mary Cayenne, in the heart of the south-par' ish hills If the rector thereof is not a happy man with that incomparable prospect always before him-mountalns valleys, palm-trees, glittering streams and azure sea-paradise cannot make him so. In the afternoon we attended Morayian church, from whose steeple guady flag was flying. The singing 1T which the darkly "colored' congrega' tion joined with enthusiasm, was excel lent; and there was good deal Of It. a' lively as any minstrel show We pal' for the entertainment, however, to hardly had the pastor concluded tn' benediction before we were surrounde' by girls and women, each with smal black box, labelled in white letters "Children's Auxillery," or Home 10 the Aged" soliciting contributions
 One never wearies of riding about S' Kitts. The roads are beautifully kep and the island is famous for fruits an flowers. for cloudless skies and bril- liant sunset, and the kindly hospitallt of it's people, Go where he will, at eV cry estate the stranger is urged to par take of refreshment and invited to tar ry, the longer the better. or cours much of this is due to loneliness an the desire of the isolated communltle
 1a r evervwhere-Jacquem and Marecf al Neils rioting wild along the heuse' large and fragrant, but somenoW iach ing in the dewy freshness of these Una blossoms more rarely in the North. 10 see the fruits of all zones growing nerfection side by side-cocoanut Times, oranges, mangoes, apples, plum and peaches; and occasionally ina
 natural grove of that singular produt locally known as the "sea-grape. have seen only the immature fruit, an that is the size of a golden p1ppl hanging thick along bending branche bright yellow against large roun leaves. When fully ripe the coloss "erape" is brownish purple.
 There are no special curiosities to in search of in this island-unle: "Mount Misery with it's steamir crater may come under that head; the salt-ponds near the Narrows IT former is one of the loftiest volcano fin the West Indies, extinct-or perhal only ouiescent-for ages. Tourists casionally climb it, and report as hal work in it's tangled wilderness as amol Andean snows. A very large quantl of the best salt in the world is annual produced at the Narrows. Sugar IS | principal export. A good deal of ru is made, but regret to add tSat mo of 1t is consumed on the spot. Some the plantations are ideal homes' t pretty mansions of the owners among palm trees and the huts of t negroes embowered in plantains The is never any sign of winter here, al never heat so excessive as summer ten brings to our northern c1tles-t very perfection of weather from ye to year, with generally cloudless ski and gentle breezes blowing. Bass Terre, the capital and only town ot cc sequence, is copiously supplied wi water from mountain springs-and wi an alarming superabundance of it at tervals The water is carried throu the streets in pipes, with hydrant