The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-11

pen Of the great traveller, NJ n. Ball
lou, and is taken from his famous
book, Equatorial America"
ST. Pierre rs the commercial capital
Of Martinique. one Of the French West
Indies, and the largest Of the group
belonging to that nation. Fort de
France is the political capital, situat-
ed about thirty miles from st. Pierre.
st Pierre is the best built town in the
Lesser Antilles, and has a population
OF about $4,000. The streets are well
paved, and the principal avenues are
peauthed by ornamental trees uni
Iormly planted. The grateful shade
thus obtained. and the long lines of
charming arboreal perspective which
re formed. are desirable accessories
10 any locality. but doubly so in trop-
zeal regions. The houses are very at
tractive. while there is a prevailing
aspect Of order. cleanliness and thrift
everywhere apparent. 1t was not our
experience 60 meet one beggar in the
streets Of ST. Pierre. More or less OF
poverty must exist everywhere. but il
does not stalk abroad here. as IL does
in many rich and pretentious capitals
of the great world. The island is sit
uated midway between Dominica and
ST. Lucia, and is admitted by all Wis
itOrs to be one Of the most picturesque
Of the West Indian groups. Irregular
in shape. IL is also high and rocky
thus forming one OF the most promi-
nent Of the large volcanic family
which sprang up so many ages ago in
these seas. It's apex, Mont Pelee. an
--naa-s partially extinct. volcano, rises
between 1000 and 500A feet above the
level of the ocean, and Is UTle first point
visible on approaching the islanu lgl!In
the north. 1t would be interesting 10
dilate upon the past history Of Mar
Unique. for IL has known not a little
Of the checkered vicissitudes OF these
Antilles. having been twice captured
by the English and twice restored to
France.
st. Pierre is situated on the lee side
Of the island. something less than
1000 miles by the course we have
steered. from New York and 300 miles
from ST. Thomas II comes down to the
very waters edge. with its parti-col-
Ored houses and red-tiled roofs. which
mlngle here and there with tall. over
hanging cocoa palms. This Is the
most lavlshly beautiful tree in the
world and one which never fails to i'm
part special interest to it's surround
ings.
Empress Was Born There.
A marble statue In the Place de la
Savane. at Fort de France, on the same
side OF the island as st. Pierre. re-
calls the fact that this was the birth
place OF the Empress Josephine. born
in 1883. The statue represents the en-
press dressed in the fashion Of the first
empire. With bare arms and shoulders
one hand resting on a medallion bear
ing a profile of the emperor TO whom
she was devoted. The whole is partial
~ shaded by 6 half dozen grand old
palms. The group teens with historic
suggestivcness. recalling one Of the
most tragic chapters Of modern Euro
peau history. 10 seemed 20 us that the
artist had succeeded ia impartinE to
the figure an expression indicating
something Of the sad story Of the or
iginaL
This beautiful island. it viii be re-
membered. also gave to France an
other remarkable historic character.
FRANCHISE d AUbigne. afterwards
Madame Scarron. but better known to
the world at large as Madame de Main
tenOn- She too. was the wife Of a king,
though the marriage was a left-hand-
ed one. but as the power behind the
throne, she is well known to have
shaped for years the political destinies
OF France.
st. Pierre has several schools. a very
good hotel a theatre. a public library.
together with some other modern and
progressive institutions. yet somehow
everything looked quaint and olden a
sixteenth century atmosphere seeming
10 pervade the town. The windows
OF the ordinary dwellings have no
glass. which is very naturally COnsid-
cred 20 be a superiority IN this climate.
\ but these windows have iron bars and
Awoodeu shutters behind them. relics Of
days Of slavery, when every white
house was his castle. and great
tons were taken 90 guard
the possible uprising OF the
DO outnumbered their masters
one.
pee Of High Glass.
Srge a portion Of the pop
egro descent yet they
alike In character. The
peciaIy seem to be
ettish. not to say
They appear 10
The young ne
.m their white
their diaph-
" and telling
ized arm and
hikes the eye
he snow white
Y are Partisan
d with their
eli-r0unded fig
dainty ways
Ptainiy very at
'eady for a lark
strongly remind
rooms Of Louis
complexion and
ID. like those
mingled blood
lthern states