Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-07-26

settled amlcably side by side.
IL Is the greenest little gem OF the
ocean, you ever saw, clothed with nat
ural verdure on the hns and with cane
aelds on the slopes and plains-a soft,
rich green that reminds you OF crum-
pied velvet. Approached from Guade-
loupe way, Il seems TO spring up out
OF the sea TO meet you, waving It's
ruby light with reckoning invitation,
as the wreckers Of other days used to
lure travellers TO destruction. Closer in
spection, by the way, shows the beaoon-
hght TO be only u peaceful lantern
swung at nlghtfall out OF a second
story window of the custom house. The
optical effect OF the mountain shores,
owing to the PECULIAR atmospheric con-
ditlons, Is remarkable. Dark beetling
masses, with lighter streaks of culti-
walton, appear to be hurrying down to
meet you, and though from 10 to 10
miles OF sea intervene, you fancy you
could touch land with one flying leap.
The long, green promontory on the
western edge OF st. Kits which slopes
up 70 the nearest chain of ridges, Is APP
propriately called Basse-Terre,
(Frenoh for 'lowland') and, naturally,
the same name is applied TO the city
which occupies @ portion OF It. The
first hlll-range, cultivated to the top,
trends down TO 1.-THE Marrows'-a two
mile stretch OF sea which separates this
island from Nevis. Close behind rise
other hills, all swothed IN bands Of pale
green velvet, where cane fields belt
their swelling sides. Behind them more
hills mount higher and higher, at first
peering gently over one another
shoulders, then crowding together In
crazy masses toward the center OF the
island and eliminating in the extinct
volcano known as Mount Misery This
gloomy crag which forms the apex OF
the rude pyramid, shoots slantingly
forward over the mouth OF an awful
chasm, like a huge peninsula, 4OOO. feet
aoft In the air Frowning and bare,
II Is generally visible in rain or shine,
though mlsts and clouds envelop the
rest of the mountain. It's black, un-
measured crater, across which ileecy
vapors Mt, Is considerably longer than
Il is wide, with a, lake OF unknown
depth In the bottom, walled by trem-
endous precipices, from whose assures
steam and sulphur fumes escape A
rather dangerous neighbor, one would
think, TO the town over which II
leans with a sharper slant than char
acterlzes Pisa's famous tower the
soil Of the whole island, which
seems TO be Of eXhaustless fertile
ity. was formed from the ash and
lava belched from the volcano In
past centuries. The ruggedness Of the
central chain renders doubly striking
the contrast Of cultivated lands below
and the entire prospect Is so charming
that you do not wonder Columbus
named il after his beloved patron saint
Some authorities assert that the great
admiral saw I'm the contour Of this
mountain, which the English long after
ward dubbed MT, Misery" something
which reminded him Of 81. Christopher
carrying the infant Christ on his shout
der. and for that reason named the Is
land.
The quaint old town Of Basse-Terre,
on the seward edge Of the prOmontory
is still one VI the most important In the
British West indies. II has no harbor
but It's partially land-rocked roadstead'
The anchorage is commanded by an
enormous rock, which looks as If II had
dropped Off from the black crag above,
Covered with batteries, preclptous on
all sides but one, backed by the noun
tans and fronted by the western sea,
1t Is certainly an imposing object. It's
Notifications were once a formidable
menace 20 incoming mariners but were
long since abandoned and ere now OF
no consequence except as signal-sta-
ton to guide peaceful merchantmen,
The celebrated birthstone Hill Is fif-
teen miles distant, on the Caribbean
side. and Is also long dismantled. Be-
ing remote from the settlement, mon
keys have swarmed to It from the sur
rounding forest, and having made their
homes in It's cosy hooks and corners
among the ancient guns, now garrison
Il In great numbers. What n COM
mentary on the mutablity OF human
affairs Is Birthstone Hill! For several
centuries the Gibralter Of the West In
dies defended by works so strong as to
be practically lmpregnable, England
and France contended a hundred years
for It's possession, at the expense Of un-
numbered lives. Before their day, Il
was the alternate stronghold Of Span
lsh soldiers and bold buccaneers; and
here the little band of aboriginal Car
lUNt NlltAl u ANhNh W AllN AblAihbl NA . wv
Of their Island Inheritance, made last
desperate stand, opposing Intellectual
bows and spears and naked bodies TO
mounted men in armor with match
locks and arquebuses.
For richness of cultivation and soft
ness Of verdure, this valley OF Basse-
Terre surpasses anything I ever saw,
From anchorage the town looks very
bright and sunny, its red roofs peering
cut Of thick green foliage. A CLEAN OF
white among palm trees and a sky
ward-nointng splre, at the seaward end
OF long stretch Of rustllng cane, indi-
Gates the village of Sandy Point, and
the yellow omnence between cultivated
from top to bottom, Is called Monkey
Hill" Evidently the present posses
sors Of st. Kits are not so sentimental
IN their nomenclature are were the
Spanlards and French before them. II
is more than two hundred years since
England finally gained this island, but
the old French names yet cling 10
many OF the streets and hamlets, and
especially to the estates whose original
owners have been so long superseded
by those OF another race and tongue.
Scattered everywhere over the hills you
see the handsome establishments Of |
wealthy English planters. nestled |
among groves Of orange and banana. |
palm and cocOanut Sugar houses and |