The Republican journal., 1902-02-27

IN paper covers, or 81 stamps tor the
volume bound in cloth Address DR..
R. V. Pierce Buffalo, \. Y.
dark red roofs, are dazzling in the strong
sunlight: while Hear at hand a few low
structures, whose once brilliant hues
have been changed by time and weather
| to russell brown, add an artistic touch
to the landscape. The height OF the
| dark mountains behind seems to dwarf
the punv works of man. and gives to
| Charlotte Amalia the diminutive ap-
pearance of toy village-or rather of
three villages. each on its own little
hill; and the tall. straight, top-heavv
palms, so like tie miniature trees that
children play with, add to the Illusion
Then there is the toy-like fort, with
bastlon. battlements and barbican
strongly suggestive of cake ornamen-
tatlon, all bristling with little guns and
alive with toy soldiers. \ toy public
garden lies close to the landing. and
over the tops of the trees you can see a
Moorish looking structure, apparently
suspended in mid-air. which might be
Noah's ark fully of toy animals. but
turns out to be the crack hotel of the
island.
Meanwhile. long before YOU have
completed these observations. the hub
hub of ''totin' coal" has begun. Scores
OF negresses in line, each backer than
the black diamonds she carries in
basket poised on her woody head, sing
or swear, according to the mood of the
moment. Fortunately for ears polite"
their rlbald ciatter is NEST uninteligi- |
bic, though among the halt dozen diff |
teTent languages spoken in this poly
glot community that which passes for
English predominates Among al! the |
negroes of the West Indies there is !
still survival Of that strange dialect
which Morayian missionaries complied
into a sort of literature nearly two cen !
tulles a9o-a queer tumble of Dutch. /
French, English and Creole words |
mixed with borrowings from every
civilized country and unknown tongues !
from tribes OF darkest Africa. The |
baskets carried by these half-naked |
females weigh, when filled, from eighty
to one hundred pounds each; vet they
swing the burden jauntily to their heads |
and trot gaily off with it, erect as
statues-to and fro over the gang plank |
all day long in the blazing sun, or all
night if need be, for the pitiful hire of
ten cents al hour. The leSsees of the |
st. Thomas wharves keep exhaustless
supplies of coal always on hand and |
for many years our naval and merchant |
vessels, as well as those of other ma |
tons having business in these waters. |
have made this an important port of |
call.
There is not the slightest doubt that |
Uncle Samuel would have been doing |
well for himself had he purchased the |
island at double the price agreed upon. |
The famous port-which lies on the |
south side of the island, midway in the |
coast-line-is directly in the path of all |
the vessels that ply between Europe |
and South America, Europe ana Mexi- |
co, Europe and the Greater Antilles;
besides overlooking the track of those
bound to and from the ports of the
United States. Not only do many steam
ship lines touch here regularly for coal, |
but great many other vessels put in |
for repairs, or for shelter in stormy |
weather. The great circular harbor is
so well protected that ships are per
fectly safe in it from all the gales that |
rage outside There is a commodious |
floating dock and a steam slip capable
of handling the largest vessels.
OF course the trade of ST. Thomas
amounts to little or Denmark would |
not have been so willing to get rid of
her; but the Yankee nation will change |
all that III the near future. For more
than hundred years this has been a .
free port. with not q customs officer
en- NIiSiC etpOuu. InClCIOlt dIU1citS OF |
foreign make, for use or wear NAV be
obtained very cheaply in Charlotte
Amalia, sans duty. The finest Cuban
cigars, for example, which sell in New
York for seventeen to twenty dollars
per hundred can be bought here for
eight and ten dollars, and come off
without duty. The finest bay rum too
the very best ever made-sells today
in st. Thomas for twenty cents pint;
while at home the same-after being
bountifully 'doctored, costs five time
as much.
The town of Charlotte Amalia is one
of the most attractive in all the West
Indies, with delightful scenery, con-
ditions of infinite rest and an atmos-