BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-06-06

The opinion of M Clarac, Martini {
cues most prominent business man on
the commercial result of the volcanic
disturbances in the West Indies should
be of great weight in the discussion OF
this most important subject. M. Clarac
was considered the richest man IN the
West Indies, and lost a great fortune
bv the destruction of St. Pierre. lie
has given the BoLETIN the following
statement:
This eruption" he says will be the
last straw that breaks the back OF large
part of the West Indian trade. For
many years now the sugar industry
not only in Martinique, but in dan
eerous Guadeloupe, in Antigua, st.
Croix, St. Lucia, St. Thomas the Bar
bados in fact, a great part OF the
Danish, British and French West In
dies-has been very 1anguid. The beet
sugar SUCCESS in Frame and the United
States has far outrun it. 1t seemed to
many that it was dying a natural
death. Of course, the moral effect OF
this disaster will be to keep people
away from these islands (Guadeloupe,
for instance has volcanic always
smok1ng.) Planters will not go there,
St. Thomas, as you know, has planted
no crops this year. Not daring to com
pete with France and the United
States, the planters have held back
: their SUGAR, waiting for the purchase to
take sffec. men all their goods will Oe
, admitted rec. An exodus from these
' islands has already started, and | doubt
Y very much if the blow TO com Ierce IS
a not q death blow. The negroes, too,
y are 1udicrously superStitious and t1m1d'
i and they will fee. A. any rate, the
n sol Of thee islards, unli1Ce tl1&t o. tor-
ltua.e c. a. ard Porto 2 20, vii no.
r p, duce rything. Suga- vas alnlc5t
!. dead. =, : might be produced, but
a that will take six years, and not very
r many will have the heat to. start 1t
e So there you are.
e French Guiana. which is very neal
O the islands, will be the haven Of many
If refugees. For many years now many
d of the negroes Of Martinique nave gone
4 there for four mon Is ont Of the year
lt have gotten enoug3 y yhat you ma
\. call scarecrow prospt Ang to keep then
IF for the rest Of tic yt-r nd have ther
,e returned to the island lle ropoliS to ca
,e and drink it up. SO tbs will be th'
.e oint they will make for French Gtlia
ma has an im1ne~te penal settlement
r The prison is + rht u the water and
d is rather ghast,v see the schools o
r. sharks hoverin., around for the chanc
IS carcass of P-A5o'1er who may b
Ze thrown to them At the sound of tn
n death bel they come swimming in jus
lie as dogs 90 when they are called b
whistle With the increase in popula
u. ton enterprise and industry may sprln'
70 up in Guiana, I don't know. hope SC
Of fer you see am interested. The &C
v vernment knows it's wealth, but there
ie no capital 1t is curious place,
~ great tangle land much of it. On tn
is shore is strip of land On which yo
ne can raise luxuriant first crop but afte
tv THAT never a one. The soil is only
Is few inches deep and is really absorbed
Back of the plain are the impenetrabl
lie mountains, with rivers cutting in then
a Up these rivers the negroes paddle TO
or days and then prospect, Ior back OF tn
as hills is a very rich land in minera
h There is god in the sand and gold III
,r. derground. ticher than the Transvas
10 it really is-for the gold ore bring
or $I2o ton whe1 9as in South Africa So
re or $50 is fair price.
"Altogether, think you will see
ne great change in the lower part of tn
ed West Indies and commercially they wi
sh drop out Of the world"