PREFACE. 



The following pages contain the results of the writer's study of the geological struc- 

 ture of St. Croix from time to time through a long period of residence in the island. Had 

 these results been stated for the information of the professional or amateur geologist they 

 could have been described in much fewer words than are here given to them the map with 

 two or three pages of notes would have been suflBcient ; but they have been here recorded 

 with quite another purpose. It has been the aim of the writer to open up for the reader, 

 whether resident or visitor, to whom the subject is new, or only slightly known, a field of 

 great and varied interest. 



There are doubtless many people who find it easy to understand that the vegetation 

 of an island, its trees, shrubs and herbs with their flowers, may constitute a very attractive 

 subject, and that the same may be true of its insects or its shells ; but it has, perhaps, never 

 even occurred to them that the study of the solid structure of the island can possess any 

 wreat attraction. They have never asked themselves such questions as : What is beneath 

 our feet ? What is it made of ? How came it there ? Is it a solid mass merely, or does it 

 show arrangement of parts, and if so, of what parts, and how are those arranged ? It is 

 hoped by the writer that some at least of those who read the.se pages may come to see that 

 such questions as these can be answered, and that the observations which we make in order 

 to answer them lead to others, also of a very attractive character. 



It has been truly said that a great part of an educator's success depends on his ability 

 to rouse the spirit of inquiry in his pupils. They will then work for themselves, and the 

 knowledge they acquire in this way is not likely to be forgotten. It takes little reflection 

 to see that it is the spirit of inquiry in mankind to which we owe all those great discoveries 

 and inventions that have placed the present generation in the advanced position which it 

 occupies in regard to the use it is able to make of the various powers of Nature. A frag- 

 ment of amber rubbed on a piece of cloth attracts light straws, etc. Why ? The continued 

 pressure of this " Why" at every step of the inquiry has led to all the marvels of electrical 

 science as we now have it, and who can tell how far it may yet lead us ? Watt looks at the 

 rising lid of the steaming kettle, asks Why ? and we get a revolution in the building of 

 steam-engines. Torricelli sees that a suction pump will not lift water higher than about 

 thirty feet : he asks Why ? and we get the barometer. And so with every great discovery 

 and invention' that has been given to the world, it is the result of the activity of the inquir- 

 ing mind of man. For the mass of us there will, of course, be no results of our inquiries 

 which can affect the comfort and happiness of any large portion of our fellow men, but they 

 can very greatly affect our own personal comfort and happiness. The habit of inquir5^ 

 leads to that pleasant occupation of the mind which tends to raise its tone, which continually 



*^ gives matter for study and reflection, renders ennui impossible, and makes such questions 



'"" as, Is life worth living ? absurd. 



j^ Such reflections as these suggest that it might be well to try to niduce the advanced 



Cj pupils in our schools to ob,serve for themselves the common things around them, and to 



