320 CUBA AND PORTO KICO 



by the French, who held possession until 1784, when it 

 was traded to Sweden ; but in 1878, France purchased it 

 back. 



St. Martin, thirty-eight square miles in area, is almosl 

 triangular in outline and composed of many lofty conical 

 hills, culminating on the north side in Paradise Peak, 1920 

 feet high, while other peaks follow to the south. The west 

 side is marked by stretches of a low-lying peninsula known 

 as Basse-Terre. Along the shores are many large lagoons, 

 and in the interior several rivulets and permanent springs. 

 It is diversified by lofty mountains and broad plains. On 

 the lower slopes and hillsides are fertile plantations, while 

 the heights are covered with dense forest. The rocks are 

 largely composed of silicious limestone intersected by 

 dikes of greenstone and diorite, all of which are bordered 

 by the more recent formations of white granular lime- 

 stone. 



The political complexion of St. Martin is peculiar. 

 Seventeen square miles of the northern section belong to 

 France, and the rest to Holland, while the settlers, largely 

 blacks, are principally British, who outnumber both the 

 Dutch and French. About three thousand of the inhabi- 

 tants are in the French portion of the island, and five thou- 

 sand in the Dutch. 



The French capital, on the west side, is a queer place by 

 the name of Marigot ; it is a free port and has a little ship- 

 ping. The Dutch town Philipsburg lies on a narrow beach 

 at the south side. Like all the other West Indies, this 

 island was once the seat of sugar-culture, but the inhabi- 

 tants are now generally engaged in making salt and raising 

 provisions. 



Barbuda lies thirty miles northeast of Antigua, well oh/ui 

 in the Atlantic Ocean. Its area is sixty-two square miles. 

 It is low and flat, consisting of two general levels, one of 

 which hardly rises more than five feet above the sea, except 

 near the eastern side, where a terraced table-land reaches 

 one hundred and fifteen feet in height. On a misty day 



