THE ISLANDS OF GUADELOUPE AND DOMINICA 343 



a river comes rushing and roaring down the hills through 



a rugged and broken ravine behind it. The streets are 

 long and spacious and regularly paved, and there is one 

 large square or promenade, used also as a market-place. 

 These streets are now deserted by commerce, however, and 

 the government officials hold court in a community of 

 blacks. There are French Catholic and English churches, 

 a well-kept botanical garden, and a public library. 



The population of the island in 1891 was 26,841, or 1370 

 less than in 1881. The people are mostly black, descen- 

 dants of the slaves of the days when Dominica was a pros- 

 perous French colony, and they still speak a French patois. 

 These, together with the white Dominicans, are mainly 

 French Catholic, and still look upon the British owners as 

 foreigners. The people live almost entirely within a mile 

 or two of the coast, and there are no roads into the 

 interior. 



One of the two surviving groups of Caribs, or aborigines 

 of these islands, is not the least interesting part of the 

 Dominican population. These people, about three hun- 

 dred in number, are now largely mixed with the blacks. 

 They inhabit the mountains of the interior, and make their 

 livelihood by weaving a peculiar basket which is univer- 

 sally used in the island for carrying baggage. 



The soil of Dominica is a rich brown mold reeking with 

 dense vegetation, and is capable of growing any tropical 

 produce; and yet, while all but 60,000 of the 186,240 acres 

 are crown lands, which the blacks would gladly till if they 

 could acquire small holdings, agriculture is rapidly dying. 

 There were once many fine sugar-plantations, especially 

 those on the Grand Savanna, twelve miles from Roseau. 

 In the last fifteen years the exports of sugar, rum, and 

 molasses have fallen from seventy-one t<> lift. '.mi per cent, 

 of the total value of the exports, which in L896 were valued 

 al $232,750. In the other islands the sugar industry lias 

 managed to struggle along, but the Dominican planters 

 have practically given up the struggle. As Froude has 



