344 CUBA AND rOKTO RICO 



stated, its government has struck the island with paraly- 

 sis, and the contrast it presents with its French neighbors 

 from an economic standpoint cannot be flattering to Great 

 Britain's pride. 



The laboring people have largely migrated to Venezuela 

 and to Cayenne. At the docks of both this island and 

 St. Lucia, England's other French possession, schooners 

 can always be found loading with black emigrants. Form- 

 erly the slopes of Dominica were covered with coffee-trees, 

 but this industry has practically disappeared. In 1843 

 there was as much as 1,333,000 pounds of coffee, besides 

 rum, sugar, and molasses. The coffee-culture even reached 

 2,.~)00,000 pounds in 1828. Now the whole of this industry 

 has vanished, except a few trees set out within recent 

 years. Faint attempts are being made to increase the pro- 

 duction of cocoa, limes, and lime-juice, as well as of essen- 

 tial oils. 



Dominica was discovered and named by Columbus on a 

 certain Sunday in the year 1493. In 1627 the English 

 took possession of the island, but could not settle it on 

 account of the Caribs. In 1748 the treaty of Aix-la- 

 Chapelle made the island neutral territory between the 

 French and English, but it became a French island in 

 population, although treaties have twice since awarded it 

 to England. In the final settlement between England and 

 France after the imperial wars, Great Britain followed the 

 advice of Rodney and retained this island, so situated 

 between the French possessions of Guadeloupe and Mar- 

 tinique that its loss would greatly debilitate the French 

 power in the West Indies. 



Dominica is a presidency within the general government 

 of the Leeward Island federation. The president, or com- 

 missioner, has an executive council of seven members; 

 traces of the old constitutional rights still exist in the fact 

 that there is a legislative assembly. The revenues, as in 

 all of the English islands, do not equal the expenditures, 

 and taxes are increasing. 



