BARBADOS 377 



The only mineral product of Barbados is " manjack," 

 a form of asphalt which occurs in the older rocks of the 

 Scotland district. During the last two years a few experi- 

 mental shipments have been made to Boston by the Ameri- 

 can owners. 



The radiolarian earth is a splendid abrasive material 

 which could be used in the arts, but no one has thought 

 of shipping it. 



Barbados is in many respects an ideal place for those in 

 search of a restful tropical spot. A large hotel for Ameri- 

 can tourists is open during the winter months, while on 

 the eastern side of the island are some charming country 

 inns at Bathsheba and Cranes Point, well kept in the Eng- 

 lish style. In winter many visitors come here. The Eng- 

 lish of Trinidad and Guiana seek the place as a health- 

 resort. Each fortnightly ship of the Royal Mail from 

 Great Britain brings hundreds of English tourists who 

 come out to see the colonies; and it is seldom that an 

 American yachting-party or man-of-war cannot be found 

 in the roadstead. Excellent carriages are everywhere 

 available for driving, while the sea-shore and bathing are 

 as beautiful as could be desired. 



It is an interesting historical fact that the only foreign 

 trip ever taken by George Washington was made to this 

 island in 1752, in company with his brother Lawrence, who 

 was an invalid. Here the " Father of his Country " enjoyed 

 the hospitality of the island, and also had the small-pox. 

 It was a pleasure to revisit the scenes which he had de- 

 scribed in his diary, especially the old Christ's Church, 

 which now stands almost as he saw it. 



The whites of Barbados are descended from people who 

 were blood-relations of our Virginia colonists, and there arc 

 the same family names which are met with in Virginia. 

 Before the Involution there was an intimate communica- 

 tion between the relatives of the two distant colonics, and 

 frequent visits were made. 



The inhabitants of Barbados number 186,000, averaging 



