44^ Voyage of the Novara. 



conceive that the entire ice-trade to the West Indies, South 

 America, China, the Malay Archipelago, and the East Indies 

 is in the hands of the keen North Americans, who evince a 

 capacity for making a genial use of a natural phenomenon, 

 which a less speculative race of men associate with the idea 

 of cold, discomfort, and stagnation of intercourse. 



M. A. Riise, a wealthy chemist and zealous naturalist, by 

 whom as by other German residents I was most kindly re- 

 ceived, has acquired much distinction from his profound 

 acquaintance with the lower animals of the West Indies, of 

 which he possesses a small but valuable collection, chiefly of 

 the Fauna of the islands of St. Thomas, Ste Croix and Trini- 

 dad, and was so exceedingly courteous as to present me with 

 duplicates of several of the most interesting. M. Krebs, 

 merchant, and M. Kjaer harbour-master, also in their hours 

 of relaxation gave me much valuable information on kindred 

 topics, the latter gentleman further presenting me with 

 specimens from an excellent collection he had formed of 

 petrifactions. 



What, however, afforded me the sincerest satisfaction on the 

 occasion of my present visit to St. Thomas, was the striking ex- 

 amples of industry, intelligence, and social comfort of the negro 

 population. Of all nations among whom this curse of slavery 

 has been implanted, the Danes have best comprehended how 

 practically to solve the difficult problem of emancipation. 

 The number of slaves in Danish colonies was at all times 

 very small, and their manumission consequently more easy. 



