776 



WEST INDIES. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



was 48, of which 33, of 1,682 tons, were sailing 

 vessels, and 15, of 1,171 tons, steamers. More 

 than half the imports come from Great Britain, 

 and a quarter from the United States, and the ex- 

 ports go mainly to those two countries, the 

 United States taking the larger share. The ex- 

 port of gold was less in 1899 than in previous 

 years, owing to the exhaustion of the richer de- 

 posits that were being worked. New ones have 

 not been discovered, but investigations point to 

 a wider extent of auriferous lands than was be- 

 lieved to exist. Cacao, rice, kola, and tobacco are 

 products that have lately been introduced to take 

 the place of the sugar cane. The Government en- 

 courayes the settlement of small homesteads. Of 

 i lie total area of the colony only a fringe on the 

 coast and on the river banks is cultivated. The 

 forests of the interior contain beautiful cabinet 

 \Mn.ds. and rubber and other valuable gums. 



French Colonies. The French island of 

 (iiHuli'louite has an area of 583 square miles itself, 

 and the dependent islands of Marie Galante, Les 

 Saintes, Desirade, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin 

 being added, the total area of the colony is 688 

 square miles. Guadeloupe had 170,195 inhabit- 

 ants in 1897. The population of the dependencies 

 is 23,605. The Governor is D. Moracchini, resid- 

 ing at Basse Terre. The revenue in 1900 was esti- 

 mated at 4,968,324 francs, and expenditures at the 

 same, France giving 1,632,950 francs to cover the 

 deficiency of local revenue. The value of imports 

 in IS!)!) was 18,451,000 francs, and of exports 18,- 

 2:>l.oot> francs. The post office in 1896 handled 

 -MI internal and 606,468 international letters, 

 etc. There are about 15,000 Indian coolies on the 

 island. The rest of the population, except the 

 white planters, is African. The- economical situa- 

 tion is worse than in Martinique, and the negro 

 population for want of employment has become 

 impoverished. 



The area of Martinique is 381 square miles. 

 The population in 1894 was 187,692. The expendi- 

 tures in 1 !)()(! were calculated at 5,729,793 francs. 

 The French Government bears about 35 per cent, 

 of the total expenditure. The Governor is G. 

 Gabrie, residing at Fort-de-France. The value of 

 imports in 1898 was 27,005,000 francs, and of ex- 

 ports 26,603,000 francs. Of the imports, 14,182,000 

 francs came from France. The postal traffic in 

 1S!I4 was r,95.064 internal and 893,595 foreign 

 letters and other mail matter. A battalion of 

 marine infantry and 2 batteries of artillery are 

 kept in Martinique, and there is a company of 

 colonial gendarmery on each of the islands. The 

 ( ;<\ eminent is constantly in financial difficul- 

 ties. The feud between blacks and whites 

 caii-cs difficulties in addition to those that arise 

 from the depression of the sugar industry. The 

 creolcs are few and. hampered by want of capital, 

 are unable to devise new occupations for the 

 laborers whom they can no longer profitably em- 

 ploy on their sugar plantations. Excepting the 

 planters and some thousands of coolies, the whole 

 population i> Mack or colored, descendants of 

 African slaves. About half the imports come 

 from l-Yance, which receives practically the whole 

 of the exports from both islands. 



FrenHi Uninna is administered by a Governor. 



.. Mouttet, assisted by a Council General of Hi 

 members. The population is 30,310, including 

 :&.!>"' I convicts and l.SOO convict settlers. There 

 arc !.-)()(! Indians. The area is estimated at 30,260 

 square miles. The revenue in 1900 was estimated 

 >40 francs, including a contribution from 

 the French Government, which expended li.S99.06 1 

 francs on the colony in 1900. but of this 5.450.550 

 francs were for the penal establishment. Guiana 



was made a penal settlement in 1885, and since 

 then habitual criminals and all who are sentenced 

 for more than eight years are sent there. The 

 labor of the convicts is now employed for gen- 

 eral purposes with good results. Crops are rice, 

 corn, manioc, cacao, coffee, sugar, indigo, and 

 tobacco, though the area cultivated is small. 

 Rum, cacao, cofi'ee, phosphates, and cabinet woods 

 are exported. The exports of gold were 74.640 

 ounces in 1897, 48,600 ounces in 1898, and 81,715 

 ounces in 1899. Gold is found mainly in allu- 

 vial deposits, though quartz veins are also 

 worked. The import trade has fallen off greatly, 

 but the exports tend to increase. The interior is 

 covered with dense forests, and the country is ex- 

 ceedingly unhealthy and thinly populated. More 

 than a third of the population live in the town of 

 Cayenne. Silver and iron mines are worked be- 

 sides the deposits of gold and phosphates. The 

 gold fields in the south that were claimed by 

 France have been awarded to Brazil under the ar- 

 bitration convention of April, 1897, but they have 

 been developed by miners from French Guiana. 



Dutch Colonies. The island of Curasao, with 

 the dependencies of Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustache, 

 Saba, and the Dutch part of St. Martin, has an 

 area of 403 square miles, that of Curasao by itself 

 being 210 square miles. The population in 1898 

 was 51,524. The number of marriages in 1898 

 was 203; of births, 1,583; of deaths, 942; excess 

 of births, 641. The Governor is C. A. H. Barge, 

 residing at Willemstad. The revenue in 1898 was 

 517,485 guilders: expenditure, 687,529 guilders, 

 leaving a deficit of 170,044 guilders. The number 

 of vessels that visited the island in 1898 was 

 1,074, of 1,266,000 cubic metres. The post office 

 forwarded 36,272 internal and 489,080 external 

 letters; receipts, 73,000 francs; expenses, 58,000 

 francs. The value of imports in 1898 was 1,960,- 

 000 guilders. 



Danish Colonies. Denmark has the islands of 

 K<nit<i Cruz. Kt. TJionidS, and St. John, which 

 combined have an area of 138 square miles. Their 

 population at the census of 1890 was 114,229, of 

 whom 53,429 were males and 60,800 females. The 

 imports in 1898 were valued at 3,103.000 kro- 

 ner, and exports at 3,059,000 kroner. The (iov- 

 ernor is Col. C. E. von Hedemann. The indebted- 

 ness of the colonies to the mother country amounts 

 to 12,000,000 kroner. It has been proposed that 

 the United States discharge this debt and assume 

 the sovereignty of the islands if the Danish Cov- 

 ernment be willing to make the transfer. The 

 islands have long been a financial burden to the 

 home Government, and their trade with Denmark 

 is constantly decreasing. 



WEST VIRGINIA, a Southern State, ad- 

 mitted to the Union June 19, 1863; area, 24.TSO 

 square miles. The population, according to each 

 decennial census since admission, was 442.014 in 

 1S70; (il 8.457 in 1880; 762,794 in 1890; and 95S.- 

 800 in 1900. Capital, Charleston. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1900: Governor. Ceor^e \V. Alkiuson: 

 Secretary of State, William M. O. Dawson : Treas- 

 urer, M. A. Kendall: Auditor. I,. M. l.aKollelle: 

 Attorney-General, Edgar P. Rucker: Superintend- 

 ent of Schools, J. R. Trotter: Adjutant (ieneral. 

 J. W. M. Applcton: Librarian, P. S. Shirkey; 

 P.ank Examiner, O. B. Wetzel, succeeded in May 

 by C. H. Kefauver : Secretary of the I'.oard of 

 Agriculture..!. P>. (Jarvin: Commissioner of Labor. 

 I. V. Barton; Mine Inspector, J. W. Paul: Fish 

 and Game Warden. Frank Lively all Repub- 

 licans: Presiding .fudge of the Supreme Court of 

 Appeals, Marmaduke H. Dent; Associate Judges, 

 John W. English, Henry Brannon, and H. C. Me- 



