834 



WEST IXDIES. 



cane swept over the island, doing great damage to 

 property and to the crops. Turks and Caicos islands, 

 dependencies of Jamaica, have an area of 223 square 

 miles and a population of about 5,000. They are 

 governed by a Commissioner and a legislative board. 

 In 189? the revenue was 9,477, and the expenditure 

 8,384. The exports were 43.303; the imports, 

 33,239. The Commissioner is Edward J. Cameron. 

 The Caymans, small islands northwest of Jamaica, 

 are also" dependencies of that island. Their area is 

 about 90 square miles, and their population 5,000. 

 Cocoanuts and turtles are the principal articles of 

 export. 



Barbadoes has an area of 166 square miles and a 

 population estimated at 190.000 in 1897. The death 

 rate was 26.12, and the birth rate 38.7, in 1897; 7,197 

 births were registered, of which 3,897, or 54.15 per 

 cent, were illegitimate. The apparently high death 

 rate is due to infant mortality among the black 

 population. The island is one of the most health- 

 ful places in the world, and possesses- a delightful 

 climate. The mean temperature in 1897 was 79.2 C , 

 the rainfall 65.09 inches. The revenue in 1897 was 

 184 706, and the expenditure 172,551. The public 

 debt on Dec. 31, 1897, was 409,150. In 1896 the 

 imports were valued at 1,048,887, and the exports 

 at 758,228. In 1897 the imports were valued at 

 1,008,699. of which 321,908 worth came from the 

 United States, and the exports at 736,162, of 

 which 429,527 worth went to the United States. 

 Sugar and molasses make up about 96 per cent, of 

 exports. During the past three years an industry 

 has sprung up in manjack, a kind of asphalt. Pe- 

 troleum has also been discovered in the island, and 

 attempts are being made to develop an oil industry. 

 Although there was a falling off in the value of the 

 exports in 1897, the amount of sugar and molasses 

 was greater than in 1896. The low price of these 

 products accounts for the decrease in value of the 

 total exports. Early in September, 1898, Barbadoes. 

 in common with several of the other West Indian 

 islands, was visited by a destructive hurricane. 

 About 10,000 houses were destroyed and more than 

 100 lives lost. The Imperial as well as the local 

 Government took energetic measures to relieve the 

 suffering of the houseless negroes, and a public- 

 fund was started at the Mansion House, London. 

 The Governor of the colony is Sir James Shaw Hay. 



The Leeward Islands, consisting of Antigua, Bar- 

 buda, Redonda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Montser- 

 rat, Dominica, and the Virgin Islands, have an area 

 of about 740 square miles, and a population esti- 

 mated in 1897 at 138,000. The colony is divided 

 into five presidencies, the central Government hav- 

 ing its seat in Antigua. The revenue in 1897 was 

 124,768, and the expenditure 140,926, showing 

 a deficit of 16,158. The public debt was 335,- 

 621. In 1896 the imports were valued at 402,198, 

 and the exports at 316,510. In 1897 the imports 

 decreased to 312,657, of which 124,064 worth 

 came from the United States ; and the exports in- 

 creased to 328,496, of which 223,150 went to the 

 United States. The exports consisted of sugar 

 (236,209), lime juice and limes (24,514), molasses 

 (12,506), rum, and coffee. The Governor of the 

 colony is Sir Francis Fleming. 



The Windward Inlands consist of St. Lucia, St. 

 Vincent, Granada, and the Grenadines, and have a 

 total area of 506 square miles and a population esti- 

 mated in 1897 at 154,743. The revenue in 1897 was 

 142,456, and the expenditure 143,157. The 

 public debt was 338,849. In 1896 the imports 

 were valued at 404,967 ; and the exports, at 339,- 

 260. In 1897 the figures were : For imports, 480,- 

 432, of which 102,007 (excluding St. Vincent, for 

 which island returns are not available) came from 

 the United States; and for exports 453,818, of 



which 65,824 (excluding St. Vincent) went to the 

 United States. The colony suffered severely in the 

 hurricane of September, 1898. The principal arti- 

 cles of export are cocoa, spices, sugar, and arrow- 

 root. The Governor of the colony is Sir Alfred Mo- 

 loney. 



Trinidad and Tobago, which form one colony, 

 have a total area of 1,864 square miles, and a popu- 

 lation estimated in 1897 at 252.544, of whom 83,032 

 were East Indians. Of this number about 10,000 

 were employed as indentured laborers on the es- 

 tates in Trinidad, and the remainder were time-ex- 

 pired laborers and their descendants. In 1897 7,927 

 births and 7,091 deaths were registered. Of the 

 births 59.2 per cent, were illegitimate ; 25 per cent, 

 of the deaths were of children under two yea re of 

 age. The revenue in 1897 was 611,434, anil the ex- 

 penditure 622,364. The debt was 916.518. In 



1896 the imports were valued at 2,463.525, and the 

 exports at 1,896,748. In 1897 the imports were 

 valued at 2,161,231, of which 450,664 worth 

 came from the United States ; and the exports at 

 1,994,926, of which 628,264 worth went to the 

 United States. The principal exports were sugar 

 (537,107), cocoa (532,123), asphalt (138,801), 

 and bitters (40,106). The chief imports were live 

 animals, food and drink (1,328,502), and manu- 

 factured articles (254.311). The mean temperature 

 was 79.13, and the rainfall was 77.68 inches. The 

 figures for Tobago for 1897, which are included in 

 those given above, were : Revenue, 8,107 ; expend- 

 iture, 8,386: debt, 9,203; imports, 11,656; ex- 

 ports, 4,968 (exclusive of 14,433 exports to Trini- 

 dad) ; population, 20,785. The Governor of the 

 colony is Sir Hubert Jerninghan. 



British Guiana has an area of 109,000 square 

 miles according to the latest Government returns; 

 but until the settlement of the Venezuelan boun- 

 dary dispute it remains doubtful whether this fig- 

 ure is too small or too large. The population in 



1897 was estimated at 289,000, of whom about 110,- 

 000 are East Indians. Of this number about 18,- 

 000 were working as indentured laborers on the 

 sugar estates. The revenue for the colony's finan- 

 cial year 1897-'98 was 505,369, and the expendi- 

 ture '562,598, showing a deficit of 57,229. The 

 imports in 1896 were valued at 1,341,710, and the 

 exports at 1,899,457. In 1897 the imports were 

 valued at 1,282,976, and the exports at 1,783.764. 

 Of the imports 740,878 worth came from the 

 United Kingdom, and 341,739 worth from the 

 United States; of the exports 949,015 worth went 

 to the United Kingdom, and 704,596 worth to the 

 United States. The principal articles of import 

 were rice (95,933) ; flour (139,107) ; linen, cotton, 

 and woolen goods (156.120). The principal arti- 

 cles of export were sugar (1.023,523). gold bullion 

 (456,436), rum (132,586). The attempt in 1896 

 to establish a rice industry has met with little suc- 

 cess, and sugar still gives employment directly and 

 indirectly to about 80 per cent, of the population. 

 In 1897 the colony had 21 miles of railway open, 

 272 miles of telegraph line, and 39 miles of tele- 

 phone line. In 1898 the exports of sugar increased 

 from 99,789 tons in 1897 to 106,000 tons; but the 

 increase was not due to increased yield, but to tlie 

 fact that about 15.000 tons of sugar remained over 

 from 1897. The export of gold snowed a consider- 

 able decrease in 1898, the figures for that and the 

 three previous years being 1895, 122,023 ounces; 

 1896. 124,713 ounces: 181)7, 122.702 ounces; 1N9S, 

 113,000 ounces. This falling off in an industry 

 which it is hoped will help to tide the colony over 

 its present financial difficulties was due in a largo 

 measure to unfavorable weather in the gold regions, 

 both very dry weather and very wet weather mak- 

 ing it impossible to work the placers. In addition 



