WEST INDIES. 



839 





of imports in 1900 was 335,269, of which 56,- 

 528 represent textiles and 28,264 flour; exports, 

 207,223, of which 104,219 represent sponges, 

 o9,191 pineapples, and 16,246 fiber; tonnage en- 

 tered and cleared, 1,113,866 tons. 



The revenues of all the British West Indian col- 

 onies in 1900 amounted to 2,133,965, against 

 1,993,861 in 1899 and 1,888,259 in 1898; ex- 

 penditures amounted to 2,117,171, against 

 1,974,253 in 1899 and 1,904,369 in 1898. The 

 imports of all the islands made the sum of 6,739.- 

 567 in 1900, against 6,709,142 in 1899, and 

 6,323,413 in 1898; exports amounted to 6,360,- 

 344, against 6,262,454 in 1899 and 5,657,391 

 in 1898. The tonnage entered and cleared in all 

 British West Indian ports was 9,910,300 tons in 

 1900, against 9,155,155 tons in 1899. As a result 

 of the report of the Royal Commission appointed 

 to inquire into the condition of the West Indian 

 sugar-growing colonies, to the effect that the 

 sugar industry was in danger of great reduction, 

 and even of extinction in some islands from the 

 competition of bounty-fed beet-sugar, and that 

 its total or partial extinction would reduce the 

 revenues so that in many cases they would be in- 

 sufficient to meet the cost of administration, the 

 British Parliament in 1899 authorized advances to 

 the colonial governments from the imperial treas- 

 ury amounting to 663,000, distributed as fol- 

 lows: Jamaica, 150,000 in aid of revenue and 

 303,000 for public works and railroads; Trini- 

 dad, 110,000 for railroads and public works; 

 Barbados, 50,000 as relief from the effects of the 

 hurricane of 1898; St. Vincent, a hurricane loan 

 of 50,000. Other assistance was given to the 

 islands. 



French Colonies. The colony of Guadeloupe 

 with its dependencies has an area of 688 square 

 miles and a population in 1901 of 172,097. The 

 2 islands divided by a narrow channel which 

 form the colony of Guadeloupe proper have an 

 area of 583 square miles. The dependent islands 

 are Marie Galante, Les Saintes, Desirade, St. 

 Barthelemy, and St. Martin. The population in- 

 cludes 15,276 East Indian coolies. A lyceum with 

 268 pupils and a female college with 134 pupils are 

 the superior schools, and there are 101 elementary 

 schools with 321 teachers and 10,979 pupils. 

 Pointe a Pitre, the principal town, has 16,506 in- 

 habitants; Basse Terre, the capital, 7,838. The 

 revenue in 1900 was 6,120,581 francs, and expend- 

 iture the same. The expenditure of France in 

 1902 was 1,737.289 francs. The debt is 1,200,000 

 francs. The garrison consists of 170 French sol- 

 diers. The Governor in 1902 was M. Merlin. 

 T.he members of the Legislative Council are elect- 

 ed by the people. Sugar was grown on 22,740 hec- 

 tares in 1901, coffee on 5,251 hectares, cacao on 

 2,935 hectares. The exports of sugar in 1899 were 

 39.390 tons; of coffee, 1,587,000 pounds; of cacao, 

 "915,530 pounds. Bananas, sweet potatoes, manioc, 

 corn, and vegetables are the food crops, and tobac- 

 co is raised for local consumption. The imports 

 in 1899 were valued at 19,155,751 francs, of which 

 13.286,000 francs were special imports from 

 France; exports at 18,707,558 francs, of which 11.- 

 032.000 francs were special exports to France. The 

 imports from France for home consumption in 

 1900 were only 9,715,000 francs; exports to 

 France, 10,559,000 francs. The number of ves- 

 sels that visited Pointe il Pitre in 1899 was 438, of 

 221,303 tons, mostly French and English steamers 

 that make regular trips between European and 

 West Indian ports. 



The island of Martinique has an area of 380 

 square miles, with 189,599 inhabitants in 1901. 

 There is an elective Legislative Council. The 



Governor in 1902 was L. Mouttet. The popu- 

 lation includes 1,307 persons born in France, 

 4,665 East Indians, 432 Chinese, and 5,371 African 

 immigrants. There is a law school with 86 stu- 

 dents, 3 secondary schools with 745 pupils, a nor- 

 mal school, and 152 elementary schools with 11,- 

 988 pupils. The military force consists of 1,180 

 French soldiers. St. Pierre, the chief seaport, had 

 25,792 inhabitants in 1901; Fort de France, 17,- 

 274. Sugar, coffee, cacao, tobacco, and cotton 

 are the chief products. The value of imports in 

 1900 was 24,929,348 francs, of which 10,760,063 

 francs came from France, 1,706,338 francs from 

 French colonies, and 12,462,947 francs from for- 

 eign countries. The exports were valued at 27,- 

 1 60,890 francs, of which 24,738,693 francs went to 

 France, 996,295 francs to French colonies, and 

 1,425,952 francs to foreign countries. The tonnage 

 entered in 1899 was 315,509; cleared, 313,840. 

 French, American, and British steamers visit the 

 island regularly. The local revenue in 1900 was 

 5,729,793 francs; the expenditure of France in 

 1902 was 3,135,516 francs; debt, 1,460,000 francs 

 and an annual rente of 95,000 francs. The erup- 

 tions of Mont Pel6e in 1902 caused the death of 

 35,000 persons and left 50,000 homeless and desti- 

 tute. The relief sent from the United States, 

 France, and other countries enabled the colony to 

 survive the disaster. St. Pierre, which was ef- 

 faced, was the largest town in the French islands 

 and one of the prettiest in the West Indies. An 

 area of 30 square miles was desolated by the erup- 

 tion. (See EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES.) 



Dutch Colony. The Netherlands has in the 

 West Indies the colony of Curasao, consisting of 

 the island of that name, Bonaire, Aruba, part of 

 St. Martin, St. Eustache, and Saba. Curagao, 

 area 210 square miles, had 30,119 inhabitants on 

 Dec. 31, 1899; Bonaire, area 95 square miles, had 

 4,926 ; Aruba, area 69 square miles, had 9,591 ; St. 

 Martin, area 17 square miles, had 3,485; St. Eu- 

 stache, area 7 square miles, had 1,383; Saba, area 

 5 square miles, had 2,189. The members of the 

 Colonial Council are appointed. The Governor in 

 1902 was J. O. de Jong van Beek en Donk. There 

 are 33 schools with 5,460 pupils. The revenue for 

 1901, derived from import and export duties, ex- 

 cise, land taxation, and indirect taxes, was esti- 

 mated at 602,000 guilders and expenditure at 

 700,000 guilders. The Dutch garrison in 1900 con- 

 sisted of 9 officers and 175 soldiers, the militia of 

 28 officers and 349 men. The imports in 1899 were 

 valued at 1,922,917 guilders. The chief products 

 are corn, beans, cattle, salt, and lime. The ports 

 were visited in 1899 by 2,455 vessels, of 480,- 

 565 tons. 



Danish Colony. The Danish Antilles are the 

 islands of Santa Cruz, St. Thomas, and St. John, 

 having a total area 'of 138 square miles and 30,504 

 inhabitants. The Governor in the beginning of 

 1902 was Col. C. E. von Hedemann. The value of 

 imports in 1900 was 86,000 kroner; exports, 59,- 

 000 kroner. Sugar and rum are the chief prod- 

 ucts. 



After long negotiations, a treaty for the sale of 

 the islands to the United States was signed on 

 Jan. 24, 1902. It was ratified by the United States 

 Senate on Feb. 17, 1902. The Danish Lands- 

 thing rejected the treaty on May 16. The United 

 States proposed a prolongation of the period of 

 ratification, and Denmark assented. Half the 

 members of the Landsthing were renewed by 

 election, and the treaty came before the body 

 again and was once more rejected by a small ma- 

 jority on Oct. 22. In November the Government 

 appointed a commission to go to the Danish 

 West Indies in order to study what can be done 



