JAMAICA 



3106 



JAMAICA 



fifteen degrees, ranging from 70 to 85 F. at 

 Kingston. The air is of transparent clearness, 

 and the climate is very beneficial for those 

 suffering from lung diseases. There is a wide 

 daily range of temperature, the heat of the 

 day being quickly cooled by the sudden com- 

 ing of night. The rainy seasons are in May 

 and October, but no month is entirely with- 

 out rain. Storms arise with amazing sudden- 

 ness, and the skies are quickly cleared. 



The People. According to the census of 

 1911, the population numbered 831,383. Only 

 two per cent of the people are white, while 

 seventy-seven per cent are negroes and nearly 

 twenty per cent are "colored," that is, half 

 castes. Besides, these, there were in the year 

 named 17,380 East Indian coolies and 2,111 

 Chinese. The East Indians were imported 

 for labor on the plantations after the libera- 

 tion of the slaves in 1833. The Chinese are 

 the shop-keepers; the "colored" population is 

 largely employed in the trades and professions. 

 The negroes are generally indolent, living upon 

 the abundant fruit of the soil, to be had with- 

 out effort. The mango is so abundant and 

 provides so large a part of the food of the 

 native population that it discourages industry. 

 The natives do not care to work on the planta- 

 tions when Nature provides food so lavishly. 



The maroons, the descendants of the fugi- 

 tive slaves, are few, and live apart from the 

 other inhabitants. The inland life of the 

 islands is one of undeveloped simplicity, the na- 

 tives living in thatch-roofed huts, the women 

 doing most of the family work. In the coast 

 cities the English, Americans and higher classes 

 of the "colored" inhabitants enjoy many mod- 

 ern conveniences. The chief city is Kingston, 

 the capital, with a population of 57,379. 

 Spanish Town, Port Antonio, Montego Bay 

 and Savanna-la-Mar are among other impor- 

 tant towns. 



Nearly one-half of the population is illiter- 

 ate. Education is optional, though it is 

 assisted by the government. Besides about 

 700 elementary schools, there are two secondary 

 schools, three training colleges for women and 

 a training school for men, supported by the 

 government. There are also endowed second- 

 ary and industrial schools. There is no estab- 

 lished Church. The most popular churches 

 are the Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, Presby- 

 terian and Roman Catholic. 



Industry and Commerce. The soil is of mar- 

 velous fertility and agriculture is the chief 

 industry. There are extensive plantations of 



sugar, tobacco, pineapples and coffee, and 

 groves of banana, cocoa, cocoanut, orange, 

 mango and grapefruit trees. The pimento, or 

 allspice, tree is found almost exclusively in 

 Jamaica, and quantities of ginger and arrow- 

 root are grown. The mountain regions are 

 largely guinea grass fields and pasture lands for 

 live stock. The forests produce much logwood, 

 rosewood, mahogany, ebony, lancewood and 

 lignum- vitae. Turtle fishing is an important 

 industry along the coast. Some iron ores, lead, 

 cobalt and a great variety of marble, porphy- 

 rites and granites are found, but they are not 

 worked to any extent. There are many mineral 

 springs of medicinal waters. Sugar mills, dis- 

 tilleries, oil presses and tanneries are the chief 

 industrial establishments. 



The trade of the colony is chiefly with the 

 United States, the British Isles and Canada. 

 Bananas and other fruits, sugar, logwood ex- 

 tract, rum, coffee and pimento are the most 

 important exports. Cotton, textiles, fish and 

 flour are imported. Steamship lines operate 

 between Kingston and Cuba, Colon, Barbados 

 and British ports. The chief commercial port 

 is Port Royal, where there is also a British 

 naval station. There is weekly mail service 

 to and from England and cable and mail com- 

 munications with the United States, and with 

 Halifax, Nova Scotia, via Bermuda. In 1914 

 there were 197 miles of railroad on the island. 

 The electric car speeding along the century- 

 old roads of Kingston, among odd vehicles 

 drawn by donkeys and lean horses, and black 

 women carrying their burdens on their heads, is 

 one of the modern innovations in striking con- 

 trast to native customs. 



Government. Under. the colonial govern- 

 ment of England, the island is content and 

 unshaken by political factions. Assisting the 

 governor in the administration of the colony 

 is a Privy Council appointed by the Crown. 

 There is a legislative council consisting of the 

 governor, ten members nominated by the gov- 

 ernor, fourteen elected and five ex-officio mem- 

 bers. The island is divided into fifteen par- 

 ishes, governed by elective boards. Justice is 

 administered by high and circuit courts and 

 resident parish magistrates, without trial by 

 jury. The Turks, Caicos and Cayman islands 

 and Morant and Pedro cays are dependencies 

 under the government of Jamaica. 



History. Jamaica, originally inhabited by 

 the Arawak Indians, was discovered by Colum- 

 bus in 1494. Spanish occupation began in 

 1509, and before the middle of the seventeenth 



