820 



WEST INDIES. 



iron, wool, and hides ; maritime opportunities unsur- 

 passed for internal, coastwise, and foreign commerce ; 

 in a line to absorb the trade of Alaska in fish, fur, 

 cedar, and gold ; to obtain the largest share from 

 Asia in coffee, teas, opium, porcelain, silks, and ivory 

 all of these are our resources and advantages. 



Political In 1882 Thomas H. Brents, Re- 

 publican, was elected delegate to Congress by 

 a vote of 11,252, against 8,244 for his Demo- 

 cratic opponent. The Legislature of 1883 con- 

 sisted of 6 Democrats and 6 Republicans in 

 the Council, and 14 Democrats and 10 Repub- 

 licans in the House. 



WEST INDIES. British. The G o vernor of the 

 Bermudas is Lieut.-Gen. T. L. Gallway; of 

 Barbadoes and the Windward Islands, W. Rob- 

 inson. 



Jamaica. After the negro rising in Jamaica 

 in Gov. Eyre's time, fifteen years ago, the par- 

 liamentary government of the island was abol- 

 ished, and the colony became what is called a 

 crown colony, ruled by officials appointed by 

 the Colonial Office in London. An influential 

 party in Jamaica now claims that the con- 

 dition of the island is so much changed that it 

 is time to reinvest the people with self-gov- 

 ernment. 



The shipments to the United States amount- 

 ed during the six fiscal years, 1877 to 1882, to 

 $234,650 from Kingston, and $520,446 from 

 Port Antonio ; of oranges from Kingston, to 

 $429,575 ; of cocoa-nuts from Port Antonio, to 

 $148,545, besides moderate amounts of limes, 

 pineapples, and mangoes. The latter, now per- 

 haps the most common fruit in Jamaica, is of 

 comparatively recent introduction. 



The Bahamas. The cultivation and ship- 

 ment of pineapples is the most important in- 

 dustry of the Bahamas. The vessels engaged 

 in this trade are mostly schooners of from 75 

 to 150 tons, noted for speed, and able to make 

 the run from the islands to Baltimore, Phila- 

 delphia, and New York, in from four to eight 

 days, more than two thirds of them being New 

 England fishing-vessels and Baltimore pungies. 

 There were shipped to the United States in 

 1882 something over 100 cargoes, mostly in 

 American bottoms, amounting to 462,000 dozen, 

 worth $141,000. There was also a marked in- 

 crease in the shipments of preserved pineap- 

 ples, $43,000 worth, against $32,800 in 1881. 

 In the item of sponges the increase has been 

 very marked, a brisk trade continuing all 

 through the year 1882. In 1881 there were 

 shipped to the United States 234,529 pounds ; 

 value, $113,643. In 1882 the amount was 464,- 

 748 pounds, valued at $190,752. 



Dominica. During the night from Sept. 4 

 to Sept. 5, 1883, the island, for the first time 

 since 1834, was visited by a terrific hurricane, 

 causing destruction to the extent of half a 

 million pounds sterling. This hurricane also 

 struck Porto Rico and other West India isl- 

 ands, but it nowhere proved so disastrous. 



The shipments of produce from the British 

 West Indies to the United States, during the 

 first half of the year 1883, were : 



Nevis *o onn 



Barbadoes...:.'.':: l,372'oOO 



Jamaica .......... 6T5000 



Trinidad ...... 2225141 



Turk's islands .... 



The Bahamas ...... $214,400 



The Bermudas ..... 875,000 



^tigua ........... 267,000 



Dominica .......... 56,000 



Montserrat ......... 18,000 



Total ....................................... $5^541 



The principal products imported into the 

 United States from British Honduras during 

 the fiscal year 1882 were: Coffee, 829,604 

 pounds; India-rubber, 161,288 pounds; and 

 sugar, 2,867,905 pounds. 



The chief product imported from British 

 Guiana into the United States is sugar, and 

 next to it molasses. Sugar importation has of 

 late years increased as follows : 



Pounds. 



Poundi. 



1S81 47,821,626 



18T8 87,435,270 



1879 18,074,378 



1880 84,072,783 



Total 196,861,742 



Danish. The Danish West India colony con- 

 sists of three islands forming the extreme 

 western group of the Virgin islands. Ste. 

 Croix, commonly called Santa Cruz, measures 

 218 square kilometres; St. Thomas, 86; and 

 St. John, 54; together, 358, or 138 square 

 miles. The total population is 33,763. 



Ste. Croix is called the garden of the West 

 Indies ; it is fertile, every foot almost is culti- 

 vated, and it produces the best grade of musco 

 vado sugar. St. Thomas and St. John produce 

 little sugar, and hardly anything besides. 



St. Thomas is a free port, and has a roomy 

 harbor, with facilities for the repair of vessels. 



The American trade with the Danish West 

 Indies has been as follows : 



Dnteh. The West India possessions of the 

 Netherlands cover an area of 1,130 square kilo- 

 metres, and consist of the following islands: 



The colony of Surinam, or Dutch Guiana, m 

 South America, measures 119,321 square kilo- 

 metres, and has a population of 69,856; its 

 capital is Paramaribo, with 27,416 inhabitants. 



The island of Curacoa is a free port, and has 

 been till latterly a sort of entrepot for Dutch 

 colonial trade with Venezuela. 

 * The American trade with the Dutch West 

 Indies in the past five years has been as fol- 

 lows: 



