Volcanic Disturbances in West Indies 



35 



only two of these are of an}' importance, 

 the Riviere Lazard and the Riviere 

 Capote. The valleys are j ustly termed 

 fonds or depths. 



Besides the numerous copious rivulets 

 flowing into the sea, there are many 

 warm springs in Martinique — the Fon- 

 taine- Chaude on the heights of Pre- 

 cheur, eight kilometers from St Pierre, 

 the waters of Absalom, the springs near 

 Didier, de Moutte, and of the Chain 

 Bridge, places in the neighborhood of 

 Fort de France. There are other springs 

 not explored near l'Esperance, at La- 

 reinty, Lamentin, and of the Fregate 

 at Francois. 



PEOPLE 



The population of Martinique in 1894 

 was 189,500, or 470 people per square 

 mile, all native with the exception of 

 1,307 born in France. These people, 

 except a small sprinkling of white Cre- 

 oles, were colored or black, excepting 

 a few Coolies, who had been brought 

 from France. In general, the predomi- 

 nant population was a mixture of negro 

 and European blood, with many pecu- 

 liarities, which rendered them almost a 

 distinct type. The} 7 were all, in com- 

 parison to the other West Indians, a 

 well-to-do and prosperous people. 



The principal cities of Martinique are 

 Fort de France, population 17,274, and 

 St Pierre, population 25,792. Besides 

 these, there are many beautiful little 

 villages along the coast. The town of 

 La Trinite, on the east coast, is of con- 

 siderable importance. 



Fort de France, the capital, is of little 

 or no commercial importance, being a 

 political and social center. The place 

 is of interest, however, and possesses 

 the best dry dock in the Lesser Antilles. 



St Pierre was the New York of Mar- 

 tinique, its social commercial metropo- 

 lis and the center of all its industry and 

 commercial life. Here were located all 

 of the larger industries, including sev- 

 eral large rum distilleries, ice plants, 



saw-mills, and furniture factories. It 

 contained the two leading banks of the 

 island — the Bank of Martinique and the 

 English Colonial Bank. 



If New York should be obliterated at 

 a stroke, its loss to our country as a 

 whole would not fall as severely upon 

 us as has the loss of St Pierre upon the 

 people of Martinique, for we have other 

 coastal cities and harbors ; but the entire 

 commercial, financial, and business life 

 of the Island of Martinique was centered 

 at this place. 



RAINFALL 



The annual rainfall of Martinique 

 averaged 150 inches on the coast and 

 350 inches on the mountains. The tem- 

 perature shows no variation from day 

 to day throughout the year, but is fresh- 

 ened by winds. The seasons show a 

 slight variation from the normal West 

 Indian type, and were divided into three, 

 as follows : 



1. Saison Fraiche, December to March; 

 rainfall, about 475 millimeters. 



2. Saison Chaude et SeJie, April to 

 July; rainfall, 140 millimeters. 



3. Saison Chaude et Pltivieuse, July 

 to November; rainfall, 1 121 millimeters. 



The surface of the whole island, ex- 

 cept a few spots near the summit of 

 Pelee and the fields of cane, is covered 

 by dense woodland. Much of this wood- 

 laud is culture, however, for it must be 

 remembered that the people of the tropics 

 live largely by tree products. A greater 

 part, however, especially on the uplands, 

 is primitive jungle of tree ferns, palms, 

 plantain, and tropical deciduous trees. 

 Besides the great estates of cane, mostly 

 on the eastern side, there are man}' 

 small plantations of yams, potatoes, and 

 other tropical " provisions." 



MONTAGNE PELEE 



Montagne Pelee is a circular cone 

 culminating in a single summit peak 

 from which the broken surface slopes 



