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“...CONTENTS
CHA'- PAGE
I. General Information . . i
C II. General Information (coni.) . 27
. III. Barbados . . . . *57
\ IV. British Guiana . . . . 78
V. Jamaica * . . , 100
^ VI. Trinidad.........................
\ VII. Tobago . - _ rj2
^VIII. Grenada......................jgj
IX. St. Vincent . -173
■ X. St. Lucia....................X88
< XI. Antigua.........................
f XII. St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla,
Montserrat . . . .216
^ XIII. Dominica . .
- .................234
XIV. The Virgin Islands, Guade-
loupe, Martinique . . 246
« A...”
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“...xii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Laborie, St. Lucia . . . . To face i>. 17 3
Kingstown, St. Vincent It 173
A Street in St. John’s, Antigua . It 212
A Typical Market Scene . ft 212
The Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua '» 213
Camelford’s Anchor, English Harbour, Antigua . *. ft 213
Brimstone Hill, St. Kitts ft 240
Roseau, Dominica, from the Sea ft 240
A Typical Valley in Dominica . ft 241
Bidding our Friends “ Good-bye ” ft ■ 241
LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES MAPS The West Indies PAGE
Barbados ...... 64
A Topographicall Description and Admeasure- ment of the Yland of Barbados (An old Map, 1673) 72
British Guiana 80
Jamaica 112
Trinidad . • . . . . . 144
Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, &c. . 160
St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Kitts and Dominica Nevis, 208
TABLES Dollars and Sterling Tables . End of book
Some Information about the British West Indies . . . JJ It
Tariff of Cable Charges per Word ft ft...”
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“...% 1**^
THE WEST INDIAN SEASON 1909-10
St. Thomas (fourteen days). They then call at
Antigua, Dominica/Barnaaos, Trinidad, Demerara,
and Paramaribo, ^jrst-saloon passengers only are
carried, and tickef^fo^tn^round voyage, which
occupies about eightweeks, cost £38. Steamers:
St. Jan, St. Croix, ana St. 1 nomas (3500 tons each).
A fully-qualified medical officer and a stewardess are
carried on each oi tne steamers, t he cabins are
situated amidships on the main and upper decks.
Fares from London :— ’
Hotels.
Single
St. Thomas £17 10 o
Dominica } '^l8 » •
Return
£33 10 o
£35 to o
Barbados
Trinidad \
Demerara /
Single
o 0
£30 00
Return
£36 o o
£38 0 o
The Hamburg-American Line have arranged for two
cruises in the Moltke (13,000 tons) from New York to
the West Indies and Spanish Main, on January 17
and February 19, 1910.
In Barbados the Crane Hotel has been reopened
(Pension 8s. 4d. to 10s. 6d. per day) and the Crane
House Hotel closed. In British Guiana Mrs. Forbes’s
lodgings are closed, but...”
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“...79,871 68,383 288,665 78,008 96,554 417,299
St. Vincent. . ƒ1906-7 \ 1907-8 26,031 28,465 24,650 24,653 83,755 94,265
St. Lucia . . f1906-7 60,OZ2 60,293 242,469 220,313
1 1907-8 67,351 64,840 310,309 264,401 95,971
Antigua . . . ƒ1906-7 44,175 45,207 132,763
1 1907-8 50,620 46,968 168,396 I58,8l8 174,972
St. Kitts-Nevis ƒ 1906-7 49,613 46,067 160,195
\ 1907-8 50,351 47,170 180,347 189,903
Dominica . . ƒ 1906-7 34,149 31,055 103,224 X06,246
\ 1907-8 39,865 31,486 128,650 124,294
Montserrat . . ƒ1906-7 8,732. 6,578 22,807 23,982
1 1907-8 10,233 8,0x6 32,756 35,183
Virgin Islands. ƒ 1906-7 \ 1907-8 2,425 3,971 2,032 4,367 6,440 7,009 5,760 6,027
The latest estimates regarding population are as
follows:—
Barbados 194.518 St. Lucia 54,599
British Guiana 304,549 Antigua 34,953
Jamaica 830,361 St. Kitts 30,813
Trinidad 3ï6,I4I Nevis 14,076
Tobago 30,636 Dominica 3L943
Grenada 70,783 Anguilla 4,400
St. Vincent 51,779 Montserrat 13,315
The Virgin Islands 4,908
Errata.
Page 129, line...”
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“...classifica-
tion, which no longer holds good, the terms
Windward and Leeward being now applied to
two quite different groups of British islands, to
which reference is made below.
The British West Indian Islands are divided
into six groups of colonies:—(i) the Bahamas,
(2) Barbados, (3) Jamaica, with Turks and Caicos
Islands, and the Caymans, (4) Trinidad and
Tobago, (5) the Windward Islands, including
St Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and the Grena-
dines, and (6) the Leeward Islands, comprising
Antigua, with Barbuda and Redonda, St. Kitts,
Nevis and Anguilla, Montserrat, Dominica and
the Virgin Islands. The colonies of British
Guiana on the mainland of South America and
British Honduras in Central America are also
generally considered part of the British West
Indies, owing to their proximity and to the...”
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“...8 GUIDE TO THE WÉST INDIES
of perfection. Oranges while actually green are
exquisite, and the tangerine variety is infinitely
better than any ever seen at home. The grafted
mangoes, for which Jamaica is especially famous,
are exquisitely delicate in flavour, while a sound
Antigua pine-apple is something to dream about.
It is not long before the visitor makes the ac-
quaintance of some of the following fruits, which
are among the most popular in the West Indies:
custard, mammee and star apples, bread-fruit,
bread-nuts, cashews, Barbados cherries, citrons,
granadillas (the fruit of the passion flower), guavas,
limes, mangoes, melons, Avocado pears, pome-
granates, sapodillas, shaddocks, and sour sops.
In Trinidad, the small oysters which adhere to
the roots of the mangrove trees form a novelty,
and should be asked for; while in British
Guiana it would be rank heresy to ignore the
famous “pepper-pot.” The ingredients of this
savoury dish are, pork cut into small pieces and
fried until brown...”
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“...doubloons are all negotiable. Public accounts are
as a rule shown in sterling j but as banking and
private accounts are mainly kept in dollars and
cents, and as much trading is conducted on this
basis, a table for comparing relative values of
dollars and cents and j£ s. d. is given at the end
of the book.
Banks. The Colonial Bank (capital, ^2,000,000; paid
up, £600,000 ; reserve fund, ^15 0,000. Lon-
don address, 13 Bishopsgate Street Within, E.C.;
New York address, 82 Wall Street) has branches
in Antigua, Barbados, British Guiana (Berbice
and Demerara), Dominica, Grenada (brancfT'at
St. George’s and an agent at Grenville), Jamaica
(branch at Kingston, sub-branch at Montego Bay,
and agents at Falmouth and Savanna-la-Mar), St.
Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, and
Trinidad (branch at Port of Spain, and agent
at San Fernando). The Bank issues letters of
credit, drafts on demand, and telegraphic
transfers on the branches, receives for collection
bills of exchange, and conducts general banking...”
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“...conjunction with the Cunard Steam-
ship Company, the company affords an alternative
, route to and from Jamaica via New York in
twelve days for ^11 (first cabin in Royal Mail
Steam Packet Co.’s steamer, and second cabin in
Cunard Steamship Co.’s steamer). Barbados is
the junction for intercolonial steamers, and pas-
sengers and mails are transhipped there for St.
Vincent, Grenada, and Georgetown, Demerara
(British Guiana) in the south fortnightly, and St.
Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Montserrat, Antigua,
Nevis and St. Kitts in the north once a month.
Besides the intercolonial steamers of about 2000
tons, there are smaller vessels plying (a) round
Dominica, (b) between Dominica, Martinique,
St. Lucia, and- Barbados fortnightly, (c) round...”
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“...GENERAL INFORMATION 15
Jamaica, (d) round St. Lucia, (e) round Trinidad
and between Trinidad and Tobago, and (ƒ) round
Grenada. During the tourist season special yacht-
ing steamers are run for attractive tours at low
rates. Ordinary fares :—
Single Tickets, Out or Home. Return Tickets, Out or Home.
Southampton.
To or From. First Cabin. *2 c* First Cabin. Second Cabin.
Col. X. Col. 2. Ser- vants. Jl Col. X. Col. 2. Ser- vants.
Antigua . . . Barbados . . Demerara . Dominica Grenada . . . Jamaica . La Guayra . New York . . Martinique . Montserrat . Nevis .... St. Kitts . . . St. Lucia . . St. Vincent . . Tobago . Trinidad . . . 'S ■g $ 3 'S 'S 3 'Êfè 3 iS 'g ■sfs
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“...16 GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES
NORTHERN ISLANDS ROUTE
Barbados
118 | St. Lucia
163 j 45 I Martinique
212 I 94 1 49 I Dominica
321 j 203 j 158 j 109 | Montserrat
358 I 240 I iqs I 146 I 37 I Antigua
407 I 289 j 244 I iqs I 86 I 49 1 Nevis
WINDWARD ISLANDS AND DEMERARA ROUTE
Barbados
97 1 St. Vincent
181 1 | 84 | Grenada
561 I 464 1 380 1 Demerara______________________
pieet;—West Indian transatlantic steamers:
Atrato, 5347 tons; Orinoco, 4572 tons; Trent,
5525 tons; Tagus, 5545 tons, and La Plata,
4464 tons. Intercolonial steamers: Eden, 2145
tons; Esk, 2145 tons, and Solent, 1908 tons.
Coasting steamers: Arno, 607 tons; Spey, 470
tons; Yare, 299 tons; Taw, 180 tons; Tees, 180
tons, and Wear, 180 tons.
From The Imperial Direct West India Mail Service
Bristol. q0 jfj (Elder, Dempster & Co., Colonial House,
Liverpool, London and Bristol), Avonmouth (Bris-
tol) to Turks Island and Kingston, Jamaica, fort-
nightly. Length of voyage, ten to twelve days.
Fares: Saloon, single, ^18 to ^25 ; return...”
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“...Berbice, Steamship Co. Ltd. From
(William Smith & Co., of 86 Leadenhall Street, London-
London, E.C.), London to Demerara and Berbice.
Fares, ^17, ios. and ^20.
The Direct Line (Prentice, Service & Hender-
son, 175 West George Street, Glasgow), and The
London Line (Scrutton, Sons & Co., 9 Grace-
church Street, London, E.C.), London to British
Guiana and all the West Indian Islands. Fares :
Barbados, Demerara, and Trinidad, ^17, ios.;
Antigua, Berbice (British Guiana), Dominica,
Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vin-
cent, and Tobago, ^20; Antigua, Nevis or St.
Kitts, by steamer direct to St. Kitts, ^17, ios.
The Harrison Line (Richard Bulman & Co., From
of Mersey Chambers, Liverpool). Cargo steamers LlverP°°1-
from Liverpool to Barbados, Trinidad, and Belize
(British Honduras). Fares : Barbados and Trini-
dad» 7> ios.; Belize, ^25.
Frederick Leyland Co. (1900) Ltd. (27 James...”
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“...and St. Jan.
Children over twelve full fare, from two to twelve,
half fare, and under two years free.
Pickford Ó* Black Steamship Company, Ltd. From
(Halifax, N.S.). The steamers of this company, Canada-
which is under contract with the Canadian
Government, sail from St. John, New Brunswick,
and Halifax, N.S., every twelve days, on the fol-
lowing routes alternately:—
Ports of Call. Distance. Time.
Halifax to Bermuda. 800 miles 72 hours
Bermuda to St. Kitts 925 .» 86 ,,
St. Kitts to Antigua . 60 ,, 6 ,,
Antigua to Dominica 123 ,, 12 1,
Dominica to Barbados 170 ,, IS
Barbados to Trinidad 210 ,, 20 ,,
Trinidad to Demerara 36° >> 36 ..
Total . .
Halifax to Bermuda 800 ,, 72 ,,
Bermuda to Montserrat . 970 »• 90 ,,
Montserrat to St. Lucia . 175 >> 17 ,,
St. Lucia to St. Vincent . 56 >> 6 „
St. Vincent to Barbados . 97 m IO , |
Barbados to Trinidad 210 ,, 20 „
Trinidad to Demerara 360 .1 36
Total 2668...”
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“...22 GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES
Fares: Halifax to St. Kitts, Antigua, Montserrat,
Dominica, St. Lucia, or St. Vincent, first cabin,
single, $50 (;£io, 8s. 4d.), return, $90 G£i8,15s.);
second cabin, single, $35 (£7, 5s- i°d.), return,
$60 (;£i2, ios.); to Barbados, first cabin, single,
$55 (;£ii, 9s. 2d.), return, $100 (^20, 16s. 8d.);
second cabin, single, $40 (^8, 6s. 8d ), return,
$70 (^14, ns. 8d.); to Trinidad, first cabin,
single, $60(^12, ios.),return, $110(^22,18s. 4d.);
second cabin, single, $40 (£&, 6s. 8d.), return,
$70 (£14, ns. 8d.), and to Demerara, first
cabin, single, $75 (^15, 12s. 6d.), return, $130
(^27, is. 8d.); second cabin, single, $50
(£10, 8s. 4d), return, $80 (^16, 13s. 4d.). Deck
cabins, $5 extra each berth. Children under
twelve, half rate; under eight, quarter fare; one
child under three, free. First cabin passengers
are allowed 20 cubic feet of baggage, second, 15
feet of baggage free, excess being charged for at
is. per cubic foot.
The steamers running on the...”
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“...Sampson, 2104 tons; Admiral Farragut, 2104
tons; Admiral Schley, 2104 tons; Brooklin, 1357
tons; Barnstaple, 1356 tons, and seventy-four
others.
The Quebec Steamship Company, Ltd. (A.
Emilius Outerbridge & Co., 29 Broadway, New
York). The steamers of this line, which was
started more than twenty-five years ago under
contract with Guzman Blanco, President of
Venezuela, for a service between New York,
La Guayra, and Puerto Rico, sail from New
York to St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St.
Martin’s, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Domi-
nica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados,
and Demerara. The voyage from New York to...”
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“...in dollars and cents (;£i=$4
87 cents). The poundage fees range from 3d. for
sums not exceeding jQi, and 5 s. 3d. for sums
over ^38 but not exceeding ^40. The limit
transmissible is £40 to the British West Indies,
and £20 to Cuba and Puerto Rico. Orders must
be taken out a full day before the departure of the
mail. When, however, application is made too
late, the advice will be telegraphed for 6d., with
supplementary fee of 6d. for each order.
British Postal Orders are now issued and paid
in Antigua, Barbados, British Guiana, Dominica,
Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, Trinidad, and
Turks and Caicos Islands. Parcels from the same
places will be delivered in the United Kingdom...”
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“...but in 1833 this too was abolished. By
the famous Act passed on 28th August in that
year it was decided that all the slaves in the
British Colonies were to become free on the first
of August 1834, but were to be apprenticed to their
former owners until 1838, and in the case of agri-
cultural labourers until 1840; while ^20,000,000
was voted as compensation to the slave owners
at the Cape, in Mauritius, and in the West Indies,
the proportion allotted to the latter colonies being
^16,500,000. Antigua and the Bermudas dis-
pensed with the apprenticeship system altogether,
and it was in no case continued after 1838.
Slavery was abolished in the French Colonies in
1848, in the Dutch West Indies in 1863, in Puerto
Rico in 1873, and in St. Thomas in 1876. The
slaves were gradually emancipated in Cuba by an
Act of the Spanish Senate of December 24, 1879,
which took effect on February r8, 1880, and the
total abolition of slavery in that island was effected
by a decree dated October 6, 1886.
After...”
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“...there are also
Roman Catholics and Jews in the island. In
Barbados the majority of the inhabitants belong
to the Church of England, which is endowed
from the general revenue. The island is the
see of a bishop, in which is included the Wind-
ward Islands also. Small Government grants
are given to the Wesleyans and Moravians, and
also to the Roman Catholics, who are, however,
few in number. The Leeward Islands also form
the see of a bishop of the Church of England,
whose principal followers are in Antigua and...”
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“...Masonry. A Provincial Grand Mark Masons’
Lodge governs four Mark Masons’ Lodges. In
Scottish Masonry there is a District Grand Lodge,
five Craft Lodges, one Royal Arch Chapter, and
five Mark Lodges. British Guiana possesses a
District Grand Lodge under the English constitu-
tion, with three Craft Lodges, one Royal Arch
Chapter, a Rose Croix Chapter, and a Preceptory
of the Knights Templar, with a Priory of the
Knights of Malta attached. There is also one
Craft Lodge under the Scotch constitution.
Antigua has one Craft Lodge and a Rose Croix
Chapter. It will thus be seen that Freemasonry...”
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“...GENERAL INFORMATION
SS
manac. By E. C.* Garraway. London: Brad-
bury, Agnew & Co.
Antigua.
Antigua and the Antiguans. London: Saunders
& Otley, 1844.
History of the Island of Antigua. By V. L. /, y
Oliver, 1894-9. y'
Dominica, a ^Fertile Island. By F. Sterns
Fadelle. Obtainable at the West India Committee
Rooms, London, is.
Dominica: Hints and Notes to Intending
Settlers. By His Honour H. Hesketh Bell,
C.M.G. Obtainable at the West India Com-
mittee Rooms, London. 3d.
Notes on Dominica. By Symington Grieve.
London ; A. & C. Black, 1906. 2s. 6d.
X
St. Kitts.
A Young Squire of the Seventeenth Century.
By J. C. Jeaffreson. London : 1878.
Cuba.
The War in Cuba. By J. B. Atkins. London :
1899.
The Rough Riders. By Th. Roosevelt. London:
1899.
Cuba Past and Present. By R. Davey. London :
1898....”
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“...CHAPTER XI
ANTIGUA
Where Nelson refitted in 1805
General Antigua, which is situated about 40 miles east
Aflpe0t of Nevis, about the same distance north of Gua-
deloupe, and 27 miles north-east of Montserrat,
has an area of 108 square miles and a population
°f 34>i78. The island, which is of an oval shape,
has three distinct characteristics. In the south
and south-west it is volcanic and mountainous.
In the north and north-east it is of coral forma-
tion, and the soil is composed of calcareous marls
and coarse sandstone, while the central part is
flat and of clayey formation. Unfortunately for
the planters, it has no rivers, though Bendal’s
Stream supplies a sufficiency of water for the
sugar factory of the same name. The shores are
lined with coral reefs, but the island has many
natural harbours, notably St. John’s Harbour on
the north-west, fully 2 miles long by three quarters
of a mile broad, the historic English Harbour,
formerly the port of call of the mail steamers at
the south with...”
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