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1

“...PREFACE Every year our beautiful and historic possessions in the West Indies attract an increasing number of visitors from England, who find in them a pleasant refuge from the rigour and fogs of winter. To our American cousins these colonies have long been a profitable hunting-ground for health and enjoyment. For some little time, however, no attempt has been made to provide the tourist with a guide which, while including within its scope all the islands more igenerally visited, as well as British Guiana and some of the foreign islands, is still kept within such bounds as to render it sufficiently condensed in form to permit of its being carried in the pocket under a tropical sun without inconvenience. Such a guide it is the aim of the writer to provide. How far his effort is successful, it must be left to the reader to decide. If this small volume succeeds in inducing a few to follow in the wake of Trollope, Froude and Kingsley, who found so much happiness in a...”
2

“...THE WEST INDIAN SEASON 1909—10. Since this Guide was published few material altera- tions have been made in the general arrangements for visitors to British Guiana and the West Indies. The principal change has been in connection with Jamaica, Kingston having been practically destroyed by earthquake and fire since this volume left the printer’s hands. It is now being rapidly rebuilt; but operations have hardly advanced sufficiently far as yet to render it possible to describe the new city, which will Be greatly superior to its predecessor in every respect. Under contract with the Government, The Royal Routes. Mail Steam Packet Company now maintains a fort- nightly intercolonial mail' service performed under ordinary circumstances by the two new and yacht- like steamers Berbice and Balantia (each 2500 tons, twin screw) specially built to suit the West Indian climate. The Company has arranged for a series of independent and organised tours during the winter from...”
3

“...GENERAL INFORMATION 3i are aboard, and the steamer is slipping down Southampton Water, passing Netley on the left, or the port side, as it should now be called. On turning into the Solent, Cowes is seen, and then in succession Yarmouth, Totlands Bay, Alum Bay, and the Needles to the left, with Hurst Castle standing out on a spit of sand to the right. The pilot is dropped off the Needles, and the steamer proceeds to Cherbourg, where passengers are embarked that evening, and thence, under the present arrangements, to Vigo, whose magnificent Vigo, bay has been the scene of many naval engage- ments. The town was assaulted and burnt by the English under Drake and Norris in 1589; and, on October 22, 1702, the combined English and Dutch fleets attacked the French and Spanish in the port. Several men-of-war and galleons were taken and many destroyed, and an abund- ance of plate and other valuable effects fell into the hands of the conquerors. Vigo was taken by Lord...”
4

“...I Telegrams. Postal Facilities. 38 GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES extensive free list. There is, however, no need to give the tariffs, as genuine tourists are not troubled by the customs authorities, and the regulations are by no means so strict as they are at the most lax custom-house on the Continent. Such articles as tobacco, in any quantity, and also spirits in bulk, are dutiable; but excellent cigars can be got in the West Indies, and the latter from considerations of health are best left behind. British Guiana, and every island of importance, with the exception of Nevis, Montserrat, the Virgin Islands, and Tobago, are in telegraphic communica- tion with the outside world by means of the cables of the West India and Panama Telegraph Company, Limited (Dashwood House, Old Broad Street, London), and the Direct West India Cable Com- pany, Limited (33 Old Broad Street, London); and between Trinidad and Tobago, communication has been established by radio-telegraphy...”
5

“...6o GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES gets the full benefit of the north-east trade-winds, and in the winter months the minimum mean temperature at night falls as low as 63° Fahr. The annual rainfall varies from about 50 to 70 inches. On the windward side, the climate is especially invigorating, and the island is much patronised by residents in neighbouring colonies as a health resort. The death rate is not more than 20 per thousand. History. The actual date of the discovery of Barbados is uncertain, but it is said that it was visited by some Portuguese in 1536, who called the island Los Barbudos after the bearded fig-trees which / they found there, and left behind them a stock of pigs. It was not until 1605 that the British took possession of the island. In that year the crew of a vessel called the Olive Blossom, fitted out by Sir Olave Leigh with stores and settlers for Guiana, landed on the leeward coast and erected a cross, inscribing on a tree near by, “ James K. of E...”
6

“...7o GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES on a cairn of stones in memory of Bishop Rawle, a former Principal. The best view of the college buildings is obtained from this spot. On the left is the Principal’s residence (1907, the Ven. Arch- deacon Bindley), and on the right the college proper, with lecture rooms, dining hall, and chapel below, and the students’ quarters above, the whole being by no means unlike the so-called “ New Buildings ” at Magdalen College, Oxford. A magnificent avenue of cabbage palms or palmistes (Oreodoxa oleracea) leads from a portico, which divides the chapel from the hall, to the foot of the hill, and a row of these stately trees also fringes the lake, contributing in no small degree to the beauty of the scene. Many of these trees, which are fully eighty feet in height, are computed to be over one hundred years old. Kingsley first saw cabbage palms, which form such a conspicuous feature of West India scenery, in St. Kitts, and he was much struck by...”
7

“... afterwards, it was re- quisite to open the vault again for an admission of a member of the family, when the coffins were found to have been displaced as on the former occasion; the family now became anxious to ascertain the truth, and particular pains were taken in securing the wall, and fine sand was thrown over the floor of the vault, so that, if a person should enter it from any other part than the usual entrance, marks might be left behind. Lord Combermere was residing in 1820 in the neighbourhood of the church, and, having been...”
8

“...BRITISH GUIANA 79 The interior of the colony consists of swampy grass plains called savannahs, dense forests and bush, and ranges of mountains. The primitive forests are only occupied by a few Indians, with here and there a wood-cutter’s, a gold-digger’s, or I a diamond-washer’s camp. A series of sandhills, now covered by tall forest trees, runs parallel to the sea-coast beyond the savannahs, and it is supposed that they were left by the receding sea in remote times. The highest of the mountains is Roraima (8740 feet), which, though precipitous near the summit, has been ascended on several occasions, the first ascent having been made in 1884 by Mr. (now Sir) Everard im Thurn and Mr. H. J. Perkins, who were also among the first to visit the Kaieteur Falls on the Potaro, a tributary of the Essequebo, which are of great grandeur. The colony has four great rivers, the Demerara, the Essequebo, and the Berbice, which give their names to the three counties, and the...”
9

“... 125 tons, owned by Germans by birth but naturalised citizens of the United States, left Baltimore for Curasao on 3rd July 1799, commanded by Thomas Briggs, her cargo consisting of dry goods, provisions, and lumber. She put in at Oruba, and proceeded to Port au Prince, in Hayti, and having carried away her maintop mast she was making the best of her way to the Isle of Ash, or Isle la Vache, a small island off the south coast of Hayti, when, on 28th August, she was captured by H.M.S....”
10

“..., were swallowed up by the opening of the earth, which, when shut upon them, squeezed the people to death, and in that manner several were left with their heads above ground, and others covered with dust and earth by the people who remained in the place. It was a sad sight to see the harbour covered with dead bodies of people of all conditions, floating up and down without burial, for the burying place was destroyed by the earthquake, which dashed to pieces tombs, and the sea washed the carcases of those who had been buried out of their graves.”...”
11

“... 8s. njd., return 13s. sjd. Another branch opens up the chief cocoa districts and goes to Arima (16 miles) and Sangre Grande (29 miles, ij hours). The latter is the prettier line for excursions. It affords a series of lovely views of the central mountains to the left, and gives tourists an admirable opportunity of gauging the importance of the flourishing cocoa industry which has not even yet reached the full limit of its development. The following is a list of the stations on the railway, their distance from Port of Spain, and a schedule of fares :—...”
12

“...156 GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES pletely overpowered by the Dutch, who remained in sole possession of the whole island until 1662. In that year the Dutch resigned the right to it, and Cornelius Lampsius, one of the founders of the colony, was created Baron of Tobago and proprietor of the island under the Crown of France. In 1664 the grant of the island to the Duke of Courland was renewed. The Dutch refused to recognise his title, and in 1666 the island was captured by privateers from Jamaica. A small garrison was left, but within a year it was compelled to surrender to a few Frenchmen from Grenada, who in their turn abandoned the colony in 1667, leaving the Dutch in possession. In 1672 Sir Tobias Bridges, with troops from Barbados, broke up the Dutch settlement; but the Dutch returned, only to be defeated by a French fleet under Count D’Estrées after one unsuccessful attack in 1677. Louis XIV. re- stored the island to the Duke of Courland, who in 1682 transferred his...”
13

“...XX Photo] ' - \A. B. AspinalA LABORIE, ST. LUCIA The picturesque trees are cocoa-nut palms. XXI Photo] lA.E.AspintOmt KINGSTOWN, ST. VINCENT The mountain on the left is Mount St. Andrew. ■v^éé Wm wg&iffSj - ' ~taéüÊi mm...”
14

“...ST. VINCENT 179 with its houses along the shore painted in the same tints of blue or yellow or pink as those in Norway, with the same red-tiled roofs, the trees coming down the hill sides to the water’s edge, villas of modest pretensions shining through the foliage, with the patches of cane fields, the equivalent in the landscape of the brilliant Nor- wegian grass. The Government Offices, the Post Government Office, and the Colonial Bank are within a stone’s Office throw of each other near the centre of the town, Colonial and Government House, the residence of the Government Administrator, is at the back of the town above House- the Botanic Garden, on the left-hand side looking from the harbour. The market is amusing during the busy hours Market, early in the morning. A comprehensive view of a large part of the island, with its picturesque mountains and valleys covered with rich tropical vegetation, can be obtained from the Mount St. Mount Andrew (2600 feet), the...”
15

“...ST. VINCENT i»3 to disengage itself of its burden by the appearance as of fire flashing now and then around the edge of the crater. There was, however, no visible ascension of flame. These flame-like appearances were, I think, occasioned by the molten lava rising to the neck of the volcano. Being quite luminous, the light emitted was reflected from the banks of steam above, giving them the ap- pearance of flames. “From the time the volcano became fully active, tremendous detonations followed one another so rapidly that they seemed to merge into a continuous roar, which lasted all through Wednesday night, yesterday (Thursday, the 8th), and up to 6.30 a.m. this morning, the 9th instant. These detonations and thunderings were heard as far as Barbados, one hundred miles distant, as well as in Grenada, Trinidad, and the south- end of St. Lucia. At 12.10 p.m. on Wednesday, I left in company with several gentlemen in a small row-boat to go to Chateaubelair, where we...”
16

“...ST. LUCIA 197 Port Castries, which is landlocked on three Principal sides, is one of the prettiest and safest harbours 8 ® s' in the West Indies. On entering, the breezy heights known as Morne Fortunée are on the right, while on the left is a promontory called La Vigée, on which extensive barracks for the military were completed before the decision to withdraw the garrison from the island was arrived at in 1905. At the head of the harbour are the Botanical Botanical _ ... , , , • -Gardens. Gardens, which now, through the enterprise of Sir Daniel Morris, the Commissioner of Agricul- ture, adorn what was formerly a reeking swamp. Owing to the modern wharf and to harbour im- provements, steamers are enabled to come along- side at Castries and discharge cargo and passengers without the intervention of boats. The town Castries, so called after Marshal de Castries, the French Colonial Minister in 1785, stands at the top right-hand corner of the harbour. The town...”
17

“...ANTIGUA 205 be taken as any criterion of the climate, as it is increased, as in so many West Indian colonies, by the excessive infant mortality among the negroes. Columbus discovered Antigua on his second History, voyage in 1493, and christened it after Sta. Maria la Antigua, a church in Seville. In 1629 D’Esnambuc made an abortive attempt to settle the island, but he was driven away by want of water, and it was not settled until 1632, when some English from St. Kitts established themselves there. During the Commonwealth it remained Royalist, and was included with Virginia, Bar- bados, and Bermuda in the Imperial Act of 1650, which prohibited trade with those dependencies on account of their rebellious attitude towards the home Government. Lord Willoughby of Parham, lessee of the patent left by Lord Carlisle to his son, visited the Leeward Islands from Barbados in 1650, and encouraged them to resist the Commonwealth. He was compelled to relinquish the government...”
18

“...2io GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES curate of St. John’s, a white marble cenotaph to the memory of the Hon. William Warner, a descen- dant of Sir Thomas, and an elaborate monument to Ralph, Lord Lavington, which were of exceptional interest. In the latter his lordship was represented in a sitting posture in court dress, with his plumed hat lying at his feet, and two female figures reclin- ing on either side of a small sarcophagus, the one on the left representing Astrea, with her scales by her side, and the other the genius of the island mourning the loss of a favourite Governor. On the base of the monument was a brief biographical inscription. Then again there was a remarkable monument to the memory of Mrs. Musgrave, who was thrown out of her carriage in St. John’s, and killed on the spot. A representation of the event was sculptured in bas-relief on thë cenotaph, which was of white marble. The present building, however, contains very few monuments. Among them the...”
19

“...ANTIGUA 213 shot him dead on this very spot. The following account of the episode is given in “ Antigua and the Antiguans ”:—■ “ Lord Camelford commanded the Favourite sloop of war, and Commodore Fahie the ship Perdrix, Mr. Peterson holding the rank of first lieutenant on board the last-named. Commodore Fahie had left Antigua a short time before, to take temporary command of the fleet, then anchored before St. Kitts,1 and during his absence Lieutenant Peterson was, of course, left in command of the Perdrix. It was the custom, in those troubled days of warfare, for boats to row backwards and forwards across the harbour during the hours of night, the sailors of the different ships in the dock, headed by one of their officers, taking it by turns to keep this watch; and the sleeper might often be roused from his dreams as the deep-toned “ All’s well ” resounded through the still night air. Lord Camelford and Lieutenant Peterson were unhappily at variance; and...”
20

“...ST. KITTS 219 and therefore St. Kitts, which was settled by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Thomas Warner at the suggestion of Captain Thomas Painton, a seaman as enthusi- astic as he was experienced, in 1623, can claim the honour of being the mother colony of the British West Indies. Warner revisited England, and, on his return in 1625 with a number of settlers, he landed on the same day as D’Esnambuc, a privateering sailor from Dieppe, and in the face of a common foe, the Caribs, the English and French colonists settled down side by side, the former in the middle of the island and the latter at either end. A fierce battle was fought with the Caribs, who though numerous were eventually decimated, the survivors being chased into the sea. The Spaniards resented the French and English establishing themselves so strongly, and in 1629 they nearly annihilated the growing colonies. The French left for Antigua and the English were deported. A few of the sturdy French settlers...”