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About Google Book Search Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/ G072.97 T212L Lac KK THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS GY128 ave. ie Digitized by Google TO BIND PREP. CALL NO. 6972.97 DATE Ta2k NEW BINDING [* REBINDING [ i REGULAR [ J RUSH [ x i} LACED-ON [ j BUCKRAM [ x) } SEP 18966 |sPECIAL PAM. [ AUTHOR AND TITLE Taylor. Leaflets from the Danish West Indiese CATALOGUER dr RETURN BOOK TO la CARE IN TRIM: FOLD. MATTER STUB FOR: T.-P. AND 1. LACKING NOS. SPECIAL BOOKPLATE a—nern ——ee CATALOGUE DEPT. BINDING INST- Digitized by 5 > jitized t oogle ve o 5 te s ~ wrt ss ~ . + 4 ne et ee —— —— >. ve Nic a > aay > eee Nets et fi i> it \ J ad Sé? ed i rF Fil; e + a + id y NY f ne ~ ie i ae .y om We tons Sar jf Sb se come = Z se a T= ¥ pF ry ay, eee gee on Hig htns & (xs # my = SS& ae ee Se Ss Ws SS SS uN) SS S Se ge eo \\ S %, 4 SS Sse jp ti z Sy Mfe NS e oh, a AWRY eee we LEAFLETS IROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES: DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND COMMERCIAL, CONDITION OF THESE ISLANDS. WRITTEN AND DEPICTED BY CHAS. EDWIN TAYLOR, M.D., F.RGS,, Meinber of the Oolonial Council of St. Thomas and St. John ; Fellow and Honorary Member of various Scientific and Literary Societies in Europe, Asia, and America. * WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR AND A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH WRITTEN BY PH. LINET, Editor of the Encyclopedic Contemporaine, Paris. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL. London: PRINTED BY Ws. DAWSON AND SONS, 121, CANNON-STREET ; : AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, AT ST. THOMAS, DANISH WEST INDIES. 1888, TO THE WELL-WISHERS OF THE DANISH WEST INDIES, THIS WORK IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED © . BY THE AUTHOR. £4444 8448°8™= OO” THE UNIVERSITX OF TEXAS "lull ==" Sa RAUL AI Fas ntang Lea wel ll ny, Dry aaa] ub —\ a) ay Le | ~ 3S ae SSS 4. aL eee Zo aan \ a. p a2 SWS we CONTENTS ST. THOMAS PAGE CHAPTER 1 os Historical oe ee oe oe oe oe oe CHAPTER, II. 13 Historical oe oe ee ee ee CHAPTER III. Historical oe ee oe 19 CHAPTER IV Historical oe oe oe oe 26 CHAPTER V. Historical oe oe oe 37 CHAPTER VI. Local .. oe oe ee oe eo oe 45 CHAPTER Vu. Local ,. oe oe ee oe oe oe oe ee 49 CHAPTER VIII. Commercial oe ee oe oo oe oe oe ee 54 CHAPTER IX. Social oe oo oe oe oe oe oe oe oe 58 CHAPTER X. Social oe oe oe oe ee oe 61 CHAPTER XI. Social oe oe ee oe oe 65 CHAPTER XI. Political oe oe oe oe 68 CHAPTER XIII Bluebeard’s and Blackbeard’s Castles . 71 CHAPTER XIV. Danish West India Homes oe ee 74 CHAPTER XV. Earthquakes and Hurricanes oe 80 CHAPTER XVI. Before the Courts . oe 83 CHAPTER xv Medical ee oe oe 86 CHAPTER XVIII . At the Water’s Edge IAALAIN. iv CONTENTS. 8T. JOHN. CHAPTER XIX. PAGE CHAPTER XX. The Caribs ., oe oe oe .. oe oe 7 . ..° 106 8T. CROIX. CHAPTER XXI. Historical ., . oe oe oe an . . . .. 121 CHAPTER XXII. CHAPTER XXIII. Historical ., oe ee . oe . . . os a 133 CHAPTER XXIV. Historical .. . . oe oe oe a a . 141 CHAPTER XXvV. Historical .. oe oe oe + . . 146 CHAPTER XXVI. The Labourers’ Riot . o oe oe oe . oe . 151 . CHAPTER XXVII. CHAPTER XXVIII. The Central Factory oe oe . ve . . +e 173 CHAPTER XXIX. As Health Resorts .. oe oe oe oe . ve . . 176 CHAPTER XXX. Geological .. oe oe o oe o +e os . 180 CHAPTER XXXI. Zoological ., we . . . ve . .. 188 , CHAPTER XXXII. Botanical oe . ve . an o 194 CHAPTER XXXIII. A Hundred Years Ago... a . . ve a a . 204 ‘“‘CHARMING MISS FOGARTHY.” CHAPTER I. Mr. Thim Fogarthy o oe e a + + . 209 CHAPTER II. Miss Ella Fogarthy . oe oe 215 CHAPTER III. Mr. Nicolas Esmit .. oe . + 218 CHAPTER IV. Dr. Fagin + + . 222 CHAPTER V. PREFACE. —>——_ WAN the year 1877 I had the pleasure of contributing a short sketch S of St. Thomas, D.W.I., to a deservedly popular Almanac pub- He lished in that island.* This was followed in 1878 by another, t including St. Croix, and supplemented by some wood engrav- ings, which I had the temerity to execute myself. To both of the Almanacs of 1879 and 1880, I was also a contributor. It is a matter of regret that this valuable and interesting publication ceased to appear after 1881. The present ‘‘ Leaflets”? may besaid to be the out-come of my work in that direction, with this difference, that each chapter partakes of the character of an essay in which life in the Danish West Indies, and that of the Danish West Indian in particular, are faithfully depicted. It is to be hoped that they may prove acceptable, and that the illus- trations may not be too severely criticised. To work at night without any previous practice in an art like that of wood engraving, and to write at intervals snatched from professional studies and other occu- pations, with the thermometer at 82 degrees, is somewhat trying. Only the desire to be the first to illustrate a book on the Danish West Indies is my excuse for presuming so much. wf © The “St Thomas Almanac and Commercial Advertiser.”’ Printed and published by A. Wallée, Esq. . vi To those of my friends who have assisted me with their suggestions and useful information, I beg to convey my deep gratitude. In such works as these it is difficult always to be original, and to do much without a reference to others:—to whom I owe a tribute of thanks. These obligations fulfilled, I leave the rest to a generous public. Sr. Tuomas, D.W.L., February 2nd, 1888. Salt 09 a ew * pe Ee, S od Ee S i fae ses Ve Viste “Eo Ps aD THE LIBRARY _ THE UNIVERSITX OF TEXAS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. >. > waN THE Caribbean Sea, forming part of the Archipelago of the Antilles, are three little islands belonging to Denmark: St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. They are as remarkable for their fertility as they are for the industry and intelligence of their inhabitants. St. Thomas is not only extremely picturesque, but is one of the best ports of refuge in the West.Indies. Its population is about 15,000, and: is composed of foreigners and natives. Many of the latter, who form the majority, are very well educated, and occupy important positions in its commerce and local administration. It is among the intelligent foreign and Creole residents of this cosmo- politan island, and upon its principal street, that the popular physician, who is the subject of this sketch, has taken up his abode. Dr. Charles E. Taylor, F.R.G.8S., Member and Secretary of the Colonial Council of the Danish Antilles, was born in London in 1848, of an honourable and well-known family in that great metropolis. His father was such a skilful manufacturer in vegetable ivory, that he distanced all competitors at the great Exhibition of 1851, obtaining a gold medal and honourable mention. The youthful Taylor was sent at an early age to France, to an excellent college, the Pensionnat Beaulieu, Guines, six miles south of Calais. There, under the supervision of excellent masters, he made remarkable progress, acquiring rapidly the elements of a liberal education, several modern languages, and distinguishing himself for his application and ‘intelli- gence, and carrying away most of the first prizes. Upon leaving this establishment for the purpose of returning to England, he was destined by his family for the Bar, but a reverse of fortune preventing his father from giving him a University education, he sent him to Canada to enter a mercantile firm. And now our friend entered upon such an adventurous life as only the pen of a Murger could trace in its picturesque detail. viii LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Taylor was a born artist, a musician especially, and to such a degree that in 1885, upon his last voyage to Europe, during his stay at Charleroi, he was an object of astonishment to ourself and those of our friends who had met there at an International and Scientific Congress. During three or four long evenings he improvised before us, without any repetition, a series of ravishing Creole dances and melodies, of which the penetrating melancholy and sweetness transported his hearers to a seventh heaven of delight. He executed them on several instruments, notably the violin and piano, and this without being able to play a note from piano music. With a disposi- tion so artistic, the young clerk, scarcely fifteen years of age, was no sooner in Canada than he found it difficult to accommodate himself to the stern necessities of commercial life. Full of the literary successes which had distinguished him at college, he longed to be an author, to travel, to roam about the world, so that by studying its manners and customs, its vices and its virtues, he could depict them as they were actually presented to him. ' Leaving Quebec with only his trunk and faithful violin, he threw himself resolutely into the vortex of that world of which he longed to know so much. With more ardour, perhaps, than material resources, he travelled all over Canada, earning sometimes with difficulty his daily bread ; but, thanks to his superior talent as a violinist, his enter- prising disposition and his indefatigable character, gaining always sufficient to live honestly in the midst of such a chequered existence. A new Chateaubriand, Taylor visited Niagara. With his faithful violin as a companion, he contemplated with pleasure the magnificence of this great cataract and the vast and virgin forests, yet peopled by those Indians which have furnished to the author of ‘‘ Atala” the theme for his most fascinating romance. A keen observer, our future doctor enriched his mind at every step with new knowledge and gained every day in experience. Passing over to the United States, he went through its immense territory, finding himself not long afterwards in New Mexico. Retracing his footsteps he located in New Orleans, a short time before that fratricidal war which was to cost America so many tears and sacrifices. From that city, formerly one of the most flourishing possessions of France, and the centre of the immense commerce of the South, our hero departed for Havana. He was always possessed with the idea of becoming a celebrated author, but without the slightest possible conception of how it was to be accom- plished. Singular psychological phenomena! He obeyed blindly his destiny. Never neglecting his studies, and seeking, even in the midst of his wandering life, the society of men superior to himself in education and science. The space at our disposal ¢oes not permit us to follow closely our traveller in the interior of Cuba where he remained two years, adding to his stock of knowledge the Spanish BiOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. ix language, and where by the amenity of his character, his accomplish. ments and talents d’artiste he made many desirable friends. It will suffice for our purpose to state that after five years full of adventure, Taylor arrived at St. Croix,’ one of the Danish Antilles, where he married and engaged in commercial pursuits. There he remained during three or four years, at the end of which he placed himself once more vn route, only to go, this time, however, to the neighbouring island, which he made his permanent residence, becoming first a clerk and then proprietor of a book store in St. Thomas. But it was always the same thing, the same eternal buying and selling for a living. There seemed to. be but little prospect of realising his early dreams or the brilliant future for which he had striven so hard, and for which he had made so many sacrifices. At any rate, if he did not write books, he had at least the pleasure of selling them, which after all was some sort of satisfaction, if not better in a pecuniary sense. Thirsting for knowledge, it was not long before he commenced to make himself master of the contents of the library he had for sale ; and surrounding himself with scientific works, he laboured with an incredible perseverance for many years to complete his education. This determined course, which has been continued without relaxation up to the present date, made a true savant of our friend Taylor, who soon acquired a deserved reputation in the West Indies and America, where his name figures in many scientific works of authority. But we must not anticipate. It was not very long after his arrival in St. Thomas before he undertook, in connection with the editor of the St. Thome Tidende (A. Wallée, Esq)., the publication of the S¢. Thomas Almanac and Commercial Advertiser—the first publication of the kind which had ever appeared in the Danish Antilles. Endowed with multiple talents, he was not only a designer, but an engraver of his own drawings on wood. Without any special technical knowledge of the subject, he applied himself with rare perseverance to illustrate it with engravings, as well as other works, which he produced later on. _ The almanac of which we have just spoken contained, besides the matter special to itself, a remarkable account of the Island of St. Thomas, as well as an ethnographical study of the Caribs. It is worthy of remark that this publication had a great success, and was well noticed by the American and English press. It was not long before Taylor, whose education, owing to his inde- fatigable industry, had become considerably extensive, applied himself to the study of medicine. The old school was still dominant in the Danish Antilles. Homeopathy was not yet allowed in these islands. Nor was it hardly ‘thought possible to make a doctor outside the Faculty of Copenhagen. Science was represented in St. Thomas by one apothecary, who, indeed, possessed the finest establishment of i‘ x LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. kind in the West Indies; but all competition was rigorously excluded; no other would have obtained permission to establish him- self. The healing art was a veritable monopoly, and the happy mortals who enjoyed its privileges, after a few short years of work, retired to Europe in the possession of a competence. Taylor, though he was not yet a doctor, sought to break through this time-honoured custom. Declaring himself a partizan of the new system, homeopathy, he urged the admission of its practitioners to the same rights and privileges as were enjoyed by their allopathic con- fréres. He believed that the homeopathic treatment was much more economical, and, according to his own expression and experience, much better adapted to the “ sensitive constitution of the Creole.” It was not long before he ceased confining his ideas to words; and, taking up his pen, courageously undertook a vigorous campaign in favour of the convictions which close observations and study had -enabled him to acquire. This was not, however, without a certain amount of risk of arousing the ire of those whose monopoly he so audaciously threat- ened and to a still greater degree, when he, in addition to homwo- pathy, became an advocate of massage and the application of elec- tricity in the treatment of tropical diseases. Without concerning himself in the least at the sneers or the interested protestations of his opponents, he entered into correspondence with such scientists in Europe and America as could assist him with their knowledge, and confirm the correctness of his ideas upon these medical questions. About this time he was so fascinated by the science of medicine that he consecrated the greater portion of his time to its study; the observation and investigation of hypnotic phenomena, which have created so much stir in the scientific world lately and of whose future value in therapeutics he already foresaw, possessing a singular interest for him. He had remarked, long before, how greatly hygienic and preventive medicine were infinitely preferable to large doses of drugs, and that homeopathy, besides contrasting favourably in this respect, responded in every way to his convictions, the result of such laborious research. No sooner was he armed with the necessary knowledge than he determined to propagate the system of Hahnemann. At the same time he published a series of articles upon the therapeutics of elec- tricity in the Medical Tribune of New York, then edited by Doctor » Robert A. Gunn, a physician of great ability, and the author of - several works of authority in medicine. The original ideas set forth in these papers by Taylor, brought him numerous complimentary letters from eminent scientists, who were of his opinion that preventive medicine, based upon sound hygiene, would one day supplant that of the old school. Finding his efforts so justly appreciated outside of the country in which he lived, he redoubled his efforts to make his_theories BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. xi accepted among his fellow citizens:—a most difficult task, but one which in time he accomplished. The many and rapid cures which he obtained in so-called incurable cases, acquired for him a great repu- tation in the Danish Antilles. Encouraged by such success, and inspired with love for his fellow-creatures, he consecrated each day of his life, a part of his time to the assistance and cure of the sick, with- out ceasing to study or to attend to his commercial affairs. The satisfaction of doing good and the esteem of the public was the sole recompense which he sought in return for his labour. Unfortunately his love of humanity was prejudicial to the medical monopoly which existed in the place where he lived. It.was of no account that the system which he practised was different to those of his confréres. Their interests were at stake, so it was resolved to finish this talented man, whose generosity of disposition threatened to over- throw the fabric of their monopoly. It is true that the doctors then in St. Thomas knew but little of homeopathy, massage, nor the appli- cation of electricity, which Taylor had put into practice. Yet none the less did they claim the right to reserve to themselves the practice of even that which was unknown to them. Soon a rumour went round that our friend was shortly to be prose- . cuted; but to attack him was a difficult matter. It was not a question of taking steps against a vulgar charlatan, but against an educated man, one more so, perhaps, than the doctors of the country in which he had endeavoured to improve the science of medicine, working disin- terestedly to help his fellow-creatures, preaching and practising sobriety and temperance, and enjoying the esteem and consideration of the people. . , Nevertheless, he was brought before the Court by the King’s Physician for the illegal practice of medicine. A fearless partisan of medical liberty, Taylor showed how unjust and dangerous it was to give a monopoly to one class of citizens to the exclusion of other intelligent men, and how fatal was the system to progress. The response of the tribunal was a very severe penalty, qualifying the sentence, however, with the remark that ‘“‘he has never asked nor received payment from his patients, and that several of his patients had felt’ soothing and curative effects from the treatment used.” Sure * of his integrity, our friend preferred imprisonment than to pay a fine for having done good—for, in reality, the only crime he had committed was to help the poor, to assist and cure the sick. Seven times forty- eight hours bread and water and fourteen days common imprisonment was the sentence inflicted upon him. No sooner, however, had he crossed the threshold of the prison than the people of St. Thomas, indignant at this unjust condemnation, paid the fine, and carried him home in triumph to his sorrowing wife and children! . . . It is tho eternal history of persecution recoiling upon the heads of the perse xil LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. tors. A few days afterwards, he was presented by the people of St. Thomas with an address, and a large sum of money, so that he could go to the United States of America for the purpose of completing his medical studies and acquire the legal right to practise amongst them. In the meantime, a petition was addressed to the King of Denmark, headed by the chairman and members of the Colonial Council, with the object of obtaining for. him the permission to practise in the Danish Antilles. Leaving a prosperous business to the care of his wife, he embarked for America, followed by the regrets and good wishes of the people of St. Thomas. With but a cursory notice of his life as a student, it will be suffi- cient to state that, having already a profound knowledge of the theory and practice of medicine, he applied himself with ardour to the study of surgery in which the discoveries and inventions of America excited his respect and admiration. LExerting himself to the utmost in order to acquire a knowledge of this difficult art, at the end of a brilliant examination he was admitted Doctor in Medicine, and Master of Sur- gery of the Faculty of Chicago. It was at once a confirmation of his capacity and a striking set-off against the persecutions of which he had been so long a sufferer. It is satisfactory to note that wherever he went in the United States, he was received by his confréres with the greatest hospitality and sympathy. He was already known among many of the medical body of that country on account of the incredible trials through which he had passed, as well as for his able collaboration with the Chicago Medical Times, for which he had written some remarkable studies in Tropical Therapeutics. Those eminent Professors of medicine, Alexander Wilder, Robert A. Gunn, of New York, and Jay and Clark, of Chicago, received him with cordiality, and marks of the greatest esteem—not so much, perhaps, for his science and intelligence, with which they were already well acquainted—but for his qualities as a man of the world and those talents for which he was distinguished as a linguist, a poet, an artist, a musician and in literature. He was as remarkable for originality in science as his re- formatory tendencies were clearly enunciated. Taylor frankly declared himself from the beginning an anti-vaccinator and opposed to the yoke of old-school medical bondage. These proclivities brought him many friends among the medical men of America. Following upon these ideas there shortly appeared in the New York Medical Advocate a series of interesting articles from his pen. It is in this latter journal, where some of his best work has appeared, notably upon the ‘‘Mania for Inoculations, Bacteriology, and Freethought in Medicine.” We need hardly add that he has always declared himself against the inventions of M. Pasteur for the cure of hydrophobia, which have already caused, in less than two years, the BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. xiii death of nearly two hundred persons over-confident in the efficacy or harmlessness of his prophylactic system, and of which the press has to recount almost every day a new death after a so-called “successful treatment.” : It was in the year 1885 that our friend Dr. Taylor came to Europe, with the object of becoming acquainted with the principal savants who compose the Ligue Internationale des anti-Vaccinateurs, of which he is one of the most active in the far-off country which he inhabits. Before his departure his biography and portrait were published in the Medical Advocate, so well-known had he become in the United States and the Antilles. On the other hand, he was the recipient of many honorary titles and distinctions from various scientific and literary societies. It was not without a feeling of regret that he left America, where he had spent so many happy hours of student life and had been so courteously treated. As soon as he arrived in England, he placed himself in communica- tion with our distinguished friend William Tebb—the recognized head of the anti-vaccination movement in Great Britain—and applying himself again seriously to medical studies, he passed a second examination, successfully before the Faculty of London, thus consecrating doubly his professional knowledge. Visiting Charleroi in the capacity of delegate to the IV. Congress of the Ligue Internationale des anti-Vaceinateurs, of which we have already spoken, and which was presided over alternatively by Dr. Hubert Baéns, of the Academy of Medicine of Belgium, and by Professor Vogt, of the University of Berne, he made several important communications to that scientific assemblage. Most of them, whether verbally or written, were upon the condition of the West Indies viewed from a medical and sanitary standpoint. He also demonstrated statistically that in these countries no more than in others, does vaccination preserve the so-called protected, from smallpox. Proceeding to Paris in order to make himself acquainted with the condition of medical science in France, he was actually preparing to pass an examination before the Faculty of Paris, if he had not been called suddenly to London upon urgent family affairs. His sole pre-occupation, even while travelling, seemed to be study and the acquisition of knowledge. In London, the honourable distinction of Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society was conferred upon him. Returning to 8t. Thomas he was welcomed with enthusiasm by its inhabitants, but no sooner had he settled himself down in the hope of reaping some reward for his labour than fresh persecutions were com- menced against him at the instance of his Danish colleagues, whose monopoly he threatened by his presence. xiv LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. It was not long before he plainly perceived that his charitable confréres were not so much against homeopathy as himself, and the " prospect of his practising aong them. Now that our savant friend had acquired his legitimate¢iele of doctor from an accredited faculty, his situation seemed impregnable. Upon what grounds then were they going to attack him? No better way appeared feasible to the Danish physicians than to declare war against all foreign doctors desiring to practice in St. Thomas, and but a short time elapsed before the Royal Resolution. which authorised the Governor to give permission, provisionally, to practise to foreign physicians, was withdrawn by the Minister of Finance, Denmark, and the popular physician informed that if he © desired to practise in those islands, he would have to undertake a voyage of more than three thousand miles to Copenhagen to pass another examination as doctor. And this in spite of the fact that he had done the same thing twice before the faculties of London and Chicago. These new and vexatious troubles only served to increase the popular sympathy for him, and he was almost immediately afterwards elected Member of the Colonial Council by a large majority of votes. In this honourable assembly he demonstrated with reason that St. Thomas, being an island absolutely cosmopolitan, the Frenchman, the Spaniard, the German and the Englishman were as much entitled to be attended by a countryman as the Danes were—more especially as Danish physicians were admitted to practise in many other countries besides their own. The enemies of Dr. Taylor met upon these grounds, and commenced shortly afterwards a war of persecution against the more prominent anti-vaccinators. Our friend replied vigorously to the assault with his pen, and afterwards in the meetings of the Colonial Council. Here he was as resolute as he was indefatigable. It was a grave question of public hygiene and of individual liberty. The vaccination law obliging parents who refused to poison their children with the virus which the vaccinators transmit from arm to arm, with the possibility of transmitting a host of maladies as well as syphilis, to pay a heavy fine, or, in default, to be levied upon or imprisoned. Dr. Taylor, who is actually paying at this moment six dollars fine every month to escape the action of this fatal law upon his children, remained valiantly at his post. His last work in this direction has been the presentation to the Colonial Council of a petition signed by the principal inhabitants of the island, praying the King of Denmark for an extenuation of the fines of those who have no longer faith in the protective power of vaccination. Unfortunately, it is the same in medical questions as it is in religious—Might makes Right, and the strongest wins. Nevertheless, Dr. Taylor succeeded, by his persuasive éloquence, in BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. : xv convincing his colleagues of the Council, and the transmission of the petition to His Majesty, recommended by the Chairman and Council, was voted by a majority. It is to be hoped that this measure will be only preparatory to the abolition of the law of compulsory vaccination all over the world—a law which contributes in no small degree in the Antilles to the propagation of innumerable skin diseases, not to speak. of leprosy itself. The last work of the accomplished doctor, and to which he has consecrated two years of labour, is a history of the Danish Antilles of the merits of which our readers will appreciate on perusal. .° He has, after all, realised the dream of his youth—to write books. And if he is not yet a celebrated author, we feel certain he will become one. Young yet, in the enjoyment of perfect health, thanks to his temperate habits and manner of living, surroanded by a charming family, our friend Dr. Taylor promises to live long enough to see the triumph of those sound and rational ideas in the defence of which he has devoted a life full of trials and incident. PH. LINET. Pants, 28th February, 1888. ill | Win af | Mi jena | | H > =. al | \ f' 6 | Nt if if i Hy | I “ay ~ J i] Huei 1 —' = iN It | | \ mh, HH} with) i i VBP 4) Ml i) =! i pil! ly | \ Ey —— Mtl Ip i Ail) Hl ss i | i) — Mi hl, } al she: i HI ud wore — i 7 } Mil =a || ] wih I} i) Hy Wh ih ae — if ‘| LHI a (i) i! Hi! if " ili Mil al =| nl in | i] \— XN | | ae Ya Hi os ) r | i ite crt) sae anne as il ) r | H i | B | i (a \] rt ies i : if \ 1) eons | AANA H ait x rh Be py il oN 4 bes +45 te TONY | Hy wt ie he Fee M yur A corpses f 13} ait iM, I) | Vhcart 4 WE bit ti. tS) Th I \p si ie a a 4 le ¥ hi rN —— LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. + CHAPTER I. ST. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. Sek THE history of the Danish Antilles before the discovery of the Virgin Islands by Christopher Columbus in 1493, we know next to nothing. In vain do we search the musty records which the early Jesuit fathers have left behind them, + or plod wearily through their works in the hope of finding something to enlighten us. But for the thousands of years which must have elapsed before the first European Colonist ever set foot upon these shores, history is dumb. A few carvings on a rock, some stone chisels, collars, bowls, necklets, and hideous looking semblances of heads, said to be the work of the Caribs, are all that remain of themselves or those who were before them. We know that the names of Galibi and Carib were given to those inhabi- tants of the Antilles whom the Spaniards encountered in the early days of disco- very, and that they believed themselves descendants of a race of people originally from the Mainland. We also know a much of their habits and customs and CARIB BOWL. ’ how they lived in the days when the Fréres Précheurs attempted to convert them. But of their ancestors and past we are in absolute ignorance. It is a blank page for the future historian to fill up. B 2 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Nor do we know much more about the settlers. who preceded Erik Smidt the Dane, whom authentic history places as the first of that nation to take possession of St. Thomas in behalf of the kingdom of Denmark. We find it recorded that in the year 1666, there were twelve persons (Dutch and English) with their families and slaves living in the island, but we are not informed whether Smidt met them on his arrival or not. One can readily conceive the feelings of himself and his little band of followers, as they sailed into the spacious harbour of St Thomas on the morning of the 30th March, 1666. They had, no doubt, suffered greatly on the voyage, and were glad to exchange the filth and vermin, bad food and stinking water of their ship—‘‘de Endracht”—for a pleasanter sojourn upon land. And yet without that vessel, the one link which held them to ‘ Kjaere Danmark,”’ they were shut out from the rest of the world. They must have been a gallant lot of men, hardy and brave, to dare such a journey for the sake of settling in so insignificant a spot as the island was then. But those were the days of adventures, of individual enter- prise, when ships were fitted out, long voyages made, savages exter- minated, their countries appropriated, and new colonies founded. There are but few records left to tell us of the doings of these early colonists, or of the Copenhagen Company which they claimed to represent. Erik Smidt is credited with the intention of building a Fort on a hill which he named after himself,* but which, owing to his demise shortly after his arrival, was not carried out until later. That the little settlement must have been in sore straits shortly after- wards, is evident from a report sent to the Home Government by Pastor Kjeld Jensen Slagelse, who had assumed the command. ‘This was dated ‘ Smidts- berg,” 8rd of July, 1666, and stated that they had provisions only for nine months, and that they would have to leave the place at the end of that time if no reinforcements and supplies came to them. It seems difficult to believe that CARIB RELIC. such an appeal as this, should have been * Now known as Luchetti’s Hill. 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 8 left unregarded, but as we hear that some time afterwards a Dutch Governor named Huntum, landed in force and broke up the expedi- tion, it is evident that no attention had been paid to the matter. It is unfortunate that it is not possible to find out in what year Mr. Huntum made his descent on St. Thomas, and put an end to the Danish occupation. We only learn afterwards that he had compelled the Danes to leave the island, had carried away all the arms and goods he could lay hold of, and made himself generally unpleasant. One can hardly read of the struggles of these early settlers without a feeling of pity. Meagre as are the accounts which have come down ‘to us, there is enough left to show in what a constant state of terror they lived. Added to the natural difficulties which they had to encounter, such as scarcity of water and provisions, they were in daily dread of buccaneers and pirates. Not that they themselves may not have carried on a predatory warfare, when the occasion offered, for stealing a few cattle or slaves, but as a rule they gained their livelihood in a more legitimate manner. As fish was very plentiful, fishing formed a part of their regular avocations. They netted them, and caught them in different ways. They also speared turtle or turned them when they came up to lay their eggsin the sand. And it is said that they roasted the iguaua, and made a savoury stew from the agouti. At best, it must have been a precarious existence, and one whose attractions were few. Only the indomitable spirit of the Danes, Duteh EARLY COLONISTS SPEARING TURTLE. or English, seemed fitted to encounter such hardships as the Virgin Islands offered to their first colonists. The less hardy Spaniard and Frenchman had already appropriated the more fertile and productive portions of the Antilles. But the actual history and progress of the colony of St. Thomas, cannot be said to have commenced before the time that Jorgen Iwersen became Governor. This was c. the 23rd May, 1672, when he . landed in that island as chief of an expedition sent out from Copenhagen by the Danish West India and Guinea Company. We know but little of the personal character of Jérgen Iwersen. But it is reasonable to suppose that he was a worthy representative of the country he came from. From the different orders which were issued under his administration, it would appear that he was not a man to be trifled with. A strict disciplinarian, it was not long before fr , B 2 4 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. made his presence felt in the little Colony. There was no shirking church under his rule, for every person who spoke Danish, and every one who did not, were bound to attend service every Sunday fn Christians-fort, when the drum beat, under a penalty of twenty-five ‘pounds of tobacco. They were a pious people in those days, and the law made it incumbent on every householder to encourage his . EARLY COLONIST TURNING TURTLE. servants to be likewise, and if he allowed them to do work on a Sunday which could have been done on a Saturday, he was to pay a fine of fifty pounds of tobacco. Hand and hand with godliness went a martial spirit, which compelled every man to be in readiness to defend his Lares and Penates, as well as the colony, at the first alarm given by a neighbour or at the Fort. A glance at some of the old edicts of Governor Twersen will con- vince any one of the much better times in which we live and of the freedom we enjoy. In those days no man could leave the island without the Governor’s permission under a penalty of five hundred pounds of tobacco; and the person who aided another to leave sur- reptitiously, had to pay a fine of a thousand pounds of tobacco and be responsible for his debts and liabilities. The restrictions on white servants were equally severe, and innumerable fines were levied upon those who purchased from them or harboured them if they ran away from their employer. Negroes fared far worse, and were often cruelly punished for the slightest offence. ‘“‘ Christians-fort ” was now in the course of erection. A fact which is rendered quite certain by the Governor’s order,of January 6th, 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. & CHRISTIANS-FORT. 1674, to one Carl Baggert, to the effect, that he should build his house on another spot on his estate (the present Government-hill) as the Governor had observed several times since the building of this Fort ‘was commenced, “ that it is not advantageous to the Fort, but at some time or other might be prejudicial that Baggert build his house so much higher than the Fort, insomuch that everyone who comes to him can completely overlook it.”” We also read of Governor Iwersen purchasing a slave in 1674, to serve the company as a master mason for seven years in the building of a Fort for the defence of the colony. The Rev. J. Knox, in his ‘History of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John,” leads us to conclude that the Fort must have been already built at the time of Governor Iwersen’s arrival, but the above facts and later researches go to prove conclusively that this interesting edifice was under construction in 1672, and was under “ fair way” in the year 1674, when the slave above alluded to was purchased. The history of the Fort seems to be nearly allied to that of the Lutheran Church in 8t. Thomas, for from the earliest period of the building of the Fort, we find mention of the Church being kept within its walls, sometimes quarters were set especially for the service of the Church ; at other times we read of Divine services being held in the armoury or other convenient rooms. The Fort was also used as a residence for the Governor for many years after its erection. From all accounts the Colonists lived pretty contentedly under the jron-handed rule of their Governor, growing steadily in numbers and prospering greatly. In 1680, there were some fifty estates on the island, engaged princi- pally in the cultivation of tobacco. Hs population was 331 souls, 156 of whom were whites, and 175 slaves; for whose protection in those palmy days of piracy and buccaneering, the watchful care of such a sturdy Governor as Jorgen Iwersen was often required. It is regretful to note that this gallant Dane after having been replace’ 6 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. at his own request, by one ‘‘ Nic Esmit,” came to an untimely end on his re-appointment as Governor of the Danish West Indies in 1683. He was thrown overboard by a mutinous crew from the vessel in which he set out from Copenhagen to reach St. Thomas. This, after they had shot the captain, and decapitated some seven or eight prisoners. The rest of the Company’s functionaries and the trans- ported prisoners they set ashore at Flores. Retribution soon followed . the mutineers, who bent upon piracy and having but little knowledge of navigation, went ashore with their vessel at Marstrand, Sweden, where they were handed over to the proper authorities, and finally condemned to be hung outside the wastern gate of Copenhagen. ~ It was now that the want of labour began to be felt in the Colony, and to remedy this, that the traffic in slaves was eneouraged by Christian V., who purchased in Africa from the King of Aquambon the two forts of Frederiksburgh and Christiansburg on the Gold Coast, and ordered ships to proceed thither in order to purchase slaves for St. Thomas. With this addition to the working population, agriculture received a fresh impulse, the cultivation of sugar was introduced, and efforts were made at the same time, to embrace the advantages of its excellent harbour, and to add the benefits of com- merce to those of agriculture. Three men had already filled the post of Governor in the island since the resignation of Jérgen Iwersen, Nic Esmit, Adolf Esmit, his brother who deposed him in 1683, and who was deposed in his turn in 1684, Gabriel Milan, whose rule was of short duration, and Adolf . Eemit again, who by intrigue and his superior ability managed to get once more reinstated as Governor, retaining the post till the year 1690, when, on his own petition, he received the royal discharge. In this year a violent earthquake took place on Sunday the 9th of April, at four o’clock in the afternoon. It is the only one recorded which could in any way be compared to the memorable one of November 16th, 1867, as it is spoken of as a terrific earthquake, lasting a long time and cracking the walls of the Company’s storehouse; the sea receding a while after, so that fish could be picked up from the bottom nine or ten fathoms out. In the same year it would seem that an attack upon the Colony by the English was apprehended. For this reason precautionary measures were adopted by placing a sentry on each of the four bastions of the fort and closing its landgate. Frederiks-fort, a tower which Government had built upon Smith’s Hill in 1689, and which is now known as “Blue Beard’s Castle,” was also provided with a breastwork of thick Gri-Gri planks at the top for the protection of the sentry. The alarm, however, proved false and their fears unfounded. ‘We now come to a period when the colonists were startled by the 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL 7 intelligence that the King of Denmark and the Company had farmed out the whole island to one George Thormohlen. A little before that time, a Com- pany of Brandenbur- ghers had been per- mitted to establish themselves in St. Thomas for the pur- pose of commerce. They had prospered exceedingly. As cer- tain rights had been secured to them by treaty; on the cession of the island to Thor- mohlen, who was to entire control over its affairs and enjoy all its revenues, the King, in order to secure to him all the export and import duties paid by the Branden- burghers, compounded with that Company for the same for three thousand pieces of eight per annum, to be paid in two instalments. There is no doubt that these changes were most distasteful to the Colonists, who were now to be subjected to taxation. Their opposi- tion to it was strenuous, and when on the 30th of March, 1692, the first regular troops were garrisoned in the island, and further taxation for their support was urged by Thormohlen; it was steadily refused and ultimately abandoned, In 1694, the Company threw up their contract with Thormohlen, who had ruled the island since the 9th of May, 1691, and had appointed De la Vigne as his governor. The Company then sent out their own governor, Lorentz, to replace him. From this it would appear that the Rev. Knox’s statement that ‘‘Thormohlen’s proprietorship ceased with his death,” is erroneous. Governor Lorentz’s own statement of his assumption of the post is conclusive. He says, ‘‘ We anchored in the harbour of St. Thomas at . two o’clock in the night of the 22nd of November, 1694. We were hailed from the fort with instructions for the Captain to come on shore. I therefore went with the captain and three others, and made myself known to the corporal, who then opened the small water-gate for us and went in. De la Vigne descended in his morning gown from his residence in the tower. We entered the audience-room of the Fort, when, after a little conversation, I told him the cause of 1 = = = —sS FREDERIKSFOKT, OR BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE. 8 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. arrival was the taking over of the island. De la Vigne proposed to me'to take a walk down in the town till daylight, so that he could “then fire a salute; but I demanded that an alarm should be fired, which was then done, and I thereupon went down in the town and conversed with the people. At break of day I returned to the Fort. The planters were assembled under the seaside grape trees under the Fort walls.” .. On the 14th December the Governor inspected the fortifications, ‘and, not finding them to his satisfaction, recommended several alterations. We have before alluded to the con- stant state of anxiety in which the inhabi- tants lived from the fear of being attacked at any time by the neighboring colonists or pirates. There are — several instances on BUCCANEERS CRUISING. record of which the - following are illustrative. It seems that from some cause—curiosity or otherwise—some Frenchmen visited the eastern point of the harbour, and inspected the four cannons which were placed there by Governor De la Vigne. This battery was never expected to be worth much in case the town had to be defended from attack, yet the . . curiosity of the Frenchmen was sufficient to create an uneasy feeling in the community, where it was supposed that the inspection was. — made for the purpose of embracing the first opportunity to carry off the cannons. A guard of four inhabitants was therefore placed at the point for the purpose of controlling the exit or entrance of all vessels sailing from or into the harbour. No sooner was this alarm dispelled than a council of war was held, in consequence of an expected Spanish attack. On this account the fortifications were to be repaired, the inhabitants supplying slaves for the purpose. The water battery was to have trenches on both sides, and to be supplied with gabions. From the fort and water battery trials were made on the 2nd May, in order to test how far the harbour could be covered by shots from four to eighteen pounders, and on the 22nd of that month moasures were adopted to supply the tower to the North of the Fort with water. At this time internal troubles were also feared, fof many- planters had from time to time moved to Charlotte Amalia (the eastern part of the town) and built dwelling houses there, in order to be in the vicinity of the Fort. These internal troubles were looked for from Pen . ” ST. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. y bee the.ataves in tha New Quarters (neighbourhood of Estate Thita),; as thete were no white managers. On the 3rd June lists were prepared * for the defensive force in such a manner that each of the four ° bastions of ‘thé Fort was to have an officer with twenty men. Frederiks-fort was to have twenty-five men, and the Northern Tower ‘ nine men. But whether these precautions were taken of the slaves, or against ~ an expected Spanish des- - cent, is not clearly stated; . perhaps it was from both, as there is a statement_ made from which we glean the fact that the planters, during’ April, © sent their wives and chil- dren to Curacao, fearing a Spanish attack. There was, however, an Lo enemy against the appear- ance of which no steps were taken, and which was altogether little expected. This arrived at the island on the 20th of July, and was ~ not long’in setting at naught the many precautions which had been made against other unwelcome visitors. We allude to a severe hurricane which occurred on that date, by which all the works of reconstruction were destroyed, and the healthiness of the place 80 impaired that the force of the garrison, by February, 1697, was reduced to one lieutenant, one ensign, one drummer, and five privates, while a month later, of all the officials the book-keeper was the only one left alive. With this reduced force, it became incumbent on the inhabitants to do service for the protection of the place; this step was rendered all the more necessary on account of the attitude assumed by the large number of maroon slaves gathered in the Western part of the island. * Tt was in the year 1701, while Johann Lorentz was still Governor, that Pére Labat visited the island. The account of this visit, detailed ini his work on'the West Indies,*. gives-a fair picture of the state of the colony at that time. Of its commerce, he makes this remark :— “ Denmark being almost neutral in the wars of Europe, the port of St. Thomas is open to all nations. During peace it serves as an BLACKBEARD’S CASTLE. . Voyage aux Isles de l’Amérique, vol. IJ., p. 285. against a probable rising - - 10 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. entrepot for the commerce which the French, English, Spaniards apd Dutch do not dare to pursue openly on their own islands; and, in time of war, it is the refuge of merchant ships, when pursued by privateers. On the other hand, the privateers send their prizes here: to be sold when they are not disposed to send them to a greater distance. Many small vessels also proceed from St. Thomas to the coast of South America, whence they bring back much riches in specie or in bars, and valuable merchandise. In a word, St. Thomas is a market of consequence.” ‘his description of the town enables us to see that at that period it was of very limited extent.‘ At fifty or sixty paces from the Fort there is a town which takes the form of the bay, and constitutes the port. This town consists of only one long street, which terminates at the factory or offices of the company. This is a large and hand- some edifice, containing many apartments and commodious magazines for merchandise, and for the security of the negroes, in which this company carries on a trade with the Spaniards. To the right of the factory are two small streets, filled with French refugees. The houses of the town, which formerly were nothing but huts, are now built of bricks, almost all of one storey but very well arranged. The pave- ments are of tiles, and the interiors whitewashed, as in Holland.” Of the estates he thus remarks :—‘‘ They are small, but well kept. Work is only performed during the day, and, in consequence, but little sugar is made. The soil, though light, is very good, and produces abundance of manioc, millet, sweet potatoes, and all kinds of fruits and herbs. The sugar cane grows very well. They have few cows and horses, for want of the necessary pasturage; but the inhabitants do not want for meat, the Spaniards in Porte Rico furnishing them with it in abundance. They raise young kids, which are excellent, and fowls of all kinds, in quantities. Provisions however, are always dear, money being plentiful and strangers generally arriving in affluence.” Among many other interesting items which the Rev. Father relates concerning the island of St. Thomas, is a little story about an Obeahman which was told to him by Monsieur Vanbel, Directoire du Comptoir of Denmark. A negro convicted of Obeahism and sorcery and of having made @ little earthern figure speak, was condemned by the judge of the island to be burnt alive. Monsieur Vanbel, happening to be in his way while they were taking the poor wretch to execution, said to “Well, my fine fellow, you will never make your little figure speak again; they have broken it.” . The negro, not at all taken aback, replied, ‘‘It makes no difference me, sir; I can make your own walking-stick speak to you if I will ST. THOMAS—HISTORIOAL. MW it to do so!” This proposition astonished every one, and Monsieur Vanbel requested the judge, who was present, to stay the execution in otder to see if the negro could fulfil his boast. This being granted, he gave his cane to the negro, who planted it in the ground and per- formed several ceremonies around it. He then asked Monsieur Vanbel what he wished to know from it, to which he replied that he would like to know if a vessel which he expected had left port, when it would arriye in St. Thomas, and if anything had happened to it during the voyage. The negro, having repeated his incantations, retired a short distance and begged Monsieur Vanbel to go close to the cane, which would give him the answer required. This being done accordinghy, . Monsieur Vanbel heard, to his intense astonishment, a little voice, perfectly clear and distinct, proceeding from the stick, which said to ‘The vessel you await has left Elsinore on such a day, Captain So- and-so commands it, and there are such-and-such passengers with him. You will be content with its cargo, and though it has passed through a slight gale of wind on its journey, lost a topmast and had its mizen sail carried away, it will anchor here before three days expire.” Pére Labat does not say if any efforts were made to obtain a pardon for the unlucky criminal for this valuable information, but concludes this account by stating—‘‘ Of course, the negro was executed, and on the vessel arriving in three days, the man’s statement was verified to the letter.”’* . From this anecdote, it would appear that a belief in Obeahism or black magic, prevailed among all classes at that time. People of education smile at it now, without knowing very much about it. Others wiser, perhaps, attribute the pretended power of the Obeahman to an intimate acquaintance with the properties of the poisonous herbs which grow in these islands, and which he employs to produce the effects which so often baffle the skill of physicians. We reserve our Opinion on the matter for a future occasion, remarking in the mean- while that the belief alone in Obeahism, as it exists to-day among a great many of the West Indian people, may be looked upon as an important factor in the effects produced by its practitioners. It is fortunate that the civilising influences at work have contributed largely, especially in the Danish West Indies, to eradicate such a foul superstition. From the year 1702 to the year 1732, there is not much of special importance to chronicle of St. Thomas. Captain Claus Hansen, Joachim Von Holten, Mickel Krone, Erik Bredal, Otto Jacob Thambsen, Frederik Moth, and Heinrich Suhm, had all filled the post ©“ Noveaux Voyages aux Isles Frangaises de l’Amérique, 1742.’” Par Pére Labat. 12 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. of Governor with more or less satisfaction to the Colonists. Agricul- ture was still an important feature, the cultivation of indigo was com- menced, and a good deal of sugar and tobacco was now being raised. In 1718, a dreadful hurricane devastated the island. In 1716, the import and export duties were changed from six to eight per cent. Congregations were permitted to elect their own pastors, and the Secret Council were now separated from the Courts in which. they had formerly sat as judges. A deputation was sent home to Copenhagen consisting of three representatives (de Windt, Carstens, and Magens). The first Government House was purchased for the sum of RB. dlr. 3,000, and the privileges of the Brandenburgh Company ceased. In 1718, a land tax was imposed, and a tax of two and a half rix dollars for each man, woman and slave. The Royal Council was made to consist of five persons besides the Governor as President, two merchants, the bookkeeper, treasurer, and secretary. Slaves were to be well-treated, and planters were to have no more power of life and death over them. Clerks serving six years were then permitted to return home, but young unmarried women were not to enjoy the privilege at all, without special permission. A Reconciling Court with the Governor as judge, was established, and the duties on imports and exports were lowered to five or six per cent. 8t. Thomas was now in a flourishing condition; it had long been declared a port of entrance for vessels of all nations. This gave a new impulse to its trade, which, extended to the neighbouring islands by the enterprise of its merchants, brought untold wealth to its shores, not to speak of greater refinements and luxury. Who would have thought, then, that in a few short years its harbour would be almost deserted, that many of its merchants would retire to other islands, and that in the year 1756 only a ruined people and commerce would remain ? CHAPTER II. 8ST. THOMAS—HISTORICAL. S SE ASSIN: G over the few years which intervened between 1732 and 5 ey 1756, we arrive at a period in the history of St. Thomas which, from the disastrous effect it had upon its commerce, seemed, at one time, to threaten its existence. Three Governors, Philip Gardelin, Frederik Moth, and Christian Schweder, had come and gone, and now Christian Suhm occupied the post. The island of St. John was under cultiva- tion, St. Croix had been purchased by King Christian VI., the seat of Government had been removed to it, and several St. Thomas planters had settled there. Never had the islands been so prosperous. For the first time in history could they speak of a Danish West Indies. - We have alluded before to the great trade which the Dutch carried on in St. Thomas. Shrewd and thrifty, they yet maintained their ground against all comers as merchants, and, with the privileges they had managed to obtain from the company, it is no wonder that they controlled the best part of its commerce. This was certainly no fault of theirs, but it aroused a bitter feeling among the merchants of Copenhagen, who were naturally jealous that foreigners should be treated more favourably than themselves. For this reason, they formed an Association secretly, fitted out vessels in Amsterdam, placed them under the Dutch flag, and despatched them to the island of St. Thomas. So great was their success, that the Company took alarm, but perceiving the advantages likely to accrue to itself, could these merchants be induced to unite with their now conflicting interests, made overtures to them for the purpose, which were accepted. This powerful accession enabled the Company to exclude the Dutch from all commerce with the colonies. But not for their benefit, as will shortly be shown. From a few men represented by a small band of adventurers, the Company had become possessed of wealth, power and influence, an4 with these and this last stroke of policy it was now a gig: 4£,9°242aa iat)! | wh \\ y 4 | i hy thy / Mi | NY) Neh BH | \ Heute NW \ | \) | fesse — ‘ (il i I" \ i f | ee; seevrer: {| with, N \\ \ lain My | Fi 4 : yd W 1) wl) { : NY A | y M ET Th) pees ra) . ; I UG I , { ih { ! | | \ } ' \ i Mh au 40 ul Ny ; i | = =n few | HF \} 2= {Ny W ri with) Ws) e (= hes . in my f Wa ‘) IN) i y } (\iHh VM ai | e* \ FE} I 11] i \ [ 4 nal.” 7 == Al Hl th i | i i QT. THOMAS—HISTORIOAL. 15 monopoly. The consequences were soon manifested. High prices prevailed under the oppressive restrictions put upon commerce, and discontent shewed itself where before had. been peace and prosperity. It was not long before the complaints of the Colonists reached the ears of King Frederik V., who, directed by the wise counsel of Count John Bernstorff, then prime minister, resolved to take over the Colonies and put an end to the privileges of the Company by purchase. This was effected in 1755 for 2,200,000 pieces of eight (1,418,000 dols.). The purchase included the forts, estates, buildings, stores, slaves, goods and money belonging to the Company in the Colonies — and its refinery, ships, houses, and store-houses in Copenhagen. Thus ended the Danish West India and Guinea Company. Victim of its own insatiable greed and ambition. Its day was over. A new era was now to begin. Unfortunately at first for the Colonies, and especially for the island of St. Thomas, such a sweeping change as this transaction involved, proved a heavy blow to its commercial prosperity. Its port was no longer reached by the vessels of the Company, and the exclusive right of trafficking with Africa for slaves, having been also abolished, stagnation and ruin were the consequence. Up to that time its harbour had been always crowded with ships; and of these quite a number were Danish, but for the year 1756, not one of. them had gladdened the sight of its sorrowing merchants. Emigration was of daily occurrence. Money became scarce, a paper currency was issued, and such became the deplorable condition of affairs, that of the few inhabitants who were now left to sustain its fallen fortunes, it is recorded that the majority were slaves. Harrier Felchonhauer succeeded Christian Suhm in 1758, In 1761, Johan George von John, and in 1764, Peter von Gunthelburg, were appointed successively as Commandants over St. Thomas and St. John. During these years great distress prevailed in the Colony, and it was not until the 9th of April, 1764, when St. Thomas was declared by His Majesty a free port for vessels of all nations, that ita star became again in the ascendant. The effect of this kind and liberal act on the part of King Frederik V. was soon manifest in the altered condition of its harbour and commerce. Ships commenced to come in, and with them the money 80 much wanted. Ulrich Wilhelm Roepstorff, Jens Kragh, and George Hilst, were Governors till the year 1773, when Thomas de Malleville became Commandant of St. Thomas and St. John. He was a native of the island, and the first Commandant not belonging to the Lutheran Church. St. Thomas was now to enjoy a period of unexampled prosperity. At that time Europe was involved in a series of long and cruel war . . 16 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. during which Denmark had always managed to remain neutral. This neutrality, extending to her Colonial possessions, gave them an advan- tage over the rest of their neighbours, whose Governments were at war with each other, that only ceased years after the proslamation of peace. It was during this period of strife, that the importance of St. Thomas as a rendezvous for all sorts of vessels became so strikingly manifest. And it was not very long before the flags of all nations were flying from the vessels which crowded its harbour. It was one of the few spots, if not the only one, where enemies could meet without fighting, and discuss their next probable skirmish over a glass of grog and a pipe of tobacco. Things were lively in those days and money flowed into the coffers of the merchants like water. Its population increased. The town limits were extended. Stores and dwellings were rapidly built. And thousands of refugees and adven- turers, as well as capitalists, sought its shores for the purpose of traffic. Thomas de Malleville continued Commandant of St. Thomas and St. John until 1796, when he was appointed Governor General and removed to St. Croix. He was succeeded by Colonel von Muhlenfels as Commandant of St. Thomas, and was succeeded in his turn by Casimir Wilhelm von Sholten in the year 1800. Up to that time its prosperity had continued unabated, but an enemy was now at its gates. For the first time St. Thomas was blockaded, its inhabitants face to face with an invader. Denmark had become involved, at last, in a war with Great Britain. This simply meant ruin to her Colonies. After sustaining the blockade for some time, St. Thomas was surrendered on the Ist April, 1801, to a military and naval force under Colonel Cowell. For ten months it was held by the English, when it was restored to Denmark on the 22nd February, 1802. Though the occupation was a short one, it materially affected the commerce of the island. But as soon as it became neutral this once more revived. With the exception of the destructive fires which took place in 1804 and 1806, which laid the town in ashes and destroyed over 16,000,000 dols. worth of property, there is little more to add to its history till the year 1807, when the island was once more surrendered to the English, who occupied it until April 15th, 1815, when it was once again restored to Denmark its lawful possessor. © This year saw the beginning of that trade between St. Thomas, Porto Rico, Cuba, Santo Domingo and the Spanish Main, which was destined afterwards to assume such proportions. In the quaint old pages of Nissen we find that as soon as the Danes again became masters of the island, foreign vessels speedily arrived, laden with all kinds of merchandise, and numbers of the smaller kind, such as schooners, sloops, &c., were put under Danish colours, and adventures to the other West India Islands and the Spanish Main were resumed 8T. THOMAS—HISTORICAL. _ (17 with the same activity as in former times. The prices of provisions were also very low. Wheat flour 4 dols. 50 c. to 5 dols. per barrel, butter at 6 dols. or 7 dols. the firkin, pork 9 dols. to 10 dols., beef 6 dols. to 7 dols. A hogshead of claret could be purchased for 5 dols., and white pine lumber was 12 dols. to 14 dols. per 1,000 feet. The first cargo of ice had already been landed from America in 1820, after a subscription had.been raised to build an ice house which stood above ground, was two stories high, and was filled below with char- coal, dry sugar, cane leaves and hay. It was built of bricks and covered with slate. When the first boat with ice landed, the King’s Wharf was crowded with people, who were all anxious to see it; for many of the natives and even some of the foreigners did not know what it was, having never before seen such a thing. The street boys who had collected in crowds on the wharf took pieces of ice and ran away with them, so that they were obliged to put a guard there to prevent them doing so. The way some of the old authors speak of the fortunes made, the sacks of doubloons, the boxes and kegs of Spanish dollars is something bewildering. St. Thomas must have been a very Paradise for fortune hunters, and for physicians in particular in those days, for we read in the year 1837 of there being no less than eight very clever doctors on the island, and that their fees very seldom were less than 100 dols. for attending a family or going on board a vessel. No wonder that one of the King’s physicians, named Otto, was enabled to return to Copenhagen after a short stay of seven years, with about 300,000 dols. ; when his fees for attending on board a vessel, if it only laid at anchor in the harbour for two months, were from 1,500 to 1,700 Spanish dollars for a crew of ten or fourteen men. It is also recorded that during the war between England and America, as many as 200 large ships had been counted in its harbour, besides a great number of small vessels which found ample room in it. And now for a long time the prosperity of St. Thomas continued undiminished. It had been made the principal rendezvous of the R. M. 8. P. Company, and from its:central situation on the great route from Europe to the rich countries then opening up on the Pacific Ocean, it seemed as if there were no bounds to be set to its career of good fortune. Earthquakes had shaken it. Hurricanes had levelled it, and repeated fires had burnt down hundreds of its houses; but, Phoonix like, it had risen from its ashes, better built and more prosperous than ever. It did not seem possible that St. Thomas could fall from its high estate. If such an eventuality were even hinted at, it was met with a stare of incredulity. Its splendid harbour, its facilities as a coaling station, its geographical position, were the strings upon which everyone harped as the obstacles which stood in the way of so great a misfortune. The idea of other islands o 18 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. acquiring such facilities, or offering even greater advantages, never entered the heads of its industrious and money making merchants, And as for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, with its magnificent ships, factory, and staff of employés going elsewhere, the idea was as ridiculous as that of Porto Rico buyers purchasing their goods direct from the manufacturer in Europe. And yet all this and much more were in store for the people of St. Thomas, who, secure in a good Government and unlimited resources, never dreamt of the morrow at hand. ayy Ses see + rom 6 are CHAPTER II, ST. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL, ? AN THE 4th July, 1848, the emancipation of the slaves in St. Moy, Thomas took place. Their freedom was proclaimed at the ‘ @ drum-head. There were few demonstrations beyond music YA and dancing in the streets, and the whole affair passed off we * very quietly. From that time St. Thomas ceased to be an agricultural community. The town and its temptations were too strong for the labouring population, and it was not long before some of the best estates were turned out for want of sufficient hands to till them. A Labour Act had been passed containing stringent regulations, but it proved a dead letter as far as St. Thomas was concerned. At this time it might be safe to say that perhaps among all the group of the Virgin Islands none was fairer or more richly endowed by nature than that of St. Thomas. Its past had been eventful, its vicissitudes many. But now the sun of promise shone warmly on the island, and trade had brought plenty to its merchants. It has been an interesting task for us to trace its rise to such opulence; how, from a mere handful of colonists and a port which was the favourite resort of buccaneers and pirates, it became populous and happy. And when once more reduced to a few besides a scanty native population who needed everything but the sorrow and suffering which were theirs, it rose again into consequence, made such progress in civilization, and so extended its commerce, that it became the Emporium of the Antilles. ‘We should have been glad, as chroniclers of the events which occurred in later years, to have continued in the same strain till the end of this Chapter, but the tide had now turned, and the year 1863 brought the island to the sunset of its great prosperity, the beginning of that decadence which befell it in the dark dys which followed this epoch of plenty. « On the 15th November, 1863, His Majesty the King..of ‘Denmark, 02 20 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Frederik VII., passed to a higher life. He had been a good-hearted King, was popular with his people, and beloved by his West Indian subjects, who half-masted their flags for him, and mourned for him fully six weeks. He was succeeded by His Majesty the present King Christian IX. From the year 1815 to the year 1862 there had been sixteen Governors of St. Thomas.* Louis Rothe now filled the post. In April, 1864, the Colonial Law of 27th November, 1863, came into force. A provisional division of the Colonial Council had already been made in anticipation of this auspicious occurrence, which gave a Colonial Council of its own to St. Thomas, and the people a voice in the Government through its own representatives. The harbour was now being thoroughly dredged out and rendered almost perfect in its facilities for vessels seeking its port. There was already a fine Marine repairing slip in active operation, and numerous im- provements were now in contemplation. Over 1,600 shares in an Iron Floating Dock were subscribed for. Gas-works were planned. A new Government House, a Custom House, Public Wharf, new Light- house, and a Fish Market were to be erected. A fratricidal war had been long raging between the Northern and Southern States of America. This had brought a large amount of business to St. Thomas. Blockade runners sought its port, and now and then a privateer or two. In hot pursuit came the United States men-of-war, which with their crews left a great deal of money in the port. Another war, and one in which the hearts of the people were deeply concerned, was being fought at home between Denmark and Germany. Unfortunately for Denmark, its troops, after performing prodigies of valour, were overmatched by numbers, and worsted. Upon ceding the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to the Germans, peace was concluded, and a treaty was signed at Vienna on the 30th October. In the year 1865 it was first noticed that the ‘‘Bamboula ” or drum dance of the negroes began to be less frequent. Street masquerading: took its place, and has continued until now. It is fast dying out, and is no longer an attraction to sightseers. Steam communication between the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix was now fairly established, the ‘‘Clara Rothe,” a handsomely built steamer of 266 tons, threatening to take the place of the tight little ‘“‘ Vigilant.” On the 8th of April of this year, the corner-stone of the new Government House was laid. By this time great improvements had *Christian Frederik von Holken, Peter Karl Frederik von Scholten, Cart Wilhelm Jessen, Peter Karl Frederik von Scholten, Johannes Sobétker, Peter Karl Frederik von Sholten, Johannes Sobétker, Frederik Ludvig Pentz von Rosenérn, Jorgen Levin Rohde, Johannes Sobétker, Frederik von Oxholm, Hans. Hendrik Berg. 8T,. THOMAS—HISTORICAL 21 been made in the town. The streets were well paved, and were now lighted with gas. . On the 9th of January, 1866, the Honourable W. Henry Seward, Secretary of State for the United States of America, visited the island, accompanied by Mr. Frederick Seward. Though the voyage had been made ostensibly for health purposes, rumours began to be circulated that it was to see these islands prior to negotiations being entered into for their purchase. The Floating Dock seemed now about to become an accomplished fact, the first pontoon being launched on the 14th February, 1866. Up to this time the people of St. Thomas had been obliged to depend upon travelling companies for their amusements, but now an amateur company, named after the Princess Alexandra, was delighting them once a month with comedy and tragedy. On the 17th November the doctors increased their charges to two dollars a day visit, and eight dollars a night visit... A glance at the newspaper correspondence of those days will show the storm of indig- nation this called forth. Singular enough, the cholera broke out at the east end of the town (Polly Berg) the very next day after their advertisement appeared in the St. Thome Tidende. We shall never forget the alarm that spread through St. Thomas on that bright Sunday afternoon. It was a busy and an anxious time for every one, not to speak of the apothecary whose place was besieged with crowds of people outside wanting medicines. Those were very sad times for St. Thomas, as case after case begun to show itself almost every hour of the day. The town had already begun to acquire an evil reputa- tion abroad for its unhealthiness. ‘Pest hole,” ‘ Golgotha,” and various other epithets were freely lavished upon it by its neighbours, who, jealous of its commercial prosperity, had never let an occasion pass without flinging a stone at it. They never would acknowledge what every medical man knew, that the diseases which were said to be indigenous to St. Thomas were invariably brought from their own shores in the vessels visiting its harbour. Up to then, few precau- tions had been taken to enforce quarantine, or to protect the town bya more perfect system of sanitation. The consequences were frightful. Small pox and yellow fever had been in the town for some months, and now cholera had come to cap the climax of their misery. By the 28rd January, 1867, there had been 860 deaths. These are only what ean be gathered from the newspaper records. Those which were not reported may have been nearly as many. Amidst so much sorrow and desolation, there were numerous instances of self-devotion and courage. The medical men stood unflinchingly to their posts, and nobly did their duty. Laymen who assisted them, worked day and night in their endeavours to mitigate the horrors of so great a calamity. Had props sanitary measures been adopted to keep-pace with its rising comm: 22 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. cial importance, it is more than probable that St. Thomas’s prosperity might not have been threatened so early. At any rate, vessels which now avoided it as a charnel-house, would have had less fear of it, and would not have passed it by for other and less convenient harbours. On the 20th July the Floating Dock was inaugurated by being lowered and taking in the Royal Mail Steamship Oo.’s screwship ‘““ Wye,” of 752 tons. It would seem, however, that when it was to be raised it would not come up, and although every means likely to overcome the cause was applied, yet there was no success, and it was found necessary again to take the ““ Wye” out, in the hope that the Dock relieved of her weight, would then come up. The Dock, never- theless, persistently kept down in deep water, and was not raised and successfully completed till some years after, when a proper inspection revealed the actual cause of its failure. On the 29th October a terrific hurricane passed over the island, which, in magnitude and destructiveness, surpassed anything ever known or recorded in its history. Over three hundred lives were lost, and about 77 vessels were stranded or wrecked. Following this, on the 18th November, came a severe shock of earthquake, and a tidal wave. The shock lasted about 30 seconds, and a few moments after- wards the sea receded, leaving the harbour almost dry, exposing many sunken wrecks, and, upon its return, laying waste the wharves and warehouses built upon its shores. Many of the finest buildings were cracked, a great deal of property was destroyed, and such was the terror and dismay that people deserted their homes and camped out upon the hills. We have before alluded to the rumours which had been rife con- cerning the probable annexation of the islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America. These now appeared about to be realised. On the 27th November the following proclamation was published in the St. Thome Tidende:— ‘““WE, CHRISTIAN THE NINTH. “By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, the Vandals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Sturnmarn, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg and Oldenborg. Send to Our beloved and faithful Subjects in the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John Our Royal Greeting. “WE have resolved to cede Our Islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America, and We have to that end, with the reservation of the constitutional consent of Our Rigsdag, con- cluded a convention with the President of the United States. We have, by embodying in that convention explicit and precise provisions, done Our utmost to secure to You protection in Your liberty, Your religion, Your property and private rights, and You shall be free to remain where you now reside, or to remain, retaining the property 8T. THOMAS—HISTORICAL. . 23 which You possess in the said Islands or disposing thereof and removing the proceeds, wherever You please, without Your being sub- jected on this account to any contribution, charge, or tax whatever. ‘“‘Those who shall prefer to remain in the Islands, may either retain the title and the rights of their natural allegiance or acquire those of Citizens of the United States, but they shall make their choice within two years from the date of the exchange of ratifications of said convention, and those who shall remain on the Island after the expiration of that term without having declared their intention to retain their natural allegiance, shall be considered to have chosen to betome citizens of the United States. “As We, however, will not exercise any constraint over Our faithful subjects, We will give You the opportunity of freely and extensively expressing your wishes in regard to this cession, and We have to that effect given the necessary instructions to Our Commis- sioners Extraordinary. ‘‘'With sincere sorrow do we look forward to the severing of those ties which for many years have united You to Us, and never forgetting those many demonstrations of loyalty and affection We have received from You, We trust that nothing has been neglected on Our side to secure the future welfare of Our beloved and faithful Subjects, and that a mighty impulse, both moral and material, will be given to the happy development of the Islands, under the new Sovereignty. “ Commending You to God ! *¢ Given at Our Palace of Amalienborg, the 25th October, 1867. “ Under Our Royal Hand and Seal, ‘CHRISTIAN R. “tL. 8. “OC. E. Juel-Vind-Frijs. *¢ Royal Proclamation to the Inhabitants of St. Thomas and St. John.” This was also read by His Excellency Chamberlain Carstensen, Royal Commissioner Extraordinary, to a large assemblage of the civil and military functionaries and other inhabitants invited by His Excellency Governor Birch for the occasion, to Government House. It is almost needless to say that the announcement of such a change, though not entirely unexpected, led to a variety of comments and speculations. Hopes of the most extravagant kind were indulged in by many, at the prospect of soon belonging to the mighty American Republic. Others were not quite so sanguine as to the probable benefits, and some did not believe the transfer would be ever accomplished. Nevertheless, all prepared to obey His Most Gracious Majesty’s expressed wish, though not without a feeling in, thei 24 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. hearts, that with all its faults, the rule of dear old Denmark had been, in the main, marked by humanity, wisdom, and justice. There was, however, a general opinion prevalent that St. Thomas with its wealth, enterprise, and mixed population had never been sufficiently understood either at the Colonial or Metropolitan seats of Govern- ments, and, a8 a consequence, its interests were suffering from a slowness or tardiness occasioned by a system hampered by too much routine. There did not seem to be a doubt in the minds of such men as the Honourable William H. Seward, of the desirability of securing St. Thomas as a naval station for the United States of America. The acquisition was looked upon as a master stroke of policy by the leading journals of Europe. American naval and military men had long foreseen the necessity of the United States having, somewhere in the West Indies, a port in which to refit their war vessels and to form a base for naval operations in case of future wars with Europe or the South. The United States had gone through a bitter experience already, as far as Nassau and St. Thomas were concerned. The ports of the West Indies had all more or less sympathized with the so- called rebels of the South. Their piratical craft had been welcomed and sheltered. The men-of-war of the North found obstacles placed in their way. It was more or less conceded that had the YWited States possessed St. Thomas during the war of the Great Rebellion it would have saved millions. For these and many other reasons it was considered a desirable acquisition for the United States. In the meanwhile, with a rapidity not always usual to Denmark, the treaty which had been concluded with the United States for the sale of the Danish West India Islands, was ratified by a unanimous vote in the Landsthing or Upper House of the Rigsdag. ‘This completed the action of Denmark with regard to the Treaty. It now only remained for the United States Government to fulfil its share of the compact. Two years and a-half dragged wearily along, during which the St. Thomas people were alternately buoyed up or cast down by the news of annexation. They had voted for it almost to a man and awaited impatiently for the end. From causes which have never been satisfactorily explained, the Treaty was not ratified by the United States Senate. The opposition of the Radical party and the impeachment of President Johnson were assigned as presumable reasons for a postponement of one year. Then came others for further postponement. These did not prevent the United States from purchasing Alaska from the Russians shortly afterwards, for nearly the same amount which was to have been paid for the Danish West India Islands. Space precludes an elaborate discussion of the merits or demerits of this transaction. It is satis- factory to note that the conduct of Denmark throughout the whole ‘ffair was straightforward, dignified and honourable. There is no 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 25 doubt that the failure to conclude the bargain was a great disappoint- ment to many. Along with the affection which the people of St. Thomas and St. John had always manifested for Denmark and its King, there was a genuine admiration for the American people, whose energy and enterprise so well accorded with their own, and which by a fresh infusion it was hoped the island would tide over its past calamities and resume its wonted place as the commercial centre of the West Indies. Fen VERE 823 wa vr catwar ad —— ~~ + OHAPTER IV. 8ST. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. w N THE meanwhile, a dulness began to pervade the community of St. Thomas. Its harbour, gay with the colours of all * nations, its hotels always crowded with foreigners, either en Od route to their homes or for business purposes, had now ex- ye perienced a great change. The warehouses filled with the products of English, French, and German manufactures, and which, in the months of October and November, were the resort of purchasers from the neighbouring islands, were now quiet and calm. The distressing times of the end of 1867 had been bravely faced, and it was naturally supposed that when the storm had sub- sided the usnal order of things would be resumed. No one anticipated that 1868, 1869, and 1870 would bring us greater woe. The busy seasons came and went, but each was less than its predecessor. Merchants began to compare the present with the past, and on referring to their books, would find that at no time of the year in former days had they made so few entries as in these. The future gave but little hope of encouragement save that which chance might give. And now another problem was to be solved. The loosened bonds between the Mother Country and these. islands were to be again re-tied. The Crown was once more to re- assert its sovereignty, and the King to take anew His loyal West Indian subjects to His heart. The hope that a happy development, not only in a moral, but also in a material respect, would be power- fully advanced under American rule, had long since died in every breast, but how was a rapprochement to be effected between Denmark, 8t. Thomas, and St. John? ‘Were they to vote themselves back again, or were they to consider that their voting themselves free from the Mother Country was but a formality ? Statesmanship soon found a solution to the question. A proclama- tion had sold them, another one would take them back. A perusal of it will show how kindly this was done. i y i ‘ul l an i" | | i i fill f | | i ll a Hi | ii iB i \ if i A \ | ik i ml at iN Su ys 7 vf V il Liat 1 | i | 4 I I vy | a ih i} HI i if 1) ee ml (i 4 i i f; WH ca 7 i i i I fH a \ | i hy | i | ii | WN lal! 1 Wi ii | Ay i| ih | iit H ih i hi | iN wh ut Li ih Ki | — ll Ni le iia H i ‘| ll sll "i 1\j 28 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. “WE, CHRISTIAN THE NINTH, “By the grace of God, King of Denmark, the Vandals and the Goths, Duke of Sleswig, Holstein, Stornmarn, Ditmarsh, Lauenborg, and Oldenborg, send to our beloved and faithful subjects in the island of St. Thomas and St. John, Our Royal Greeting. “You are aware of the motives that actuated Us at the time to give ear to the repeated and urgent requests of the North American Government for the cession of 8t. Thomas and St. John to the United States. We expected that We, in that manner, should have been able to lighten Our realm of the heavy burthens incurred by the then recently-terminated war, and We hoped that the annexation to the United States would have afforded the islands advantages so impor- tant that they could have contributed to soothe the pain which a separation necessarily must cause in the Colonies, no less than in the Mother Country. You, for your part, and the Danish Diet on the part of the Kingdom, have concurred in these views, and We all met in the mutual readiness to accommodate ourselves to what appeared to “Us All to be recommended by the circumstances. ‘“‘Unexpected obstacles have arisen to the realisation of this idea, and released Us from Our pledged word. The American Senate has not shown itself willing to maintain the Treaty made, although the initiative for it proceeded from the United States themselves. Ready as we were to subdue the feelings of Our hearts, when we thought that duty bade Us so to do, yet We cannot otherwise than feel a satisfac- tion that circumstauces have relieved us from making a sacrifice, which, notwithstanding the advantages held out, would always have been painful to Us. We are convinced that you share these senti- ments, and that it is with a lightened heart you are relieved from the consent, which only at Our request you gave to a separation of the islands from the Danish Crown. “In, therefore, making known to you that the Convention made on the 24th of October, 1867, for the cession of the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the United States of America, has become void, We entertain the firm beliof that Our Government, supported by your own active endeavours will succeed in promoting the interest of the islands and by degrees efface all remembrances of the misfortunes which, of late years, have so sadly lefallen the islands. To this end We pray Almighty God to give Us strength and wisdom. “‘Commending you to God, “Given at Our Palace at Amalienborg, the 7th May, 1870, CHRISTIAN R., L. 8. The demand for reform was now general, and, before long, steps were taken to set forth the desires of the people. The circumlocutory 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 29 manner in which the administration of the Colonies was managed at that time. The expenses attending it by the necessity of keeping up a Governor and a President, which latter was at the same time a Vice-Governor, and both of them important representatives of the Danish sovereignty, their salaries, with table money, an entire swarm of higher and lower officials, a military force, all directly or indirectly paid by the two islands, called loudly for change. And a careful review of the financial burdens which were laid upon the islands in those years, will show how great a necessity there was for it. Unfor- tunately, instead of sending home a deputation composcd of its best citizens, or those most qualified to represent the actual condition and wants of St. Thomas at that time, a Petition addressed to His Majesty was got up, and was signed by 1,111 of the principal inhabitants of the island, praying for certain reforms which would give a greater measure of self-government and control of internal affairs, than that which the island possessed. It has never been quite certain that it bore the fruit which was expected of it, at any rate nothing immediate transpired. For while His Majesty was graciously pleased in his reply to learn with satisfaction of the loyalty of his people, and to assure thom that with their support it would be his aim and that of his Government to promote the interests of theislands. The vague- ness of the Colonial law at which the petition was principally directed continued just as vague as ever. The old laws which were obsolete and unsuited to the times, and which are occasionally, even now, brought forward for particular purposes to the discomfort and dismay of the many, are yet unrepealed and ready for the unscrupulous to use as it may suit them. On the 11th February, 1871, the seat of Government was removed from St. Croix to St. Thomas. His. Excellency Governor W. L. Birch, Commander of Dannebrog and Dannebrogsmand, taking up bis residence in that island. His Excellency was specially charged by the Home Government with the task of amending the laws, and it was hoped that His Excellency’s acknowledged legal abilities would have enabled him to bring matters to a successful issue. One of his first acts, however, was to enforce the provisions of Article 7 of the Press Law against the Editor of the St. Thome Tidende, a paper accredited with the reputation in those days of being a warm and consistent advocato of the rights of the public. The result of this action on the part of Government, which the Editor stigmatized as a persecu- tion, was a scathing article in the next issue of the paper, on the 25th February, against His Excellency the Governor, with a definition uf Tyranny and a Tyrant. What the consequences might have been it is difficult to say, for masterly as was the style in which the article was written, legal acumen would surely have picked out a weak sput on which to have based an action for libel But His Excellency ha"! 30 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. not the time nor opportunity to do so, just as he neither had the chance to make known the changes he was about to introduce. | He may never have seen the article, though report said it had contributed indirectly to hasten the occurrence which followed. It is certain, however, that His Excellency retired to bed on the evening of the 25th at about eleven o’clock, and there was nothing unusual observed about him. Next day, Sunday morning, His Excellency did not make his appearance at his usual hour. There were some gentlemen waiting to see him, and being pressed for time, as they wished to see him before going to St. Croix, it was determined to call him. Knocking at his bedroom door and failing to elicit any response, the door, which was locked, was forced open. His Excellency was not there. -The @oor of the bath-room was next tried, and that having been forced open, His Excellency was found lying on the floor near the bath, perfectly insensible, having evidently fallen backwards, and dying. He was quickly carried to his bed, where, in a few minutes, he expired. A post mortem examination showed that His Excellency died of enlargement of the heart (hypertrophia cordis). On the 30th June, His Excellency Chamberlain Franz Ernest Bille, K.D., arrived _ in St. Thomas as Commissioner Extraordinary and Governor of the Danish West Indies. He was to reside in St. Thomas. On the Ist July he held a Levee at the Government House, at which several officials, consuls, merchants, and private gentlemen were present. On the 8rd of August a change in the Police System was inaugurated by the acting Police Master, Mr. Fischer. The town which had gone to sleep under its old system of insecurity, woke up to find itself under the control of policemen patrolling the streets, each man on a regular beat. The effect was magical. Order now prevailed. The reign of loafers and vagabonds was at an end. On the 23rd October, a frightful hurricane took place. Fearful havoc was caused in town, many lives were lost, and many persons wounded. The heaviest gusts of winds were from half-past four and five p.m. when they came from the North-West. Then it was, that the great destruction was completed. The fierce roaring of these fearful gusts, the noise of zinc sheets, and the sheets hurling through the air and along the streets, and the crash of falling houses in that gloomy half-hour were awful. As usual, the merchants subscribed liberally to relieve the immediate distress occasioned by this great calamity. The private subscriptions amounting in a short.time to 6,600 dols. On the 16th of February, 1872, telegraphic communica- tion between St. Thomas and Europe was established throughout the line to Havana and thence to the United States and Europe. A new Lighthouse was erected on Muhlensfeldt Point, and was formally delivered to Government by the contractor—Mr. Carl Berg —on the 10th June. 8T, THOMAS.—HISTORICAL, 31 On the 1st July, a dinner was given to His Excellency Governor Bille, by the Colonial Council, on the eve of his departure from the island. It was a fitting tribute to a man who, from the first, had pursued a just, equitable and liberal policy, and under whose short administration, so many valuable reforms and improvements had been inaugurated. It is not saying too much when we assert that at no period of its history had such a spirit of harmony existed between the Government and the people’s representatives. His affability had made him most popular, and his ready tact a great many friends. He was succeeded by His Excellency Governor Stakemann ad interim. About this time the first steps were taken towards having the law regarding the monopoly of physicians abolished. A memorial numerously signed was presented to the Colonial Council, which asked: for the abrogation of the law, which prevented foreign physicians from practising in these islands without first going to Copenhagen to pass an examination. Representations on this subject had again and again been made to the authorities, but as regards doctors, the invariable objection was that the law of Denmark precluded anyone from practising on Danish territory without a Danish diploma. This law so suitable for Denmark was perfectly right and proper, as any doctor who might happen to be in that country and wished to practice there, could easily pass his examina- tion in Copenhagen. But to the foreign doctor who should happen to be in St. Thomas and desire to practice there, the case was very different. To require him to make a journey to Copenhagen fo procure a Danish diploma, when he was already provided with a Spanish, German, French, English or any other one from a respect- able medical college, was simply to establish an invidious monopoly in favour of one of the national elements in St. Thomas to the exclu- sion of others. In.such a mixed community it was natural that they required a mixture of medical skill. As was remarked by an able writer at the time, ‘A patient’s faith in his doctor is one-half of his cure. Tho German wants his German doctor, the Italian his Italian, the Spaniard his Spanish, the Frenchman his French, and so on. There is no earthly reason why they should all be forced to employ a Danish doctor. The thing is monstrous, it is unjust. It is a remnant of that pernicious exclusiveness which is abandoned by all enlightened nations.” His Excellency Governor Garde arrived on the 24th September, 1872. Governor Stakemann returned to St. Croix, where he resumed his former post as Vice-Governor. In the month of October appeared a notice in the St. Thome Tidende announcing that the Ministry of Finance had by Royal Resolution of 25th September, been authorised to grant foreign physicians permission to practice in the Danish West India Islands when they, by certificates which the ministry might accept as valid, could prove that. they had 32 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. passed an examination at a foreign respectable University or Corpora- tion, and the Governor of these Islands was furthermore authorised to grant to a foreign physician preliminary permission to practice, until the approval of the Ministry could be obtained, provided that such certificates or other information of which he might be in possession, did not leave a doubt of his title and ability as a physician. In accordance with the above-mentioned Royal Resolu- tion, of which the foregoing is a version, permission was granted to Doctor M. Andouit, French Naval Physician Ist Class, D.M. of the Faculty of Paris, to practice in the Danish West Indies. This concession, so tardily made, which worked so well, and was of so much benefit to the people of St. Thomas, it is said, was only obtained at the intercession of Governor Bille then in Copenhagen, who had long seen the necessity of doing away with vexatious mono- polies and placing these islands on a footing with other civilized com- munities. . On the 16th March, 1873, H.B.M.8. “Challenger” arrived on a scientific expedition and a tour round the world. The distinguished scientists and officers were cordially received by his Excellency Governor Garde. It is pleasing to note that one of their number, in writing of St. Thomas to the Datly News London, said :—“ After careful enquiry, I am inclined to the opinion that St. Thomas has been very much maligned, and that it is not the undesirable nor unhealthy spot it is generally believed. The fact is, and ought to be recognised, yellow fever is not indigenous here, but is imported from what is still called (in local parlance) the Spanish Main, or some other of the West India ‘islands. There are no noxious mangrove swamps to breed malaria, as in Jamaica and in other places, and receiving, as they do, the full strength of the salubrious “trades,” all the year round, the Virgin Islands possess unusual advantages in a sanitary point of view.” On the 24th July, the ‘‘ Variety Dramatic Association ” gave its first performance. It achieved a great success from the first, and was spoken of at the time as highly creditable to native talent, and fully deserving of the enthusiastic support which was given to it. It was under the administration of Governor Garde, that the oppor tunity was taken by His Excellency to object, in the Colonial Council, to certain criticisms of the St. Thome Tidende. This paper had long been a thorn in the side of evildoers, and wily politicians. For some time it had been edited by a man of considerable journalistic capacity. Had he possessed less, and been more chary of calling things by their right names, he might never have been noticed. But this time the Government was in earnest. Outraged by the efforts which had been made to undermine its authority, and to render it contemptible in the eyes of the people, it was determined to suppress 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 33 the Tidende. And by virtue of a Royal Resolution, which had been kept in reserve for such an occasion, and a communication from the Government, the editor was informed that permission to publish it was withdrawn from him. On the Ist October it appeared under the editorship of its present proprietor, upon whom had been conferred the privilege of publishing it, and who has, by his prudence and manage- ment, retained it till now. It was not long, however, before sufficient influence was brought to bear upon Government to induce it to relax its severity, and a new paper, the St. Thomas Times, appeared under the nominal editorship of the former proprietor of the S¢. Thome Tidende. Devoted to editorial amenities the two papers prospered with varying fortunes. Having now their own battles to fight, Government escaped criticism in print; but a glance at the proceedings of the Colonial Council will show that there, the battle was-still waged for further reform. On the 27th October, the Apollo Theatre, as it is now called, was inaugurated by the Alexandra Dramatic Association, for the benefit of the Architect, Mr. C. Berg. Trade had now considerably declined. Besides the Royal Mail Steam Packet’s magnificent fleet of steamers, other lines had started and extended their operations throughout the West Indies. It was now possible for a merchant in Porto Rico or elsewhere to have his goods brought direct to his own doors, without the assistance of St. Thomas. Planters could also export their own produce direct. There was no longer any necessity to send it to St. Thomas to be shipped. The consequences soon became palpable to everyone. Purchasers became less every year. Still a goodly number of vessels yet fre- quented its port, and many passengers visiting it en route to other places per Royal Mail Steamers gave it an appearance of activity not seen elsewhere in the West Indies. On January 9th, 1875, by virtue of the power vested in him by Colonial Law, Section 36, His Excellency, Governor Garde, dissolved the Colonial Council. This was the first dissolution which it had encountered during its somewhat stormy existence. Entering upon its work with many reforms to effect, and important changes to make, it is no wonder that many disagreements had arisen between it and the Executive. It is somewhat important to note that the same members were returned. The St. Croix-St. Thomas Cable was successfully laid, on the 20th -inst., by the ‘“ Hooper.’’ And the first message sent from St. Thomas to St. Thomas through the West India Islands, was sent that day. the time occupied being fifty seven minutes, allowing for détour and detention at each separate station. On the 13th April, 1875, St. Thomas was placed on the black list, as an unhealthy place, by the Lords of the Treasury, on the recom- D ’ 34 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. mendation of Lord Derby. It may possibly be there now, for aught we know, for they are not much quicker in England, than here, in wiping out antiquated spots and prejudices. It is worthy of remark, that during the administration of Governor Garde many improvements were made, notably in the direction of beautifying and ornamenting the town. To this day many of them are pointed out as being the fruit of His Excellency’s forethought and care for the Islands. On the morning of the 2nd December, 1875, the Floating Dock was thoroughly tested and pronounced a decided success. On that day the standards of Denmark and England were unfurled from its flagstaff amid the hearty cheers of the workmen. Up to the present time it has continued in excellent condition and in good working order, forming a valuable addition to the facilities of the Harbour of St. Thomas. On the 5th January, 1876, His Excellency, Governor Garde, left on a mission to Denmark to carry out certain plans in connection with the sugar cultivation of St. Croix. It had long been considered desirable that improved methods for the manufacture of sugar should be introduced into that island. The establishment of a central factory seemed one of the best means for the attainment of that end. This was included in His Excellency’s programme, who assured the mem- bers of the Colonial Council at an extraordinary meeting before he left that he would leave no stone unturned to advance the interests of the community. His absence was to have been only for a few weeks; this extended over some months, owing to unexpected obstacles and difficulties to overcome. Just before his arrival, another hurricane visited our shores between half-past twelve to five o’clock on the morning of the 3rd. This time St. Croix was included. The damage to that island was frightful. Fortunately, there were not many vessels in the harbour of St. Thomas. Several of these, how- ever, were damaged, a few shanties were blown away on shore, and a good many houses had their tiles or sheets of tin blown off. For- tunately for St. Thomas, being so far removed from the centre, it escaped a worse fate, for it was believed by competent meteorologists to have been one of the most terrific cyclones that had ever visited the West Indies. Amidst so much trouble and adversity, it is no wonder that the arrival of His Excellency, Governor Garde, two days afterwards, was like a ray of sunshine upon the people who had suffered so much, and who were now almost on the verge of despair at such a repetition of calamities. And all the more so that it soon became known that he had succeeded in accomplishing a great deal of good for the islands. Up to that time the island of St. Thomas had been without any educational facilities beyond what a few private schools could give, and what the natural intelligence of its children could acquire 8ST. THOMAS.~—HISTORICAL. 35 afterwards during the course of a busy, commercial life. The poorer classes were deplorably situated, no provision had been made for them as far as public instruction was concerned, so if ignorance pre- vailed among them they were scarcely to be blamed. It was a matter of surprise to everyone to see how deficient the Island was in this respect, and the dawn of a new era, the main object of which was the education of the people, was hailed with lively satisfaction. The arrival of Mr. O. Bache, with the entering of that gentleman upon his official duties as School Director, was the first step. The next was the publishing of the School Ordinance of 9th November, 1875. Shortly afterwards a fine building on Government Hill was purchased and, under the name of the St. Thomas College, it commenced work on the 2nd July under the inspection of Mr. Bache, assisted by a staff of able teachers. September Ist, 1877, marked a change in the Postal arrangements of the islands and the abolition of the British Postal Agency, which had been established in St. Thomas since October, 1842. This change was brought about by the entry of the Danish colonies into the General Postal Union. The reduction of rates on letters, which was the direct consequence, gave great satis- faction to the community. To illustrate the cosmopolitan character of St. Thomas, there was now numbered among its merchants a Chinese firm who, under the appellation of Yee Foo Chong and Co., did quite a business in tea and Chinese ‘‘ curios.” The Communal Schools were opened on the 8rd June. In connection with this wise step for the education of the masses, the handsome donation of 6,000 dols. was made by Councillor A. H. Riise, K.D., Apothecary, of St. Thomas. On the 2nd October came the startling news of an insurrection having broken out among the labourers in the island St. YEE FOO CHONG. Croix. Close upon this news came a crowd of homeless fugitives from West End, whose tales of suffering at their hands struck terror and dismay into the hearts of those who had relatives or friends in that ill-fated spot. His Excellency Governor Garde, accompanied by the Police-master and fifty soldiers, left in the Royal Mail Steamship “ Arno” as soon as pos- sible that day for the scene of action. As told elsewhere, it was shortly afterwards quelled, and the ringleaders shot or otherwise punished. Large amounts were subscribed in ‘‘ Our Little Isle” and elsewhere for the relief of the sufferers. D2 36 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. The first drawing of the St. Thomas Lottery took place at the Apollo Theatre on the 26th March, 1879. H.R.H Prince Valdemar, the youngest child of King Christian IX., arrived here as Lieutenant on board H.M. Corvette ‘“‘ Dagmar,” Commander Braem, on the 27th September. He was the first Danish Prince who had ever trod West Indian soil, and as such was received with such demonstrations of loyalty and affection as had never been tendered to anyone before. As the bearer of the good wishes and greetings of His Father the King, he won the hearts of the entire community. His own personal magnetism did the rest. A round of gaiety and festivities succeeded his arrival, during which everyone sought to make his stay as pleasant as possible, and to impress him with their love and devotion towards the Royal House of Denmark. On the 28th of April, 1880, he left for Copenhagen. Crowds assembled on the King’s Wharf to witness his disembarkation, and as the good ship ‘“‘ Dagmar” slowly steamed out of the harbour, he was followed by more than one wish for a safe and pleasant passage and a speedy arrival home. CHAPTER V. ST. THOMAS.—(HISTORICAL.) waN THE year 1880, a census was taken of the Danish West Indies. According to the returns which were published some- time afterwards, the population of the three islands numbered 88,761, of which 18,480 were in St. Croix, 14,387 in St. Thomas, and in St. John’s 944. The population has been on the decrease since 1860, for in that year in St. Croix it numbered 23,194 souls (in 1870, 22,760); in St. Thomas, 13,463 (in 1870, 14,007); in St. John’s, 1,574 (in 1870, 1,054). Of the population in St. Croig, 4,939 lived in Christiansted, 3,480 in Frederiksted, and 10,011 in the country districts. The majority of the female sex was exceedingly large, for 14,889 were males and 18,894 females. The marriage state showed 763 bachelors, 240 married men, 31 widowers, and 2 divorced; 789 unmarried women, 172 married, 87 widows, and 2 divorced. If the population be averaged for over 20 years, the result would be 611 males and 604 males out of every 1,000 unmarried; 335 males and 260 females married, 51 widowers, 188 widows, 3 males and 3 females divorced. In regard to means of subsistence, 10,010 lived by agriculture, 7,409 from industrial occupations, 6,600 as porters, labourers, &c., &., 2,897 from commerce, 1,845 by the sea, &. Of the religious persua- sions 11,344 belonged to the English Episcopalian Church, 10,025 to Roman Catholic, 5,881 to the Moravian, 4,862 to the Lutheran and others. The commerce of St. Thomas, had now reached a painful crisis. The revenues had yearly fallen short, and each successive Budget bore upon its face a large deficiency, and this in spite of the fact that the island was no longer paying any contribution to the General State Expenses. The College, about this time, acquired by gift from Councillor A. H. Riise, a large collection of shells and a smaller one of reptiles and amphibia. Professor Johnstrup had given a fine collection-c 38 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. minerals, and the first teacher, Mr. Dahl, incorporated his collection of insects, shells, and geological specimens, with those already mentioned, and those belonging to the school. By Royal Resolution, Councillor J. A. Stakemann, K.D.D.M., upon his most submissive application made to that effect, on account of advanced age, was most graciously dismissed with pension from his Office as President of St. Croix and Vice-Governor of the Danish West India Islands. This honourable and esteemed public servant was now to enjoy a peaceful retirement in the island he had served so faithfully and well. A Danish West Indian by birth, he was one of the few natives who by his abilities had held on more than one eccasion the reins of Government in both islands. He is yet alive, and no one is more honoured or respected. On the 18th March, 1881, His Excellency, Governor Garde, GOVERNOR GARDE. announced to the Colonial Council of St. Thomas and St. John, his resignation of the.Governorship of, and his early departure from the Danish West India Colonies, and the appointment of his successor Colonel O. H. Arendrup, K.D.R.E. The Governor reviewed at some length his administration, touching upon the various important events in connection with it, He thanked the Council for the assistance which had been given tochim in 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 39 carrying through the several enactments which were required for the benefit of the Colony, and m the course of his remazrks, he stated that the hospitality which had been shown to him and his family, during their eight years residence in these islands would always be gratefully remembered, and when he was far away, it would be a source of great pleasure to him to hear of the prosperity of the Colonies. After the Chairman had responded on behalf of the Council, the Members rose, as a mark of respect to His Excellency as he left the Assembly. A farewell Address was then proposed, and a Committee appointed to draw it up. A few days after, the different Consuls, representing twenty-six nationalities, went in a body to the Government House and took leave - of him, after expressing their appreciation of his attention to them during his stay as Governor-General of the Danish West Indies. His Excellency left St. Thomas with his family on the 9th of April, 1881. A salute of fifteen guns was fired at the Fort. There was a very large gathering to witness his departure, and many who wended their way home from the King’s Wharf that day, may have felt that, with all his faults—and who is faultless ?—a good and true-hearted man had departed from St. Thomas. And now that we can look at the principal features of his adminis- tration, with eyes cleared from the mists of party prejudice and passion, it must be candidly confessed, that never before had these islands been governed so thoroughly and well. His earnest efforts to establish an educational system, to improve the harbour of St. Thomas, BOARDING HOUSE, QUARANTINE STATION. to establish a central factory in St. Croix, and to further the welfare of the islands in general, were characterised by an indomitable per- severance and energy that deserved greater support and encourage- ment than were given to him at all times. If his efforts were not always crowned with success, it must be essentially attributed to circumstances over which the Governor had no control; particularly | the long series of dry years, the shortcomings of the Factory, and the riots of 1878. A mere retrospect of his work during the eight years he resided in the Danish West Indies would fill a volume. , When) he 40 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. came here in 1872, the restrictions preventing foreign physicians had been removed, the military reduction had just been carried out, the new lighthouse was lit, and the quarantine station was finished a short time after his arrival. Since then the building of the new barracks and the boat harbour had taken place, the Fort had been rebuilt and changed into a police office, the police force had been increased and regulated under a better form for the maintenance of peace and good order, the streets had been repaired, the country roads improved, and on the several public places trees had been planted in order to embellish the town. Many other improvements have been alluded to in the course of this historical sketch. To this day he is spoken of for the interest he always took in our prosperity, and for his firm determination to govern, and to be governed by no one. In the words of a contemporary, ‘‘He was an upright man, who commanded the respect of all.” On the 15th of April, His Excellency Colonel OC. H. Arendrup, K.D.R.E., landed in St. Thomas. A Levee was held at Government House on the 19th, to which the public were invited. His Excellency, after delivering the heartiest and most gracious greeting of His Majesty the King, and referring to the financial difficulties of the Colonies, expressed a hope that he would receive the kind and unanimous support of the inhabitants in the onerous duties he had undertaken. After a sumptuous lunch, the company withdrew, deeply impressed with the Governor and his good intentions for the welfare of the West India Possessions of their beloved Sovereign. Hope beat high in every breast at the advent of the New Governor, and certainly his courteous demeanour and willingness to enter into every project for the benefit of that community promised much for the future, but to those best acquainted with the working of our local government, and who knew the many difficulties he would have to encounter, it was not without a fear that he would be heavily handi- capped in face of the trials which awaited St. Thomas. On the 21st August, 1882, the corner-stone of the Moravian Memorial Church was laid by His Excellency Governor Arendrup. The Transit of Venus was successfully observed on December 6th by the Brazilian Expedition sent to this Island for that purpose. The 31st March, 1883, saw the closing of the College. This institution, which was intended for the higher education of children whose parents could afford to pay for it, had ceased to exist, and it was not long before its halls, which up to then had echoed with the sound of their youthful voices, were taken possession of as Government Offices, and for the use of the legislators who had effected this great saving in our expenditure and sweeping change in the educational prospects of the rising generation. Beyond a few subsidies: to encourage 8T. THOMAS.—HISTORICAL. 41 GOVERNOR ARENDRUP. private schools, nothing was put in its place, and St. Thomas to-day stands almost alone in the West Indies as having no high school for the children of its taxpayers and respectable citizens. The consequences are sad to contemplate for those who are not rich enough to send their children to Europe. In this year an attempt was made to revive the sugar industry in St. Thomas. Some months before (in 1882) an enterprising firm bought Estate Thomas, just outside the town, stocked it, put in a fine plant of machinery, and spent thousands in the hope of making it a success. But somehow it did not succeed. It seemed as if destiny had decreed that our ancient agricultural prosperity was not to be revived again, even with modern machinery. ~ Barbadoes had now become a formidable rival to St. Thomas. ‘With no harbour, and nothing like the facilities of this island for the discharging and coaling of ships, its low harbour dues were attracting seeking vessels, and it soon became apparent that eur own charges would have to be reduced if we intended to keep pace with the times. With an empty port and empty streets, the prospects did not look cheering. Added to this, Mexican silver, worth at’most eighty cents, was passing current at the fictitious value of one hundred. Yet nota _ move was made to stem the tide of our fleeting prosperity. From the 1st January, 1884, the office of President was ‘abolishe 42 LEAFLETS FROM TIE DANISH WEST INDIES. The Superior Administration, in the two districts of administration, established by Colonial Law of 27th November, 1863, to be exercised by the Governor in such a manner that he was empowered to entrust, on his own responsibility, the despatch of the daily current business of the said Administration in the district in which he at any time might not be personally present, to the Resident Government Secretary. His Excellency was now to reside six months in St. Thomas, and six months in &t. Croix. Several firms were now contemplating liquidation. The removal of the Royal Mail Steamship Company was already decided, and that of the French Company was talked about. If anything were possible to be done for the island, it would have to be done quickly. Progress was the order of the day elsewhere, and St. Thomas seemed to be drifting back slowly to the old order of things. While other places were doing their utmost to bring trade to their ports, St. Thomas, reposing itself complacently on its being the keystone of the West Indies, and on its geographical position, was doing absolutely nothing to attract customers. It is true that other islands were passing through a fiery ordeal owing to the competition of the beet-root and the low price of sugar, their staple production. But each of them was rising to the occasion, and striving by every means in its power to avert the impending ruin and desolation. In the meantime St. Thomas was doing nothing to arrest the cankerworm of decay, beyond finding fault with everything and everybody except the real cause of its unparalleled misfortunes. On the 21st February, 1885, a petition, largely and influentially signed, was addressed to His Majesty, representing the fallen fortunes of St. Thomas, and asking that the Mother Country assume the Military expenses and the Pensions. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company removed its head-quarters to Barbadoes. This transfer, which was effected on the 1st of July, meant a loss of about 12,000 dols. a month to the community, not to speak of the loss to the shopkeepers, whose trade with the passengers, brought to the island by its ships, was an itm of considerable import- ance. On the Ist December, the New Harbour and Customs Law came into force. This was a move in the right direction, and though some- what late, it was expected to be of immense advantage to St. Thomas, offering, as it did, exceptional advantages to vessels seeking the port. At the same time the import duty was raised to 2 per cent. ad valorem on all importations. On the 31st March, 1886, a public dinner was given to His Honour Policemaster H. M. W. Fischer on the occasion of his jubilee. It was largely attended by gentlemen of all nationalities representing the official and commercial elements of the community, and was a well a ae 8I. THOMAS.—-HISTORICAL. 43. deserved compliment to one who by the faithful and zealous discharge of his duties, had earned the approval of his superior officers and the goodwill of the general public. And now the year 1887 was at hand. The Christmas of 1886 had been marked with a round of diversions that had not been seen in the island for a long time. Trade had been more than usually brisk for. the season, and money was once more circulating. The presence of several men-of-war in the harbour had contributed largely to this. December 20th, brought the island a visit from the son of the Crown Prince, who arrived here on board H.M.S8. “Jylland.” This gave occasion for another display of the people’s loyalty and affection towards the Royal hovse of Denmark. His departure, which took place on the 18th February, 1887, found business pretty brisk. But it was the last flicker of the expiring candle. A few months more and the bankruptcy of more than one respectable firm, showed which way the compass of St. Thomas was pointing. Then came the hurri- cane, months with a dulness that set over the town like a funeral pall. With a depreciated currency and no sales, men were at their wit’s end. The merchants had long been anxiously awaiting replies to the several petitions which they had sent in the year before asking for certain reforms—notably, the assistance of the Government to settle the Mexican silver question. But still no answer came. Weary of such procrastination and delay, some of them took the initiative, and forthwith issued card-board checks, good for one cent and five cents Mexican money. These were followed by one, three, five and ten cent brass or nickel tokens, and soon the town was flooded with a coinage that drove out a large portion of the Danish smaller pieces. Still no sign was made. The incapacity of the Government to solve the knotty problem seemed to stand confessed. Brass was king, and at a premium besides. Even the Mexican silver dollar was at a dis- count in comparison. Accepted without a question, these metal pieces became current in Tortola. True, the names upon them were of first- class houses, but we dare to say that had some wag ventured, by way of a joke, to issue some without a name, they would have passed current just as readily, such was the simple faith of the common people. This year was marked by a still further decrease in our revenues, the removal of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique’s head quarters to Martinique, and a rapid decline in every branch of trade. - As if to make matters worse, carefully worded reports of St. Thomas’s declining state were circulated far and wide, and every endeavour was made by interested parties to divert its large shipping trade to the ports of jealous rivals. It never occurred to these people, that, shorn as it was of its former dimensions, the commerce of St. Thomas was yet so nething of which few of the West Indies could boast. Men no longer made hundreds of thousands, but they lived comfortably, and 44 LEAFLETS TROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. did not fail quite so often as they did in those islands quoted as so much more prosperous and thriving. And when the year 1888 found its harbour crowded with shipping, mostly of large tonnage, and it was onge more a scene of activity, scarcely anyone doubted that if further advantages were held out to seeking vessels St. Thomas would yet be a busy place and the favourite port of call in the Antilles for many a long year to come. oy aga: Uke. 5 Fe oy OHAPTER VI. 8ST. THOMAS.—LOCAL. wayel. THOMAS has but one town. Its name is Charlotte-Amalia. It has a fine harbour, and its facilities for the repair and coaling of vessels are excellent. Its population is nearly twelve thousand inhabitants. It compares favourably in every respect ‘\ with any place in the West Indies, and is unsurpassed for the beauty of its location. The town—as seen from the harbour— is very picturesque. Clusters of houses, with their brilliant red roofs, rise to the summits of three hills, projecting from the sides" of a dark range of mountains, which, forming a noble background, throws out in bold relief the dwellings on its slopes. Harmoniously blending with the whites, reds, and greys of these habitations, the green umbrageous foliage of the mountain cabbage and cocoanut palm, peeps out ; and with here and there a broad-leaved banana, you are at once reminded that you are now within the tropics. Turn which way you may, whether to gaze upon the huge floating dock, the laza- retto with its neat and trimly-built houses, the several wharves where steamers lay alongside coaling, the copper-coloured urchins diving for cents and the amusement of passen- gers, into the briny depths of the harbour, undisturbed by the fear of sharks—no matter where you look, all is movement. The tide ripples along under the influence of the balmiest of breezes. Flags of all nations fly from the ships at anchor, whose hulls reflected upon the water flicker to and fro on its bright sun-gilded surface. Vessels receive and discharge their cargoes, numerous lighters move slowly to and from the shore; dusky boatmen ply their LUTHERAN CHURCH. TTT oe I Wi mi (\ nie + MI mi Mt ir t\ \) mn uj) hig, 4 wer y w) | aN) iY i Il Pai. \ i {il Ay Ih) i "eo aly 4 Wl ML (it) e ih) Vi Ih a 1 ves iM a B i i} we \) {| i ite. LAN ee g 1] Wl l} we WZ i, We i yi mst va] \ a | f\ \{l ti i | 0) ll ae Dy ae — I i | mf Ti } ay ae \ Voss Me Y ids a ee Ss: y Kae i AY y i Sl? «t Ny We = ae nm TAY a es sz a Ye | | aY — ao Ne 1 \ i ill {i MW | (iN | Nai pct = Wine Ny ii Ye can vie | he} Ry ‘ i wi ill ma a hte % | ~ II i) | iH s—* SY ne Bae ‘a\ ‘6% ul I | We "i SN | || my | = \ = "2 fa’ ri |) =z | Be —! WN 8T. THOMAS.—LOCAL. ’ 47 vocation from the sides of the many wharves and jetties; schooners, skiffs and fishing boats take in or hoist their sails. From early morn till sunset, the harbour of St. Thomas is full of life and bustle. Once upon a time it was the same with the town which lines itsshores. But to-day Charlotte-Amalia contrasts strangely with its busy,port. All the great commercial houses, whose importations amounted to millions of dollars annually, have one by once closed up and gone to spots more favoured. Massive brick-built fire-proof stores, extending to the water’s edge, are closed or converted into retail shops. The flourish- ing wholesale trade, and streets thronged with hundreds of buyers of all nationalities, exist no longer. It is not so long ago—at least within .the memory of the writer—that the pavements were crowded — with countless strangers. Now, beyond a few captains, a stray pur- EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ST. THOMAS. chaser, or one or two helmeted policemen, there is little to relieve the monotony of a walk up and down its streets. In many respects Charlotte-Amalia is as quiet now-a-days as any other small seaport town in the West Indies. Were it not for the cooks, with their baskets, hurrying to market; the por- ters hanging around the corners ; the nurses out with their little ones, and the neatly-dressed coloured ser- vants tripping along the side- walk, one would be strongly tempted to ask who are the customers of the many stores of dry goods and provisions yet remaining open. Yet sales are made, and some men get along. Many even of those who go away with the hope of DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH. 48 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. bettering their fortunes return. And in spite of the discouraging out-. took find it better to remain. There is not so much to be made as in ‘ years gone by, but what one does make, is at least secure. There are no revolutions to sweep away, in a few short hours the savings and scrapings of a life time as in Hayti, Santo Domingo or some of the South American Republics. No worthless loafer to encounter at a street corner to blow out your brains upon some slight provocation, or because he thinks you unfit to live in a land where liberty, equality and fraternity are the ruling mottoes. A sense of security pervades one in this little town that is vastly agreeable after a night of terror in Port au Prince, or an emeute in Colon. The greatest revolutionist—the sacker of towns and cities, melts down into the high-toned peaceable citizen as soon as he lands here. And there are few who have once lived in St. Thomas and got acquainted with its people who are not pleased to get back again, unless very prosperous elsewhere. Not that its former com- merce will be resuscitated ever again. The days are over when its merchants toiled early and late, when banks were unknown, and Spanish dollars were wheeled on barrows through the streets. Fortunes like those which the earlier traders made are no longer possible. Men may no longer retire to Europe with an enviable competence. For Charlotte-Amalia has found itself face to face with the inevitable, and to its changed circumstances must its people soon ‘adapt themselves. Nor to these altered conditions of income can the Government expect a self-supporting municipality, unless expenses be reduced. Slowly but surely the relentless march of improvement and _ easy communication between every neighbouring island and, Europe have sapped the foun- dation of St. Thomas’s pros- perity. No longer the commer- cial emporium of the Antilles. What is its future? Quién sabe? Its geographical position and . harbour remain. It would be well to make much of them. a ais te ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. _— a OHAPTER VII. 8ST. THOMAS.—LOCAL. PAA? WALK n the town of St. Thomas need not be necessarily confined to the main street, which is the longest and runs almost parallel with the bay. There are other streets leading up to places on the hills from whose commanding elevation some magnificent views of tropical scenery may be obtained. But it is upon the main street that the real out door life of St. Thomas is to be seen. It is a trim and clean looking street with paved sidewalks, an excellent roadway, telegraph poles and gas - lamps. There is no system of sewerage nor of water supply. The old- fashioned cesspool or dry-earth system, fills the one want, and large cisterns for rain water the other. The harbour at one time was a receptacle for most of the sewage, ahd when the place called “ Haul over” was blocked up, contributed largely to the unsanitary condition of the tewn, but since a cut has been made through one of its arms to the sea on the other side, by which much of the pestilential gar- bage is led away, it has been much healthier for the inhabitants and shipping. Were it possible to do away with the small out-houses upon the wharves which line the shores of the bay, and make the Dry Earth system general, with an unpolluted harbour and town St. Thomas would be one-of the healthiest places in the West Indies. But improvements like these are not so easy to effect, with the Executive and Council at loggerheads. This reminds us that a visit ‘to the Hall where the Colonial Council holds its sessions is always of interest, and, to the stranger ignorant of the manner in which Colonial legislation is effected, will prove instructive as well as enter- taining. . oe ‘Will you buy a piece of Lottery Ticket, sah?” is very often heard in the streets or the stores, from little children, women, or able-bodied men, who thus make their livelihood. Their persistence is remarkable, and it is difficult to. escape from their clutches, such is the temptation E “" 50 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. held out to weak human nature by the prospect of winning many thousands of dollars for a trifling investment. The tickets are from the island of Porto Rico, guaranteed by the Local Government of that place. St. Thomas had its Lottery once, an eminent medico being, it is said, the principal capitalist. It was not a success, however, and has, fortunately PORTO RICO Lorrery Ticker, for the people, sunk into oblivion. To the excitable natives of the West Indies there is a peculiar fascination about this kind of gambling, or indeed, any other, whether cockfighting, the roulette, or Spanish monté. Gambling is pro- hibited in St. Thomas, though a great deal is said to go on privately. It might be as well if the sale of lottery tickets were also prohibited, for it is indisputable that a larger amount of money goes out than comes in, and excessive in- vestments in tickets lead oftentimes to crime and indiscriminate borrowing. This reminds us of the want of a pawnbroker’s shop in St. Thomas. The absence of the “three golden balls’? of ‘“ My Uncle,” will strike the stranger as a serious matter, should he happen to run out of funds. It is then the shoe pinches, for to raise money on valuables is both difficult and discouraging. As there are no usury laws, many have made for- tunes as money lenders. Enormous percentages < = are asked for small amounts. We have been told _S=—=————= 3 that an old Frenchman used to charge four per “WILL YOY BUY A cent. per day for every dollar that he lent. Of PIECE OF TICKET, 84H P course, nothing can be borrowed without giving security, worth, at least, ten times the value advanced, which is very soon swallowed up by the exorbitant interest charged. As imprison- ment for debt has not been abolished, the consequences of not repaying any obligation contracted to such people would be very distressing if the law did not make it incumbent on the ereditor to maintain the unfortunate debtor during his term of imprisonment. It will thus be seen that the old spirit of money getting yet prevails. There are two Money Brokers who drive a flourishing trade. Much money is turned over daily by the gentlemen who follow this business. There are also two Banks and a Savings’ Bank. Were it not for the introduction of the ‘‘Mexican Dollar” ag a tender for w > —-_— 8ST. THOMAS.~—LOCAL, §1 more than its actual worth the town might lay claim to be blessed with regard to its money facilities. We trust, however, that before these lines go to press the ‘‘ Mexican Dollar” may be a thing of the ‘past. It inflicts a grievous loss on the poor who are paid for a dollar’s worth of labour with a coin whose value is but from eighty to eighty-three cents. True, the shopkeeper takes it at its nominal value, but as a matter of course is forced to make up the difference in some way or other, and not always to the benefit of the purchaser. In most towns in the West Indies a well-built market, properly arranged for the sale of provisions, is to be found, but in the Danish West Indies such a conventence is wanting. Garden stuff and provisions are sold in the street fronting the so-called Butchers stalls or at the Big market early in the morning. Yams, sweet potatoes, cabbages and fruit being indiscriminately spread upon the pavement in front of their respective vendors, who are mostly women from the country. The chattering and noise are something bewildering, and the language is not always easy to understand. It is a great pity that there are no counters or properly superintended arrangements for the sale of such articles. Cleanly as the people may be them- selves, it is hardly to be expected that their provisions would be so when exposed for sale under such uncleanly conditions. Quite as necessary would be a check upon the sales of damaged flour and potatoes which take place when vessels in distress are driven into St. Thomas, and a portion of their cargo is condemned. It seems to us from a hygienic point of view that this is detrimental to health and inst true sanitation. A well-built market with the appointment of @ qualified Food Inspector would be a step in the right direction. On the other hand, St. Thomas rejoices in the possession of a Fish Market. But this edifice is not much to be proud of. Without exactly qualifying it as a nuisance it may be justly called ‘“‘a standing menace” to the health of the town, should an epidemic occur, that is if we may judge from the unsavoury odours which are wafted to the noses of the couples who choose to make the ‘‘Emanci- pation Garden” and the King’s Wharf, the place for an evening’s promenade. ‘No fish, no dinner,” is a common cry here, and really when once you have tasted the magnificent king fish, the fine crabs and lobsters, the savoury jack, or the butter fish, you will be tempted to use the same expression. The fishwomen are a good-natured and hard-working set, and deserve to be more comfortably located. Smoking -is general. Almost everyone smokes, upon the streets or indoors, and it is not an uncommon sight to see @ young lad of not more than‘gen or twelve, lighting a cigarette from an enormous cigar that anofher not much older than himself is sedulously puffing., It . E2 62 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. A GOOD SLAP. , RECOMMENDED TO THE NOTICE OF THE HUMANE | SOCIETY OF sT. THOMAS. would be well if the Humane Society which has been recently estab- lished were able to interpose in such cases. Much good has been accomplished already among the lower order towards the prevention of cruelty to children. The members of the Society work quietly and unostentatiously, and such scenes as we have endeavoured to depict in our sketches are now comparatively rare. It is not easy to explain how this has been accom- plished, for the Society up to now has insti- tuted few prose- cutions. The moral effect of such an institu- tion is unques- . tionable. There are several churches in St. Thomas. The first to be established was the Moravian; this, with the Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Dutch Reformed persuasions are all tolerated. The Lutheran is the State Church. The Israelites, among whom are numbered some of §t. Thomas’s most successful and esteemed citizens have built their Synagogue on a hill, which bears the same name. It is worthy of remark that the combined efforts of these denominations have done much to eradicate old superstitions and to make,the negro respectable. Vandovism, as said to exist in Hayti, with all its horrid 8T. THOMAS.—LOCAL. 53 rites and practices, is scarcely known or heard of among them now. There may be a lingering belief in Obeah, but that is fast fading gway. We have before remarked that the stores are substantial brick and fire-proof edifices. Few of them make any pretensions in the way of display. There are no plate glass windows upon which to flatten one’s nose in admiration of the goods spread out to tempt purchasers. Everything is solid and ugly. Built to withstand fires, earthquakes, or hurricanes. One or two of them are pretty enough inside, notably the Apothecary Hall and the Book Store. The public buildings are | few. ‘The Fort, Government House and Offices, and the Barracks, are the most worthy of notice. But these are not what the stranger or wandering tourist care to see most. It is those “bits of colour,” the everyday life of the people which most interest us. Just look at that handsome-looking mulatto girl coming up the main street. Her head is tied with a gaudy yellow-striped Madras handkerchief, and perched upon it is an enormous demi-john of water. And yet she moves along in a wonderfully upright manner, her hips swaying to and fro, and her whole being perfectly uncon- cerned as to the load she is carrying. Just ahead of her is a young lady, fair as a lily—and looking quite as lovely. Alas! she is dressed in the latest fashion from Europe, including the mysterious ‘‘improver.” What a pity, indeed, when we consider the faultless figures of most T of the Creole women and the graceful walk of even ‘the plainest of them, who glide along the pavement the very fy poetry of motion. But our perambulations are at an end. If one be of a melancholy turn of mind he may look in 1 at the Cemetery and read the epitaphs upon the old tombstones, of which there are some dating as far back as the earliest days of the Colony. If not, and there = should happen to be a travelling company visiting the Island, he may drop in at the Theatre. Then there is “BLACK AND. the Atheneum, with a good library and periodicals from WHITE. different parts of the world, not to speak of a couple of clubs to which the stranger is generally made welcome, and where an hour or two may be passed profitably. s. CHAPTER VIII. 8ST. THOMAS.—COMMERCIAL. F late years, in consequence of the decline in the commercial prosperity of St. Thomas, it has been a pretty genoral opinion that if the island were to change owners, and some such prosperous nation as the United States of America were its possessors, its condition would improve and its prospects be better. A glance at its past history, and an inquiry into the causes which led to its monopoly of nearly all the trade with the neighbouring islands, and the Spanish Main in particular, will reveal the fact that it is from Denmark being its owner in those days, that all this prosperity came about. It is not our purpose to go into a lengthy detail of the origin of its commercial importance, nor how its first business men were shareholders in the two companies which were — the earliest to trade in these islands. This has been ably and well done by the Rev. Knox,* a perusal of whose chapters on this subject will convince any one of what we advance. The mere fact of Denmark, in those days, being almost always neutral in the long wars which desolated Europe, would go to prove that its port, from the fact of its neutrality, could not otherwise than attract trade from every part of the West Indies, where a great deal of the privateering and sea-fights occurred between the navies of England and France. A rendezvous where vessels of all nations could meet on neutral ground, where their business could be transacted, where prizes could be sold, a little piracy planned, supplies of all sorts procured, or a cargo of slaves landed, it is not at all surprising that it flourished and did well. Had it belonged then to the United States, France, Germany or England, it is quite certain no such prosperity would have been possible. In proof of which, on both occasions when the island was occupied by the British, there was an increase in the * <¢ An Historical Account of the Island of St. Thomas, W. I.” Chas. Scribner, New York, 1852. 8T. THOMAS.—COMMERCIAL. 55 price of provisions, a scarcity of all the German, French, Spanish and Italian commodities, and a general stagnation in business. . It is true that the inhabitants were favoured with the sight, four times a year, of as many as two or three hundred merchant vessels under convoy of the English men-of-war, sailing out of its harbour. But this did not bring to them the trade which they enjoyed under the rule of the Dane. Once again in the possession of Denmark its commerce revived, and it again became the commercial emporium of the Antilles. Nor was agriculture neglected; the remains of sugar and indigo work scattered all over the island, overgrown with rank weeds and bushes, show that even in these there was a fair export trade. We have already mentioned how thronged its streets used to be, with purchasers of all nationalities. Of its rapid decline, its present deserted condition, and the probable causes, we shall now have occa- sion to speak. In the days of which we write, St. Thomas might have been called, justly, the sample warehouse of European and American products. Its great firms could display such assortments of goods that few pur- chasers who saw them could not but largely invest. ' A Spaniard living in Cuba or Porto Rico would take a passage in any of the dirty little schooners which traded hetween the islands, ballast it with Spanish dollars, and on arriving at St. Thomas, freight her back again with such a cargo of merchandise, that even to-day would be difficult to procure in any one place in Europe or America. He never thought of going to these places for his goods. Besides, he got tremendous long credits in St. Thomas. Nine months or a year, or even longer than that. There were also greater facilities for smuggling. Steam and télegraphic communication did not then exist, and now that they do, the changes are correspondingly great. To go to Europe or America is a pleasure trip now-a-days. Is it a wonder, then, that purchasers have left St. Thomas? It must have been patent to every merchant of Charlotte-Amalia that his trade was gradually declining. But did they seek to adapt them- selves to the altered conditions? Did they lower their prices? Did théy seek to attract buyers or to establish some new industry to prop up their fortunes? Not at all. Some went into liquidation, while others meekly folded their hands in despair. So much prosperity had made them unmindful of changes. With no thought of the future, and the possibility that trade might shift itself elsewhere, they had made no provision for such an eventuality. As a consequence, their stock of goods became smaller, assortments less varied, and when a: few purchasers did come, as they did now and again, when they ran short of goods, they found nothing whatever to suit them. The islan4 was no longer cultivated. There was nothing to fall back up 56 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Even the Bay Water industry has only developed itself within the past few years in the hands of a few, more energetic than the rest, of its merchants. ; It is not to be denied that the decline in the prices of West Indian produce, and particularly sugar, by impoverishing the neighbouring islands, has contributed, in no small degree, to sap the former pros- perity of St. Thomas. The removal also of the English and French Steamship Company’s headquarters, the first to Barbadoes, the latter to Martinique, has not helped to mend matters. The number of passengers which they brought put a great deal of money in circula-, tion. It was fortunate that its position and harbour remained to it. Many vessels still came in, seeking charter or freight and with now and then a “‘lameduck”’ for repairs, St. Thomas presented, so far as its port was concerned, a scene of comparative activity. Unfortunately, a career of boundless prosperity had brought around it a good many enemies. Other islands coveted some of its business, notably, that of Barbadoes, which did its best to attract shipping to its offing, for port it can hardly be called. But the unkindest cut of all has been the abuse showered upon it by some of those who had gone from St. Thomas elsewhere to live. For the sake of a few consign- ments or charters they did not scruple to stigmatize the merchants of St. Thomas as all that was unscrupulous and vile, misrepresenting their charges as high, and painting them in all colours except the true ones. Fortunately, the harbour dues were just then reduced. After an interminable length of time, and just when it was so late, that Barbadoes had absorbed a great deal of the shipping business which formerly belonged to St. Thomas, this boon was granted, and with this extra facility for seeking vessels, let us hope that the tide of fortune will turn for the people of this sorely tried and industrious community. We yet believe that its possession by a rich and powerful manu- facturing nation, which would use it as a depdét for its various manufactures, might bring back much of its former prosperity; more especially if purchasers, without having to undertake a long voyage, could select from a large and varied assortment, and buy their goods at a small percentage above the actual cost in Europe or America. This, of course, could only be done by large firms with plenty of capital, and who could keep up establishments so well-stocked in St. Thomas, that it would be as advantageous, if not more so, for the South American or West Indian merchant to call there. We have often asked why this could not have been done by Denmark, which has governed these islands for so many years, and whose sympathy must be with a colony which was formerly so wealthy and flourishing. The answer is plain. What was possible a hundred years or even fifty years ago, is so no longer, in face of the ’ §T. THOMAS— COMMERCIAL. 57 enormous competition going on in Europe, and the eventuality of war breaking out at any moment. It does not require a great stretch of imagination to foresee the day when the products of American ingenuity will compete in price with the rest of the manufacturing world ;—just as the force of circumstances will give her a voice in the disposal of this island to any other power but herself. When that day comes, America will require a naval station in these waters. With greater chances then, of remaining neutral in the event of a European war, than Denmark, what place more suitable for her purpose than St. Thomas, which could also serve her as an emporium for the countless objects of her industry and enterprise. To be sure a proper regard would have to be shown for the wants and prejudices of a population so heterogeneous as that of St. Thomas. Without that the change would be but one-sided in its benefits. For no other nation would its people care to see this island separated from Denmark. With much to condemn in the application of antediluvian laws and. customs to these islands and the tardiness of reforms, their hearts yet warm with love towards her for the many excellent things she has done in the past. Blood is thicker than water, and who so near to each other as our Creoles and Danes. OHAPTER IX. 8ST. THOMAS.—SOCIAL. have a dim recollection of onee being asked by an old gentleman in Europe, whose information on most subjects was rather extensive, if all the stories he had heard about the West Indies being a land of rum drinking planters, terrific hurricanes, pirates, and earthquakes, were true. And if its people, in addition to being grossly immoral, were not likely to become black in complexion after a few year’s residence in such countries? Of course, we smiled, but as we had resided nearly twenty-seven years in tropical countries—twenty-two of them in the Danish West Indies—we could only point to our own yet fair com- plexion in denial, and assure him that the rest of the stories were unworthy of credence. And yet our old gentleman is not the only one who has such vague and misty ideas of the West Indies. Up to this day people ‘‘at home ’’—we use the word as applied by those living in the colonies, when speaking of Europe—are not much wiser with regard to the character of the West Indian creole. We have hardly ever taken up a book or a description of these countries, but what some such idea is entertained as that of the old’ gentleman. Characters are depicted and statements are made with a reckless dis- regard to truth, which can only be imputed to the ignorance of the writers. Not that the West Indian is faultless; but he is certainly not a rum- drinking planter, nor pirate, nor does he lack capacity and intelli- gence. This is more especially true of the inhabitants of the Danish Antilles. In daily communication with the outside world, they are, with regard to general knowledge, fully equal if not superior to many of the adventurers who come out to the West Indies for the purpose of bettering their fortunes. We have no intention of disparaging any one who may be thin-skinned enough to feel hurt because we say so. But as we lay stress on this point in particular, it may be as well to put things on a right basis. H wee 59 It may justly be said that the St. Thomian shakes hands with the universe every day of his life. Vessels of all nations come into his port annually, and people of all nationalities are his visitors. Nor must it be forgotten that St. Thomas is an English-speaking Colony. It is no wonder, therefore, that thoughts more English and American than Danish, are current among its inhabitants. Lengthy telegrams of the world’s news, especially English news, come to them every day. In these, as well as in the English newspapers they receive every mail, they note the progress of liberal ideas. Is it strange, then, that they, too, should aspire to such progress, however imperfectly, through their own representatives ? Were their wants better under- stood, reforms would be less tardy, abuses less frequent. Did we not fear treading on dangerous ground, we could paint such a picture of West Indian administration as would surprise many who have never gone into the subject. Statesmen at home, who have never smelt the air of the tropics, may stand up in Parliament or even the Folkething and talk magnificent nonsense about negroes, cane fields, and their debased social condition, and maybe the necessity of a parental form of Government as a remedy, but we question if, in the countries where they live, the common people for whom they make laws, have a greater appreciation of the blessings of political equality, and who would know how to use it better than the people of the Antilles. To read some of the speeches of honourable gentlemen ‘at home,’ as translated from the papers, who in their desire to legislate for Colonies of which they know next to nothing, is a source of amuse- ment to every well-educated native. To understand such West Indian hilarity one has only to compare the comfortable condition of the lower order in the Danish West Indies, their freedom from want when inclined to be industrious, the few crimes which are committed, and the superior morality of the majority of all classes, with the thievery, debauchery, licentiousness and rascality of the large cities of Europe, where these Statesmen meet to frame laws for their benighted Oolonial brethren. We say this in no rancorous spirit, but with the feeling that, had more been done for the improvement of St. Thomas and towards the education of the children of the taxpayers, at least of those whose desire would be to see their offspring in places of trust and emolument under Government, a better state of things might prevail. Oreole children are naturally apt and quick to learn. But how they acquire their knowledge is not 80 easy to understand, considering the fact that they are very often kept at home on their parents’ affairs. The standard of education is not always the best among the teachers themselves, though there are some notable exceptions. Then, again, incredible as it may appear, there is no place in the Danish West Indies to which a respectable burgher can send his children, if he be desirous of giving them ¢ "a. THOMAS—SOOIAL. 60 LEAFILETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. liberal’ education in order to qualify them for a profession. They either have to be sent to Europe, at a considerable expense, or else kept at home to pick up such knowledge as they can, at the few private schools which exist. So, should an ambitious parent, fired with the desire of seeing bis son a future governor, secretary, lawyer, parson or doctor, and not ' be sufficiently rich to send him to the Mother Country, there is no prospect whatever of a Creole obtaining such a position in life. Hence his frequent complaint, that he cannot obtain any of the higher offices under Government. Should he possess an adequate knowledge of the Danish language, he may fill a subordinate berth, but as groater qualifications seem to be necessary to fill the more responsible Colonial positions, it is easy to see where the check is to local talent or ability. Had the defunct col- lege, which was established some years ago, in order, we presume, _ to remedy this state of things, held out a premium in the shape of one or two scholarships, it might have. been yet in existence. At present the situation is serious, and this in spite of the fact that there are a School Board, Inspector and Compulsory Education. There are no examining Boards before whom & man can appear to obtain a qualification should he have chosen to employ his spare moments in the acquirement of knowledge. Nor is the slightest encouragement held out to such praiseworthy efforts. On the contrary, if he cannot go to Copenhagen, he has nothing left to do but to vegetate, or leave for other countries. On account of this, many of the best educated of the young men have found homes in America, where genius is always encouraged and where, we are glad to state, the majority are doing very well. GOING TO SCHOOL. OHAPTER X. ST. THOMAS.—SOCIAL. IFE in the Danish West Indies is somewhat monotonous. One j gets tired of perpetual sunshine and living out of doors. And 9 were it not for a small “dish of scandal” served up as an entremet, things would be dreary indeed. Nearly everyone has his living to get, whether official, merchant, or planter. Consequently there is always the same round of duties to be gone through from morning till night. People get up early—somewhere about five or six a.m.—and after the indis- pensable bath and a cup of excellent coffee, go out to attend to their duties, which whatever calling they may follow, may impose. They breakfast at ten or eleven a.m., and dine at six o’clock. If married, their family claims a share of their attention after dinner, unless they are selfishly inclined for a nap. If single, there are the clubs, and their friends whom they visit. This applies to St. Thomas. In St. Croix, much the same sort of existence is diversified with rides and drives over delightful roads, in the most comfortable of buggies, amidst beautiful scenery and pleasant surroundings. It has never entered the heads of the most enterprising to get up a seaside resort — a place whero one could go with his wife and children to enjoy a couple of week’s recreation, sea bathing, and the purest of air. There are some lovely and suitable spots for such a place, but the benevolent being is not yet born who might invest a few thousands in what might turn out an unprofitable speculation. There are many reasons, per- haps, which have prevented the realisation of such a project. First of all, the climate fosters laziness. The energy, when roused, of the West Indian resident, is spasmodic. Like the tropical wind, it is fitful. It is difficult, in a land of perpetual warmth, to be persistent in endeavour. A perspiring condition is not the best incentive to exertion, even for pleasure. And yet I have seen ladies and gentle- men dressed de rigueur, dance every dance consecutively, right into the ‘‘ wee ema’ hours,” as unwearied at the end as their brothers and sister" 62 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. of the coldest country in Europe. Dancing is, and has always been, the delight of the West Indian. He also loves good music, and, as a matter of course, pretty women. Many years ugo the Bamboula was a favourite dance in St. Thomas. Brought by the negroes from the kingdom of Ardra, on the coast of Guinea, it became immensely popular among the Colonists, and Ledru, in his Voyage aur Iles de Teneriffo, Paris, 1810, says that they enjoyed it as much as the negroes themselves. To quote his own words, ‘ Eile est cependant Mune tndécence qui étonne ceux quine Vont pas ou danser habituellement. Le goat en est st vif que les enfants méme sy exercent dds qu’ils peuvent se soutenir sur leur pieds.” In 1801, it formed part of the religious devotions of the Spanish Colonists, who danced it in church as well as in their processions; the nuns danced it on Christmas night on a platform or theatre elevated in the yard of their convent, in front of the grating (grille), which was kept open for the people to see them. This bamboula saorsé, was in no wise distinguished from the profane, except that no man was permitted to join in it. Zempora mutantur. The church now as eloquently preaches against it. To-day things are more en régle. The humbler classes no longer dance the Bamboula. Books on etiquette and letter writers are consulted. Oards of invita- tion are issued, very often after the following fashion :— “MM. L. BR.” Association. Tender their cordial solicitation to Miss ArasELta PERKINS, Requesting the honour of her company to a grand Soirée Dansante Magnifique, on the 24th May, 1886. At Anduze Hail. And were it not for a shrieky clarionet and the scratchy character of the music, this ‘fiddle dance,” would differ but little in degree of enjoyment from those of the “ upper ten,”’ whose manner of conduct- ing such affairs is copied to the letter—the utmost decorum and good feeling prevailing. Small hands and feet as well as expressive eyes and features are the rule among the Creole women. They are just as good and sensible, as they are admirable dancers, and whether at what used to be the ‘“‘ At Homes,” at Government House, or at private réuntons, are the admired of all observers and seem never to want for a partner. Some of these ‘‘At Homes” were very elegant affairs in past days, and were open to any respectable burgher and his family who might choose to attend. It being generally announced in the official paper once or twice a month that His Excellency the Governor and his wife would be ‘‘ At Home,” on such and such an evening. Latterly this has been given up, and no more such general invitations are extended. A list 8T. THOMAS.—SOCIAL. 63 of the privileged is made out and circulated. Ebullitions of respect and fervent devotion being thus kept in check, any would-be aspirant for a sphere of social rank unattainable, except through the “At Home,” is thus made to feel that his own home is the best place for him, and we doubt not is grateful accordingly. The new order of things is somewhat regrettable for the ‘‘ At Home,” had more than one feature to recommend it. Besides giving an impetus to local trade, it brought the executive more in contact with the people, and contributed largely to a better feeling between them. This reminds us of another way in which one is now and then brought to know his exact status in this little community. In private life and correspondence almost everyone rejoices in the title of Esy., from Adolphus Brown who blacks your boois, to Augustus Loftus who employs A. B. Official communications make no such mistakes. Esquires are dropped, and each individual is addressed by his trade appellation, thus: Mr. Merchant Jones, Mr. Shoemaker Brown; and we suppose if selling cats’ meat were a lucrative trade in St. Thomas, the worthy head of such a business would figure as Mr. Cats’ Meat Man Figgs or Wiggle, just as he might be known to his fellow townsmen. In olden days degrees in caste were likewise noted in official documents, the terms free mulath man or free mustee woman being applied even to the unenslaved according to his or her shade of complexion. These odious distinctions have long since been abolished. It would be as well if this were the case with the trade name, so that this remnant of a feudal age might also he a thing of the past. But the Government in these Colonies is slow to move, and holds on to old customs and laws, with a tenacity that is scarcely comprehensible, in face of the progress being made elsewhere, and of which from its peculiar position it cannot help but be a witness. As we shall see further on, the tendency is to go backwards rather than forwards, to excite mutual ill-will rather than conciliate. Not but what we believe that the Executive is actuated by the best of intentions, but then—well—we will say no more about it just now, as it needs only an impartial inquiry into the under-current of Colonial opinion on most subjects which concern the welfare of these Islands, to see how the wind blows, and to estimate justly the feelings of an honest, loyal, and good-hearted people. And—well—once again, we are treading on dangerous ground. So we will just stop here, as the man in these colonies always does when he has a prospective suit for libel dangling before his eyes for too freely expressing himself in print. And this, mind you, where the press is free. Free as air, if we may except certain restrictions which render open criticism of the Government’s acts and the exposure of official peccadilloes next to impossible. For this reason nothing piquante, or that would throw light upon anyone’s shortcomings, ever appears in the newspapers of 64 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. these islands. Not even reports of crimes committed, nor police suits. The daily telegrams, excerpts from foreign papers, and an excellent letter or two from America by “ Broadbrim”’ or “Sam,” being the usual contents of the St. Thome Tidende. Rarely an editorial, or such news from the mother country as would gladden the hearts of its colonists. The Bulletin and Mail Notes are dailies. The latter, a bright little sheet with a fair circulation, is filled with many items of local interest to its subscribers. These are published in the English language, Government advertisements alone being in Danish. There is no doubt that these papers would be far more interesting if more license were permitted and correspondents knew how to write without being personal. Unremunerative libel suits have taught the editors wisdom. Where no profit is to be made, they prefer not to court danger. Not even for the sake of liberty. CHAPTER XI. 8ST. THOMAS.—SOCIAL. - y, HERE are various types of character in the Danish Antilles, a description of whose idiosyncrasies would fill volumes. If we have chosen those of the Creole, Dane, and Foreigner as sub- jects, for the present chapter, it is because they fairly represent the bulk of them. To depict anyone of them as they actually are, would be a difficult task. Truth is not always palatable, whether it be to praise or to blame. Confining ourself, therefore, to generalities, we shall commence with the Creole. Making due allowance for everyone of his failings, he is easy-going, good-natured, and to the highest degree hospitable, and if in a moment of excitement or political passion he roundly abuses the Danes, it is speedily forgotten in his yet remaining affection for Den- mark and his admiration for Copenhagen, should he have ever paid ‘that city a visit. Nor is he to be blamed, perhaps, on this account, for to have lived in that interesting capital and to have seen its palaces and cathedrals, its libraries and universities, its museums and galleries of sculpture and painting, is quite enough to arouse the enthusiasm of anyone not half so susceptible as are the Danish West Indians to all that is beau- tiful and good. If comparisons were not odious, it might be an interesting task to depict the Dane as he is in Europe, and as he is after a short residence in these Colonies. That he is a law-abiding, industrious citizen every- where from Denmark to Chicago, where we have met lots of them, is a fact indisputable. That he is respectful to his superiors and polite to his inferiors, goes as a matter of course. For sobriety and good nature he is second to none, and, as a general rule, he is a companionable man anywhere. That he is not always considered so, in the Danish “West Indies, is difficult to account for, except that as we are all, more or less, the creatures of our surroundings, he is perhaps influenced, b; F 66 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. the conditions of life in the tropics. But why he should get along so pleasantly with his West Indian cousinsin Copenhagen, and not quite so well always in the Colonies, we leave to others who are profounder students of human nature than we are, to explain. We have never quite envied the feelings of the Dane who lands, for the first time in his life, at the King’s Wharf, St. Thomas. He, who has left a Danish kingdom for a Danish colony, finds English the vernacular, in a land that from childhood he has been taught to look upon as one of the oldest of Denmark’s colonial possessions. His own countrymen, who have got there before him, speak English, and he finds almost every other language spoken instead of his own. From the first, a sense of isola- tion steals over him, and, gravitating, as a natural consequence, towards his own circle, where he can make himself understood, and whose feelings are in common with his own, a line of demarcation is drawn between himself and outsiders which is hardly ever smoothed over till the day when he bids farewell to the Danish West Indies. This is peculiarly unfortunate, as it not only tends to separate him | socially from the Creole and the foreigner ; but to stultify those finer qualities of di.position which made him so agreeable as a host and a man when in Denmark. Things might have been different had he not been forced to cast in his lines among those who also, from the time they had landed like himself, merely looked upon these islands as happy hunting grounds for themselves and their countrymen. A view not peculiar to them, but which has led to more misunderstanding and misconception of the actual feelings of Europeans towards West Indies, than it is possible to describe in these pages. Perhaps it would have been as well if the Danish West Indian had been taught Danish from birth, and something of the history of a nation which discovered America long before Columbus ever set foot on San Salvador. His feelings towards his Danish cousin in the tropics might have been altogether different had his Danish geography and history not been so much neglected. Instead of cramming him at school with every other history and language but that of his mother country, how different it would have been had he been instructed in the former greatness of Denmark. How, centuries ago, the Danes over-ran Normandy and Brittany, conquered England and Scotland, colonized Greenland and Iceland, made laws and settled disputes for some of the greatest nations of the world, and, wherever ’ they went, left imperishable monuments of their wisdom and power. How proud he would have felt to belong to ‘“‘ Kjwre Danmark,” how glad to be a-Creole of the Danish West Indies. Of the foreigners . there is little to be said. The Englishman, Irishman, Scotchman and -- Dutchman, as well as the Spaniard, Italian and Frenchman have all found a home in these islands. For the privilege of trading, they purchase arlicence or “‘ brief,” and swear allegiance to His | Majesty 8ST. THOMAS.—SOCIAL. 67 the King. The presence of so many nationalities in so small a com- munity, tends much to diversity of opinion, hence, unity on any one subject is rare. They are, nevertheless, industrious, neglecting no opportunity of driving a bargain. Some get married to Creole ladies, who are often very handsome and make excellent wives. But the greater part of the foreign element, when fortunate enough in trade, retire at the end of a few years to Europe. The same may be said of the Danish official, who adds to his savings a pension. The Creole, not being always so fortunate in trade, nor in saving, and with no prospect whatsoever of pension, remains behind, as he ought to do and as becomes every Creole, to take care of his country for new- comers. F2 CHAPTER XII. 8ST. THOMAS.—POLITICAL. EST INDIAN legislation and politics, especially those of ae the Danish West Indies, in times gone by, were principally 9 centred in a Governor, who, as the representative of his Majesty, exercised a sort of mild and parental despotism, which was not without its uses in the slave holding days, when acts of cruel injustice to the slaves very often needed for their repression the strong hand of a Governor armed with despotic power. It might also be said that few cared to meddle with politics then. People were too busily employed. They had no time to discuss the problems such questions involved, still less to assist in framing laws to benefit a place which they intended to leave as soon as they got rich enough. At any rate, things must have gone on very well in those days when a recalcitrant planter or burgher could receive twenty-four hours notice to quit the Danish West Indies without even an appeal against the decision of the Governor. Colonial council-men were then not yet invented. Those were the dark ages of politics when a trader was stupid enough to stick to trading, and a labourer to labouring, without claiming the privilege to meddle with matters he did not under- - stand. Perhaps trading or labouring were none the worse—but this is somewhat difficult now to believe. There was a Burgher council once. . The members of this were elected from among the “notables” of the island, but with the march of improvement, the “notables” disappeared. and gave place to the present councils for the discussion of municipal affairs. No one will question the fitness of this, for, even in Europe, the necessity for legislative assemblies where one can howl at one another across a deal table for a few hours is considered fully estab- lished. Not that this has become fashionable as yet in St. Thomas, any more than pulling bunches out of one another’s hair in the discussion of local politics. If its popular members have been at a perpetual feud with the Government members—as it is natural, just and proper that all popular members should be—it is-no more than 8ST. THOMAS.—POLITICAL. , 69 justice to both parties, to chronicle that such breaches of decorum have never been committed by them. Itis not our purpose to enter into details of the working or machinery of the excellent institution which gives to certain of our fellow citizens the right of a voice in the legis- lative chamber of these islands. Nor do we wish to be thought hypercritical, much less flippant in our remarks. It was certainly a great and progressive step towards free and enlightened Government when the present Draft of Colonial Law was granted to the Danish West Indies, and speaks volumes in behalf of the liberal spirit which then animated the Council of Denmark, and of the earnest desire of the Mother Country to advance the interests of these Colonies. Colonial legislators who have been able to perceive this, have always given her credit for such liberality. Those who have not, have, well- done as they pleased, or would have, had there not yet remained a loop-hole for paternal despotism once more to creep in and frustrate their endeavours to introduce a yet more liberal system than that existing heretofore. From these efforts, unfortunately an antagonism has arisen which if it had only been political, would not have been so deplorable. But in colonies of mixed races, where are many nationalities and conflicting interests, the social element steps in, and unity becomes impossible in face of an ever growing antagonism between the governing and the governed. An antagonism which means stagnation, instead of progress—commercial decay, instead of prosperity, and, with decadence, the dissatisfaction which leads to ruin and disintegration; and yet our Danish West Indian popular member is a good sort of fellow in the main. Perhaps he keeps a bookstore, or runs a cab or two. He may be a proprietor, or even a foreign doctor with no jus practicandt; he is generally a burgher, and invariably enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens, which goes for something in any community. In common with the Government, a crown member who is possibly a post-master, school-director, lawyer, or judge, he devotes many hours every two months at the Council’s meetings, in discussing the driest of questions relating to the welfare of the municipality, rejecting every proposition he may consider detri- mental to its best interests, and accepting nothing which may not accord with his own peculiar notions on the subject, or those of his party in particular. Government, which yet holds the balance of power as far as the final decision of a question is concerned, is repre- sented by the Governor or his Secretary at each meeting, and a great deal is accomplished, when harmony prevails. There are many opinions existing as to the utility and advisability of allowing such small Colonies a voice in the Government of themselves. Those who have no idea of what a petty despotism, at a distance from any court of ultimate appeal, might become, would wish a return to the old order of things, when Governors were Kings and people -their) very. 70 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. humble servants. Imperfect, however, as the present system may seem, it is, no doubt, a salutary check upon those who might be tempted to become paternal despots, instead of good natured accessible rulers; and, if a plan of mutual concession were adopted, it would be as beneficial to the community as it was intended by those who so wisely laid the corner stone of free institutions in days long ago. It is unfortunate that a conviction seems to be daily gaining ground that the local Government can do what it pleases; and still more so, that such an idea is fostered by those who believe in paternal legislation for the masses. But it is not so actually, and one who carefully reads the Colonial Law, will be fully satisfied that it is searcely possible, with a Colonial Council actuated by a sense of its duty towards the public, and a Government which is mild enough if peacefully let alone. OHAPTER XIII. 8ST. THOMAS.—BLUE BEARD’S AND BLACK BEARD’S CASTLES. ITUATED to the East and North of Oharlotte-Amalia, and overlooking that town, -are two old towers. They are called Blue Beard’s and Black Beard’s Castles. Tradition says that many years ago, they were the abodes of the two precious i rascals whose names they bear. History does not confirm this. And yet that which has come down to us, is founded upon so few facts that one might as well believe in the old legends about them as anything else. It is a pity, though, that so little is actually known about them. We have, in another part of this work, alluded to the fact of the first Governor, Erik Smidt’s intention to build a tower on the site known as Luchetti’s Hill, but that this was frustrated by his demise, and only carried into effect in the year 1689 by Government. A careful examination of both towers leads us to the conclusion that the tower to the North—the so-called Black Beard’s Castle—was built before Blue Beard’s, perhaps shortly after the commencement of Christians-fort, which was, no doubt, the first building of the kind erected in the island. Of Black Beard’s Castle, some further details, kindly placed at our disposal by the present owner, may serve to complete this account. In the year 1759, a benevolent lady, Mrs. Catherine de Windt, widow of Jahns Jahnsen De Windt, bequeathed to the Reformed Dutch Church at her death, which occurred on the 8rd December of that year, the estate Catarinaberg. This estate reached down into the town; and although at the time it was bequeathed, it was only avail- able as an estate, its town lots after 1792, became exceedingly valuable. Unfortunately the whole had been sold prior to that time, to the Revd. Francis Verboom, who realised from the sale of the town lots over 100,000 dols. He had paid only 38,400 dols. for the entire. estate. On the 12th June, 1800, F. M. Verboom sold the Castle to Mr. Thim Fogarthy, after whom it was called Fogarthy’s Castle. From him it passed to Hanna Fagin, who, on the 4th August, 1818 72 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. transferred it to her daughter, Elizabeth Charlotte Fogarthy, Hanna Fagin reserving to herself a monthly allowance until her death, © secured by mortgage on the property. Next day the place was sold to Hugh Brady, who in turn sold it to Thos. F. Gamble, on the 10th May, 1820. At his death the Dealing Court came in and sold it, on the 29th March, 1826, to Pierre Souffrout, and he, to Thomas A. Kjaer, on the 4th March, 1831. Captain Kjaer, being of an astronomical turn of mind, used the old tower as an observatory, but after he left the island, it was very much neglected and fell out of repair. When it was sold by his heirs in 1886, though the wallwork was as solid and firm as when first built, so much of the interior of the tower had crumbled away, that visitors could with difficulty get to the top. Since then the floors and stairs have been replaced, and a small room built above, by the present owner, with whose permis- sion it may be inspected. We think the view from this tower much finer than the one to be obtained from Blue Beard’s Castle, though a visit to the latter should not be omitted. We have often speculated upon the uses to which these two old towers must have been put in the early days of St. Thomas. They are the veriest spots for a day dream you ever came across. Porched upon one of them you look down upon the busy life beneath you, and, if romantically inclined, let your mind go back a few score years or more, and wonder how the place looked then. Stock its harbour with old Dutch or Danish sailing vessels. Banish the trim-looking craft which occupy their place. Dismiss the ocean steamers which now float lazily upon its waters, and conjure up in their stead the forms of piratical schooners and African slavers. People the town with good old Dutch and Danish Burghers with their wives, their children and slaves, who inhabited with their masters the quaintly-built wooden tenements that lined the water's edge. Call up the ghosts of the sturdy Brandenburghers. Dot the streets with captains and mates, and their reckless seamen, with here and there a comely Dutch or Danish frau, or comelier Creole tripping along in anxious fear of such a lawless crew, wishing themselves, a thousand times no doubt, safely at home indoors again. Or picture the landing of such a bold bucéaneer as Black Beard, who with his vile companions, so often gave the inhabitants of all these islands a taste of their quality as “gentlemen of the sea.” People the streets with such hare-brained devils as these, whose greatest pleasure lay in beating and wounding all who refused to drink with them, and then as the vision slowly fades away, with a parting look at the scene beneath you, and the phantom forms you have conjured up yet lingering in your brain, come back once more to the sober facts of history which tell you that there are no accounts whatever that the buccaneers were ever in pos- session of the island, nor that pirates ever menaced its inhabitants. 7 8T, THOMAS.—BLUE. BEARD’S AND BLACK BEARD’S CASTLES. 78 And yet the thickness of the walls of the towers and the many embra- sures commanding every point of attack, sufficiently indicate that they were for the defence of the colony. We are pretty sure, however, that old Thim Fogarthy resided in Black Beard’s Castle, and that Miss © Hanna Fagin lived with him in those good old days when the Thomians were not a marrying nor a church-going people. We are also certain that not very long ago Blue Beard’s Castle was tenanted by an old Italian, who raised treasure from the soil in the shape of excellent vegetables. Beyond this we have not been able to go, at any rate, there they have stood for over two hundred years, defying the ravages of time. Silent spectators of the hopes and joys, the griefs and sorrows, the petty fears of strife, the quarrels and bickerings, the peccadilloes and shortcomings of the hundreds of people all working like bees in the hive at their feet. Could they but speak! What a tale they would tell. Of wealth-laden traders, of cargoes of slaves, of oppression and wrong, of pestilence and death stalking through the one long narrow street lining the shores of its bay—where men made their gold—hoarded it up in their cisterns, and, when rich beyond measure, retired to the land of their birth, not leaving as much asa stick or a stone, a fountain or school in memory of the island that had made them so rich—not so much as a thought for its future, CHAPTER XIV. 8T. THOMAS.—DANISH WEST INDIAN HOMES. WEST INDIAN home is all doors and windows. This is ie no exaggeration. The climate requires that every dwelling G) should possess the largest amount of ventilation. It is not always that it has glass sashes, their place is supplied by jaloustes, which, painted of a bright green, contrast cheerfully with the brick or whitewashed walls. The houses are not often built of more than two stories. Prudent builders make the upper storey of wood, and the lower of brick or mason work. This is to guard against earthquakes and hurricanes, two reminders of the instability of earthly things that are not always welcome in the tropics. Each window is provided with strong shutters and hurricane bars. As a rule there are no knockers or bells attached to the door of entrance. So you signify your presence by rapping with the hand or walk in, just according to the footing of intimacy upon which you stand with the family. It is difficult to give an idea of the interior. Builders in these countries have followed their own devices. Rarely are the rooms rectangular or even straight, there is always a difference in size somewhere. We have seen rooms which were built more to accommo- date the ground upon which they were erected than with any regard to architectural beauty. In good houses they are lofty and airy, well papered or painted, but there is little in the way of decoration. The floors, which are generally bare, with the exception of a handsome rug spread here and there, are splendid. They are made of pitch pine and are so cleverly put together that not a nail is to be seen on the upper surface. A few engravings or oil paintings are hung upon the wall. In some of the old families’ houses one or two of their ancestors ‘done in oil” by some peripatetic artist years ago may glare down upon you from above. How those old people managed to look so prim and starched and stiff, when they sat for their portraits, is difficult to say. It must have been just as warm then as now. The furniture is substantially made of solid mahogany, and is kept — ——_ —— aif Ss = Bd x 28S ® i | ——) ey yale ff, FAT ik Ih ‘Sh sve i ij af pt = | } of , SSE = Re | i | \ Ww iY} { (\! I's a a Lr ff ——— | —}] ! —_—_ sb Y aS = J) aS Tun, —x ONT TPT | 1B {il i) WM | vA = I | [i Il | Wi et eT ii\| WA | us} i i) —_ eI | I) fiz linen qt \ SSS SSe tite {Fi =} SS= ==! = ose it) Hh i Mi 4 Ih & | IN} | WN | | =| M9 it ult " = Hi iil | tn ft We Wi | = i Lees | t =| a! {as | | ——— => 4) | i || li i) : | | i | | Hi =| it || Nt il ~_— HIN) SOTPES N| ii i Ih i) | ANAL) Lebel ee oy | a, We i — ————<————— Me ua - 76 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. beautifully polished. A cottage piano occupies a conspicuous place. Not always in tune, which makes its jingling far from pleasant to the sensitive ear. We fully agree with a great composer that no young lady should learn that instrument, unless she intends to make it her profession. The Creole ladies are very tasty and keep their houses in excellent order. They love flowers and little knick-knacks, especially crotchet work. The ‘“tidies” which they throw over their rocking chairs, sofas, and music stools, are marvels of intricate workmanship and skill. The ubiquitous “photo” album, civilization’s last infliction, is also to be found, and is about the first thing thrust into the visitor’s hand upon calling. Most houses in St. Thomas have gas in every room. But no mantelpieces nor fireplaces. These are not wanted in a temperature so equable. Scrupulous cleanliness is the order of the day, and is as necessary in the ‘“‘hall,” as the reception room is called, as it is in the bedroom or smallest outhouse. Iron or mahogany bedsteads prettily draped with snowy muslin curtains and mosquito nets, a toilet table with glass, a marble washstand, a magnificent mahogany press, and a chair or two, complete the furniture ofthe sleeping apartments. A fine mahogany press is the pride of every Creole beauty. It is here she locks up her dainty dresses, her laces and perfumes, and very often her heart in the shape of tender words or loving letters, and maybe the portraits of. those loved ones, too sacred for the profane to gaze upon in an album. There is no mistake about the value of a good press in such a climate, where centipedes, scorpions, and cockroaches play a little game of hide and seek from morn till dewy eve. There is a dining room, too, often commanding a pleasant view of town or harbour. There the morning coffee, eleven o’clock breakfast, and six o’clock dinner is taken, and sometimes a small dinner party to commemorate ‘‘paterfamilia’s ’ birthday. And such a dinner. Not even at Delmonico’s can they beat the Creole ladies for tastefultable decora- tions or succulent toothsome dishes. We have heard old epicures say so, rolling their eyes and smacking their lips at the remembrance of some of these gay and festive occasions. We have often wished they were once a month instead of once or twice a year. But they are expensive, and if you are a wine drinker—the wines are so good— that, what with all the health drinking, it is just as likely as not, that next morning may remind you that ‘‘he who breaks must pay.” Every respectable house has a bath room, where the matutinal wash is indulged in by each member of the family. It is indis- pensable and refreshing. The water-closet arrangements are very poor. Even large and commodious dwellings on the Main Street, being entirely unprovided with so necessary a convenience. This has been somewhat remedied by the Dry Earth System. The kitchens are built on the same plan now, as they were two hundred years ago. 8T. THOMAS.—DANISH WEST INDIAN HOMES. 77 There are no open grates, no conveniences for roasting. Frying, stewing, or baking is the rule, and the cooking appliances are quite primitive. Nevertheless, mysterious and savoury compounds issue from these regions, and as long as ‘‘Papa John” or “Aunt Sally,” can accomplish the chef @ euvres of a Soyer, it would be unwise to seek to penetrate into the how and manner of their doing it. Servants are coloured, and as a rulé are not much worse than elsewhere. Unfortu- nately, since the “‘old time” families are dying out and honourable servitude is now becoming exchanged for shabby gentility, they are not quite so well posted up in their duties. This makes it awkward for the mistress, who has to act as a perpetual driver to get anything done properly. Rules to govern them have long since died out. And as you are obliged to keep your doors open, and as they do not always knock before entering your room, privacy is next to impossible. They are civil and obliging when kindly treated, and very honest. Perhaps it is the peculiar style of doing things in a West Indian household that contributes to their want of perfection. A lady rarely goes out to shop as they do in Europe. Even the highest personage in the island is a rarity in the streets. It is easy to understand how dependent a lady must be upon her servants, if they do nearly all her marketing and shopping for her. The cook lays out the money which purchases the daily food, and the housemaid buys most of the small things her mistress wants from the dry goods and fancy stores. This is accomplished ‘by sending for articles to look at, or an inspection of pattern books. The amount of labour this entails upon the unfortu- nate shopkeeper is enormous, and can only be paid for by larger profits on his wares. Though why the ladies will » not go out oftener, is not so difficult to understand. If the stores were more attrac- ~ tive, goods better displayed, and elegant show-cases and THE MORNING MILK. plate-glass windows more fre- quent, there is no doubt that the men who introduced them would do all the business, and see most of the pretty faces in Charlotte-Amalia. ‘We draw a veil over the mysteries of the market-place and provision shops. They belong to the cooks. The dwellings of all classes. are kept very tidy. No one is afraid of cold water, nor to use it. Floors are regularly scrubbed, and is a proceeding necessary enough if the 78 . LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. insectivorous life, which abounds in these countries, is to be kept at a respectable distance. With all deference to my readers, we would observe that too much scratching in a warm climate is detrimental to the skin and exhausting, not to speak of its suggesting unpleasant reflections. Mosquitoes are plentiful after rains, and at certain periods. Of course, one can sleep under a net, but this is not always the ‘healthiest thing to do in the West Indies. Home life is pleasant enough, if one can content himself to live in the bosom of his family, and not long for the flesh pots of Egypt. Men go to business early, open their stores, sell, write, talk, drink, or smoke, as the case may be, eat their breakfast at their place of busi- ness, or go home for it, return to work, close up at five o’clock, and are within doors again for dinner. A quiet chat with your wife, or a friend or two, who may drop in, a round game or a dance with the children, and that is about the routine of daily life in the one com- mercial town of the Danish West Indies. On Sundays good people go to church, the rest stop at home. Some more devout attend twice a week. At four o’clock on that day the stores may be opened, only the cafés and rum-shops avail themselves of the privilege. A military band plays in the Emancipation Garden twice a week—Thursday and Sunday afternoons. If you wish to see the rising generation of St. Thomas, take a look at them on either of those days. Near the Emancipation Garden is the so-called Fish Market. And near to it, and on the King’s Wharf, are to be seen the fish women and boatmen; each a study by the way. The fish women—black and comely, with a dash or two of coffee colour thrown in here and there —are cheerful, industrious, and good-natured. Had they a more suit- able place in which to retail their finny wares, it would be better. The boatmen—with whom one makes his first acquaintance upon landing— are very apt to be like their kindred elsewhere in the line of extor- tionate fares. Their business is a poor one now-a-days, and with the decline of commerce, few of them are in a flourishing condition. Porters have to take out a license, for which they pay a small sum monthly. Mechanics, when skilful, do fairly well. It is a pity that the good workmen are dying out and that no effort is being made to replace them. The ambition of every father and mother seems to be to make their son a clerk, or some such helpless article when out of an employ. This tends to overcrowding, and the ruin of the only profes- sion left for Creoles to follow outside of a decent trade. The laws which govern apprenticeship seems to be ignored by mutual consent. Formerly a young man, after he had served his time, had to make a “masterpiece,” which had to obtain a favourable verdict ‘from two master workmen before he was allowed to work even as a journey- man. Now, every loafer aspires to be a boss painter, carpenter, blacksmith, or builder, without such tedious formalities, ST. THOMAS.—-DANISH WEST INDIAN HOMES. 79 The laws are mild, and equitably administered. There is no trial by jury. The court proceedings are protocolled in Danish. The Policemaster has a great deal of discretionary power. This is wielded with great prudence. The judges are impartial and incor- ruptible. There are many excellent institutions, among them that of civil marriage. Many years ago the good people of St. Thomas dispensed with those formalities which make “twain one flesh.” They were not a marrying people. At least so says old Nissen in his little book on St. Thomas. So late as the year 1835 only 662 persons were married out of a population of 11,071. There were few married among the whites, and still less among the coloured. Now-a-days, marriage is the only passport to respectability and good society. When any one dares to defy prejudice he is socially ostracised. There is less illegitimacy than one would suppose. The act of marriage legitimises all children born before the ceremony. An act of acknowledgment before the judge will even do so. No child can be hopelessly bastardised as in some other countries, which might profit by the wise provisions in Danish law which protect the innocent off- spring of the errors of parents. Civil rehabilitation has recently been made possible upon proof of five years good behaviour from the date of punishment for a crime. On the other hand, there is much that is antediluvian. But this is Colonial. In Denmark itself, there have been great advances in Liberal ideas, which have not yet been extended to the Danish West Indies, Christmas Day, the following day, New Year’s Day, Ascension Day, Easter and Whitsuntide, the 25th July, the commencement of the hurricane season and the 25th October are observed as holidays. Wedding days and birthdays, christenings and confirmations, are kept up as elsewhere, and make glad the people who sell fancy goods and cards, and those who enjoy parties and good dinners. There are no undertakers in St. Thomas. This costly appendage to modern civilised life does not exist. As soon as a person dies, a carpenter takes measure for the coffin and makes it. The body is afterwards washed, laid out on the floor, is saturated with ice water and kept there until dressed and put into the coffin. This is made generally from white pine, and covered with black or white stuff to order. The floral offerings are many. An invitation sheet is sent round. The newspapers, if the deceased be a prominent citizen, condole with the relatives, and also invite through their columns. Twenty-four hours or so after death is about as long as a corpse can be kept above ground in the West Indies ; so at five o’clock the next day succeeding the demise, all the friends assemble in full dress, a — hearse is drawn up, bearers are selected, and two by two they march in procession to the cemetery where the remains are consigned to the grave, the last home of all of us. : CHAPTER XV. ST. THOMAS.—EARTHQUAKES AND HURRICANES. Vy TERE are few things which so unhinge a man as a hurricane or Ave earthquake. Everything is so pleasant and the climate so OF 9 enchanting in the West Indies, that in the midst of a peren- nial spring, no one ever dreams of such calamities, until like a thief in the night an earthquake rouses you up, or a hurricane blows you out of your house and home. Such awful visitors are never welcome, and if you have once met them you scarcely ever care to go through the same experience again. There is this difference between the earthquake and hurricane. The former takes you unawares, the latter gives you time to think. You may be in your bedroom or your ‘‘hall,” your store.or your bath-room; the quake comes, and if you have not the strongest will, your first impulse istorun. Itis awkward to be taken so suddenly, for just according to where you may chance to be at the time, so will be the manner of your appearance after you have rushed out. To fly from your bath- room, with only a bathing tub for a covering, is not only improper but very ridiculous, when you come to realise your position after the shock is over. And yet such funny things can occur and cause a laugh, even after such a calamity as an earthquake. The St. Thomas people, are reminded now and again of their existence. Sometimes in the day, sometimes in the night. You are in a dreamless sleep per- haps—all the cares and troubles of the day are forgotten—when a sudden shake of the arm rudely disturbs you from your slumbers. ‘‘Do you feel the earthquake?” asks your terror stricken wife. You are dimly conscious of a rumbling sound, you hear the glasses on your sideboard rattle, the bed vibrates. You start up, but before you are fully awake to the fact, the shock has past and all is still again. Not that you care to sleep. Faint recollections of the frightful shock and tidal wave of November 18th, 1867, come flitting across your memory, so you get up, look at your watch, note the time, and gladly hail the daylight. Not that the earthquake,'to which we have just alluded, 8T. THOMAS.—EARTHQUAKES AND HURRICANES. 81 did most of the damage to St. Thomas. It was the tidal wave which, rushing in upon the deserted town, did most of the work of destruc- tion. - Up to that time hardly anything was known of such phenomena to the inhabitants of the Danish West Indies. "Within the memory of the oldest inhabitant no such convulsion had occurred. Coming just after the terrific hurricane of October 29th of the same year, it capped the climax of terror, which those who had suffered from this last calamity had almost begun to get over. It is interesting to take up the newspapers of that time and read the several accounts. How houses were deserted and people lived in camp life, in tents upon the hills, And yet we cannot say that the results of this earthquake left such an impression upon our mind as the great hurricane which had preceded it. Perhaps, calamity upon calamity had blunted our feel- ings, and one or two more or less just then would have made but little difference. We have never been able to forget the aspect of the town and harbour of St. Thomas on that memorable 29th October, as we sallied from our own dismantled dwelling to look upon the work of destruc- tion which a four hour’s cyclone had accomplished. Mighty vessels were torn from their moorings and swept upon the beach, trees were rent from their roots, houses were toppled over, the sea was yet lashed into fury, and hundreds of people were crushed to death or drowned. It is not an ordinary storm which can work its will with the powerful and heavy steamers of the Royal Mail Steam Company, and out of them the ‘“‘Rhone”’ was totally lost at Peter Island; the ‘‘ Wye” was wrecked on Buck Island; the ‘Conway’ went on shore at Tortola; the “Derwent” at St. Thomas; while the ‘“‘Tyne” and “Solent,” though “serviceable”? were dismasted. Fifty other vessels were wrecks, the town was in ruins, and we never saw such sorrow and distress. It is hard for the placid denizen of quiet soils and temperate atmos- pheres to conceive the tremendous force of such a tempest. Of typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes—they know next to nothing by experience. Occasionally they have a high wind, which unroofs their sheds, showers down the tiles, strews their iron shores with wrecks, and makes sad havoc among their seamen. But such a tempest can no more be compared with the storm wind of tropical regions than their mild, half-felt earth-tremors with the earthquakes, which, under the equator, demolish cities, alter the coast line of continents, and create or destroy islands. The elements in tropical zones seem truly to share the character of the people, and to acquire a passionate frenzy un- known elsewhere. It is well known that the awful tempests of the earth’s central belt are all whirl-winds, turning furiously on a centre which moves with great rapidity upon a curved line. Modern nautical science has given seamen adequate directions how to judge of G 82 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. the course of these aerial terrors, and thus to steer out of their vor- tices. But when the fury of the atmospheric maelstrom passes over an inhabited spot, or a harbour crowded with shipping, as in St. Thomas, then a desperate list of losses and deaths is sure to be recorded, especially if the buildings are slight in construction. No gear which is not of the best and which is not doubled or trebled, will hold the ships exposed to the stress of the revolving storm. Anchors “come home,” cables crack, the windlasses of vessels are wrenched out bodily, so that the only temporary resource is to make the cable fast round the foremast; spars and rigging go over the side; the wild water, maddened to frenzy, tosses the largest ships aloft, snaps their tackle, and washes them high and dry upon the shore; and the air is full of a hideous noise and confusion, heightened by cries of despair and death ; a noise which lasts until the vortex of the hurricane has passed the spot, and howled away across the land or sea in its destructive course. Yet science promises that we shall master even these elemental tyranoies some day! Man is not made to be for ever the trembling victim of those visitations which at present appear so inevitable and capricious. The barometer is a certain prophet of the cyclone and hurricane, and when we understand it better, and have—as we shall have—universal magnetic communication, the approach of these tre- mendous eddies of the aerial ocean will be announced beforehand and provisions made against their force. When such apparently malig- nant scourges of the earth shall be more completely understood, and their powers disarmed by scientific means, we shall probably find them, like all things else which were called “evil” in our ignorance, to be parts of a splendid and salutary system, acting for the general good. CHAPTER XVI. ST. THOMAS.—BEFORE THE COURTS. @WAN Christians-fort (believed to be the oldest building in St. Thomas) GAS are the Police Court and Prison. Here the Policemaster of this island investigates cases, hears complaints, and passes sentence @ upon minor offenders. To the virtuous citizen, a citation, couched in courteous language and presented by two policemen, has no terrors. He scarcely thinks over the matter’ until the time arrives next morning for him to present himself before the magistrate. But to the evildoer or the individual who has a “screw loose ’’ somewhere, and yet cannot, for his life, imagine why he has been cited, the twelve CHRISTIANS-FORT (MODERNIZED). or twonty-four hours which elapse between the citation and his appear- ance before the policemaster are fraught with great anxiety. It is of no use to ask the policeman why you are cited, they either cannot tell you or are not permitted to do so. Soif you are not as “‘pure as snow,” you will have every one of your misdeeds to review until you are brought face to face with the majesty of the law. ‘Once before it, however, and you are treated kindly enough. Nominally this court is open to the public, though not actually so. There is a tendency to keep everything in connection with crime as private as possible. Conse- quently the public is never scandalised by the piguanis (and racy a2 84 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. remarks of barristers in a case of crim. con. Nor horror-stricken with the details of scandalous divorce suits. They know that Mr. Jones or Snooks has been cited to appear at the Police Court, and they hear all he has to tell about it when he comes out. They know his sentence, perhaps, but as the account of his trial with the edifying proceedings, never appears in public print, the affair is soon forgotten, and the individual, after having fulfilled his sentence, passes out of mind or drops back into his place in the community. And should his offence be criminal, he may, by a persistent course of good conduct, regain his position among his fellow men. We think this preferable to the glare and publicity of some other places that we know of ; and where judges are as considerate and impartial as they are in these islands, we are not sure but what we would as soon be tried by them as to place our fate in the hands of twelve free and enlightened fellow citizens. As we have said before, everything is conducted as quietly as possible. The Policemaster sits behind a table covered with green baize. A stout mahogany railing intervenes between this and the persons cited. A writer sits also at the table, generally to the right of it. He takes down the proceedings in a large protocol. A policeman is in attend- ance, and occasionally ofe or two clerks are engaged in writing inside the railing. The Policemaster opens the case by informing you of the charge made against you, in English if you only know that language. He translates your answers into Danish and dictates them to the writer. Everything that will throw light upon the case is taken down, but no one is put upon oath unless it be requested. It is supposed that you are telling the truth. You may have to appear many times, at any rate until the investigation be completed. An immense amount of pains is taken to get at facts, and a great deal of evidence is carefully sifted before a decision is arrived at. No one can be convicted of an offence except upon his own confession, or it be proved by two wit- nesses. Stealing is so severely punished that burglary is hardly known. For this reason the inhabitants may be said to sleep with their doors and windows open. Bolts, bars, locks and staples are only put up for the dread hurricane. We have always envied the exemp- lary patience of the Policemaster and his assistant, when hearing the most frivilous cases. It is only the hardened offender who may expect no quarter. Murders are rare, and anything like premeditation is quite uncommon. Capital punishment is not enforced, and it is many years since an execution has taken place, A few years hard labour is meted out instead. The force of policemen is not very large, but quite sufficient to keep the town in order. Fines, imprisonment and bread and water, the rattan, or working on the streets in the chain gang, are the different modes of punishment. The prisoners are very well fed. Debtors are confined in Christians-fort. They are allowed to see their friends from early in the morning till eight o’clock at night, when the _ - 8ST. THOMAS.—BEFORE THE COURTS. 85 evening gun is fired. They are also permitted to have their own furniture, books, papers and writing materials, as well as to take exercise in the courtyard. The creditor has to allow the debtor 32 cents a day for his maintenance. The debtor can walk out a free man if the amount is not forthcoming punctually. A man cannot be impri- soned for the same debt twice. The rooms have bare whitewashed walls, iron-barred windows looking out on the harbour, and pitch pine floors kept scrupulously clean. It seems a ridiculous practice to imprison a man for debt. It would be as wise, perhaps, to imprison the creditor for giving credit. . Who knows but what a business on a strictly cash basis might not be the outcome ? There is a Reconciling Court, before which. disputants appear in order to settle their differences without going to.law. It is an admirable institution, and saves any amount of lawsuits. Lawyers are not permitted to plead in this Court. The .Judges are two, and are ‘selected from the citizens. Before these, the parties at loggerheads pour out their wrongs and plaints, each one stating his case, and each being patiently listened to. The Judges, who serve without remu- neration, do their utmost to bring about an amicable understanding, and, to their credit, nearly always succeed. Persons failing in their obligations before this Court can be proceeded against summarily. There is an ordinary Town Court, a Special Court, which may be held any day, a Criminal Court, and a Dealing Court. This investi- gates the circumstances of all deceased persons, sees that wills are properly executed, administers to the affairs of all those who die intestate, and takes charge of all assets, in casés of bankruptcy, on behalf of creditors. If a member of the Colonial Council become bankrupt he loses his seat. Unless a man be more than ordinarily gifted, to become a bankrupt in St. Thomas virtually settles’ his career. To throw up one’s affairs in the Dealing, does not release the unfortunate merchant, though he may surrender all he possesses. He remains always responsible for any deficiency, and if he cannot get his creditors to agree to let him work again until he can recover himself, he is at the mercy of anyone flinty hearted enough to imprison him as soon as his ‘“proclama,” or time of protection, expires. The only advantage he derives from going into the Dealing is the immunity it confers until it is closed. For this reason, men, however honestly inclined and desirous of remaining, are forced to leave the island for countries where they can commence life again, with no such Prospect as imprisonment. ” CHAPTER XVII. ST. THOMAS.—MEDICAL. WesRHE island of St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, lies in latitude 18° 20° 30” N., and longitude 64° 56’ 30” W. Its length is almost thirteen miles East and West, with an average breadth of three miles. It has St. Croix on the South, distant forty miles, and Puerto Rico on the West, distant eighty miles. Its climate is remarkably fine and salubrious. Although situated within the tropics, the heat of the sun is greatly modified by the constant and invigorating trade winds. The island, too, being small and almost a mass of rocks, without forests, or much low ground, these winds come fresh from the sea and conduce much to the salubrity of the place. For many years it enjoyed an unenviable notoiiety for being a hot- bed of yellow fever, and almost every author of note, who had visited its hospitable shores, has had his fling at it on this account. Canon Kingsley has stated that ‘‘it is as veritable a Dutch oven for cooking fever in, with as veritable a dripping pan for the poison when concocted in the tideless basin below the town, as was ever invented; ” and Trollope has hardly said less. That many years ago, in the height of its prosperity, St. Thomas was unhealthy, and that imported yellow fever, cholera and other diseases, stalked rampant through its streets, is not to be denied. But as these diseases are not indigenous to the place, and as all this is altered now-a-days, our purpose will be manifest when we state that this island now stands pre-eminent in the ‘West Indies for its healthy condition, and as one of the brightest examples of the value of strict sanitation it has ever been our lot to encounter. : In days gone by, filth reigned paramount, and; as a consequence, disease. Under the new régime, there is no cleaner place in the tropics, and were the same observance of sanitary laws the rule in all southern countries, the medical man would have but little to record of them, except as health resorts for those who seek a change of air, or to escape the blasts of a cold, northern winter. v7 6 8¥. THOMAS.—MEDICAL. 87 And here we present a few of the factors we consider most favour- able to the inception of disease in our tropical towns. In the West Indies, rum is exceedingly cheap, as, indeed, are all kinds of liquors, a nominal duty on them only existing. A man-of-war arrives, and, as a matter of course, Jack gets leave to go on shore, imbibes to his heart’s content, and if not locked up for disorderly conduct, spends the night on the streets as “drunk as a lord,’”’ and exposed to the dew of the tropics. The ship leaves a few days afterwards, and our sailor, barely recovered from his debauch, gets an attack of bilious remittent, which, in a crowded forecastle, assumes an aggravated form, and is duly noted down by the attending surgeon as yellow fever; the town or island last left, getting the credit for being a focus for the same, the man’s receptive and the ship’s unsanitary condition being left out of the question. Or let us suppose a stranger, just landed from Europe or America, accustomed, perhaps, to drink liquor several times a day in his own country, and to eat four or five meals. He fancies he can do the same here. He finds the climate hotter, as a matter of fact, and the idea of wearing woollen garments next to the skin, ridiculous. Indeed, he feels more or less inclined to walk about puris naturalibus, were it allowable. He, too, indulges and keeps late - hours in what Palgrave so justly terms, the “tepid moonlight.” Who shall say that this man is not a fit subject for any kind of fever ? Eminent professors of theory and practice know full well, that given proper conditions of life, of rest, of comfort and happiness, intermit- tent or remittent forms of fever, the so-called malarial types are scarcely possible, and that it is the badly nourished, hard-working, exposed and drinking unfortunate, ° who gets them. This obtains in temperate zones, why not in the tropics ? It is true, that a long continuance of very high tempera- ture, followed by heavy rains, such as are only seen in these climates, may be one of the predisposing causes, just as the pestilential exhalations from a marshy soil may be another. But these count for . nothing as compared to a dirty town or city, where the vultures are the scavengers, and the hogs eat up the offal. As nothing compared to the emptying of sewage into harbours and rivers, or the aggrega- WARM WEATHER COSTUME, 88 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. tion of human beings into small spaces, such as cellars, tenement houses, or the holds of dirty ships. Dirt means disease anywhere, and dirt in a warm latitude means death. Cleanliness means health, in proof of which we point with pride, in confirmation of our theory, to the island of St. Thomas. There are several excellent physicians in the Danish West Indies. The public posts are filled with graduates from Denmark, who also enjoy a remunerative private practice. In St. Croix, the doctors are all Danish, and the time is not far distant when the same will be the case in St. Thomas. This is best illustrated by the following letter, read at a meeting of the Colonial Council, on the 13th July, 1886. “ Government for the Danish West India Islands, “St. Croix, 8th May, 1886. [No. 587.] “ According to the decision arrived at by the Minister of Finances on the 3rd of March this year, after communicating with the Royal College of Health, the given authorisation to Government by Royal Resolution of 25th September, 1872, provisionally to permit foreign doctors to practice in the Danish West India Islands, which was com- municated to the Colonial Council in Government’s letter, of 21st October, 1872, No. 1,611, will for the future only be carried out during epidemics and other special cases. “In general, foreign doctors who come with the intention to practice will have to await the Minister of Finance’s sanction. “* Which Government does not omit officially to bring to the know- ledge of the Colonial Council. ‘‘ (Signed) O..H. ARENDRUP. ‘“(Signed) H. Hansxext. “To the Colonial Council for St. Thomas “and St. John.” As may be imagined this unexpected curtailment of a privilege, which had given to the island the benefit of foreign medical skill for a number of years, met with strong opposition from the Liberal members of the Colonial Council, one of whom presented a petition signed by the leading merchants and inhabitants of the Colony protesting against any such change whatsoever, and recommending the establishment of a Medical Board. After a lengthy discussion it was decided by a majority of the members to recommend the petition to the favourable consideration of the Home Government, and to appoint a committee to frame a draft of representation to the Minister of Finances, requesting him to recon- sider his decision. A year has past and gone, and the People of St. Thomas submissively await a reply. : Since then one applicant has been referred to Copenhagen for exami- tiation, and another, a native of St. Thomas anda graduate from the 8T. THOMAS.—MEDICAL, 89 University of New York, has been informed that there seems to be no reason for granting his request. What may be the fate of future foreign doctors applying for leave to practice in the Danish West Indies is difficult to say. Few would consent to be made a convenience of in times of epidemics, fewer still could afford to await a reply which, in spite of rapid transit of these days, might take many months to give. and then put the petitioner to the expense of a journey to Copenhagen to be examined. Comment is superfluous. Only the narrow-minded men of our profession will rub their hands in contem- plation of such a paradise of medical monopoly as the Danish West Indies promises to be. It has been said in excuse that this has been ainied principally at American doctors. In that case we should be sorry, if this were really so, to hear that some of our excellent Danish colleagues in New York and Chicago, whose talents have made them justly respected, should find their own privileges curtailed when attention: is drawn to this fact. Or to put it nearer home, :how would young Danish doctors or chemists like it, if, with genuine diplomas in their pockets, they were told on going to foreign countries that they could not exercise their professions, unless they undertook a voyage of three or four thousand miles to be examined, or that there seemed to be no reason for allowing them to practice? Not that this would meet our approval, even as a well-merited return for the same conditions of things in these islands. Such stupid. Conservatism is ruinous to medical advancement and those who, in their Conservative ‘moods, would endorse such an attitude towards foreign physicians are obstructions to genuine progress. It was not until the year 1881 that the Homeopathic system of medicine ceased to be looked upon as a sort of harmless quackery, and the little sugar pellets became legally recognised as medicines in these islands by the authorities. Up to that time sundry good Samaritans went about with their boxes of pilules among the poor and destitute sick, who had been either given up by the regular practitioner or who had lost faith in his methods of practice. Had these sick peo- ple died, it might not have attracted attention, but as many of them unexpectedly recovered, the belief in Homeopathy increased. A prose- cution against a practitioner which ended in a sentence of imprisonment, on bread and water, and his subsequent release a couple of hours afterwards upon the payment of his fine by the people, was the first sign given by its opponent: 90 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. of their objection to the system in question. And it was not long before both believer and practitioner were soon made to know what the majesty of the law had in store for them if they dared to give even pellets of sugar to their friends for the cure of their ailments. As a consequence, a large number of the community petitioned that a duly qualified Homeopathic practitioner be allowed to practice. They are yet most submissively awaiting his advent, and with the last blow aimed at foreign physicians, it is probable they will wait a little longer. The limits of this chapter will hardly permit us to give more than a passing notice of the diseases incidental to these islands. The extended description necessary for their complete elucidation would be tedious to our lay readers and of no particular interest to those of the pro- fession, who might prefer to refer to their text books. We take pleasure, however, in reproducing one of the sanitary reports. These are published in the official paper by the Landphysicus of St. Thomas. These reports, which owe their inception to our former esteemed and successful King’s physician, Councillor A. Magens, K.D., are fairly illustrative of the class of diseases to which the population is most subject, and their average occurrence :— SANITARY REPORT FOR 4rx QUARTER, 1887. A.—List or Diszaszs REPORTED WEEKLY BY THE Mepicat Mrn. :— Small-pox Chicken-pox . Measles .. oe Scarlet fever Diphtheria Croup .. Whooping Cough Mumps . . + Gastric fover . an Typhoid fever .. Exanthematic typhus .. Yellow fever .. Dysentery ve Asiatic cholera . . Intestinal catarth and acute diarrhoea Erysipelas, facial and ambulant Puerperal fever oe Purulent iofection Intermittent and remittent fever Bronchial catarrh and bronchitis Influenza . . Pneumonia Sore throat oe Rheumatic fever .. oe oe _ S ~ Shel SSlleSISlilloelI III Carried forward 717 8T. THOMAS.—MEDICAL. 91 Prought forward 717 Gonorrhea. . o. . oe +. oe .. = 27 Venereal Ulcer. . - . an +e . oe -» 10 Acquired syphilis a “. oe +. ee an oe 6 Hereditary syphilis .. a oe o. oe oe = Itch ; oe ee ee ee oe oe ee oe oe — Delirium. tremens . oe . o . oe 2 Chronic alcoholism .. ee o . oe o oe (22 - 784 Be ‘Last oF causes oF Deatus: Liver disease .. . ve os oe . 3 Intermittent and remittent fever . . oe . 2t Spine disease .. oe o . oe . lt Cancer .. oo oe oe I ~ Leprosy .. ee . oe . 1 Brain disease .. oe oe . ee . o oe 3 Apoplexy oe . + .. oe a oe oe 2 Chronic alcoholism .. oe . oe oe oe oe 6 Bronchitis oe o an oe . oe . 4 Consumption .. . ve o . oe +. ~. 24 Chronic diarrhosa oe oe oe . o oe . 1 Infantile atrophy .. oe ee ee . . . 8 Hemorrhage .. oe oe = . . a oe 1 Old age .. ee oe +. eee oe 10 Accident oe oe oe oe .. . oe 1 Drowned oe oe oe oe . we +e oe 1 Unknown a oe oe oe oe oe oe oe 8 109 C.—Tuz Mortarrry was 109, AND REPRESENTS AN ANNUAL DEaTH-RATE oF 29°06 PER 1,000 PERSONS LIVING, THE POPULATION ESTIMATED AT 15,000. CuripRen. Men Women . ; above 15 above 15 ‘TOTAL. 0-1 1-5 | 5—165 year. years, years. years. years. 21 13 8 31 39 109 D.—Tug Birtus NUMBERED 111, oF WHICH WERE :— Females .. oe oe oe a o oe. ee «. 465 Still-born ee oe oe o .. tees . 4° Total... oe . ll «Bt. Thomas, i in January, 1888. JOH. WISSING, Acting King’s Phystctan. 92 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. As will be seen by a perusal of the foregoing, there are many diseases which do not figure as actually occurring, and which seldom or never find a place in the case-book of the physician. The exan- themata, as a rulé, run’a very mild course, and scarlet fever is almost unknown. An authority on the subject, Dr. Kalmer, of St. Croix, says that he has never seen a case during his residence in that island, and that the same might be said of typhus. With regard to yellow fever, a case or two may be imported now and then, but these are promptly quarantined, or relegated to the fine lazaretto at Muhlens- feldt Point. As far as small-pox is concerned, it might be said that it is owing to the Danish West Indies being such well vaccinated com- munities that it has been almost banished from them, were it not an awkward fact that cholera and yellow fever havé shared a like fate without vaccination. It is also worthy of remark that with the advent of strict sanitation it disappeared with these, and that whenever it has occurred, it has commenced with a vaccinated or re-vaccinated person. The vaccination laws are very strict as extended to these colonies. Fines are imposed every week until the child be vaccinated. Should a party refuse to pay for conscience sake, a levy i is made. In default of means, imprisonment on bread and water is the alternative. The Landphysicus, in case of epidemic, may, after conference with the Superior Authority, cause every: man, woman, ‘or child to be re- vaccinated, under a penalty of a daily fine of fifty vents. It is not our intention to enter upon the merits or demerits ‘of vaccination, and especially of a rite which, after so many years in which to test its virtues, yet requires compulsion to make it acceptable to the people, some of whom look upon it with abhorrence, but we cannot do other- wise than enter our solemn protest against arm to arm vaccination in any tropical country, more especially in those where skin diseases of the most frightful forms, such as elephantiasis, the yaws, and leprosy exist, and where it is next to:impossible for any physician to know the pedigree of the healthiest looking white or black child who may be presented to him. Few parents will confess such an inheritance as leprosy, even to their most trusted physicians. That ‘‘skeleton in the closet” is kept there until there is no help for it. It is but just to say of the local authorities that they give everyone who objects to have his child vaccinated a fair hearing, and that they do not browbeat anyone because he may not believe in vaccination. Many prefer to pay the fines which are inflicted, rather than run the risk of injuring their children; though it must be confessed, fifty cents a week continuing throughout a number of years is a heavy price to pay for exemption. There is a Communal as well as a Military Hospital, and also a Hospital attached to the Roman Catholic Church. This accomplishes a great deal of good in a quiet sort of way, receiving the sick of any denomination. Medicines are supplied free to the poor from the he 8ST. THOMAS.—MEDIOAL. 98 apothecary shop upon application, and proof of actual inability to purchase them, ‘The prescriptions for these medicines have to be countersigned by the Communal physician. The foreign physicians* have not this privilege, though they give a large amount of gratuitous assistance. There is no workhouse nor reformatory in this island—no place for the utterly destitute. It is a sorrowful fact, but none the less true, that no one of those who made such immense fortunes in days gone by ever thought of founding a place for those whom mis- fortune or want might overtake at the end of their career. Indeed, so striking is the lack of such institutions in these islands that strangers are apt to compare them unfavourably in this respect with others in the West Indies. There is, however, a great deal done by way of private charity in St. Thomas. In spite of this, with the decline in its prosperity, a great deal of want and misery are beginning to make themselves felt among the poorer classes. To relieve this alone, it would be well if the Executive and the Colonial Council were to patch up their differences. - © Drs. Villavicencio and Auguste Nemours. These gentlemen had already received permission to practice before the change in the Royal Resolution. CHAPTER XVIII. 8T. THOMAS.—AT THE WATER’S EDGE. FY.HE wharves and warehouses of St. Thomas are suggestive of its commercial importance. The wharves are substantially built a upon wood or iron piles, and in most cases jut out into the eS Harbour for a considerable distance. The warehouses or back stores, as they are called, extend from the water’s edge to the front stores, which open on the main street. Iron railway tracks are laid down in almost every store-yard. These are used for the carriage of goods from the landing-place to any part of the warehouse intended for their storage or display. ; The wharves present a busy scene, especially after the arrival of the Intercolonial, European or American steamers. When the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company had its head-quarters here, it was livelier. Since its departure a good deal of the carrying trade has fallen into the hands of the other steamship companies, notably the German, which has put on more steamers in consequence. Each wharf has its sign-board, boat-houses, and out-houses, as well as loafers sunning themselves, or others, more industriously inclined, on the look-out for a job. Then, too, there may be the boatmen belonging to the different ship-chandlers. A square-rigged or other vessel is signalled from the Point, a boat is quickly lowered, they jump in, and, with their boarding clerk, who has rushed down in haste, away they go, sailing across the harbour, perhaps three or four skiffs representing as many firms, in the hope of a prize. A vessel in dis- tress, a ‘lame duck”? as it is called, or a consignment. No matter, so long as it brings grist to the mill. As the harbour is still the resort of a great deal of shipping, and large vessels in particular, it is from these that St. Thomas draws a great deal of its business. Hence the water’s edge, with the exception of the hurricane months (lasting from the 25th July to the 25th October), is always a scene of activity. If it be considered how many in St. Thomas derive their living from the flotsam and jetsam which the sea may bring to it, it is not to be 8ST. THOMAS.—AT THE WATER’S EDGE. 95 wondered at that ship-chandlers, riggers, and outfitters look blank should the harbour be empty. Though this is never actually the case, there always being a few vessels in port, even at the worst time of the year. : There is much more to be seen at the water’s edge of St. Thomas’s Harbour than might be supposed. From the fisherwomen to the ‘“Cha- Cha,” the individuals one encounters there are a study; notable the ‘Cha- Cha,” a nickname applied to those natives of St. Barts and Saba, who form a small colony by themselves on the outskirts of the town. These people, who are fair-complexioned, make an honest livelihood by plaiting straw hats, selling fruit, such as oranges and pine-apples, and by fish- ing. At any time their fragile craft may be seen skimming the deep bluc waves outside the port. It is astorish- ing how they manage to keep theso canoes, for they are nothing else, afloat in the water. Simply a “dug out,” formed of one piece of wood, about 12 ft. by 2 ft., with a larze sail, they go flying out to sea with their occupants, who seem perfectly indifferent as to turning over or not. If they should capsize, however, the men hold on to the boat, turn her, bale her out, jump in, and away they go again, as if nothing had happened. The ‘“Cha-Cha,” lives frugally, and is very in- dustrious. We have already alluded to the boatmen who, in their trim-built wherries, carry you on board, or bring you onshore. ‘Champagne Charley” is a fair specimen. This service is well organised and under the control of the harbour-master. Passengers rarely complain of extortionate fares. The riggers, sail-makers, ship carpenters and caulkers are a class apart, which will only take Danish coin in pay- ment for their services. It is a pity that the rest of the working population are not as united in this respect. Not far from the water’s edge, on your way down street are to be found the ice houses of Messrs. Raven and (o., at one of which a busy crowd of labourers may be seen, when the ice vessel is in, discharging its cargo. The heavy blocks of ice are slid upon an elevated stage towards the ice house, where they are grappled and - stored away by men accustomed to such labour. Just below a number of urchins from blackest ebony to brown mahogany, a~ 96 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES, disporting themselves in the water. Splash they go one after the. other into the briny fluid, making the air resound with their shouts of merriment. A little further down is the factory and small marine railway belonging to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. In these. places a great deal of repairs are done for other steamships. besides - their own. Formerly, a large staff of hands was employed. This has been considerably lessened during the past few years. The Gas Works, ably superintended by D. Stiven, Esq., gives employment to many at the water’s edge, besides furnishing light to the town. But it is at the coal wharves where the greatest activity seems to prevail. A typical wharf is that which is leased by Messrs. Brondsted and Co. From eight to ten thousand tons of coal may be found piled up, in huge stacks, at atime. This enterprising firm, coals from fifteen to sixteen large steamers monthly, and is agent for no less than seven lines of steamers trading here, besides. Mr. E. Moron, to whom we are indebted for many interesting particulars concerning the coal labourers, says, that no class of our labouring population has been so persistently maligned. We have before alluded to the tendency of some authors to describe the negro of the Danish West Indies, and especially some of them, as licentious and immoral, but we unhesitat- ingly challenge a comparison with the lower class of the white popula- tion dwelling in the large cities of Europe or America. The hard working coal wharf labourer of St. Thomas would not lose by it. As a rule, they are orderly and industrious. The coaling of a steamer is a sight worth seeing. No sooner is it in port than a horn is blown. This is the signal for the coal carriers to assemble, and it is not long before a hundred or more of them come trooping into the coal yard. By-and-by they may be seen running to and from the shore and the steamer with the heavy baskets of coal upon their heads. The greater part of them are women, who enliven this severe labour with their songs. These are sung in a minor key- and a shrill nasal tone, generally alluding to some one they wish to make fun of, or to some local event. It is wonderful how rapidly they can coal a large steamer, Four or five hours is sufficient. Machinery has been suggested instead, but up to now it has been shown not to be so available. Seen at night the coaling of a steamer is highly picturesque. Huge flam- beaux light up the scene. The coals glint and shine in the glare of the torches like so many diamonds. The dusky figures of the women, many of them of lithe and shapely form, moving along at a rapid pace, their hips swaying from side to side, not ungracefully, beneath the weight of their burthen, the snatches of song which break from them at intervals, the splashing of the waves against the great beams of the wharf, the escape of steam from the huge vessel along. side, the shouts of command issuing here and there, and the feverish. haste which seems to reign everywhere, must be seen to be under. — aaa au Ki ni Nh il i] HIN 1, i\ i | WN I f HN i Cs J WMH i \ i \ih a ij 4 i} i \ \ | , aL UM hit mo} .. i : \ Sas Dag il ty Ls ] ih | \ | it <= Mt I la iN H Wii i) ii WI AN Al | i WM) tl Hi IH) | ] : i i N \\ | i ANANTH | i! fs iti } i ‘ih ly iI ii | 1 ‘| h i ) h «el é fa {| 34 Anil i | " 2 Hh H HN i ‘¥ i h i il MA il i a Ee } of st i \ Hi) Hi IE (aed \ \ i | | | ill ai Hh l 1c 2 ‘ Ml | | j { Hil i \=- MN NA Hl Hy! SAS Sant a Ae — A 98 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. stood or approciated, Words cannot paint it. After their work is over they go to their homes, but never to sleep before they have carefully cleansed themselves from the coal dust and other impurities. They always wash their limbs before leaving the coal yard. We have been informed, on good authority, that the women work better than the men, and are more amenable to discipline, though, mostly, all are, to kind treatment. They are fond of dancing and masking, and on days devoted to these amusements turn out in troupes, dressed up in a style hardly to be expected from such a dark quarter as the coal wharf. They dwell chiefly in that part of the town known as the “Black of All,” living alone in one small room, or with a female. friend if unmarried. Their pay is one cent per basket of coal weighing from eighty-five to ninety-five pounds. Some carrying as many as two or three hundred baskets during the coaling of a steamer. When not thus employed their pay is from sixty to seventy- ‘five cents per day, for discharging coal from the steamers or sailing vessels which bring it to St. Thomas. It is a life of hardship and exposure to all sorts of weather. Yet many reach a good old age. Consumption is what carries most of them off, Though, now that greater efforts are being made for their good, there is no doubt that this will become less frequent among them. To the great exertions of the Ministers of the Wesleyan denominations, notably the present incumbent, may be attributed the great changes for the better which have taken place latterly. May their labour bear fruit. For our part we wish every one success who may seek to do good to the coal wharf people, Their lot is a hard one, the hardest, perhaps, of all ‘ those in St. Thomas who earn their living at the water’s edge. ee fi CHAPTER XIX. ST. JOHN.—HISTORICAL. HE Island of St. John lies in latitude 18° 18’ 8” N., and longitude 64° 41’ W. It is eight miles long and four miles” B wide in the broadest part. It was first formally taken possession of by the Danes in 1684, but-was not colonized by them until 1716, when several inhabitants of. 8t. Thomae received permission to cultivate it. The English attempted to dislodge them next year, but were compelled to desist by an order from their own Government. The island consists of a mass of rugged and uneven hills, the highest of which attains an elevation of 1,000 ft. It ig considered to be the best watered of the Virgin group, but although possessed of great natural advantages it enjoys little or no commercial prosperity. St. John is a free port, and its soil is very fertile. Coffee of a superior quality, as well as sugar and tobacco, have been cultivated there to a considerable extent in former years, and might have been to this day, had sufficient labour been forthcoming since emancipation. Its gradual decay may be attributed to this, and to the fact of many of its planters having transported their capital and industry to St. Croix and other places. Only a small quantity of sugar is produced on the island at the present day, while as far back as 1775 there were sixty-nine estates of which twenty-nine weré sugar plantations. ‘St. John may be reached by-any of the sloops running between the islands, or from the east end of St. Thomas at Smith’s Bay, where one may cross over in a boat to Cruz Bay, which, consisting of a few detached houses, is called the town. Many years ago it rejoiced in a battery mounted with cannons, and there was also a lieutenant with a detachment of some twenty odd soldiers quartered there. Now only the Judge and a couple of policemen represent the majesty of the law in this peaceable and well ordered island. Dutch-creole was once the prevailing language, many of the planters being of Dutch descent. The population, which now numbers about 900, speaks English, and’ is represented in the Colonial Council of St. Thomas by threa H2 100 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. members, one appointed by Government, and the others elected by the people. There is no resident doctor; this want being supplied by occasional visits from the Landphysicus of St. Thomas. Society is virtually ntl, probably on account of the difficult roads and the distance of the estates from each other. It is only on horseback that one can ride on the steep cliffs and mountains of the whole island, and it is not without a certain sense of fear that you traverse some of the pathways which are cut out of the side of the hill dnd overlook an abyss of several hundred feet. The highest peak in St. John is named the Camel Mountain, and affords a fine view over the whole country, the sea, and surrounding islands. "When you reach the top you are actually transported to another climate, so bracing and deliciously cool is the atmosphere. It is a great pity that the island is in. such a state of uncultivation, and it is sad to think that for want of labour so much good land is going to waste. There are several bays running in shore; among them Rif Bay is the most famous, on account of the Carib inscriptions upon tha rocks near by, and of which we shall say more in our next chapter. But of all its bays, indeed of all to be found in the Danish West Indies, there is none more serviceable for large ships than Coral Bay. Extremely wide, and surrounded on three sides by mountains which protect it from storms, it is during a hurricane that it is one of the safest. The dip of the mountains is so steep that ships can go close under the land. It runs very far in, which makes it difficult for sail- ing vessels to get out when the trade wind is ‘northerly. Once upon a time the hopes of St. John were centred upon this place as the possible rival of St. Thomas. The inhabitants even went so far as to lay out the land ‘in magnificent town lots as the future port in these islands which was to attract all the trade. Sie transit. Scarcely a fishing boat goes in there now. The lover of’ natural scenery will find much to reward him in his rambles over this picturesque island. Not to speak of the lovely views which are to be found everywhere, there are places on the hills and | abrupt precipices by the sea where may be found pretty specimens of quartz, crystal drops, yellow and white. Should boating be prefer- able, a pull to St. Mary’s Point, where the granite cliffs, studded with teica, glimmer in the sunshine, or to Smith’s Bay, when it is calm, is not easily forgotten. The bottom of this bay, which is of beautifully - white sand, spreads out like a carpet, and is covered with all sorts of marine plants. These are of bright and varied colours, springing up in graceful forms, and, owing to the transparency of the water, seeming quite near to the observer. It is a rare and pretty sight, and always calls forth admiration. There are many other places to which a visit may be paid by the excursionist, from which enjoyment may be derived as well as health and recreation. -_. 8T. JOHN.—HISTORIOAL, 101 It was in this island, in the year 1733, and shortly after its settle- ment, that a bloody insurrection took place among its slaves. Of the causes of this fearful outbreak there is not much said in contemporary history. It is the old story of the rising of an enslaved people against oppression and a tyranny which has scarcely a parallel. The follow- ing placard issued by the Royal Council just prior to it, on the 31st of January, 1733, is a sample :— 1. The leader of runaway slaves shall be pinched 4 three times with red-hot iron, and then hung. 2. Each other runaway slave shall lose one leg, 0 or, ‘if the owner pardon him, shall lose one ear, and receive one hundred and fifty stripes. 8. Any slave being aware of the intention of others to run away, and not giving information, shall be burned in the forehead, and receive one hundred stripes. 4, Those who inform of: plots to run away, shall receive ten dollars for each slave engaged therein. 5. A slave who runs away for eight days, shall have one hundred and fifty stripes, twelve weeks, shall lose a leg ; and six months, shall forfeit his life, unless the owner pardon him with the Joss of one leg. 6. Slaves who steal to the value of four rix-dollars, shall be pinched and hung ; less than four rix-dollars, to be branded, and receive one hundred and fifty stripes. 7. Slaves who shall receive stolen goods, as such, or protect run- aways, shall be branded, and receive one hundred and fifty stripes. 8. A slave who lifts his hand to strike a white person, or threaten him with violence, shall be pinched and hung, should the white person demand it, if not, to lose his right hand. 9. One white person shall be sufficient witness against a slave; and if a slave be suspected of crime, he can be tried by torture. 10. A slave meeting a white person, shall step aside and wait until he passes, if not, he may be flogged. 11. No slave will be permitted to come to town with clubs or knives, nor fight with each other, under penalty of fifty stripes. 12. Witchcraft shall be punished with flogging. 13. A slave who shall attempt to poison his master, shall be pinched three times with red-hot iron, and then be broken on a wheel. 14. A free negro who shalt harbour a slave or thief, shall lose his liberty, or be banished. 15. All dances, feasts, and plays are forbidden unless permission be obtained from the master or overseer. 16. Slaves shall not sell provisions of any kind without permission from their overseers. - 17. No estate slave shall be in town after drum-beat, otherwise he shall be put in the fort and flogged. 102 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. 18. The King’s Advocate is ordered to see these regulations carried into effect. The Revd. Knox says :—‘ If the mind revolts at the perusal of this placard, it must be remembered in mitigation of its severity, that a large body of the slaves were but recently introduced from Africa, and therefore still ignorant, vicioun, and even savage; and that the situation of the Colonists was becoming in a measure desperate from symptoms of disorder and rebellion.” We do not doubt it in the least, and are not surprised at all that “‘ at length they broke out in an open and bloody insurrection on the 13th November, 1733. Our only wonder is, that they did not strike for their freedom before.” From the graphic account furnished by the same author, and which is the only available, if not the best, up to the present it would appear that eight soldiers commanded by a lieutenant and a sergeant were stationed at a fort which had been erected at the West end of the island. This was insecure, and poorly furnished with arms. Governor Gardelin, of St. Thomas, had been on a visit to the island, and was to leave on the following Sunday. That was the day fixed on for the insurrection, and it was the plan of the slaves, princi- pally those of the Amina tribe, to murder the Governor and all the white inhabitants, and then hold the island in their possession. A kind Providence delivered the Governor. On Saturday, he observed a large vessel passing to the South, and supposing it to be one of the Company’s ships, rowed off to her in a small boat, and proceeded to St. Thomas, taking with him his daughter, Mrs. Soctman, wite of Judge Soctman, of St. John, and her infant child. Early on Sunday morning certain slaves were admitted into the fort, bearing bundles of wood for the use of the soldiers. It was their custom to do this on Saturday evening, but sometimes it was deferred until the next morning. In the bundles of wood the slaves had con- cealed their knives and cutlasses. At a given signal they rushed upon the soldiers, and succeeded in cutting all down except one, who saved himself by hiding beneath a bed. The sergeant had sprung through a window without the walls of the fort, but injuring himself so severely as to be unable to escape, was also murdered. The lieu- tenant was absent upon his estate. As had been agreed upon, the slaves, now in possession of the fort, fired two guns, which was to be the signal for their success, and for all those engaged in the con- spiracy to rise and murder the whites. Alarmed by the guns, and seeing the commotion among the slaves, several planters, headed by John Beverlout, with their families, rushed to the estate of Mr. Durlo, now “ Little Cinnamon Bay” ; the house on this estate being on an eminence, and protected by two cannon. In the meantime a fearful sacrifice of life was taking place on some estates. Whole families were massacred in the most horrible manner... Among these . ST, JOHN.—HISTORICAL. _ . 103 were Judge Soctman and his daughter, Mr. Kint, the children of Mr. Beker, the overseer of Mr. Moth, the wife of Mr. Kruger, and twenty-five other men, women and children. The bloody work had been sudden and without mercy. After murdering Judge Soctman, and placing his head upon a pole, they held a council around his mutilated remains, whether they should kill his daughter, a beautiful child twelve years old. Overwhelmed with grief at the death of her father, she entreated them to take her life also; upon which they rushed upon her, and immediately her mangled corpse lay across that of her beloved parent. This daughter had placed a string of beads (which she had prepared from certain seeds found on the island with her own hands) around the neck of her little infant sister, when she left her the day before. That infant was afterwards Lady Lindberg. At her death, which occurred when she was upwards of ninety years of age, thése beads were found suspended around her neck. She had ever worn them as a memorial of her murdered father and sister. The planters who had fled to the Durlo estate, immediately dis- patched a boat with a letter to the Governor of St. Thomas informing him of the insurrection, and entreating assistance at once, and deliver- ance from their imminent peril. This letter was signed by Messrs. Beverhout, Charles, Runnels, Badger, De Wint and Zytsema. The consternation and grief produced by this letter (which also stated who had been murdered) were great. It was overwhelming to the Governor and his daughter, Mrs. Soctman. Vessels were at once despatched to bring off the survivors. By this time the slaves had surrounded the eminence upon which the mansion at Durlo estate was located ; and they were only repulsed by the heroic conduct of an old Englishman, assisted by the rest of the planters. He poured down upon the con- spirators, thirsting for their blood, a destructive fire from the two cannons, killing and wounding many. This forced them to withdraw to the foot of the hill, and, under cover of the cannon, the planters were enabled to embark their wives and children for St. Thomas and Tortola, on board the vessels which had now arrived for their assist- ance. When these fugitives arrived at St. Thomas, the excitement and tumult there were greatly increased. An alarm was fired from the fort, fearing that the insurrection might extend to St. Thomas, and the garrison of ninety men were got under arms, assisted by sixty sailors from vessels in the harbour, headed by Lieutenant Stibot of the navy. A large East Indiaman (the vessel in which the Governor had come from St. John), was also moved close to the town. After this precau- tion,- Lieutenant Taarbye, with thirty soldiers, Oaptain John J. Creutzer, with the young burghers, and John de Wint, with the Jaeger Corps, fully armed and equipped, proceeded to St. John. Upon. their arrival at Coral Bay, they at once stormed the fort, and drove out the slaves. Assistance. was then disnatched to the Durlo estate, 104 LEAFLLT3 FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES, where the planters were still holding out against fearful odds. This detachment met with obstinate resistance in attempting to reach the house. The slavés were armed with the muskets taken from the fort, and with knives and cutlasses fastened on poles, but they were ulti- mately driven off, and the planters relieved. Holding possession of the fort and this house, a council was held, and it was found impos- sible for so small a body of troops to suppress the insurrection, or even dare to venture out upon the estates. Inquiry, however, was instituted into the extent of the insurrection and how far any of the planters were spared. Dr. Cornelius F. Bodger was the only survivor, save those who had sought refuge on the Durlo estate. The slaves had spared him on condition that he would attend to any who might be ultimately wounded, It was also learned that the creole negroes had not sided with the rest of the slaves, and that the insurrection had first broken out on the estate of the company, now called ‘‘Caroline,” and had extended to the estates of Messrs. Suhm, the former Governor, Hendricksen, Soctman, and Peter Kruger, until it had spread over the whole island. This information was derived principally from a servant of Dr. Bodger, named Christian Sout, in whom the conspirators had every confidence, but who was a friend to the whites. He afterwards became very useful as a spy, and for his fidelity received his freedom. He was highly intelligent, and signally skilful and successful as a botanist in the use of the medicinal plants found in the island. The force sent from St. Thomas, finding itself unable to contend against the superior number of the slaves engaged in the insurrection, returned with all the planters, leaving the slaves in entire possession. Upon their return, the Royal Council engaged the services of Capt. Meaux, of Nevis, whose vessel was lying in the harbour, and was manned by sixty men, to regain the island. He likewise failed, after making au unsuccessful attack upon the fort at Coral Bay, in which two of his sons were killed by his side. The book-keeper from 8t. Thomas was now sent to Martinique to seek aid from the French. The Governor of that Island very promptly despatched four hundred men with their officers to Coral Bay. This force encamped near the Fort, from which the negroes fled at their approach. They were joined by all the available force from St. Thomas, and the former planters of St. John. By sending out different detachments in different directions along the north and south sides of the island, and driving the insurgents before them, they forced them to concentrate on the north-east side. Here they were surrounded by the troops. Finding all chances of escape cut off, they first held a feast, and rather than fall into the hands of those from whom they could only look for the most severe and merited punishment, they resolved upon self-destruction. Three hundred ‘ere, after a few days from the time they were surrounded, | found. ee 7 ee, Se ST. JOHN.—HISTORICAL. 105 lying dead at Brim’s Bay, now ‘Anna Berg.” Seven others were also discovered in a ravine, a short distance off, who appeared to have been the leaders in the insurrection, who had shot each other. Seven guns broken to pieces, save one, were found lying by their sides. Tradition reports that the three hundred had cast themselves from a high precipice on the rocks below. The historian Hést says they were shot, and were found lying in a circle. A few had been taken prisoners. Two of these had been summarily executed in St. John and twenty-six in St. Thomas, some of the latter having been made to undergo the severest torture. The insurrection was thus suppressed, and the island recovered after it had been in possession of the insurgents for six months.' Of the estates, on forty-four the buildings _ were all destroyed, whilst on forty-eight they had been preserved. The Governor’s estate had suffered the most. Many planters were, of course, ruined, and those who found themselves involved in debt, retired to Tortola. The expense to the Government in quelling the insurrection amounted to 7,905 rix dollars, besides presents to the French officers. a, : The Government in St. Thomas afterwards proposed to the planters of St. John to pay one-third of the expense which it had incurred in quelling the insurrection, but they refused, on the ground that the insurrection had commenced on the company’s estate, where the greater number of the Amina tribe were labourers, and that the Fort had been left in too insecure a condition, and the force stationed there too small, considering the danger to which they had been exposed. The melancholy events of this year were long remembered by the inhabitants, and what aided to render it more painfully memorable, famine and disease swept off many upon the different estates. Never- theless, it was not so long before it recovered some of its former prosperity, for in the year 1789 we read of its having a population of 2,383, of whom 167 were whites, 16 free negroes, and 2,200 slaves who were all busily engaged in agricultural pursuits. . OHAPTER XX. THE CARIBS. . N THE island of St. John, at a place called ‘Rif Bay” is a waterfall. The crystal stream rushes merrily along, forms a basin opposite a mound of rocky formation at a short distance from it, and continues its course to the sea. The inhabitants call it “‘ Living Gut.” A closer inspection-of the rocks which skirt its border reveals the existence of several rude drawings upon them which present the appearance of having been made at a time when stone implements only were known to the executants. These traces of a people, who must have existed centuries if not ages ago, are of great interest, from the fact of their resemblance to those of a similar character upon certain rocks in Guadaloupe and St. Vincent, and antiquities attributed to the Caribs which have been found in Porto Rico and other West Indian Islands. A comparison of the manner in which they are drawn would seem to indicate a common origin, and did we possess a key to their meaning, it is possible that some light would be thrown on a subject which, up to the present, is an enigma to the ethnologist and antiquary. The discovery of a very valuable relic by C. Berg, Esq., of this island, and now in the possession of His Excellency Governor Aren- drup, is one of those circumstances which, trivial in itself, seems to clear up at least one point with regard to those who made them. In other islands, as well as these, especially upon Estate Tutu, St. Thomas, there have been found a good many traces of occu- pation by the Caribs. These were always in the shape of implements of war and utensils for domestic use of the rudest descrip- tion—hatchets, axes, battle-axes, chisels, and spear-heads of stone of that kind generally classed under the head of “celts.” But this relic, which was dug up at the time of the demolition of a portion of Old Christians-fort, is of a more intricate and beautiful design than any- thing usually executed by the Caribs. For this reason we would assign to it a much earlier date, as the production of the more peace- THE CARIB. 107 able’ Arrowauk.. Smoothly and deftly chiselled out of-a very dark | green stone found only in S&t. ‘John’s and a few other places in the West Indies, it seems to repre- sent either the head of an elephant, parr t, or crocodile, according to the fancy of the examiner. The hooked nose of the one human figure, and the almost sphinx-like severity of the other are remark- able, and are not the least striking features of this interesting curi- osity. From the aperture of A to the other at B is a passage, and were the holes not so small it would be reasonable to conclude that it was a veritable Indian pipe of peace, and as such was used by its early possessors. We have before alluded to the similarity existing between the STONE RELIC FOUND BY ©. BERG, xsc., carvings at “ Rif Bay,” St. John’s, NOW IN POSSESSION OF HISEXCELLEN('Y and those, on the rocks at St. GOVERNOR ARENDRUP. Vincent. These, which are situated in a valley on the Carribeans side of that island, are covered with incised figures. Like those on the rocks in St. John’s, they appear to be of great antiquity, and the lines or grooves are so nearly obliterated that it is difficult even to hazard a guess at their meaning. The central figure, however, a face enclosed in a triangle, seems to resemble an aboriginal representation of the sun. The scroll @ 9 is peculiar to them all. The relics from Porto Rico have the same characteristic, and the only difference at all, and which would seem sadly out of place to the uninitiated, is the cross on the rocks at St. John’s. This emblem might be said to be a later production, if a care- ful examination did not reveal the fact that it was made with the same class of instrument, possibly a stone gouge, as the forms of the faces. The proximity of both of these places to a waterfall, their romantic situation, and the similarity. which they bear to each other have led to: a variety of speculations concerning their uses. Some have conjectured that it was here that the Caribs held their cannibal feasts on the slaughtered bodies of their enemies, or of those young captives whom they had kept or:reared for that horrid purpose. Others, that they may have been the burial places of their dead or places of sacrifice. But as we find it recorded that the Caribs did not.bur- 108 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. their dead in that manner, and that they generally ate their enemies at once after a battle, it is reasonable to suppose that they were places of worship or groves where their religious rites were performed. When or how these primitive inhabitants disappeared from the Danish West Indies cannot be definitely ascertained. The first we hear of the Caribs in connection with these islands is on the second voyage of Columbus to the West Indies in 1493. After having landed at Guadaloupe, he continued his cruise northwards towards Hispaniola, and coasting the islands, he discovered what he presumed to be the last resident Caribs at the island of St. Croix. Here a boat’s crew of Spaniards attacked an Indian canoe, containing several men and women. Even after the canoe was overturned the Indians fought in the water, discharging their arrows while swimming as dex- terously as though they had been on firm land; and the women fought as fiercely as the men. How long after the discovery of these islands the Caribs continued to inhabit them it is impossible to determine with accuracy. In 1596, when the Earl of Cumberland on his way to attack Porto Nico, visited the Virgin Islands, he described them as “a knot of little islands wholly uninhabited, sandy, barren, and craggy.”’ Nor is there any mention of Du Tertre and others, when treating of the early scttlement of St. Croix in the beginning of the 17th century, of the Caribs being then in that island. It is probable that as soon as the Spaniards were well established in Porto Rico, the Caribs, seeing the treatment which the Arrowauks received at their hands, and having already felt their superiority, would leave a vicinity which ‘threatened them all with captivity or extermination, and join the main body of the tribe in the Windward Islands. Such were their canoes and larger craft, as described by Pére Labat, that this migration could easily have been accomplished. Olendorp, a German historian, says, they were driven away from the Virgin Islands in the time of Charles V., about the year 1550, the Emperor having ordered them to be treated as enemies and exterminated. Not that this was easily accom- plished. The warlike and unyielding character of these people made them far from contemptible antagonists, and it is recorded that though more than a million of the peaceful inhabitants of the larger islands were murdered by the early discoverers, it was not without a struggle that the Carib race succumbed to its inevitable destiny. © Clinging with tenacity to their old faith and customs, they battled with the invaders to the last. Having a religion of their own, they would not be converted to the faith of their conquerors. Not with- out reason did they argue, ‘“ You have stolen our lands and those of our neighbours, you have violated our wives, haye massacred our people, desolated our homes and committed unheard of cruelties for the sake of gold. How then can you expect from what THE OARIBS. 109 we have seen of the bad life of you Christians, that we should wish to be ?like you?” So fearful had been the barbarities practiced upon them, that the very name of Christian inspired them with horror, and to call them so never failed to excite their ire and to make them grind their teeth with rage. From all accounts they were a well-proportioned race, stout and robust, and of such a good con- stitution, that many attained the age of one hundred years or more. As in most of the Indian tribes exist- ing to-day, their female consorts did all the laborious drudgery in connection with their nomad life. Polygamy was universal among them, and each savage, more particularly the chiefs, had-several wives, esteeming it a mark of distinction to have a large family. As each woman had her own home it must have been conducive to domestic harmony. ‘The. old writers descant much upon the love of the Carib woman for her liege lord, and how good she was to him whenever he paid her a, visit. They rarely quarrelled, the man scarcely ever giving way to violence, even in cases of infidelity. Sometimes a female captive would have her. brains ‘knocked out by.a blow from his. massive ‘“Bonton,” or war-cluby especially after a debauch of Ouycow" ; but to tha credit of ‘ MALE CARIK ~ ibe Ouycow 1 was an intoxicating liquor i in use among them. It was s made niuch the same as pulque i is to-day, in some parts of New Mexico. Four or five of the most venerable old hags congregated round a large calabash, and chewing fast and furfous the agave in Mexico, the cassava in the Antilles, they expectorated the juice. thus: obtained into it, which being afterwards fermented, was relishéd at alf their convivial meetings. - wig _ - wd 110 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES, the Indians, be it said, favourably looked upon by the old men of the tribe. Divorces were uncommon. In all cases the woman took charge of the children, who, as they grew older, were taught to fish, shoot, and swim, as well as to make little baskets and cotton ham- mocks, in which latter accomplishment they excelled. On attaining the age of puberty they were required to fast for three weeks or a month, when their skins were lightly tattoed or cut with the teeth of the agouti. .When a young man wished to marry a young girl to whom he was not enti- tled by right of blood relationship, as, for in- stance, his cousin ger- " man on the female side, ‘he simply asked her from her parents, and after partaking of a family dinner together, he took her to live with him. No degree of consanguinity prevented them from marrying each other. Many ‘fathers espoused their own daughters, by whom they had children, and many mothers their sons, though this was a very rare case, but it was a common thing among them for a man to marry two sisters, or sometimes the mother and daughter. This does not speak much for their morality, nor does the fact of their being a finely formed race exactly agree with the many theories of idiocy and deformity resulting from inter-marriage, which are so freely advanced at the present day. Though why they should have been exempt from any of the consequences likely to arise from marrying ~ne’s relations is a question not readily answered, unless. we refer to FEMALE GARIL. such an act was most un- . os THE CARIBS, . : 111 their hardy life, and their freedom from some of the peculiar Yices attendant on civilization. The ancient Carib was a cleanly personage, and took a bath on rising early every day of his life. After this matutinal wash they lit a great fire, and crouching around it to warm themselves, for they were exceedingly susceptible to the cool morning air, they waited patiently for their breakfast. After that, they went fishing or hunting, at which they were very expert. The least industriously inclined made clubs, and bows and arrows. The women were , always at work, = whether combing the = hair of their hus- ~ Dbands, painting them with roucou, preparing their meals, or making bread. They also did a good deal of gardening, digging the earth with a pointed stick. Here they cultivated many kinds-of plants, of which they possessed an intimate knowledge; for on them devolved the care of the sick and the wounded, whom they cured with great skill by the simplest means. The manioc or cassava was also grown in great quantities, and formed one of their staple articles of food. Those who remained at-home, manufactured cotton hammocks, which were very commodious and healthy to sleep in, and sometimes took them a whole year to make. When new they were as white as snow, ‘but, before using, they were stained, oiled, and yubbed with roucow in order to preserve them from the weather. Some of the men employed themselves in building canoes,- of which they had two kinds. The largest were called Canoiia and the smallest Couliala, which were made from the trunk of a tree, hollowed ‘out by the means of fire, and shaped by their stone hatchets. The Canoiias were usually from thirty to forty feet long, and were sufficiently capacious to hold forty persons. The Coul.alas were never more than twenty feet long and three or four feet wide, and were pointed at both ends. They were rowed in the same manner as the Canoilas with broad paddles and by pushing the water from them. Possessing no knowledge of the compass, they nevertheless made long voyages, keeping THE ROUCOU, as near to land as possible, though if they lost sight of it they guided themselves by the stars at night, and the course of the sun by day: Each Canoiia was governed by a captain, who superintended the embarcation of his men and the construction of th- CARIB CANOE. 112 : LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. temporary palm-tree roofs under which they suspended their hammocks, and used as a shelter when they rested in some strange place on their journey. It. is a notice- _ able fact that the men never inter- | fered with the . Women’s employ- ments, it being considered derog- - CARIB IN HAMMOCK, atory to their ‘dignity to do so. Both sexes drank freely at their entertainments, which were held when they were about to go to war, or when the males verging on manhood, submitted themselves to be tattoed with the agouti’ teeth to display their courage, fearlessness and endurance of pain. These feasts were also given after the accouchment of their wives, when they cut the children’s hair for the first time, when they made their sons warriors, when launching a new canoe, when planting a garden, or erecting a new habitation. At these festivities dancing was their principal diversion. Rubbing their bodies with a tarry-like gum, they sprinkled themselves with the feathers of birds, which adhering to their olive skins, gave them a strangely mottled look and a most comical appearance. Throwing themselves into an infinity of extravagant postures, they never failed to excite-the mirth of the whole assembly. The dances were invariably accompanied with a wild music of their own, some playing a kind of flute, and the young men chant- ing in a loud and discordant tone, only contrasted by the old men’s deep bass voices, thick and rough from their deep potations, for they never joined in chorus until quite drunk and noisy. From time to time they washed down their exertions with sundry calabashes of oiiycou, of which each guest was bound to partake at stated intervals Nor durst he refuse, even at the risk of bursting—an accident, how- ever, always kindly prevented by one of the strongest of the company so squeezing his friend’s stomach as to force him to eject in a summary manner all he had drank, in order to make room for a fresh suppl Amidst all this noise and confusion, the master of the house kept - perfectly sober, and, planted before the door with his massive club, he kept his guests in order. Not supposing that intoxication was a crime, the women got drunk as well as the men, who always took care of their tipsy companions at these feasts, as it was considered a great crime:among them to take advantage of anyone not in-his or her THE CARIBS. ° 113 senses. Their hospitality was unbounded, and it was qonsidered an insult to refuse it when proferred. , When a friend paid them a visit, he was at once invited in and a hammock was slung for him. Politely requesting him to rest himself, one woman brought him drink and another food. Having eaten and drank to his satisfaction, he was saluted with respect by everyone of the house with the word Haleatibon, signifying ‘‘you are welcome,” and after having invited his entertainers to join him in eating the remains of his repast, he bade them farewell. Whether stranger or friend, each was treated in the same mater, though anold man or one whom they thought worthy of great consideration, was generally painted with roucou and annointed with palm oil before leaving. As a rule, they ate three times a day, and like the Caribs yet inhabiting the interior of Guiana, the male portion of the family took their meals apart in the principal hut, while the women and children ate in their own little house. Du Tertre describes them as squatting like so many eg SS id CARIB CHIET AND WIVES COOKING. monkeys round a large coity (half a calabash), which served them for a dish, their food consisting of a sttange medley of crabs, turtle, and other fish, with plantains, boiled together, each Indian dipping his cassava bread into the calabash and helping himself to that morsel for which he had the greatest fancy. Salt was never used in the prepara- tion of their food, and the flesh of many animals was considered unclean, though they did not scruple to vary their repast with the flesh of an unplucked bird, which, when half-cooked, they devoured with great relish. Next to the beautiful coat of roucou which was their only covering, and which served as.an excellent protection from the ardent rays of the sun, they took a world of pains with their hair, which was long and black as the raven’s wing. Drawing it backward, they fashioned it into an elegant top knot and dressed it with a profusion of feathers and trifles, which gave them a warlike appearance. They also pierced t 114 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. their ears, their lower lip and nose; through the cartilage of which, they stuck long parrot’s feathers in the form of a moustache. They passed jooks through their ears and kept open the lower lip with a wooden pin. Some of them wore collars or necklaces. orna- _mented with the teeth of the agouti and monkey, while divers seeds and shells were used as substitutes when the former were not to be procured. Some of these collars were of immense weight, especially those of stone, which were worn by their chiefs on great occasions, and were hung around with whistles made from the bones of their enemies. As they plucked every hair from their face on ‘its first £ARIB ORNAMENT. appearance, the beard was scanty, if ipdeed any had a chance to grow on, it at all. The men also wore armlets close to the shoulder and rings around the leg below the knee. The women ‘dressed their hair, somewhat similar to that of the men, but wore no feathers; they also wore bracelets and necklaces of crystal or coral which sometimes weighed six or eight pounds, and they painted them- selves with roucow like their husbands. All the young girls and married women, except cap- tives, were accustomed to wear from the ankle upwards about four inches, and another just under the- knee which compressed the calf of the leg to such a degree that according to a very queer simile of Father Du Tertre it looked like a Dutch cheese squeezed between two plates. These species of stockings were esteemed as a mark of distinction, and in spite of their being very painful at times such was their pride in them, that no woman justly entitled to their use, would have ever been seen without. Du Tertre relates a somewhat amusing anecdote, illustrative of the inconvenience to which the early French settlers were sometimes put, whenever the Oaribs, dressed. - in all their finery and paint, condescended to pay them a visit. A savage chieftain in . all the glory of a new and complete suit of STONE COLLAR, roucou, having been rather sharply reproved by Madame Aubert, the wife of the Governor of the Island of Gnadeloupe, for having sat down in her hammock A VISIT TO THE SETTLERS. from their childhood a kind of- half stocking, which extended: THE CARIBS. a eee 115 and. left the greater part, of his suit imprinted behind him, and Monsieur -Aubert, her husband, having invited him,.a short time after, to come and dine with them, they had a great deal of trouble to persuade-him ; as the chief foresaw-that he-would infallibly stain the bench on which he was to sit when at table; but having cast his eyes on the wooden platter that was.set before him, and concluding that this round article, which only wanted three legs to make a stool, was intended for that use, he carefully placed it upon the bench, and sat down upon it, amidst roars of laughter from the assembled com- pany. In spite of their kind explanation of the uses to which a plate should be put, and their protestations that no offence was meant, he became tremendously angry, and bluntly telling them that he did not know in what way or on what place he should sit before them, he strode away in great dudgeon, vowing that they never should be troubled with his presence again; and he kept his word, for no amount of persuasion could induce him ever te come back. - Whence originated the horrible custom of: eating the flesh of their enemies slain in battle is a problem for the historian - and philosopher. In our own researches on this subject, we find that the Aztec priests on the occa- sion of their sacrifices threw down the bodies of their victims, when pri- soners of war, among the people, who feasted them- selves and their friends upon the dishes they pre- pared of the flesh. It is, therefore, likely that these savage customs were adop- ted by the different nations composing the inhabitants = of Mexico, and being after- _ wards ingrafted in the belief of the wandering tribes of Indians, anthro- pophagy became, with them, as much a religious ceremony as it was a mode of slaking their vengeance and striking terror into the hearts of their enemies. It could not have been from any particular liking that they practiced it, for we find it recorded that they were ill for days after these horrid banquets. We have said before that they were a warlike, people, ‘but we al 12. AZTEC SACRIFICE, 116 . LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. find titat though they were vindictive enough when aroused, they were far from being bloody or ferocious. It was only after a council of war had been held, and each of them had recounted the wrongs he had suffered, that their passions became sufficiently inflamed to declare war. Armed with their massive clubs, their poisoned arrows, bows and assegais; having first consulted their magicians as to the favourable exit of their enterprise, they drank oiiycou until suffi- ciently intoxicated to be thoroughly brave, and started, only taking enough women along to oil their hair, to paint them with roucou, and cook for them. When they arrived in their enemy’s country, they sent out spies to ascertain their strength and position. If they found themselves un- able to cope with them, on account of superior numbers, they laid in ambush and waited patiently until they fell into the snare, when, yelling like fiends, they fell upon them, slaying all, if possible, and taking but few prisoners, of whom the men were reserved for death and the women for slaves. All who died on the field of battle were eaten at once, after having been well roasted; those who remained alive were taken home in triumph, subjected to a severe fasting, and terribly illtreated ; their savage captors ever and anon pretending to dash out their brains with a club. These unfortunate prisoners, well knowing the fate in store for them, bore these insults and threats with exemplary patience and treated them with contempt, at the same time reminding them of how they had eaten their fathers, and how they also had relations to avenge them.. After having exhausted any amount of vituperation on both sides, the oldest man of the conquer- ing tribe gave the signal to commence, when a few strokes of the Boutou put a termination to their sufferings. When their victims had ceased to exist they abstained from further insult, though the women always showed a desire to proceed to extremes, and would have willingly added outrage and indignity to the inanimate corpse had they been allowed to do so. Du Tertre says :—‘“‘ That after they had cut up their enemies in smal pieces they threw them on the fire, eating them with ravenous avidity when cooked.” ; The most valiant of their warriors ate the heart, the women the legs and arms, while the others were content with the remainder. What contributed to render these repasts more terribly revolting was the maniacal fury of the females. The way they chewed the flesh and scrunched the bones, the anxiety they displayed in their fear that a single piece might escape them was a sight that defies description. Strange to say they carefully abstained from eating the flesh of their Christian conquerors. Whether it was that having killed und eaten a very venerable priest in the Island of St. Christopher, and some of their number having died in consequence, we are not quite sure, but THE CARIBS, 117 we find it related with a sort of grim humour by one of the early missionaries, who remarks, with delightful conviction: “That thus Providence punished them for so treating a Christian.” It would have been interesting to have known his nationality, for we. find it also mentioned that they had their likes and dislikes even on this point, and having tasted the flesh of most of those with whom they had been at war, had come to the conclusion that of all the Christian bonne bouches Frenchmen were the most delicate and choice, Spaniards the leanest, and an Englishman the toughest. Only the Arrowauk (a peaceable tribe with whom they almost constantly sought a quarrel) they thought worthy of consideration, as a good square meal of one of them inspired them with courage, made them valiant and successful in war. The Carib priest or magician was a most important personage, and was looked upon by his fellow savages with a superstitious awe only , equalled by the blind reverence with which they obeyed his slightest com- mands. Like the Fetich man of Africa, the Obeah man of the still imperfectly civilised negro in these Isles, the North American Indian sorcerer, or, to come still nearer to our own doors, the priest of every religion known to civilised man, this Caribbean charlatan possessed a power and in- fluence as great as any. Combining the office of physician with their priestly vocation, and professing to hold communion with the CARIB IDOL. world of evil spirits (Maboyas), they claimed to heal the sick. Consecrated from their tenderest infancy to the practice of their detestable craft, they grew up skilled in its deceptions. They, too, believed in a devil whom they sometimes dignified with the name of god, when the occasion suited them. This god, or devil, they pretended to be able to summon, and Du Tertre relates of their séances as follows:— ~ A Carib family wishing to know the result of the illness of one of their number always called a priest. Having well purified and cleansed the house in which the séance was to be held, they prepared a matouton, which was a species of altar made of wood, on which the 118 LEAFLETS FROM ,THE DANISH WEST INDIES. placed offerings of cassada and oiiycou. A child of darkness himself, the priest loves obscurity and preferred to exercise his unholy fune- tions in the shades of evening. Every light being extinguished, he entered the house and sat down. Chanting a-lugubrious song in the lowest of tones, he called on his god or devil to appear. A few more ceremonies and the god or devil fell from ‘above (our priests of modern thaumaturgy make him come from below) right in the-centre of the assembly. How they managed to see all this time is-a mystery to us, but being gods or devils, the want of a light could not have made much difference. Du Tertre proceeds to state that, on his appearance among them, he was placed in a cotton hammock, and offerings were presented te him. On being interrogated, he responded in-a clear and distinct voice, te all that was asked of him. If the sick man were destined to die, he -said so, and, as if the better to carry out his prophecy, there was no appeal from his decision; and the poor wretch was abandoned and left to his fate; but if not, then the priest and (pretended) god or devil approached the patient, rubbed, stroked, and passed their hands several times over the afflicted part, and breathed gently upon it. To make their operations appear still more miraculous, they drew from ‘different parts of his body such objects as little pieces of bone, serpent’s teeth, and splinters of wood, of more than a finger’s length, which they informed him was the cause of his pain.* They sometimes sucked the affected part, leaving the house to throw up the venom which they said they had extracted. Such was the faith placed in them, that many of their patients } recovered, more through their imagin- ation than in reality, adds the good / old chronicler, who seems to have for- gotten the whoie host of miraculous cures made by professors of his own faith in pretty nearly the same manner. — Having cured his patient, the-pricst (or doctor and devil).-made an excel- lent repast of all that had been pre- pared for them. There is. every oo ae “reason to believe.that the god or CANIB INSCHIPTION. .. devil soon finished his share, upon which he Tose, struck the earth with his foot and: left, cracking " * Tt is said that the same thing i is practised. by some of the lower orders in St. Thomas, with the addition of a cockroach or centipede, which p they claim to extract from their patients. - . THE CARIBS. : 119 his fingers in joyful anticipation of just.such another ‘‘ square meal ” on a future occasion. When many of their priests were invited (such as, for instancé, at the illness of ¢ a Chief of distinction), and each invoked his god or devil when he got there, it was as if pandemonium had broken loose. ‘Dis- pute they would, and when argument failed, a fight was the result, which generally ended in clearing the house of the spectators, and sometimes fatally for the patient. When the party recovered, | a feast was made, at which the priest and god or devil did not fail to find themselves. After thoroughly enjoying themselves they blackened the patient all over, out of compliment to the magician, who was painted as black us the devil himself. As soon as one of their numbers died, the female took charge of the body, washed it with great care and painted it with rowcou from head to foot. After oiling : and dressing the hair, they enveloped the _corpse in a new cotton hammock. They then dug a grave in the -same house he or she had lived in, or built one expressly, as they never interred anyone without a roof to cover him. Having dug a -hole sufficiently large to receive the body, it was placed in a sitting - posture in the grave, with the arms so fixed that the palms of the hands supported thé head. The women then sat nearest the edge in a circle, sang a death song, bewailed the loss of their deceased husband or relative and extolled his virtues. The men seated them- selves in the rear, and followed their female companions in whatever expressions of grief or sorrow. they gave vent to. After some time had been spent in mourning, one of the women closed up the hole with a piece of wood, and the others threw earth in it. At the conclusion of these ceremonies, they burnt all the effects of the defunct on the top of the grave. When a chief died, his women and children cut their hair and fasted a month on bread and water. If the deceased had slaves they were killed at his funeral, if they had not managed to escape beforehand. As they invariably did 80, and were never pursued, these sacrifices were of rare occurrence. Those friends or relatives who had been prevented attending the funeral generally visited the grave afterwards, where they manifested their sorrow for the loss they had sustained by profound lamentations and sighs. CARIB IDOL. 120 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Such was the life of the early Caribs. A life they might be living even now had they not been almost exterminated by the conquering Spaniard and the march of civilization. Only a vestige of them remains in the West Indies. Peaceful and gentle, singularly mild and affectionate, they dwell happily in their rude houses of thatch, drawing their sustenance from mother earth with occasional forays upon the sea. There are about twenty families in Dominica, and about six in St. Vincent where they made their last stand against the English in the latter part of last century. In this island we meet with the ‘“‘ Black Caribs,” so called to distinguish them from the typical or ‘‘ Yellow Caribs.” Formed by the Union of two distinct races, the American and the Ethiopian, they present an attractive study to the ethnologist. Various reasons are assigned for the cause of this mixture. One tradition is to the effect that the Caribs attacked and burned a Spanish ship in the sixteenth century and took its freight of slaves to live among them; another version, that a slaver was wrecked near St. Vincent, and the Africans escaping, joined the Caribs. The Yellow Caribs received them as friends, but eventually the negroes possessed themselves of the best lands and drove their benefactors to the most worthless. Having inter-married with the Yellow Caribs, they departed from the negro type in a few years, but sufficiently resembled the slaves, beginning to be introduced into the island by the French in 1720, as to cause them alarm, and they took to the woods and mountains, living there for quite another generation. They also adopted the Carib practice of flattening the foreheads of their children, so that succeeding generations differed generally from their fathers. They now form a small community on the North Western shore of St. Vincent, at a place called Morne Ronde. <A few years hence and they, with the Yellow Carib, will be numbered with the past. Only the tracings on the rocks and a few stone relics will be left to tell the story of a once valiant and powerful people.* * Camps in the Caribbees, F, A. Oder, Boston. CHAPTER XXI. 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. WGZHE ISLAND of Santa Cruz, or St. Croix, lies in latitude 17° 44’ 32” N., and in longitude 64° 14’ W. of Greenwich,* and was discovered by Columbus on his second Western voyage, on the 14th November, 1498. Anchoring there to obtain water, he found it inhabited by Indians similar to those he had seen in Guadeloupe and whom they called ‘‘Caribes,”’ from their cannibal propensities. Among them were captives, the more peaceable Arrowauks, who had been taken from Porto Rico, or its vicinity. The natives called the island Ay Ay. At first peaceably disposed, they welcomed the sailors with true Carib hospitality, but it was not long before they got into a, skirmish with them, which resulted in the death of a Carib and one of the Spaniards. Several prisoners were made by the latter, who carried their captives to Spain. P From this time till the year 1625 we hear nothing whatever of St. Croix. Bryan Edwards, in his interesting history of the West Indies,t states that the Dutch and English came to St Croix in 1625, and in this he is partly confirmed by Du Tertre, who says that for many years prior to 1645 St. Croix was in possession of the Dutch and English, who had been joined by certain French refugees from the island of St. Christopher. In the year 1645 the population num- bered over.six hundred persons. Up to that time they had lived in comparative peace and harmony. But the Governor of the Dutch portion of the island having killed in his house, either designedly or accidently, Mons. de Brasebet, the Governor of the English, a series of reprisals ensued, in which the English, violating a promise of protection, seized the Dutch Governor, condemned him to death in retaliation for the murder of their own, and publicly shot * Taken from Sir Andrew Lang’s observatory, 440 feet above the level of the sea. t+ Vol. 1, page 184. 122 ' LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. him. Seeing the impossibility of peace, the Dutch abandoned the island and retired to St. Eustatius and St. Martin. It was not long before the English were to experience in their turn something of the treatment which they had meted out to their former fellow-colopigts —the Dutch. The prosperity which attended them after they were left sole masters of the island, excited the envy of the Spaniards at Porto Rico, who, becoming alarmed at having so prosperous a colony at their doors, sent 1,200 men in five ships on the 10th August, 1650, to drive out the intruders and take possession of the island.* This was speedily accomplished, the Spaniards exterminating every inhabitant that fell into their hands, murdering, as at Tortuga, even the women and children. - Those who escaped left the island for St. Christopher’s. Onceagain the Dutch attempted to regain the island but without success. a Soon afterwards, the French at St. Christopher’ 8, then governed by ‘M. de. Poincy, Knight of St. John’s and Lieut.-Gen. over the French “West . Indies, determined to take possession of the island. Taying “his plans with great judgment, he sent an expedition under M. de Vaugalan, which, arriving at St. Croix, besieged the fort. The Spaniards, not knowing the strength of the French, at length capitu- lated, leaving the fort with their arms and baggage, and embarked i in a vessel which had been given them for Porto Rico. The island was then rich in forests, and as a consequence very unhealthy. The poisonous vapours arising from the dense vegetation proving fatal to the new conquerors, who soon had to lament the loss of several of their number from malarial fever, they determined to set fire to thé woods. Taking refuge on board of their ships, they became spectators of this vast conflagration. As soon as the flames were extinguished, they returned on shore and applied themselves with energy to the improvemcnt and cultivation of the island. Under such a régime and with tho advantages of a virgin soil, the grounds which they had cleared became incredibly fertile, and it was not long before the colony reached a high state of prosperity. In 1653, Louis XIV. transferred St. Croix, with St. Christopher, St. Bartholomew and St. Martin to the Knights of Malta. In 1659 a Monsieur Du Bois was appointed Governor of St. Croix by Mons. de Poincy. Falling sick in St. Croix, he was obliged to return to St. Christopher. In 1661, he returned to his post with another reinforce- ment of colonists. In 1665, a newly formed West India Company purchased the island from the Order of Malta, and in 1674 this company having been dissolved by Royal edict, the island was again annexed to the French Crown. . . In 1696 the population is said to have been 147 whites, exclusive * Du Tertre, Vol. 1, page 448. t+ Bryan Edwards, Vol, (1,, page 184. 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 123 of women and children, and 623 blacks. But notwithstanding the extraordinary fertility of the land when the rains were sufficient, yet so frequent and destructive were the droughts at that time, that the Wrench settlers, having demolished their forts, abandoned the island and removed to St. Domingo. In the year 1720, St. Croix was uninhabited. About this time a project for its settlement was formed in England, which was not carried into effect. After this, it was visited by vessels of all nations till in 1727, when the French captured seven English merchant vessels which were lying there, and again took possession of the island. From that time till the year 1733 it continued to be the property of France from whom it was at length purchased by King Christian VI. for 750,000 French livres. Knox says that the island had remained without inhabitants sinco its abandonment by the French in 1695, but we are loth to believe that so fertile a country should have been so neglected i in so adventurous an age. We have geen it elsewhere stated* that in 1734 it was inhabi-- ted by a dozen white families, chiefly Dutch from Saba and 8t. Eustatius, who with their few negro slaves contrived to cultivate a little cotton and ground provisions. There is no authority given’ for this statement, though based on very good grounds. It can hardly be confounded with the Moravian settlement which arriving in St. Thomas, June 14th, 1784, passed over to Croix immediately after, with the object of laying the foundation of a mission for Christianising these slaves who were about to be introduced there. For our part we are inclined to believe that at no period from its discovery was the island entirely uninhabited. Easy of access and extremely productive, it is not unlikely that a few people may have derived their subsist- ence from the cultivation of its soil. Whether or no, the Danes found it thickly grown over by ‘‘ bush,” chiefly the “tantan” or wild tamarind, and the thorny acacia. These were not so high nor so unwholesome as the virgin forest, which the French had destroyed im 1650. But as it was necessary to clear the land once again, fire was applied to both bush and forest as the readiest means of effecting the purpose. Some time after the land was parceled out into plantations or oblong squares for plantations, each plantation measuring 3,000 Danish feet in length from N.N.W. to §.S.E., and 2,000 Danish feet in breadth from E.N.E. to W.S.W., and containing 150 acres of land of 40,000 square feet to the acro. This having been done, an invitation was extended to planters of other islands to come and occupy on easy and attractive terms. It was in a wise and cosmopolitan spirit that the Danes thus sought to repopulate abandoned St. Croix, and it was not long before it became @ prosperous community in coasequence. Many rich and influential “Santa Cruz, by a resident: ‘‘ Christain World Magazinc.”’ 124 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. persons from 8t. Eustatius, Virgin Gorda, and Tortola being induced to purchase estates and settle there. The encouragement and assist- ance held out to the new arrivals by the Danish Government soon bore good fruit, and others soon arrived with their families and slaves. The sugar cane was planted, the two towns now known as Bassin and West End were built, roads were laid out, and what was once a wilderness became a garden. With the simplest of appliances, and machinery of the most primitive description our forefathers made sugar and prospered. And they not only grew rich by their labour, but they cultivated learning, as many a scattered volume, . sub- stantially bound, handed down to the present generation, will bear witness. Not to speak of a lavish hospitality which has made their name famous, they drove in stately old coaches, fought duels a Poutrance, wore knee-breeches and pigtails, drank the best of Madeira till laid under the table, and with iron constitutions lived to an age which would put to shame their degenerate descendants. Most of them yet prided themselves on being of English descent. For this reason, perhaps, few learned the language of those who so kindly opened their doors to them. And that is why the visitor hears only English spoken in an island which has been for over one hundred and fifty years in the possession of Denmark. From 1760 till the year 1801 we have but few records to assist us in describing the progress of St. Croix as an agricultural community. . The island was taken by the British in this year, was restored to Denmark in a few months, was again taken in 1807, and held by them till the year 1815, when the Danes again became its lawful possesgors. , In the meantime, many slaves had been imported into St. Croix for the purpose of working upon the plantations. St. Thomas had been for many years the headquarters of an enormous traffic in these unfortunate beings, and though it had been declared unlawful by the Danish Government as early as 1792, it was not entirely sup- pressed in the colonies until several years afterwards. me CHAPTER XXII. ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. .THE InsuRRECTION oF THE SLAvES—1848. WaAMZULERE ‘had now stood successively at the head of the Govern- wees ent, from the year 1815, Major-General Oxholm, to 1816, Councillor Benzon to 1818, Lieutenant Stabel to 1820, Com- mander. Rohde to 1822, Admiral Bardenfleth to 1827, and lastly, Major-General P. von Scholten to 1848. It was during the administration of this remarkable and much-abused man, that the emancipation of the slaves in the Danish West Indies became an accomplished fact. One of the first to perceive the necessity of effacing this ugly blot upon the liberal institutions of Denmark, he is yet remembered for his kindness to the negro and the stern justice he meted out to those who ventured upon cruelty towards him. ‘Though it is but just to say‘that the slaves were far better treated in the Danish colonies than anywhere else in the Antilles. , How the emancipation came to be an accomplished fact has been told by more than one writer. The Revd. Knox says:—‘ His late ‘Majesty King Christian VIII., was induced, in the year 1847, to enact certain laws towards the completo emancipation of all the slaves in his West Indian colonies. From the 28th July of that year, it was ordered that all children born of those held in bondage should be free, and also that at the end of twelve years, slavery should entirely cease. There were but few demonstrations of joy in the three islands when these orders were made known to the slaves. Discontent was rather manifested, and the orders exerted a stronger influence upon their minds than was suspected at the time, as events ultimately showed.” After commenting upon the policy of publishing these orders, the Revd. Knox goes on to state that—‘‘ Rendered now more anxious for the sweets of freedom, the slaves in St. Croix, the next year, 1848, in the most quiet and successful manner, plotted an insurrection. Of this he gives an interesting account, for which we refer ourreader te 126 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. MAJOR-GENERAL P. VON SCHOLTEN. his pages. We prefer, however, to give the statements which have been placed at our disposal, of those who were active participants and whose knowledge of the events which took place would be more accu- rate from this very fact. Apologising for any changes or curtailments we have felt called upon to make in order to suit the character of the present work, we shall now present to the reader STADTHAUPTMAND CHAMBERLAIN VON ScHoLTEn’s Nareative. In the week that preceded the 8rd July, 1848, I was confined to my bed with a rheumatic swelling in my right hand. On Sunday the 2nd July I felt a little better, and could more or less use the hand. On the afternoon of that day I received a visit from one of our most respectable planters. In the course of our conversation, he told me that there were strange reports in circulation concerning the negroes, who, it was said, were to refuse to go to work on the next day, and to demand theirfreedom. He could not assign any further grounds forthese reports than hearsay. Being accustomed to hear of war and revolu- tion in Europe, as well as disturbances and riot in the French islands, from the fact of the majority in this little place, Frederiksted, seeking to make up for the monotony of their existence by spreading and listening to all sorts of idle rumours and scandals, this information made no further impression upon me. I bade him, in the méantime, 8ST. UROIX.—HISTORICAL. : 127 to acquaint the commander of the fort, and the policemaster with what he had. heard, and promised myself to inform my brother, the Governor-General, as soon as he arrived herein the ‘“ Ornen,” a brig- of-war, which was momentarily expected. At about eight o’clock in the evening my physician came to attend to me, and he spoke of the alarming reports that were in circulation. As he. appeared to be somewhat concerned about the matter, I remonstrated with him and. spoke of the evil of spreading such reports, which, if unfounded, might awaken ideas among the slaves which .it was to the interest of every one to prevent. Not that I feared that they would be disposed to violence or riot. They had been generally well treated and were apparently satisfied. About nine o’clock, I received a message that the Governor-General had arrived in Christiansted, and that'his carriage which stood in my yard was to.go up.there, but as it was late, I gave orders to the coachman to wait until next day. In the meantime I went to bed. ' A short time after my servant told me that there must be fire in the country as the bells were being rung and shells blown. As this is the customary manner of giving notice of such, the thought of ‘anything unusual did not occur to me. And as I could see no sign of any fire from my house, which is built on an elevation, I concluded that it was upon a distant estate, and again sought refuge in sleep. This lasted but a short time, when I was once again aroused by a loud knocking at my gate. Opening the window, I immediately ’ yecognized the voice of the Brandmajor commanding in Frederiksted, he told me that the negroes in the country were rioting and desired their freedom, and that was the reason why the bell-ringing and blowing of shells were to be heard. We then spoke about the plan of action we should adopt, and whether the alarm gun should be fired or the Brand corps and Militia should be called out. The Major having stated that the negroes were committing no excesses and only making a disturbance, I looked upon this as a good sign, for when one has evil designs he rarely makes a noise, but generally proceeds to action at once. Nevertheless, it was a doubtful point with me -whether I,.as Stadthauptmand, would be justified in firing the alarm, the militia law not stating anything definite or to the point as to who should give such an order. On the other hand, my authority only extended over the militia. Over the Fort from which the alarm gun should be fired I had no command whatsoever. There were many considerations which induced me to proceed with caution in the matter. , To. have fired the alarm would have been equivalent to placing the island in a state of siege. The power to do this rested only with the Governor. Moreover, such an act would have summoned the whole of the white population into town, away from their estates, leavins 128 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. their wives, children and old women in the power of the negroes. With no one to check them, had excesses been committed, how blameable it would have been to have acted so precipitately. I was confirmed in this opinion by a planter and military officer, who shared my views on the subject. The officer remarking that: “Should the negroes be intent on evil, they could easily prevent isolated members of the militia from coming in, and should the opposite be the case, he saw no reason for calling them from their estates, where they might by their presence be able to check violence and plunder.” The policemaster—Andresen—coincided with these views, observing: ‘‘Let us not by hasty proceedings provoke the negroes. The bell-ringing and noise do not indicate that they are intent upon violence. We must proceed with caution if we do not desire to see things worse.” These words from one who had a large experience of the character of the negro, carried weight with most of us. ~ The opinion has since been expressed on more than one occasion, that the Brand corps, which was composed of free coloured people, should have been called out, but from prudential motives it was deemed advisable to limit theif action until absolutely necessary. I shall now attempt to picture the events which followed. About two o’clock a.m., eight or ten mounted militiamen came in from the country and informed me that the condition was such as the earlier reports had stated. That there were noisy demonstrations and disorder, but nowhere had actual violence been committed. These gentlemen had left behind them their wives, mothers and children, so to speak, in the power of the negroes, without the least fear that: they would be exposed to any kind of danger. They came to inquire if the alarm gun had been fired, and if such were the case, to meet as accustomed. I explained to them that the gun had not been fired, as it was not considered prudent to call them away at such a moment from their property, where they could best work to preserve order. They therefore returned to their homes. At four o’clock a.m., I sent off my brother’s carriage to Christiansted, and by same opportunity a letter in which I described to him the condition of things in Frederiksted. At the same time expressing the hope that order and quiet might be restored by representations and negotiations. At seven o’clock in the morning, the negroes streamed into the town in large numbers. Shortly afterwards it was reported to me that the police office was being plundered and demolished. The second Brand officer, who was with me, after expressing the opinion that it was in no way advisable to call out the corps, undertook with some of the best disposed of his men to assist in the keeping of order. And it is but fair to say, that it was owing to the activity and repre- sentations of the free coloured men that more violencé was not } | ) | | | NT ae 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 129 committed. Only three houses being plundered and wrecked. At about this time a negro came crying to me and begged me to write a letter to the Governor-General asking that he would come down to Frederiksted as soon as possible, so that by his presence he might save the town from further molestation. With this I joyfully complied, beseeching my brother not to delay, as only he would be able to quiet the negroes. In the meantime the Brand major had narrowly escaped with his life. Riding into town from his estate he was attacked by the negroes, a negro woman striking at his neck with an axe, which fortunately glanced off without injuring him. To show that he intended them no harm, he threw away his sword, exclaiming : ‘Take my life, if that can satisfy you, I come not as an enemy, but as a friend!” With these words they seemed impressed, and allowed him to pass on his way. A crowd of negroes now came shouting and yelling up the street, and stood in front of my residence, demanding that I should proclaim their immediate freedom. Representing to them how wrongly they had acted by destroying and plundering, I advised them to keep quiet until the Governor-General arrived, as he alone could satisfy their demands. Seeing that they were now more peaceable, I went to the Fort, where several of the inhabitants of the town had assembled. These were most restless, not to say unreasonable. Some thought that to save the town from further disturbance, I should, in the Governor-General’s name, have declared the negroes free, but, as, in my opinion, I had no such power, I could not, nor would not, take it upon myself to do so. ‘ Nevertheless, it was the opinion of every one that only the prompt emancipation of the slaves would save the island from further destruction. And now a considerable number of negroes had assembled together in the Fort yard. They cried and shouted, demanded their freedom, and called on the soldiers to fire upon them. This the commander of the Fort had some difficulty in preventing. Many who were present begged him also not to do so, as the town would surely be burnt to ashes. Of this there could not be any doubt, as near by, behind a corner house, which could not be com- manded by the guns of the Fort there were several negro women gathered together with ‘‘trash” or dry cane leaves, which, at the first shot from the Fort, it was arranged they should light and throw into the doors and windows. The fire would thus have spread quickly through the town, as the houses were mostly deserted, and there was no one to check it. With a view of quieting the threatening multi- tude, I went among them, accompanied by the Catholic priest* and a few of the bravest of the inhabitants. The priest, whose influence was very great, spoke to them, admonishing and exhorting them to be * Father O’Ryan. K 130 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. quiet. On the other hand, on my addressing myself to one who appeared to be a leader of them, I received the following reply: ‘Massa, we poor negroes cannot fight with the soldiers, as we have no guns, but we can burn and destroy if we do not get our freedom, and that is what we intend to do.” It was rumoured in the Fort that the negroes intended to storm it, and for that reason had procured an English flag, which they regarded as the symbol of freedom. I myself saw the flag in the crowd, and nearing the flag-bearer after some difficulty, I asked the young negro why he did not carry the Danish instead of the English flag, to which he answered: ‘‘Any flag is good on such an occasion.” But on my speaking further he seemed visibly embarrassed, and moved away among the crowd. About ten o’clock a.m. a great noise was heard in the upper part of the town. Some said it was the Governor-General, but it turned out to be the Stadthauptmand of Christiansted, Oberst de Nully, and the Governor-General’s adjutant. The Oberst stepped out of the carriage and spoke to the crowd, which was so dissatisfied that the Governor-General had not come himself that they would not listen to him. Suddenly there was a great move- ment among them, and with repeated cries of ‘“‘ Moore!” ‘‘ Moore!” they rushed down the Strand-street. Here the infuriated mob com- menced immediately to plunder and destroy Merchant Moore’s store and residence. Mr. Moore himself sought refuge on board one of the ~vessels in the harbour. The cause of this unexpected outbreak is said to have been brought about by Mr. Moore’s carelessly speaking to the negroes, who understood that he would request the garrison of the Fort to shoot them down. This would have been an easy matter, for it was quite possible to sweep the street with a couple of field guns from the water battery and the Fort gate; but the commander of the Fort was besought not to fire for fear that in their desire for revenge the negroes would burn down the town and destroy every white person who might fall into their hands. Besides, as the actually guilty ones were in Mr. Moore’s house, plundering, only innocent people who were in the street would have been killed. Several sailors from the English vessels in the harbour were now to be seen among the excited people, encouraging theni by words and actions. And particularly conspicuous upon the wharf were several water casks belonging to these vessels, on which was written in large letters— ‘“‘Liberty.” It is worthy of remark, in contrast to these proceedings, that the free coloured population did their utmost to prevent the negroes from breaking into the houses and warehouses in the vicinity. Most of the whites were now either on board the vessels or in hiding. About this time a negro appeared upon the scene, who seemed to be in command of the immense concourse of people which filled the street. This was Buddhoe, or, as he was called later on, General, Bourdeaux AT 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 181 About three o’clock p.m., the Governor-General arrived, accompa- nied by Kammerjunker Upper Court Assessor Rothe. The General stepped out near the Fort, went in among the crowd and declared the negroes to be free. He then requested Kammerjunker Rothe, and, as far as I can remember, Major Gyllich, the Brand major, to see that the negroes left the town, which these gentlemen soon accomplished. Later on a detachment of troops arrived from Christiansted, and at five o’clock p.m. the Governor-General returned to Christiansted, after having ordered the cavalry, which had recently arrived, to go back again. First Lieutenant v Holstein, with two pieces of cannon and forty men, remained over night in the Fort. The brig-of-war ‘‘Ornen,” Captain Irminger, arrived in the harbour shortly before sunset. The night passed quietly enough, though fires illuminated the hills of the north side. On Tuesday, the 4th of July, a number of negroes were seen on the road leading to the North side, and it was feared that, should they enter the town, it would doubtless result in bloodshed or incendiarism. In order to prevent this, Major Gyllich rode out among them, and, by repeated assurances that they were now free and would not be brought back to slavery again, succeeded in inducing them to return to their homes. At the same time he persuaded the negro Buddhoe to accompany him to town, a wise move, for it was through this negro’s influence over them that order and quiet were restored to this part of the island. In the mean- time, Kammerjunker Rothe arrived from Christiansted, whence he had. started in the morning with a number of printed copies of the pro- clamation of freedom. Shortly after his arrival, three expeditions were organised to make their contents known among the negroes. Kam- merjunker Rothe, the Vice-Brand major and myself proceeding to the North side estates, the Catholic priest O’Ryan, and a prominent planter, to Annally and Spring Garden, while Major Gyllich, Buddhoe, or General Bourdeaux* and two of the most respectable free coloured burghers went to the South side. The company in which I found myself arrived first at estate ‘La Grange.”’ We had little difficulty in getting the negroes together, who stood around our carriage as Kammerjunker Rothe read out and explained the proclamation to them. Continuing our road, we came to estate ‘‘ Northside,’”’ where we met the owner and his family who had remained there during the whole tumult. They told us that during the forenoon of the same day, they had been attacked by the negroes from the neighbouring estate of ‘‘Ham’s Bay,” who under the pretext of wanting to take the overseer’s weapons from him, attempted to force the dwelling house. The negroes of the estate defended them and prevented the intended violence. From that * He had obtained this brilliant military title on account of his fantastic attir K 2 132 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. place we went to ‘“‘Ham’s Bay,” where we found it difficult to collect the negroes, who had forced the owner and his family to take flight in a fishing boat shortly before. After having restored something like order among them, we returned to Frederiksted. The expedition in charge of Major Gyllich, after visiting twenty odd estates reached as far as (La Reine.”) Mr. Beech read the proclamation on each of them. On the road they learned that there was a large gathering at estate |‘ Slob,”) which had been doing a great deal of plundering and destruction. “ Though Buddhoe declared that he did not know the negroes on that part of the island, and it was remarked that estate ‘Slob ” was outside of West End jurisdic- tion, Major Gyllich decided to go there, being under the impression that he might prevent further troubles. Going up the hill towards ‘‘ Slob,” they met a man named ‘ Martin King,” chief of the ‘‘ fleet,” as they called this meeting. This negro who was half drunk and riding a white horse, and who seemed to be a leader among the crowd which they encountered, upon understand- ing the object of the expedition, after a great deal of outrageous and foolish talk yielded to the representations of the Major, and by the influence he seemed to wield over the rest of his comrades, was of great assistance in restoring order among them. After visiting estates ‘‘La Reine’’ and ‘‘ Mount Pleasant,” the major and his party returned to Frederiksted. On Tuesday and Wednesday several planters with their families came into town, and sought refuge on board the ships in the harbour. The owner of the estate ‘“ Negro Bay,” with twenty or thirty other managers and overseers also came in. An error which resulted in his estate being plundered. By this time prisoners were being continu- ally brought in. The negroes bringing them in themselves. To this Buddhoe mainly contributed. On Thursday morning at four o’clock a considerable force consisting of two cannon, infantry and cavalry under the command of Captain v Castonier left the town. In the meantime the Fort was garrisoned from the brig-of-war. Though this expedition met with no opposition, it served a good purpose, as from that time perfect quiet and order were brought about. Passing over the concluding remarks of Chamberlain v Scholten which have reference, merely, to some incorrect reports afterwards set afloat concerning the authorities and the circumstances which impelled them to temporize with the negroes, we come to the narrative of Chamberlain Irminger. This gentleman, who was afterwards presented with an address and a sword of honour in a golden scabbard, was at that time captain of the brig-of-war “Ornen.” His statement is concise and to the point, and an impartial picture of the events which took place. ws CHAPTER XXTII. ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. CHAMBERLAIN IrnMINGER’s AcoouNT OF THE INSURRECTION In 1848. PeSGKTER a stay of several days in the island of St. Thomas, y Governor-General v Scholten sailed in the forenoon of the 2nd July, 1848, for St. Croix, in the brig-of-war ‘‘Ornen,” which I commanded. About four o’clock in the afternoon we anchored in Bassin (Christiansted), suspecting nothing of the row which the negroes intended to make. The General dined with me. At sunset he landed in order to proceed to Biilowsminde, and as he heard that I intended to have the ship painted, he invited me to pass the time at his beautiful country seat. About 10 o’clock, p.m. we retired to rest. The 3rd July, at about two o’clock in the morning, I was awakened by the General’s servant with a request that I would come to the General as quickly as pos- sible. I immediately repaired to his presence and found him already dressed. He then showed me a report from the Chief Commander of the Fort in West End (Frederiksted), Capt. v Castonier, whith stated that the negroes were restless at that part of the island—that bells were being rung on the estates—and they were sounding the alarm on their shells (conchshells). When I had read the report, the Governor-General said: ‘‘ What is now to be done?” To this I answered that I thought the best thing to do was to seek as quickly as possible to smother the disturbance at its birth, because every minute now lost would lend additional strength to the disturbers of the peace. It was my impression that twenty to thirty armed men should immediately be sent on horseback to West End in order to scatter the negroes apart. The Governor remarking that he could not dispose of such a force, I replied that I did not think it would be so difficult to get such a number of mounted militia collected from the nearest. estates. 134 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. In the meantime, the General’s horses were saddled and we now both rode, accompanied by a mounted servant, down to the Govern- ment house in Bassin. The night was a starry one and the weather exceedingly fine. We stopped now and then on the tops of the different hills which we rode over to listen if we could not hear the blowing of shells or any shouting. But all was hushed, and we heard only the rustling of the cocoa-nut palm leaves moved by the trade wind. As soon as we arrived in town, messages were sent to Major v Falbe, who was Chief of the Fort in Bassin, Major v Geillerup, who lived in the barracks, Oberst de Nully, Major Keutsch and others. We now spoke of what was to be done. I still maintained that action should be taken immediately and that if the cavalry force which I had asked for could not be got, which I could by no means admit, other military must immediately be sent to West End. I fur- thermore said to the General that I would go on board to let the men that could be dispensed with get ready to land, and, at the same time, get the brig ready for sea so as to be able to leave for West End by daybreak, if ordered. The General requested me to remain a little longer in the Government House so as to avoid making any disturb- ance in town where all was still and quiet. The conference ended, I believe, in Major Keutsch’s coachman being sent towards West End for more information as to how it stood with the island. It was now nearly five o’clock in the morning. The time passed and nothing was done. I believed I knew the negro character, and that the riot could have been smothered at the beginning by decisive action. Seeing that my presence at Government House was of no further use, I told the General that I would now go on board, so that I could get the brig ready for sea, and to send armed men on shore, if required. This I did, and awaited the General’s order. To my surprise I received none whatsoever, and about eight o’clock a.m. I again went on shore. There I was informed that Oberst de Nully and Lieutenant v Meincke had been sent to West End. I also found some soldiers drawn up and ready to set out, though I after- wards learned, with orders not to go further than King’s Hill (an estate in the middle of the island.) Interrogating the General as to whether the brig should not sail to West End, I received the answer that she might be possibly required in Bassin, and I would receive further orders. In Bassin, everything was quiet, and I began to believe that the whole affair did not mean much. Indeed, scarcely any one seemed to have any knowledge of it. I then informed the General that every- thing was ready as well for sea, as to send men ashore, and should the General have anything to order, I could be found in the Atheneum: a reading room nearly opposite the Government House. About one o’clock p.m., Lieutenant v Meincke arrived from West End and ™T 8T. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 135 reported the state of affairs. He-brought at the same time informa- tion that the negroes wanted to speak to the Governor-General himself. General v Scholten had the horses immediately put to, taking Kammerjunker Rothe with him into the carriage to drive to Frederiksted. This man, from what I had heard, had been always an advocate for the emancipation of the negroes. Before the General drove off, I requested a decided order from him as to whether I should remain lying in Bassin or depart for West End. After some reflection, he gave me the order. With this I left for that place. On my arrival, and immediately after having anchored, the “ Ornen’s” boats were armed, and I went ashore. The King’s Wharf was full of negroes, and everything was in disorder. Accom= panied by some of my armed men, I went to the Fort. By the entrance to same, I met General v Scholten in his carriage; he was just ready to drive back to Bassin. I reported my arrival, and asked for orders. The General’s answer was: “I have given Emancipation. Remain here with the ‘Ornen.’” This was the last order I received from him, and I did not see him again before my arrival in Denmark in the following year. In the Fort I spoke with Captain v Castonier, and shortly after, I sent, according to agreement with him, an officer with about fifty men as a reinforcement as well as for patroling. This detachment remained ashore some time. ; “‘By this time nearly all the estate negroes had left the town. Still everything was in the greatest confusion. Town-Bailiff Andresen’s house and Police-Assistant Didrichsen’s were entirely wrecked by the negroes. A Mr. Moore’s house and store had suffered to the extent of 20,000 dollars. Several lesser excesses had been committed, and armed negroes were seen off and on riding through the streets at a gallop. Most of the whites had fled to vessels lying in the harbour, of which the ‘‘Johann Marie” had over two hundred fugitives on board. On the night of our arrival, fires illumined different parts of the island.” * As everything was yet in the greatest confusion, and deeming it of the utmost importance to bring about order, Vice-Stadthauptmand F. v Scholten, the commander of the Fort, Captain Castonier, Police- master Ogaard and myself, assembled, and after due deliberation, issued the following order :— , ‘It is hereby made known, for the information of everyone con- cerned, that in case the country people should come to town in a riotous way and threaten to attack the Fort, or otherwise to disturb the inhabitants, then, and in such case, where more than ten people * Extract from Captain Irminger’s Report to the Minister of Marine. Des- patched 12th July, 1848. 186 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. are collected together, the Fort is ordered to fire upon them, as also his Majesty’s brig-of-war ‘“Ornen.”’ All peaceable inhabitants are therefore desired not to interfere with the country people, but keep out of their way. . “Prederiksted, 4th July, 1848. “ F. SCHOLTEN, C. IRMINGER, CASTONIER, OGAARD.” At the same time, the Proclamation of Emancipation that had been sent to West End from Bassin was read out. It is as follows :— 1. All unfree in the Danish West India Islands are from to-day free. 2. The estate negroes retain for three months from date the use of the houses and provision grounds of which they have hitherto been possessed. 8. Labour is in future to be paid for by agreement, but allowance of food to cease. 4, The maintenance of the old and infirm, who are not able to work, is, until further determined, to be furnished by the late owners. The General Government of the Danish West India Islands, St. Croix, the 3rd July, 1848. P. v SCHOLTEN. (L.8.) Still the greatest disorder reigned in the country, and there was much plundering and destruction on the estates. In the meantime many negroes showed that they themselves wished for peace and order. So much so, that several of the originators of the disturb- ances were caught and brought into the Fort by the friendly-inclined negroes. On the 5th July, the condition of the country being about the same, and as several buildings, together with a large garden planted with cocoanut trees near to the Fort, obscured the view and prevented firing from the Fort in that direction, it was found expedient to demolish them. This was soon effected by the brig’s indefatigable crew, so that we could now cover the North side road from the Fort. There were now forty or fifty men from the brig almost continually in the Fort as a reinforcement. As it was then found necessary to undertake military excursions inland to overawe the negroes, and at the same time to secure the authors of the riot, I took over on the 6th before daybreak the command of the Fort and garrisoned it with the crew from the brig. At four a.m. all the Royal infantry and artillery, together with the planters, overseers, and managers of estates, marched off under the command of Captain v Castonier. The latter force alone amounted to forty horsemen, and from sixty to seventy foot. At noon Art. Lieutenant Frank arrived from Bassin with a detach- nent of militia cavalry. Immediately after, a report was) circulated 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 137 that the Governor-General was dying, and on that account a Provi- sional Government had been organised in Bassin. I asked Lieutenant. Frank if he knew anything about it, to which he answered that shortly before he had left Bassin, he had seen the General on the wharf. Some time after Kammerjunker Rothe arrived in a boat from Bassin and read aloud the following :— ‘‘On account of the illness of the Governor-General, and with his concurrence, have we, the undersigned, Govt. Councillor Kunzen, Govt. Councillor Petersen, Kammerjunker Lands-overrets Assessor Rothe, Justitsraad Lands-overrets Assessor Foester, Justitsraad Police- master Frederiksen, Kammer Assessor Arnesen, and Lawyer Bahneberg, assembled as a Governing Commission, with full power to take all steps necessary in the present disturbed condition to bring about peace and order in the country. “The command of the military will be taken over by Oberst P. de Nully and Major A. v Falbe, who will confer with the above-named commission if necessary. “St. Croix, Christansted, 6th July, 1848, “KUNZEN, C. B. PETERSEN, FOSTER, ROTHE, FREDERIKSEN, H. L. ARNESEN, BAHNEBERG. “CARL REIMERS.” As the two Royal Government Councillors, Kunzen and Petersen, according to my ideas, could just as well have been in charge of the Government with full powers, notwithstanding that the Governor- General was sick, and there were even contradictory reports as to the correctness of that. I, for my part, protested against acknowledging this new Government until I was certain as to how it had originated. At half past four o'clock p.m. the men that had marched out in the morning returned with several of the leaders of the rising, upon which I again handed over the Fort to its commander. Although the military which had returned had not met with any opposition on their march, and the negroes on many estates had shown that they wished for peace and order, there were yet many of them who sought to excite the better part of the population. For this reason, and in view of the necessity for action, Vice-Stadthauptmand F. v Scholten, Major Gyllich, Capt. v Castonier, Policemaster Ogaard, Lawyer Sarauw, and I were unanimous in publishing the following :— ‘‘As the Authorities here have received no answer from His Excellency the Governor-General to the Reports forwarded to him, nor any of the instructions requested, and having this day learned that on account of illness he is not in a condition to: occupy himse! 188 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. with instructions, and as it is moreover necessary during the present negro rebellion in this jurisdiction to act immediately, we, the under- signed, as the highest authority in the place, have assembled to act until further. ‘“‘ Frederiksted, 6th July, 1848. ‘““F. SCHOLTEN, C. IRMINGER, CASTONIER, GYLLICH, OGAARD, SARAUW.” We then made known :— “Tt is with the utmost satisfaction that the inhabitants of this jurisdiction have learned that order and obedience to the laws has commenced to be re-established, and as from most evidence the hope can be entertained that regularity and order will go hand and hand, it is hereby promulgated that any person or persons opposing the authorities, or in any other manner combining for illegal or violent purposes, will be dealt with as rioters, and instantly shot. All peace- able and well-disposed inhabitants are called upon to assist the authorities in quelling disorder and apprehending the rioters. ‘“ Frederiksted, 6th July, 1848. “F. SCHOLTEN, ©. IRMINGER, CASTONIER, GYLLICH, OGAARD, SARAUW.” As many of the refugees on board the vessels were still in dread of the rioting negroes, and as there was some reason to suppose that in their fear they would remove from the island, in order to prevent them doing so, I forbade all ferrying with boats, from nine o’clock in the evening till four o’clock in the morning, which times were made known by a cannon shot from the brig. On the 7th the military again marched out in different directions. This had a good effect upon the negroes, and the roads became once more safe for traffic. In the Fort there were about one hundred rioters, of which the greater part had been brought in by the friendly negroes from the estates. A portion of the prisoners were taken on board the brig, and some distributed among the merchant vessels. In the meantime an order was issued to all parties concerned that they should within three days deliver up all stolen goods and arms, as every one, who after that time was found in possession of such, would be punished to the utmost extent of the law. On the 8th several carriages passed between Bassin and West End. Everything was quiet and safe on the road. Refugees from the vessels returned on shore to take up their residence in town. Sugar was brought in from several estates for shipment, and as everything now promised to go on smoothly, we, who had assembled as the highest authority in the place, handed over the charge of affairs to the commander of the Fort and the policemaster. At noon 220 men, auxiliary troops, arrived in Fredeériksted; 360 —s ST. CROIX.—HIST@RICAL. 189 were already in Christiansted. The Governor-General had asked for this assistance from Porto Rico. As an instance of General Prim’s* customary activity it should be mentioned that this fine body of men 580 all told, with cannon, and 30,000 cartridges were got ready and put to sea five hours after he had received the letter of the Governor- General. This prompt action and the fact that the insurrection had been repressed in the eastern and western parts of the island, con- tributed much to allay the fears of the inhabitants, and to inspire confidence. On the 9th Chamberlain Oxholm came to West End and took over the Governor-General’s affairs. In the meantime the coun- try was quiet, and the negroes had returned to work on a few of the estates. By this time several of the rioters had been tried by court- martial and shot. Omitting, as superfluous, some remarks of the Chamberlain depre- catory of the supineness of the Government in quelling the riot, and its want of energy on so trying an occasion, we pass to the concluding portion of his narrative. “From the reports it will be seen that Kammerjunker Rothe was sent as a sort of commissioner to Frederiksted, in order to proclaim the new Government established in Bassin. As I had already agreed with Captain v Castonier, to take over the command of the Fort with my men, while he undertook a march into the country with the military, I protested against subjecting myself to this Government, because— : 1. I assumed after the account that Lieutenant Frank had given me, that General v Scholten was not so sick but that he could have signed an order to me. 2. There were in the new Government several names almost unknown to me. 38. Kammerjunker Rothe did not produce anything in writing, either from General v Scholten, the existing Government, or the other two Government Councillors, Kunzen and Petersen, concerning this newly appointed Government Commission. I, therefore, considered it my duty not to submit myself blindly to the command of this Commission, especially as the report said that the Governor-General had been deposed. When Captain Castonier returned in the afternoon, I in- formed him of my protest. He fully concurred in my views. The other authorities in Frederiksted followed our example, and although Vice-Stadthauptmand, Chamberlain F. v Scholten, hesitated, he still signed the measures we took to restore order and quiet.” On the 12th July I despatched my report from West End to St. Thomas to leave by the Packet for Europe. It bears that day’s date. Written during the actual occurrence of the riots, it contains *Then Captain-General of Porto Rico. 140 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. my views respecting the events as they then appeared tome. I have seen no reason to change them. I never imagined that General v Scholten would leave the island, which, as is known, happened imme- diately after; consequently, my report arrived home with the same Packet on which he took passage. On the 24th July I left West End to be on hand to assist in St. Thomas. The 6th September I received orders to come with the ‘‘Ornen”’ to Bassin as quickly as possible, as riots had occurred, and it was not desirable, except absolutely necessary, to use the Spaniards. The Fort in Bassin was now reinforced by men from the ‘“ Ornen,”’ because, as is known, the Government had given way to the Brand corps and discharged the energetic Police-master Frederiksen. - a me CHAPTER XXIV. 8ST. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. HILE the events, which have been so graphically described by Chamberlains v Scholten and Irminger in the two pre- ceding chapters, were transpiring in Frederiksted, others of sae a similar character were taking place in the eastern part of the island—with this difference, that here the rioters encoun- tered serious opposition. It will be remembered that on the 8rd July the Governor-General left at 10 o’clock in the morning for Frederik- _sted accompanied by Kammerjunker Rothe. This was at the instance of many who hoped that the presence of His Excellency, who had always been a true friend to the negro, might have the effect of res- toring order among them. No sooner had he left than Major v Falbe, upon whom had devolved the command during the Governor-General’s absence, manned the two entrances to the town with artillery, West Indian infantry, and: some militia. The northern entrance was placed under Lieut. McCutchin, and the eastern under Lieut. Rahr, both of the militia. Their orders were not to allow the troops of negroes to enter the town, and, if then, after being warned off, they did not depart, to use grape shot. The jail (a large prison just out of town) was manned by one under-officer and two men of the Jeger Corps of Christiansted. About six o’clock p.m. General v Scholten returned from Frederiksted, where he had proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves. Major v Falbe then reported to the General the precautions he had taken, which were approved vf. This officer was then allowed to fire the alarm, so as to call in the whole of the militia to protect the town at night. Waiting until half-past seven o’clock to carry out this order, he received almost at the moment of its execution another to postpone it. But hearing the firing of cannon at the northern entrance of the town, and fearing an attack had been made, he immediately fired the alarm. Lieutenant McCutchin now reported that a troop of about two thousand negroes had made their appearance ; and) as, the 142 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. notwithstanding they were ordered off several times, continued to press en, they were fired upon with grape shot, which killed some and wounded many. This warm reception being entirely unexpected, they sought the country in wild flight. It turned out later that they intended to fire and plunder the town. Although the negroes had gained their freedom, the 4th of July saw them yet stealing and destroying everything upon the estates. General v Scholten, who would not permit Major v Falbe to march out against them, rode out himself into the country, accompanied only by his adjutant. Several troops of robbers whom he met, on being warned by him, promised to go home; but no sooner had the General turned his back on them than they again commenced their depreda- tions. It was evident that some more energetic measures would have to be taken to put a stop to such proceedings. With this in view, those inhabitants and those planters who had fled to the town for protection, appealed to Major v. Falbe, urging him to request the Governor-General to allow him to take the field against the negroes. This at first was denied him, but on renewing his request in presence of Kammer Assessor Arnesen, after some opposition the General gave the necessary permission, coupled with the conditions that Assessor Rothe should go along as civil commissary, and that the Major would promise not to fire on the negroes. Agreeing to the first, the Major promised to abide by the second so long as the negroes did not fire at him. On the morning of the 5th, at nine o’clock, Major v Falbe marched out of Christiansted with a force consisting of two cannon, sixty cavalry, and about one hundred and forty infantry, composed partly of regulars and militia. Proceeding to the North side, they over- hauled the estates Grande Princesse and St. John’s. On their appear- ance at the latter estate, a troop of negroes which had just finished plundering, fired at the cavalry and then hastily took to flight over the hills. Marching to Montpellier and Morning Star, they went over the back of the heights to Sion Hill, and several estates lying in the middle of the country. The negroes, who in the morning had collected about three thousand strong on estate Mon Bijou, with the object of trying again to surprise Christiansted, were no sooner aware of the advance of the troops, than they dispersed in the greatest haste, each one to his home, ready to assure the Major and his troop of soldiers, as they came to each estate, of their good behaviour and determination to keep quiet in future. At nine o’clock p.m. the force returned, and the General expressed himeelf satisfied with what had ’ been done. Unfortunately the South side had not been visited by this expedi- tion, owing to lack of time. The consequence was that the greatest disorder yet continued in that part of the island...As (soon as this 8T. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. : 143 became known to the inhabitants and planters on Thursday morning, ‘the 6th July, they surrounded the General as suon as he appeared on the wharf, and upbraiding him for his want of action, declared they would get another leader. Getting rid of them, the General rode home and sent an order to Major v Falbe to join him. On his appearance, His Excellency handed over the command to the Major, whom he directed to take as Assistant, Stadthauptmand Oberst de Nully. The General, who had not had any rest for four days and nights was in a very weak and exhausted condition. It was evident that the enormous responsibility which his action of Emancipating the Slaves, had involved, had seriously told upon his health. Care and anxiety were stamped upon his features and he expressed his desire ‘for some rest. The island was now declared in a state of siege, and a civil council ‘of several respectable officials was formed to assist the military . command, especially with the care of the troops. Major v Geillerup was now ordered to march out with the troops, to use force in the repression of disorder, to send in as prisoners the negroes who had shown themselves the most unruly, and to remain out scouring thie country till order was restored. The same orders were sent to Frederiksted, but this had already been done by Captain v Castonier. Prisoners were now rapidly brought in. Three hundred were already in the Fort. The riot was now virtually ended. With the arrival of six hundred Spanish troops and two mountain howitzers, despatched by General Prim from Porto Rico to their assistance, the inhabitants of St. Croix could now look forward to more peaceful times. On the evening of that day, Oberst v Oxholm arrived in Christiansted. The next day Oberst de Nully and Major v Falbe handed over the - command of the military to him. In the meantime, Oberst v Oxholm became Acting Governor-General, and General v Scholten left for Denmark. There he was tried before a Commission and condemned for dereliction of duty as Governor-General. Appealing to the Supreme Court against this decision, he was honourably acquitted. Many have been the comments upon Governor v Scholten’s course of procedure, but few have been able to throw any light upon the motives which actuated him. The Revd. Knox, who is very severe in his remarks, says, ‘that his entire conduct at a most trying juncture of circumstances was unworthy of his high office, and jeopardized the dearest interests and welfare of those he was bound to protect.” And yet we have heard him spoken of in terms of admiration by many of those who yet remembered him, and it is the opinion of more than one who was an eye-witness of the events which took place in Frederiksted that had the negroes been fired upon before the Emancipation was proclaimed, it would have been followed by, th 144 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. tutal destruction of the town and many estates.* Besides, for what were the negroes asking? Freedom! If he erred in yielding to their demands, then bless the error which gave to every slave in these islands such an inestimable blessing. His Excellency Peter Hansen arrived shortly afterwards in the capacity of King’s Commissioner and ad interim Governor for the Danish West India Islands. He possessed full authority to regulate the existing difficulties and pass all necessary laws to govern planters and labourers in their relation to each other. Some experience had already been gained in these relations whilst he delayed his coming, and he was not, therefore, without some guidance under his arduous and responsible duty. His measures were wisely taken. In a short time he passed an Act, the provisions of which were commendable for their wisdom and adaptation to meet the state of existing cireum- stances. This was generally known as ‘‘The Labour Act,” until the Riots of 1878, when it became, like slavery, its predecessor and prototype, a thing to he numbered with the past. BUDDHOE, OR GENERAL BOURDEAUX, LEADER OF INSURRECTION, 1848. We have but little more to add to this sketch of the Emancipation in the Danish West India Islands. Buddhoe, or General Bourdeaux, after a forcible abduction from West End, was handed over a prisoner * Just as it actually happened in Frederikated thirty years afterwards during the Labour riots. (Vide the riot of 1878.) . : 8ST. CROLX.—HISTORICAL. 145 to the authorities in Bassin. Major Gyllich, whose life had been saved by him, did not desert him. It is said that he even shared his imprisonment some days, having pledged his word that no harm should arrive to him. . Though the nominal leader of the rioters, Buddhoe had done the island good service by preventing them from committing more excesses than they did. Placed on board the “‘Ornen,” Governor- General Hansen left it to the captain to land him anywhere he saw fit on any one of the other West India Islands. Dressed as a gentleman, Buddhoe went on board well provided with clothes and other necessaries, only to have them taken off as soon as the vessel was out of port and to be put to work among the crew. On the 8th January, 1849, he was landed at Port of Spain, Trinidad, where Captain Irminger told him that if he ever went back to the Danish West Indies, he would forfeit his life. He is said to have been seen in Curagao afterwards, whence he proceeded to the United States of America. Martin King was fortunate enough to escape arrest until after martial law had ceased to be in force. He suffered imprisonment for two years, and in 1855 filled the humble post of rat-catcher on a North-side estate. eae 4 4 ff oe @2 HE OS i A a a _ = CHAPTER XXV. 8T. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. the year 1852, the militia corps of the Danish West Indies 5 was disbanded. Composed of respectable white and coloured citizens of these islands, it had done good service at the time of the insurrection. The story of how it happened is thus told by an ‘old inhabitant.” An order had been issued, forbidding the customary dances at Christmas time among the coloured population of Bassin. Notwithstanding this, they declared they would dance, at least in their own homes, and as a matter of course, did so in the evening. Whereupon a squad of military was ordered out, who without any warning whatsoever commenced firing right and left in the streets, killing many innocent persons. Of course, this created great alarm, and put a stop to the dances. In the meanwhile an officer of H.B.M.S. “Scorpion,” at the risk of his life made his way up to the soldiers and ordered them back to their barracks, a com- mand which they afterwards obeyed. No amount of after investiga- tion could elicit who gave the order for the military to go out. Every- one shirked the consequences of such a cowardly act, and such was the dread of retaliation from an angry populace that early in the morning, almost before some of them were out of bed, a requisition was made on the militia for their arms. The year 1851 saw the retirement of Councillor P. Hansen as Governor-General. In 1854, that of Chamberlain Feddersen, and in 1859, of Councillor Schlegel who was his successor. In the year 1861, when Councillor Birch held the reins of Govern- ment, H.R.H. Prince Alfred, now Duke of Edinburgh, paid a visit to St. Croix. This was the first scion of royalty who had ever set foot on Danish West Indian soil. His reception was characteristic of the generous hospitality which has always distinguished the inhabitants of these islands. An English speaking peoplo, imbued with English traditions, it is no wonder that the Crucians were effusive in. their ene. ST. CROIX.—-HISTORICAL. 147 demonstrations, and glad to welcome the son of a sovereign so beloved as Her Majesty Queen Viotoria. On the Sth February, 1866, a great fire took place in Bassin, originating in a rum shop in the market; it spread with frightful rapidity, destroying the English church, schoolhouse, and thirty-six private dwellings, forming altogether a loss of 100,000 dols. The next year, 1867, brought the great earthquake. - About ten minutes'to three in the afternoon of the 18th November two severe shocks took place in rapid succession, paralysing the inhabitants with fear and causing the greatest consternation. It was in Frederiksted that this dreadful calamity made itself the most severely felt; but a short time elapsed after the shock when the sea receded, leaving its bed quite bare. Gathering itself up into one mighty ocean-wall, it came toppling over in immense rollers, carrying all before it. Schooners, brigs, boats and skiffs, and even a large American war- steamer, the ‘‘Monangahela,’”’ were washed ashore; several lives were lost, many houses were swept away, and all the stores fronting the Bay-street were more or less injured. As there was no barrier to stop this terrific earthquake wave, no reef to bar its way, there was scarcely any limit to the amount of destruction it caused. Bassin was also a sufferer ; but not to such a degree, owing to its reef, most probably, though at a place called ‘Gallows Bay” some twenty houses were demolished. The estate owners sustained heavy losses. There was scarcely a plantation that did not suffer. Where the negro-houses did not receive damage either the dwelling-house, the mill, or the works were injured. The shocks continued at intervals for many days, all public offices were closed, business was suspended, and it was a long time before anyone returned to his former sense of security. Now followed years of drought, with rarely a good crop to save from threatened ruin. On more than one occasion the island was brought to the verge of bankruptcy. . As if these calamities were not sufficient, a severe hurricane took place. Once more their fields of cane, and dwellings were wrecked, and, where before had been smiling plenty, was now a heap of ruins. But they soon repaired their losses. With homes rebuilt, with the prospect of a splendid crop, the past was soon forgotten. They now looked with hope towards a brighter future. The Central Factory, with its improved machinery for making sugar, was in the course’of erection. The steam plough, harrow, and Scotch grubber had been already introduced. Planters talked enthusiastically about the higher cultivation of their lands. Prices were fair, and contentment seemed to reign on all sides. Governor Garde, whose efforts were indefatigable for the welfare of the island, was everywhere encouraging the industrious. Even the Labour Act, which had now and then been cited as an ugly “blot! upon’ so; muct 148 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. rural happiness was sometimes quoted as a proof of the superior working of the Administration. The negro could not possibly be happier than when well fed and bound by contract, exultingly said its advocates. The idea of the part that this portion of its population was once again to play in the island’s history never entered the heads of its sapient legislators, who to prove in what a peaceful and arcadian state they each and all were living, declared the Military force unnecessary, and, as a step towards retrenchment, voted its reduction. Met in a like spirit by the diet in Denmark and the Governor of these islands, it was not long before it passed the Council, and Frederiksted and King’s Hill were soon after relieved of their military forces. In other words, the whole island outside Christiansted was left practically defenceless. Here. was a chance which even a negro might not lose. From that hour the Labour Act was doomed. A writer in the Quarterly Review, of July, 1875, says: ‘‘Forced labour, under whatever name disguised, apprenticeship or other, always odious, becomes doubly so, when applied to a special caste or race of men. Scarcely less odious or less foolish, are the laws by which the terms and duration of agreement between workmen and their employers are fixed and limited beforehand ; above all where differences of blood and colour tend inevitably to render irritating the very semblance of constraint, and exaggerate every difficulty of. class and position. And hence the injudicious interference of artificial regulations, however seemingly well intentioned and, to use a cant phrase, ‘ paternal,’ like those yet existing, the remnants of a best forgotten past in some West Indian Colonies—the Danish, for example, can only, as the result has already proved in those same Danish Islands, blight instead of foster, stunt, not promote development, besides giving rise to deep ill- feeling, mistrust, and eventual resistance; the sure consequences of class legislation, whatever its pretext.” Four years after these lines were written the labourers’ riot in St. Croix took place. With as peaceable a labouring population as ever existed, and a Labour Act under which everyone seemed to work admirably, not to say contentedly, who would have thought that deep ill-feeling, mistrust, and discontent were widely spread over that fertile and picturesque island? And yet it was so. Admirable as were the provisions of the Labour Act, and well adapted as it was to the early days of emancipation, it became apparent to every well- informed mind that as the negro grew in intelligence and began to appreciate the so-called blessings of freedom and free labour, that from time to time some amendments would have to be made. And these were effected as occasion offered by the Colonial Government, procrastinatingly, it is true, but still some changes were made, which is saying a great deal, if it be taken into consideration how slowly wnything in the shape of innovation is effected in these colonies. 8T. CROIX.—HISTORICAL. 149 Time rolled on, and the Island of St. Croix, still. shuffled along under the old regime of class legislation. St. Thomas we might here observe, had long since put away agriculture—that is, the negro did it for her. Finding more lucrative employment in town as a porter or coal carrier, he bade defiance to the Labour Act, and almost every other regulation controlling the terms of his service, and claimed the privilege of working for himself when he liked, how and where it might please him. It must, however, be said that the industrious negro in St. Croix was, after all, much better off than his coloured brother in St. Thomas, and infinitely more so than the white European labourer. He worked only five days in the week, had a comfortable room on the estate where he worked, could pull any kind of grass, except guinea grass, that grew in the cane pieces. He was allowed a plot of land about 1,600 . square feet to cultivate and to rear any stock he could feed himself, such as hogs or poultry. Many of them kept a horse and cart, besides having their rooms well furnished. If inclined to work on a Saturday, they were given twenty cents cash, and got either biscuit or bread to the value of three or four cents, a gill of rum, and at least a quart of - flour. During crop-time, every day the mill was about, they got a measure of liquor for every individual at work in their family, which being more than they could consume, was generally boiled down and sold in the market on Saturdays under the form of sugar cakes, or exported to other islands ‘in the form of concrete sugar. Besides these privileges, they got ten cents per day in money, six quarts of corn meal per week, and two pounds of salt fish. On such. estates which had fruit, cocoanuts, or wood, the labourer was allowed to pick sufficient of these to enable him in many cases to realise fifty to seventy cents from either, as the case might be; while those prefer- ring to make charcoal or burn-coal, sold it to the townspeople on Saturdays at fifty to seventy cents a bag. A nurse was also employed to attend to them in cases of sickness. They got physic, sago, and other little delicacies from the estate gratis. And for the small contri- bution of three cents per week, they were entitled to a doctor’s attendance. In case of severe illness, they were frequently provided with wines or brandy, according to the doctor’s orders, many planters sending them nourishing food from their own tables. When the crop was reaped, each estate soon after gave the labourers a treat, or celebrated ‘‘crop over” as it is called. On the day appointed for the celebration they worked from seven a.m., the usual hour, till twelve o’clock noon, when they repaired to the allowance cellar for rations. First-class labourers receiving four quarts white flour and two pounds ham or salt pork. Second and third class receiving a less quantity. About three o’clock p.m., a band of music accompanied them to the manager’s house, where they 150 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. danced till about midnight, refreshments, such as cherry cordial for the females and rum for the males being at their disposal. At Christmas they got the same present of flour and salt pork, with the addition of cherry cordial, rum and sugar; and on New Year’s Day, they generally danced in the manager’s house, the music being provided by the estate. We have thus minutely described the advantage which the labourer enjoyed, to show that the planters, in spite of being bound by an Act which compelled them to give as much to the lazy negro as to his more industrious companion, were not unkind to their estate people, and that it is not at their doors that the cause of the labourers’ riot must be looked for. Indeed, it would be safer to say that at that time, none were so discontented as those who ought to have been contented. And yet to the binding fetters of . the Labour Act—which, in spite of the happy picture we have drawn, must often have been inexpressibly galling both to man and master from its semblance to a slavery long since past and gone—must we look for the spark which kindled the flames of Frederiksted and destroyed some of the fairest homesteads in the island of St. Croix. CHAPTER XXVI. 8T. CROIX—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. wSN THE year 1878, an impression had gained ground among the rural population of St. Croix, that the Labour Act would cease to be in force by the 1st October of that year. The Central Factory was now working, and as the labourers which it employed were earning thirty to thirty-five cents a day, many of those who worked on the plantations were looking anxiously forward for the Act to expire in anticipation of getting higher wages from the planter or leaving him to work at the Factory. ’ Up to that time, since the Emancipation in 1848, it had been customary among the country labourers changing residence from one estate to another, at the expiration of their yearly contracts, to assemble in the two towns of the island—Christiansted and Frederiksted—on the 1st of October. Some for the purpose of leaving for St. Thomas or other places, some for the purpose of selling their services to the highest bidder among the planters for the, following year and others for a spree. In the meantime, in order to effect a reduction in the expenses of the island, the military forces stationed at King’s Hill and at Frederiksted were abolished, the latter place and the estates in the centre of the island being left comparatively defenceless. It is said, however, that when these men were removed that one of the members of the Colonial Council, alarmed for the safety of the country and foreseeing danger, brought in a draft for the establishment of a rural constabulary. ' Unfortunately, a little of the usual procrastination stepped in and the draft fell to the ground. It isa pity that they did not think of doing away with the Labour Act before reducing the military establishment. For, with only sixty soldiers in Christiansted, there was every inducement for the country labourer to play his hand once again, and, as in 1848, by a rising, put an end to this; remnant. c’ 152 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES BAY STREET, FREDERIKSTED, THE MORNING BEFORE THE RIOT. slavery. The opportunity was all he required. And in less than a year it declared itself. On the Ist of October, 1878, it was particularly observed on King- street, Frederiksted, in which three rum shops were situated, that though thickly crowded with people from the estates, their behaviour was most orderly and quiet. This was as late as one o’clock p.m. Scarcely a drunken individual showed himself. Not a sign of disorder was visible, and if any design of breaking the peace were intended it was not then perceptible. Thus passed the afternoon, an amount of d humour prevailing among the Jabourers, unknown to the in- habitants of the town for years. Not till the hour of three p.m. rang out, did the first sign of discon- tent become manifest. A large crowd, seemingly under the influence of great excitement, were first seen gesticulating and talking in angry tones on the corner of Dronningens and Kongens Tvergade (Queen’s and King’s Cross streets), near to the apothecary’s shop. The Revd. *, C. Du Bois, British Vice-Consul for Frederiksted, who. lived. two ST. CROIX.—THE, LABOURERS’ RIOT, 153 or three doors off and was sitting in his study at the time, hearing this uproar, went out among the mob and asked ‘‘ what was the matter.” Crowding around him, they said they had been ill-treated by the police who had beaten one of their number severely, for which they had chased them into the Fort, now used as a police station. Perceiving their anger, this gentleman sought to appease them and to persuade them to leave the town. To this they eventually consented. At this moment the Policemaster and Police-Assistant drove up, followed by two mounted orderlies, who galloped among the crowd with drawn swords, not striking them, but using every means short of actual force to disperse them. Becoming furious at this, they attacked the two soldiers with stones. Their lives being endangered, they put spurs to their horses and made for the Fort at the other end of the town, followed at full speed by the Policemaster and his assistant. The mob chased them as fast as they could, hooting at and stoning them, but they reached the Fort first, and the two officials passed in, leaving the two orderlies drawn up in front of the outer entrance. In the meantime the Revd. J. C. Du Bois never lost sight of the crowd, and when he overtook them he found them drawn up between the Custom House and the Fort, preparing to assault the latter. Placing himself in front of them, his tall and stalwart form over- topping many in that sea of angry-looking faces, he remonstrated with them and pointed out the serious consequences to themselves of such a course. Utterly regardless of danger, relying solely on the goodness of his cause and the influence he had gained over many of them, he entreated them to desist and follow him out of the town, to which they replied ‘‘if he would go home they would.” Refusing to do so, unless they all went together, they became impatient and declared their intention of storming the fort. So excited were they, that it was not until the Revd. Du Bois cried out, ‘‘then you never shall enter the Fort unless you pass over my body,” that they hesitated, and one of their leaders exclaiming, ‘‘ A we might as well go wi’ he, fo’ you know he from old time, if he say so he will do it,” he took advantage of it and said, “‘ then follow me,” moved off up the street towards the eastern exit of the town and led the whole body along with him, clashing their sticks together, and making a tremendous noise. On seeing the erowd leave, the Police- master and his assistant drove out of the Fort, got out of the phaeton and followed with the crowd as far as the well, just outside the town. There they halted, and the British Vice-Consul, getting on an elevated bank on the roadside, addressed a few words to them, pointing out if they had any grievances, this was no way to obtain redress, but if they would send a deputation of their own people to him on the following or any future day, he would go with them personally and act as their spokesman in stating their wrongs, if )they 144 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. had any, when he had no doubt that if there were any foundation for them they would be redressed. This they agreed to do, after much murmuring among themselves, and then two or three of the more intelligent among them, stepped forward and stated their complaints. Firstly, the low rate of wages given to the estate labourers in com- parison to the larger amount given to those of the Central Factory, viz., ten cents against thirty-five cents. Secondly, the annual con- tract, which they pronounced to be slavery, inasmuch as if the slightest mistake were made in the date of giving notice for a termination of the contract, they were compelled to remain on that estate for another year contrary to their will. Thirdly, the power given by the law to a manager to fine for certain offences, and their frequent abuse of that prerogative, and lastly the difficulties thrown in the way of labourers leaving the island by the police authorities, such as compelling them to exhibit what money they had when they wanted a passport. Repeating to them, that their troubles might all be settled in the manner he had already proposed, he again besought them to leave the town. Consenting to this, and giving three cheers for the Vice-Consul, they were about doing so, when a woman ran towards them screaming out that the man who had been beaten by the police had just died in the hospital. Their worst passions being now aroused, they declared that they must return to town. In vain did the Rev. Du Bois implore them, in vain did he stand before them, in vain did he attempt to dissuade them from an act of folly which might afterwards cost them so dearly. They were inexorable, and all that he could obtain from them was a promise to return to that spot. The mob then ran down to the Hospital, whither the Policemaster and his Assistant had preceded them. A few of them afterwards returned outside the town, where they found the British Vice-Consul awaiting them. On his asking them where the others were, they replied that they had gone down to the Fort, but as they had promised him to come back, they had kept their word, adding, ‘‘We’re not all blackguards.” Commending their conduct, he begged them to go home peaceably. As there was no more left for him to do, he turned homewards, where his mother was lying dangerously ill. Let us now follow the footsteps of the maddened crowd which rushed tumultuously down to the Hospital. Here they were met by the doctor. Threatening to kill him, he escaped with the Police- master. They then rushed up the steps, entered the Hospital, knocked down the sick nurse and one of the patients, declaring that they must see the dead man at once. On being informed by the manager that the man was not dead, but dead drunk, and if he were left alone quietly he would soon get over it, they left the place and started for the Fort. There the Policemaster had arrived only a few ST. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 155 minutes before, and found that the Police Assistant had promptly distributed what weapons he had. He was just about writing to Christiansted for assistance when the mob came shouting up Strand- street and took up their stand in front of the Fort. A few moments after a perfect avalanche of stones was sent upon the little band of defenders within; but it was only upon its being repeated that the Policemaster gave orders to fire. No one was hit, however, and the mob gaining courage from the fact, returned to the attack, demolished the outer gate, and rushed pell-mell into the outer Fort yard. Ere this the police had hurried into the inner Fort yard, barred the gate under the judge’s office, and got the orderlies, who had promptly stalled their horses, in by a back door fronting the stable-yard. The mob then bombarded the Fort with missiles of every description ; brickbats, conch shells, and a lot of cannon-balls being poured with relentless fury against that devoted edifice. Had those who were defending the place not have used their weapons effectively, not a man would have been left alive to tell the tale, for the mob would have torn them in pieces had they effected an entrance. Finding the fire too hot for them and their efforts ineffectual, though the inner door had nearly given way, they retired to wreak their vengeance on the town. Just at this moment, a planter, Mr. Fontaine, rode in, and wishing to enter the Fort in defiance of the mob, he was struck from his horse with a club—some say a conch shell; as he was far from being popu- lar with the labourers, he was severely beaten.* In the meantime, the Policemaster had despatched his coachman on horseback through the stable gate of the Fort by the Northside road, with a letter for assistance. This man, though pursued on the way by bands of rioters, managed to reach Estate ‘Punch,’ the manager of which sent the letter on by another messenger to Estate ‘*Mon Bijou.” This man was also frequently stopped while on the * This gentleman was rescued from the hands of the mob by Mr. J. Moore, who was himself for many days afterwards mourned as dead. Mr. Moore, at the imminent risk of his own life, had Mr. Fontaine brought up in his house, and sent for Dr. Hansen at once, who skilfully tended him and dressed his wounds. But it most unfortunately happened that on account of the disturbed state of the town, they were afraid to move him to his estate, which was his greatest wish, as he was in-his perfect senses. He remained at Mr. Moore’s until between one and two o’clock in the morning, when the house was fired by the mob. As he could not be allowed to burn to death, he was removed to the open garden and laid at the foot of a tree, with a pillow under his head. In this position he was found next morning, dead. Poor fellow! he was the first victim. Alas! not the last. Mr. Moore remained as long as possible with him, until his own life was endangered, when he had to run in the sea from the fury of the mob, who had caught a glimpse of him in his office of charity. He hid under one of the wharves till morning up to his breast in salt water, when he sought refuge in the Fort. 156 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. road by great numbers of estate labourers, but succeeded in reaching “Mon Bijou,” from which estate the monager despatched a third, who reached Christiansted on the morning of the 2nd inst., at one p.m., and delivered the letter to the President. As the force within the Fort at Frederiksted was small and very poorly armed, they were fearful at every moment of another assault and of their ammunition falling short. All they could do was to remain inside and guard against another attack, which the rioters wisely refrained from attempting, as several of them had been wounded in the first assault. Finding that here, at least, they would find resistance, danger, and probably death, they turned their rage upon the unoffending inhabitants. Here the true character of the riot showed itself. Had it been a preconcerted thing, they would have so arranged their plans as to have destroyed everyone in authority and everything belonging to them before injuring the innocent townspeople. But they peformed their horrid work regardless of position, creed, or colour, many of their own people’s houses being among the first that they set fire to. Let us now return to the Revd. J. C. Du Bois, who, as was customary with him afte: dark, was sitting on the little porch fronting his residence, wondering how that fearful night would end. He had heard the firing from the Fort, had been told that the police were hard beset by the mob, and that the woman who had given the report respecting the death of the man at the head of the town, had been the first among the wounded, and that the mob was coming up to batter down the policemen’s dwellings, still he never thought the rioters would proceed to such extremities. But by this time they were furious, and had broken open the store of a Mr. Kierullf, under Mr. Ford’s dwelling house. There they took out the goods, strewed them in the streets, and set fire to them. On seeing this act of wanton destruction, the Revd. J. C. Du Bois went immediately among them again, only to find them in the act of breaking open and sacking the store of Mr. F. Lund in the market. He again remonstrated with them, but in a few moments they had emptied the store and burnt the goods in the street. Thence they rushed to the fireproof of Mr. Kierullf. There the Revd. Du Bois placed his back against the door and asked them why they would destroy Mr. Kierullf’s place, as he was a man notoriously kind to them. The reply was, ‘‘He is a white man.” ‘And so amI,” said the Revd. Du Bois. ‘‘Oh,” was the answer, ‘‘you!—you are different ; you are our friend. You can go wherever you like; no man will harm you.” On his asking them if they intended to bum down the town, the churches and school-houses, they replied, ‘‘No, sir; we shall only burn the goods—no houses; blood has been shed, and we must have revenge. As for you Revd., youcan go home to 8T. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 157 bed and go to sleep, no fire shall cross the street below your house.” All this time the women were bringing out the goods, piling them up in the street and setting fire to them. Just at this moment a large number of labourers rushed in from the North side, vociferating furiously, ‘‘The town not lighted up yet? ‘You are too slow. It’s very dark; we must have a light.” They then rushed to the store of Mr. B. Woods, which they literally ransacked. Pitching the goods here and there, and tumbling them about the wooden gallery in front, they poured kerosene over them and set them on fire, which spreading itself to the wood flooring, ignited the whole place. Here some tins of gunpowder exploded, which the mob, in their guilty fear supposing to be the reports of the rifles of the military, caused them to pause in their work of destruction. Soon recovering from their temporary panic, they rushed to the store of Mr. John Moore, which they broke open. Arming themselves with a number of cane bills which he kept for sale, they set fire to the house and establishment. The conflagra- tion having become general, they proceeded in a most systematic way to light up the town, or ‘‘ to strike a light,” as they termed it. For instance, one of them would stop before a house from which the ter- rified inhabitants had fled, and crying out, ‘‘It is too dark here—we must have a light,” would well saturate the most combustible part of it with kerosene, while another would apply the torch. And now this carnival of horror may be said to have reached its height. The Revd. Du Bois, finding his efforts unavailing, had left them, and no check being placed upon their passions, they opened, and burnt, and destroyed with a celerity absolutely appalling. The rum stores having been broken into, liquor began to play its part also, maddening a great number with drink. The heat was now intense, and the fierceness of the flames became unbearable; house after house caught fire, and soon an immense body of flame rose writhing and licking the dank atmosphere in all colours of the rain- bow. It was an awful sight. The entire Bay-street was blazing, with three other streets behind it. The heavens were illuminated for miles around. Volumes of smoke, and volumes of seething, roaring, scorching fire, flared up to the sky. Fortunately the night was calm, or not a roof might have been left to shelter the many who had been rendered homeless and penniless that night. In the meanwhile, the puncheons of rum stored up in the ware- houses began to burst one after the other with a report like a cannon, their contents giving fresh impetus to the devouring element. The streets ran fire, burning up on the Bay-street a number of hogsheads of sugar that laid there ready for shipment, and hundreds of the rioters were dancing like mad around them. The women—and they seemed the worst—danced and sang, or rather howled, the men joined in chorus, clashed their sticks, blew their shells, and set fire. 158 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH- WEST INDIES. A REBEL. Shrieking, yelling, and leaping, their lithe forms lighted up by the glare around them, they looked more like a legion of fiends than things human. ‘Our Side” was their watchword, and it fared ill with the trembling townsfolk who would not repeat it with them. To relate all the insults which many of these wretches put upon some of the ladies who fell into their clutches, to relate all the misery, despair, and anxiety that filled the breast of every civilized man, woman, and child that night would fill volumes. Husbands were separated from their wives, parents from their children, and fear reigning paramount, each one sought safety in flight. Some found shelter in the churches, and a few others on board the barque “Carib,” which lay in the roadstead, from whose brightly illumi- nated ‘decks they could see their town and their homes and all they held dear burning hopelessly away. Many shed tears, as they. saw some relic that for years had been treasured up topple over into the flames. ‘Nothing was too sacred for this band of monsters. They sat down to the pianos, and knocked their rough hands on them, apeing the airs, ‘as they said, of their mistresses. The tiny shoe, the frock, or the a ‘a ee ST. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 159 portrait of some loved one was thrown with a gibe and a jeer into the flames. Not a man dared to save a fraction of what had cost him years to accumulate. They ruthlessly, cruelly destroyed every- thing. And so the hours wore draggingly, slowly, and wearily along, everyone supposing each moment might be his last. How many who never prayed before, prayed for morning that night can never be told. Of the many shopkeepers in West End, they only spared two—Mr. Reuter and Mr. Malgrav, who, by entreaties and tact, saved nearly everything. In Mr. Reuter’s case particu- larly, they even assisted him in saving his effects, such as his furniture, clothing and jewellery, allowing nothing to be touched where they had once given their word it should escape harmless ; for when they were proceeding to destroy the apothecary’s shop, situated at the corner of the cross street below the Rev. Du Bois, on the cry being raised: ‘‘ We promised the Parson not to let the fire pass the street,’ they came forward themselves and drew it away. The Revd., perceiving this, and thinking the fire might spread in spite of them, had his family removed to the church, which became immediately filled with refugees. Forbidding any light to be used or any noise to be made indicating their presence to the rioters, the Revd. returned to his house and sat at his porch till the morning. Affairs looking desperate at 3.30 a.m., the Police-master despatched another messenger to Christiansted, who, after encountering much difficulty, reached Christiansted at 5 a.m.; but when he arrived the military had left three hours before. Between three and four o’clock, the rioters made a second attack upon the Fort, and set fire to the petroleum house, which at that time contained 840 gallons of petro- leum and'2,000 squibs. Thanks to a small fire engine the police got into play, they succeeded in limiting’ the fire to the kerosene house, at the risk of being crushed by the stones thrown by the rioters, who, in some instances, were shot on their approaching too near. This attack lasted until 5 a.m. A little before 6 a.m., when part of the rioters had left town, and most of those remaining had gathered north of the Moravian Church and were, most probably, preparing a third attack on the Fort, Lieut. Ostermann arrived with the Military by the North-side road and was admitted through the stable-gate of the Fort. At once this gallant officer led his little band of men against the rebels, who fled in all directions on their firing a few volleys. It was while they were pur- suing them out of the town that the Rev. Du Bois had what one might truly call a most miraculous escape. This gentleman, after having passed the night on the little porch in the front of his house, viewing scenes which can be more readily imagined than described, went over to the church as morning ‘dawned upon him at last. After remaining a few minutes, he came (back 160 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. BAY STREET, FREDERIKSTED, THE MORNING AFTER THE RIOT. leading his little son by the left hand and having a lady on his right, at a short distance from him. As they emerged from the churchyard into the street a large number of rioters flew past them, followed at a distance by the soldiers who were firing at them. The whistle of the balls, one of which cut the limb of a tree over the Vice-Consul’s head and another passing through the skirt of his coat warned him of his imminent danger. Catching up his boy, he ran with the lady into a neighbouring yard for safety. The soldiers fired three volleys, but killed none of the fugitives, who fled from the town to complete their horrid work of destruction by setting fire to the estates in the country. Lieutenant Ostermann then occupied the Fort and the Revd. J. C. Du Bois returned to his home. While all these fearful events were taking place in the town of Frederiksted, the inhabitants of Bassin or Christiansted were slumbering in blissful ignorance of the ruin and havoc being com- mitted so near to them. Not till one o’clock in the morning of the second did the Vice-President receive the first: letter that} had been —_> 8ST. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 161 despatched by the Policemaster of Frederiksted imploring assistance. It is needless to say that he acted at once, and despatched Lieutenant H. Ostermann to the scene of action with all he could spare of the garrison. With only twenty men this officer rode through the country, reaching Frederiksted in time to save what remained of it and drive the rioters into the country. At five o’clock a.m., the Vice-President received another letter from Frederiksted, in which the Policemaster urgently repeated his demand for help. Immediately on the receipt of the first despatch, the President attempted to telegraph to St. Thomas, but as no night service was established between the station in Christiansted and St. Thomas, this proved impracticable, and hence the President’s telegram concerning the occurrences in Frederiksted did not reach His Excellency Governor Garde, until the 2nd October, at 7.30 a.m. On receiving this tele- gram, His Excellency applied to the General Superintendent of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Captain 8. Dix, for a steamer, and this gentleman immediately placed the 8.8. “ Arno,” which could only, unfortunately, be made ready for departure the same day at 12.30 o’clock, at the disposal of the Government. His Excellency was on the point of leaving st. Thomas for Frederiksted in this steamer, when he received a telegram stating that the Vice-President of St. Croix had intelligence to the effect that the Fort in Frederiksted had been burnt down and that the estates in the vicinity of Frederiksted had been fired. ‘‘We are taking all possible measures to defend this (the eastern) part of the country, but our success is doubtful without assistance from else- where.” The apprehension expressed in the telegram, that Christiansted could not be held, induced His Excellency to proceed thither in the first instance, and in this determination he was confirmed by observ- ing during the trip, extensive fires in many different places in the country to the west of King’s Hill, a circumstance which left him no hopes of being able to arrive in time to save the western part of the island. At six o’clock p.m., His Excellency arrived at Christiansted, and at once declared the island in a state of siege. As may be imagined, the town of Christiansted was in a state of confusion difficult to describe. The wildest stories were afloat, and everyone seemed ready to believe them; the impossibility of obtain- ing any really authentic news; the reports that the rioters had armed themselves with muskets and other firearms, stolen from the stores in West End; the rumours that it was a deeply laid plot to destroy all the white and coloured inhabitants in the town, and that they were now advancing on Christiansted with that intention, were now magni- M 162 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. fied by repetition. The town was soon filled with refugees. Managers with their families and overseers came pouring in; each one with his separate tale of horror. Altogether the position was not to be envied. With no definite news to guide him, a scared populace and an angry, and in some cases unreasonable set of planters to deal with, who were accusing the Government of being the cause of all their misfortunes. His Excellency’s position was most trying, and no one but those who have been placed in situations of great responsibility themselves, were even moderately capable of judging his actions. At nine p.m. a small body of troops was despatched from Chris- tiansted along the north side of the Island, in order to unite with a detachment which had advanced along the so-called Centre Line, as far as King’s Hill. The Government report says that “both these detachments were, however, obliged to retreat the same night, see- ing that the dark and rainy weather in connection with the already considerable height of the canes prevented them from observing what took place around them, and from securing themselves against being cut off from Christiansted.” In the meanwhile estate after estate was wrecked and plundered, beautiful homes were reduced to ashes, and the island seemed doomed to destruction. It was not until the 3rd October that the first band of rioters, numbering at least three to four hundred, were encountered at estate ‘‘Anna’s Hope,” about fifteen minutes’ drive from Christiansted, by a force of the military and a volunteer corps of planters and managers organised for the occasion. The rioters had just commenced burning the estate, but were checked by the arrival of the soldiers. Though some of the rioters were shot and others captured, there was no resistance offered—they simply fled in terror, the moment they saw that the Government had yet the power and the will to punish them for their misdeeds. Still, this did not prevent them from firing estates within sight of the military, no sooner had they proceeded towards the relief of Frederiksted. On the public road outside estate ‘Carlton’ were lying the corpses of two soldiers that had belonged to Lieutenant Ostermann’s gallant detachment. These unfortunate men had been left behind in charge of a wagon at this estate, and were brutally murdered by a band of rioters, who had shockingly mutilated them. It is said that the women behaved more like fiends than human beings towards them. But we draw a veil over this part of our narrative. At this place they sur- prised another band of rioters, and with minds infuriated by the sight of the mutilated bodies of their dead comrades, it is to be readily con- ceived that the soldiers gave no quarter. They hunted them through the estate’s negro village. Many of those who had taken refuge in the houses were shot or bayoneted. Some hid under the mattresses to evade pursuit, but the soldiers passing their bayonets through, ST. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 163 showed no pity for those fugitives from a terrible retribution. It is said that many innocent people suffered with the guilty, and that scenes of great brutality took place. At two o’clock p.m. they arrived in Frederiksted, and were received with cheers by the distressed inhabitants. It is needless to add that the town afforded a melancholy spectacle ; one-third of the houses was reduced to ashes, amongst which were included the Custom House, its finest buildings and stores, with an immense amount of merchandize. A reinforcement of fifteen soldiers being left at Frederiksted, the remainder went on board the “Arno,” which had arrived from Chris- tiansted bringing supplies of provisions and ammunition. Owing to the darkness of the night she could only leave at four a.m. On the 4th, the French ship-of-war “La Bourdonnais,” Capitaine du Frégate H. Mayet, arrived at Christiansted ; it left on the same day for Frederiksted, but returned to Christiansted on the 5th with the information that the British ship-of-war ‘‘ Tourmaline,” Captain Denistoun, had arrived at Frederiksted ; both ships, as well as the U.S. ship-of-war ‘‘ Plymouth,” which arrived later, having been summoned by respectively the French, British, and United States Consuls in St. Thomas, Messrs. 8. Lucchetti, G. A. Stevens, and V..V. Smith. Both the French and British commanding officers, as well as the commander of the United States ship-of-war ‘‘ Plymouth ”’ offered the Government active military assistance towards the restoration of order; but, considering that the rioters had become intimidated, and that the force of the riot had been broken owing to the vigorous action of the volunteers and the troops, his Excellency did not avail himself of these offers, being averse to any useless sacrifice of life, and being unwill- ing to destroy, where, by saving. he might not only preserve the labour of the country, but might also hope to bring a misguided and guilty people to reason. His Excellency, however, requested the command- ing officers to remain at the island with their ships-in order to inspire confidence, and if necessary, afford assistance in case of any outbreak of fire. Government had been furthermore most generously offered by the Captain-General of Porto Rico, 300 men with two mountain howitzers. The military, especially the detachment stationed at Frederiksted, patrolled the country far and wide, during which it captured many prisoners. The total number of prisoners made was about 300, of which 200 were lodged in Richmond Jail. _ Under date of the 5th October, a proclamation was issued and read on all the estates, ordering all the labourers to return to their houses, or they would be dealt with as rebels if found hiding. They were also enjoined to provide themselves with passports from their employers when they left their homes on a lawful errand. On that came date an extraordinary Court-Martial was appointed by his Excellency, th mu 2 164 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. Governor, charged with pursuing and adjudging the crimes committed in and during the rebellion by rebels, rioters, and all other parti- cipants. This Court delivered, from the 7th to the 13th October, six sentences in Christiansted and six sentences in Frederiksted, which sentences were put into execution by shooting. After pronouncing these verdicts, the action of the Extraordinary Court. was limited to certain examinations. On the 14th October, 25 men of the force from St. Thomas returned to that island under the command of First-Lieut. Baron Eggers. The British ship-of-war remained at Frederiksted until the 19th inst., and left that day for the British West Indies, after having con- veyed to Christiansted 127 prisoners from the over-filled prison in Frederiksted. . On the 21st October, the French ship-of-war, ‘‘La Bourdonnais” which till then had been stationed in the port of Christiansted, took up her station in the roadstead of Frederiksted, and remained there until the 25th October, when she was relieved by the United States frigate ‘‘ Plymouth,” above-mentioned. On the 28th October, the Court Martial was discontinued, and simultaneously His Excellency appointed, by virtue of a power con- ferred on him by His Majesty the King’s most Gracious Resolution of the 25th inst., a Commission of investigation, charged with the investigation and adjudging of all cases arising from the above-men- tioned crimes. The sentences passed by this Commission were subject to immediate appeal to the Supreme Court of Denmark. Did time and space allow us, we might enter into further details of this outbreak. With it ceased the Labour Act. The negro was actually free at last, to come and go; to dispose of his labour as he best saw fit. "With this freedom came responsibilities. Whether he has borne his fair share of them since, is a problem not quite solved. We believe he will, eventually, with proper education and encouragement. It is but fair to state that from the time of the riots he has been orderly enough, if not sufficiently industrious. Though of this anyone may satisfy himself who cares to see the smiling fields and high state of cultivation of St. Croix. Of the other actors in the drama we have but little here to say. His Most Gracious Majesty’s High Commissioners, who came out a short time after, when they had hobknobbed and dined and wined with the different cliques, which then existed, and heard every other story except the right one, left for Copenhagen. Commanders and Knights of Dannebrog were sown broadcast. Even the people went so far as to create a few titles, some of which are yet remembered. ‘‘ Queen Mary,” ‘General Paris,” and ‘‘ Joe La Grange” are some. of them. Lieutenant Ostermann, who may be said to have saved Frederik ST. CROIX.—THE LABOURERS’ RIOT. 165 ! | \\ Wt ant i 0) hyo il © gy fl inl ‘' mt i | QUEEN MARY. sted from utter destruction through the timely appearance of himself and his gallant band of soldiers, was presented with a handsome sword in a silver scabbard, which bore the following inscription :— ‘¢ PRESENTED TO LizuTENANT H. OsTERMANN, by certain residents in the town and district of Frederiksted, as a testimonial of their appreciation of his prompt and soldierly services during the Insur- rection in St. Croix of October, 1878.” An elegant gold watch from some Danish residents in St. Thomas was presented to him shortly afterwards. This also was inscribed :— ‘“Lreotenant H. Ostermann, Til Erindring om Nalten imellem den 1* og 2°" October, 1878.” The Revd. J. C. Du Bois, in addition to being highly spoken of by His Excellency the Governor in the Colonial Council, was presented with a fitting testimonial, accompanied by an affectionate letter from those who had been his college classmates in the United’ States. c 166 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. America. Close upon this, followed a purse of 800 dols., and an eloquent address from a number of the inhabitants of the island respective of creed or party. From the British Foreign Office, he received words of high approbation over the Foreign Minister’s own signature, and the sum of £200 sterling. We close this tribute to the worth of two brave men with the name of Francis Armstrong, Esq., H.B.M.’s Vice-Consul for Bassin, who, leaving his country residence early on the morning of the 2nd October, drove right through the rioters to West End to the assistance of his colleague. How he escaped massacre from the infuriated negroes coming out of Frederiksted can only be attributed to his resolute bearing and personal influences. He, too, was not forgotten by the Foreign Office, which sent him a silver cup, in addition to a letter of thanks for his exertions. CHAPTER XXVII, 8T. CROIX—LOCAL. costs exactly thirty-two cents, Danish money, for a passport to the island of St. Croix. In return for this modest amount you as receive a half sheet of printed foolscap, upon which the words oe are expressed which give you permission to leave the island of St. Thomas. Without that piece of paper no captain will take you. Like imprisonment for debt, this antiquated formality is only useful as a means of preventing the departure of a recalcitrant debtor, and if it were not that it added a trifle to the Colonial Treasury, it would have long ago been dispensed with. The intending visitor to St. Croix may take passage either to Christiansted, the capital, or Frederiksted, which is situated at the west end of the island. Should he prefer to go to Christiansted, then it is more than likely that he will select the ‘‘ Vigilant” in preference to any other schooner. It is a fast sailing vessel, with an intelligent and accommodating captain. There is quite a history attached to the “Vigilant.” Built in Baltimore about the year 1800, she has been by turns a pirate, privateer, a slaver, and a man-of-war. Her first appearance in St. Thomas was at the beginning of the present century. She was then known as the “ Non-such,’”’ and sailed under the American flag. At that time she was employed in the slave trade. It is not long since that an old sketch of her hold full of slaves hung up at the Moravian Mission in St. Thomas. A history of her career for the many years in which she has been known in these waters would fill volumes. One of the most interest- ing events in connection with her career for the many years in which she has been known in these waters occurred in 1825, when a Spanish pirate, cruising in the narrow passage between St. Thomas and Porto ‘Rico, made things hot for the merchant vessels trading to these islands. The Danish Government promptly despatched a man-of- war after her; but the pirate being much smaller and better ac- ‘quainted with the navigation among the dangerous shoals and rock v 1638 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. abounding thereabouts easily eluded the pursuit of the heavy ship of war. Not to be outdone, a brave Danish officer, Captain Irminger, with thirty soldiers, left St. Croix. After a few hours’ sail, she came up with the redoubtable pirate, who, mistaking the little schooner for an easy prize, prepared to board. As he was about to do so, the THE ‘‘ VIGILANT’? CAPTURING A SPANISH PIRATE. soldiers leaped up, poured in their fire, and before the pirates could recover from their confusion were masters of the vessel. The sketch of the combat which we have reproduced, was made by one of the soldiers, a Mr. Hostmark. He used to tell that when the pirate cap- tain and officers were killed, the cook ran out of the galley with a fire-brand to fire the long swivel gun on her main deck, which would have created havoc among the soldiers, had not one of them fortu- nately shot him down before he had time to apply the match. From that time her avocations have been of a more peaceful nature. When her rig was altered from a topsail to a fore and aft schooner is not exactly known. She has changed owners many times, but has always been a paying investment, having been employed by Government for many years to carry the mails. In the great hurricane of 1876, she sank to the bottom of the harbour of St. Croix in eleven fathoms of water. But her owner, Captain P. Pentheny, a man of indomitable pluck and rare energy raised her at great cost and had her refitted throughout. Since then she has been running steadily between the two islands, employed as a Government. packet, keeping up a reputa- tion for safety and speed against all competitors. ° This schooner leaves the port of St. Thomas twice a week, whence, if you get yourself punctually on board at nine p.m.,; you may softly 8T. CROIX.—LOCAL. 169 glide out of the harbour half-an-hour afterwards. A fair wind will bring you to St. Croix in about five or six hours, where you land early in the morning. The town of Christiansted is very picturesquely situated, and there - is an air of quiet repose about the place that contrasts greatly with the stir and bustle of St. Thomas. It is half surrounded by an amphi- CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX. theatre of dark-and lofty mountains. A sloop or two at anchor on the placid waters of the harbour, a fishing boat near to the wharf, the old red fort, with its guns peeping over the ramparts, the post office em- bosomed in trees, the Custom House, the streets branching off in different directions, and a few individuals, sauntering about leisurely, is all there is to greet you of the quietest and Pleasantest town you will find in the Danish West Indies. Though not very large, Christiansted or Bassin, as it is more often called, has quite a handsome appearance, is regularly laid out in squares, and possesses some fine buildings, notably ‘Government House,” which is the largest in the Lesser Antilles. It is situated on King’s-street, and forms a noble addition to this, the principal street of Bassin. At one time St. Croix was the seat of the Government of the Danish West Indies. It was afterwards transferred to St. Thomas. Latterly, since the passage of an ordinance to that effect, his Excel- lency divides his time between the two places. In either island His Excellency gives charming receptions, and the courteous and graceful hospitality which is dispensed by himself and wife, are always grate- fully remembered by those who have the honour of visiting them. The interior of the ‘‘Government House” in Bassin is well arranged, and the principal saloon where levees and receptions are held, is elegantly decorated, large pier-glasses running down each ‘side. of ' th: 170 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. room, creating a beautiful effect. In one of the saloons are two excel- lent portraits of their Majesties King Christian LX. and Queen Louisa, which are life-like in appearance and possess a great deal of artistic merit. The spacious rooms on the ground floor are used for the different Government offices. The Lutheran Church, which is the State Church, is also situated on King’s-street. It is very neatly built, and numbers a goodly congre- gation, as most of the Danish families reside in Bassin. The Episcopal Church, which is at the extreme end of King’s-street, going out of town, is really a fine specimen of ecclesiastical architec- ture, and is nicely fitted up inside, all the pews being of solid mahogany, highly polished. The roof is well-constructed and reflects credit on the liberality of those who subscribed, under very trying circumstances, to replace it after the former one had been entirely destroyed in the dreadful fire of 1866. The Roman Catholic Church is also a very suitable edifice, and its decorations are pretty and appropriate. It has a large congregation attached to it. The Moravians were the first Christian missionaries who ever trod the soil of the Danish West Indies. It was for the conversion of the slaves in the island of St. Thomas that the United Brethren com- menced that work of missions, which has since led them into all parts of the world, as the heralds of salvation to the heathen. There is no question about the good they have done among the coloured people from the year 1732, when they landed in the Danish West Indies. With the plainest of churches, and nothing to attract, they yet appeal with the greatest success to a numerous congregation, and command universal respect from their unobtrusive demeanour, and the simple form in which they preach the gospel. Their church in Bassin quarter is pleasantly situated out of town, and they have many schools and stations scattered over the country. An Agency of the Bank of St. Thomas is estab- lished in Bassin. There are also some good private boarding houses. That of Mr. P. Pentheny is one of the finest residences in town. Here the comforts of a refined home may be had, not to speak of the advantages of agreeable society. ‘‘ Richmond,” which is a superb country seat at no great distance from town, is also well patronized by strangers who visit the island. There is but one Apothecary Hall in Christiansted. It is worthy of note, as the first established in the Danish West Indies. It com- == jmenced todo business in 1824. It is well supplied "4 coUNTRY- with drugs and many other articles, and is always WOMAN. superintended by a competent pharmaceutist, such ST. CROIX.—LOCAL. 171 being required by law. It is now under the management of Mr. Paludan Miller. There is also a Fire Brigade. This corps, though considerably shorn of its former proportions, is yet able to render good assistance : when a fire breaks out.. On such occa- sions the energy of the women of the humbler classes in carrying water and otherwise assisting to put out the dread element, is worthy of all praise. In the great fire that took place in Bassin on February 5th, 1866, they contributed in no small degree to the staying of the flames; and we take pleasure in rendering this tribute to their exertions, more especially as when these women were toiling with might and main to save the town, hundreds of the sterner sex looked on and did nothing. : There is no water supply in Bassin. Nor is it lighted with gas. As in St. Thomas, its inhabitants are dependent upon the rain water they catch in cisterns for the former, and upon a stray lamp here and there lighted with kerosene for their street illumination. Their houses are cheerful enough, though, once you are inside, and the warmth of your welcome will amply compensate for anything lacking in the way of modern improvements. Indeed, the hospitable recep- tion which everyone gives to the stranger, whether in town or on the sugar plantations, is remarkable, and no one should neglect paying some of the latter a visit before leaving the island. Not +o speak of much that is interesting to be seen in the manufacture of sugar, whether by means of the old-fashioned wind mill or modern steam mill, there is much to be learned of country life in the tropics. Before the riots of 1878 almost every estate on the island had its ‘‘Great House,” where the owner and his family generally resided. some of these dwellings were built in a most substantial manner, not a few laying claim to architectural beauty. Most of them are now in ruins. What the negroes in 1848 had spared, the rioters of 1878 burnt level with the ground. A few escaped, however, and ‘ Biilows- minde,” with the charming villa Hafensight, yet remain to show the style in which our forefathers’ loved to live. The scenery, as viewed from the heights upon which these residences have been built* is perfectly enchanting, and no language can convey an idea of the extent, variety and grandeur of the panorama spread out below. SWEET REPOSE. * 600 feet above the level of the sea. 172 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. They are on the road to Frederiksted, and are well worth a passing visit. Of Frederiksted itself there is not much to be said, except in praise of the energy and commercial enterprise of its inhabitants, who in face of unparalleled misfortunes, have rebuilt their little town, and are now doing quite a thriving business. The Bay-street is once more the scene of great activity, especially during crop time. A special feature of Frederiksted is the fact of its being in direct steam communication with the United States of America. This has had a decided influence upon its commerce, and has, no doubt, been bene- ficial to its merchants. The Custom House, which was almost destroyed during the riots, has been restored, and many new buildings have been put up to fill the places of those which formerly were upon the Bay-street. Frederiksted has a population of about 3,000 inhab- itants. It has its Lutheran, Episcopalian, Moravian and Roman Catholic Churches, a Hospital, an Apothecary Hall, and one or two good Boarding Houses. In this town, Alexander Hamilton served as Clerk before he emigrated to America to become a noted statesman and the an- tagonist of Burr. A peep at the old Fort and a stroll into the market, should you be there on a Saturday, may serve to while away an hour or two. Besides, there are drives in the vicinity which will haunt your memory for years. MARKET WOMEN. CHAPTER XXVIII. 8T. CROIX—THE CENTRAL FACTORY. 2 SHORT distance from the town of Christiansted, not far from eee the jail, is the Central Sugar Factory, more generally known 4 « as the Central Factory. This building is one of the costliest monuments of Danish enterprise it has been our good fortune to look upon, Whence originated the idea we are not prepared to say. Governor Garde, to whom St. Thomas and St. Croix owe many improvements, was one of its earliest and most ardent supporters, and it cannot be denied that the idea was a good one. There is no doubt but what it was acceptable to the planters at the beginning, ‘if we may judge from a Memorial to the Royal Government on the 27th October, 1873, expressing their desires for its establishment. They could not help seeing that it was impossible to go on making sugar after the old style, so hailed with delight what promised to revolutionize sugar making entirely, at least, so far as St. Croix ‘was concerned. Apart from the fact that such an establishment was well calculated to benefit the island and encourage the sugar industry, it seemed likely to afford a profitable investment for Danish capital. But with the usual complacency which afflicts most nations when they have a public enterprise in hand, it was resolved, as the projectors were Danish and the money all Danish, none of the work should go into foreign hands if they knew it. So the machinery was planned in Denmark, and the whole scheme placed under the control of a Danish syndicate. This was very unfortunate, for at that time Denmark had next to no experience in sugar making, at least, as compared to what she has to-day. The consequence was that many experiments and failures were made at the Factory long before things could be got to work smoothly and the product could be marketed. It might have been 174 LEAFLETS FROM THE DANISH WEST INDIES. far better had the capital been furnished in Denmark, and foreigners who had gained the requisite experience, at the large usines of Marti- nique for example, been consulted. Had the enterprise been even managed and built by foreigners, it would not have mattered much. It would only have been a question of time for the whole thing to have fallen into Danish hands or management, and for a second factory to have been established in a more suitable spot near Frederiksted. But this was out of the ques- tion. At that time it did not seem possible that a foreigner could know more than the projectors upon such a subject. Such exclusive- ness was destined to nip the enterprise in the bud. There was plenty of knowledge, but little actual experience. And yet we have been told that a man was ‘‘imported,” at the beginning, who had taken an active part in the establishment of the deefroot sugar manufactory in Denmark, to give his opinion on the manufacture of an article he had probably never seen made in the tropics before, and who knew nothing whatever, however, how things stood with the cane juice, nor how the cane juice was to be treated. We are quite of the opinion that large factories with improved machinery for turning out the best grades of sugar must be more advantageous than methods which recall to mind the old wind and cattle mill, but it is not to be supposed with such a series of blunders and failures which marked the advent of the Central Factory, that planters will go in very heartily for the establishment of another, when the former only gives the value of six pounds of ordinary sugar for every hundred pounds of cane, and know- ing from the meagre reports published that an average of nearly nine pounds of sugar per hundred pounds had been made. It cannot be expected they should feel encouraged to support an undertaking that has never given them any interest upon their shares, though guaran- teed by the Colonial Treasury of St. Croix. Many of them have pre- ferred to supplement their open battery systems by open steam pans, and some few of the larger landowners by vacuum pans, these last now also making beautiful crystals in the place of the old-fashioned muscovado. A notable example and one of the first was éstate ‘‘ Beth- lehem ” in 1883. Then estates ‘‘Lower Love’’ and ‘‘Carlton,” and it is now contemplated for ‘‘ Barrenspot.” It is not our purpose to enter into any details of the working of the Central Factory under its present management, nor of the shifts to which a well-meaning and honourable Government has been put in order to forestall tbe claims of unfortunate shareholders, who, having been offered by the Ministry of Finances in Copenhagen 30 per cent. for their shares (that is about one-half of the amount that they should have received for interest), decided at their general meeting, held in Copenhagen on 29th November, 1887, to accept the offer of the Ministry, and then resolved to dissolve the Company, lee ST. CROIX.—-THE CENTRAL FACTORY. 175 These are as much matters of history as the fact of one of the shareholders levying upon Government House in Bassin took these communities by surprise. Neither do we care to criticise the processes employed at the Factory in its manufacture of sugar. These may be, and are no doubt, beyond criticism. This much, however, may be said, that even among its employés it has been regretted that the pipe system was adopted as a means of conveying the liquor from the several stations in the country to the Factory. Practical planters were well aware of the changes it would undergo in such a lengthy transit, and the difficulty of manufacturing it profitably into sugar, and they said so from the first. The large amount of lime necessary to preserve the liquor until it reached the Factory, and the expensive process that had to be employed to extract it when it did get there, were quite enough to demand serious consideration from the most sanguine sup- porters of such a method. At any rate, to this the Factory’s failure as a paying investment, more than once has been attributed. How to make it pay is the problem left to be solved by the new owners. CHAPTER XXIX. AS HEALTH RESORTS. HE islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix have been long known Dy as health resorts. Physicians in the United States have recommended them; travellers have spoken in glowing terms of their picturesque beauty ; and many invalids, consumptives and others, have derived benefit from a more or less pro- tracted stay in them. Not that climatic treatment is always successful, nor that its virtues ought to be over-estimated. In the words of an eminent authority on Diseases of the Throat and Lungs: —‘‘It is often a potent factor in the early treatment of phthisis, but when recommended in the last stages is of no use whatsoever. To send patients who look to us trustingly for advice, and whose hopes of recovery we may feel tolerably sure are fallacious, to any place away from family, friends, and home comforts, or even to allow them to go, if we can help it, is not only exceedingly unwise, but should be condemned in the strongest language possible. The feeble chance offered by a climate which may be superior is greatly overbalanced by the almost necessary depression resulting from the forced separa- tion from dear ones, and the absence of many accustomed luxuries, by the fatigue and dangers of travelling, and by the far from pleasant prospect of dying in a strange land.” It is, therefore, only in the first stage, as a rule, that we can dare to hope for much benefit from a decided change of climate, although sometimes a patient with a chronic single cavity in one lung and no trouble in the other, with no special fever, hemorrhage or complication, will do well in a climate like that of St. Croix, the atmosphere of which is dry, warm and pure; the mercury ranging in winter from 76° to 82°—the summer heat being a little higher. Those patients who have feverish symp- toms with high evening temperature, attended with secondary com- plications, would do better not to travel. More especially as the advantages to be derived are more from the circumstances incidental to the change—such as outdoor life, freedom from, caré, anxiety and pant AS HEALTH RESORTS. , 177 annoyance of business at home, and, it may be added, the moral effect of the hope or expectation of being benefitted by climatic influence. , To those who travel in these islands, either on business or for pleasure, we would say ‘shun the brandy bottle as you would the plague ”’— it is not a specific for fever; and if our hilarity were not sometimes excited by seeing a worthy son of Albion stalking down the main street of St. Thomas with the oddest and thinnest of white costumes flapping about his person like the sails of a vessel in a calm, we should advise a visitor to dress as decently and respectably in the tropics as he does in his own country. There is not the slightest reason for anyone, not even a foreigner, to make himself so conspicuous. We know that it is a very much the custom of such persons to excuse their vagaries in this direction on the score of ‘‘ such hot weather, dontcherknow.” But we must certainly say, we have never felt it so hot here as it is some- times in Europe or the United States in the summer. People in the Danish West Indies dress sensibly enough, and we might say taste- fully and well. Men wear tweed suits, and black cloth, cut in the latest fashion, the only difference being that the stuff is much thinner and more suited to the climate in consequence. Light woollen or silk underwear is used by most people, and is certainly the best and most calculated to protect one from a chill if exposed to a draught when perspiring. Thin merino underwear, or none at all, fine white linen shirts, white coats, and white pants, though very cool, are simply abominations as far as a newcomer is concerned, and very often sucha suit, when worn without a vest, is but a preparatory shroud. The man coming out here who has a weak spot in his constitution should take due note of this. Another great mistake is that of laying in a stock of medicines before leaving home. It has always amused us to see the bottles of quinine and other little bottles of sundry drugs which young travellers sometimes display as evidence of some good and loving parents’ forethought. Not that we have ought to say against such kindness. We simply protest against the medicine. Nor do we object to this when necessary, and when given in small doses by skilled hands. The West Indies is not the interior of Africa. Medicines appropriate to the diseases incident to the climate can be got there as easily as in Europe. Hence, it is as useless for the traveller to encumber himself with them as it is for him to lay in a large supply of clothes before leaving home. Let your effects be sufficient to fill one small trunk which can be easily handled, or, better still, two valises. These you can lift yourself and will serve to make you independent of porters who may choose to be exorbitant in their charges. Another point worth noting. Always make an agreement with such gentry beforehand. It is better to understand each other from the begin- ning, for then both parties will be satisfied. Before'-you ‘step-into-a N Digitized by Google Digitized by Google Digitized by Google TEXAS AT AUSTIN “TUNEL 3022961060 0 5917 3022961060