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£ T CROUDIX AVi ivas’Visit To St. Groix, Virgi Unitad Statas Prass Reprosentatives’ Visit 10 St urai, Vlrgim Islands, U. S. A, THURSDAY February Zlst, 1924, ’ AS REVIEWED BY BUMBLE BEE EN ROUTL —0:—:0:—0:: (Continued from Thursday’'s Avis.) As quickly as the launches could land the passengers, the waiting automobiies were filled and the procession started to Christiansted, the old and famously proud capital ot oL Croix, the city of the oiden davs when King Street and Custom House Square wers the strolling path of gentlemen in koee-breeches, lace shirts and powdered wigs, witn its Government House built in 1774, the equal of waich has not been built in any other of the Virgin or Leeward Jslands. The selected route carried us through King’s Street, Frederiksted to the old en- trasce gates of the Estate Two Brothers and to that famsus stone wall §which was built over one nhundred years ago and to pay for as weli a3 the stone wall around Christian- sted’s Cemetery a tax called *‘New Tax”’ was !evied and was \collected until some fifteen years ago. The tak, until its expiry was decidedly positive but the walls are nearly gone with decay. How many times the walls were paid for is a matter for de- bate. A short distance from this entrance of Estate Two Brothers, once a famous money producer when Sugar was King in the latter part of the Eighteenth century, the road turns to the right and south past the “‘Oval’’ on the left, for many years the recre- ation wvrounl, for Cricket, Base Ball and Football, while on the right is estate Smith’s Field named from a suourb of London in the days when the isiand was settled. At the end of this road y« u see bush and undergrowth to the rizht wnieh sixty y=2ars ago con- tained a fine resideoce known as “‘Stony Ground’’; and now with a sharp turn to the left we enter upon the road which has been known sines the middle of the eighteenth century or more generaily as the centre line road. This road for nearly seven miles is as straight as the barrel of a gua and it is argued that a cannon placed at Sconv Ground corner eould with precision of the gun fire of modern times hit a target on K'ng’s Hill straight east through the rodd line, : Qur next view is the the old residence of “‘Estate ‘‘Hanah’s Rest’’, which you see faintly througn tae trees as you pass it on the rigat, the home of Ruan family back in the very early days of the nineteenth century and lateiy by the Woods family. Mrs. Woods peing the last of tke tamous Ruan sisters of the late sixtys and of whnom the navy knew as the wives of Admi als Harrington and Sumner. We now pass oo the right Estate Campo Rico whose stately old residence the home of Miss Latimer and also a house of old southern hospitality, now in ruias as a result of fire of unknown origin some two years ago. Following the road we come to Estate “*Concordia’’, and also a branch road to Frederiksted, for the road we have thus far travelled is of the eighteenth century, and the new road pass Coacordia having been built about a hundred years ago as s shorter way to town. forth 2 haste of the nine- teenth century was already in the blood of our forefathers. Thouzh this road is shorter vet heavy traffic was directed bound west down the so called “‘Lonyg Road”” where the familiar sight of the old bull-wagon drawn by six bulls and the wagon loaded with four nogsheads of sugar each weighing about 1800 lbs. passed to the Custom House in Frederiksted for export, mostly to Copenhagen for the greater part of the last eentury, T iis branch road was considered too weak tor heavy traffiec over the hottom land where tstates Wheel of Fortune and La Grange join known for many years as “"Harden Gut”’. " (To be continucd.) . 4 o PROCEEDINGS OF THE % COLONIAL COUNCIL FOR ST. CROIX. (Continued from yesterday’s Avis.) Hon. Pleasant Stovell remarked: His Excellency, Governor Williams, Gentle- men of the Colonial Council: We thark you for the invitation extended to the Newspapermen of America and for the attention and hospitality you have shown us. - Governor Williams it is pot (oo much to say that we are profoundly im- pressed with the Island of St Croix. While motorinz here today some of our men remarked that it is a very beaudiful island with fertile lands and reminds one of syme parts of the United States more than any other place around here that we have visited. Upon enteriag and 'looking upon the walls of this building we see the picture of some of the great m=n who have made our country great. We hope that the h ritage will help to make this island great. : : Within the sound of my voice I am told that Alexander Hamilton the great or- ganizer of the United States financial system lived and worked as a boy. Cer- tainly we can never be unmindful of tae duty we owe this island. EDNESDAY March5 is the begin- ning of Lent. Itis customary and proper that this season be used for special meditation upon the suffering and sacrifice of our Lord- It is neces- sary® that we during this season rededi- cate and ccnsecrate ourselves to His ser- vice and bring the gospel which is the, power of ‘God to our fellow men, that we take up the problems facing us in the i@_x;irit of Him who came and gave His ife. The services in the Lutheran Churches in this Island will coneentrate upoo these things that are deepest and fundamen-al because we believe that without a solid foundation no structure will endure. Services will be held Sunday in the Churches at the usual hours, mornings and evenings and in the afternood at King’s Hill. In the morring at Christiansted the topic will be **Tae Passing of Opportani- ties’’ and in the evening at Frederiksted it will be **Doing the Impossible.” J. P. CHRISTENSEN. At the end of this Hall, I am told, once hung the picture of the Danish King and between the spaces were mirrors. Ihese have been taken down and pictures of Americans are placed in their stead, and at the end of the Hall where the picture of the King was is the piciure of the Great Alexander Hamilton [am giad to see that you have been Lig enough and broad minded enough (o hanz on your walls the pictures of rlob- ert . Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Your Excellency, 1 only rose to say that when we go back we will write the annals of our travels and they will not be fantistically written, but truthfully and eulogzistically, and this visit to St. Croix will be ind :itbiy impressed »n our memory and waoz2ao 1t 13 written the people of Si. Croix will remain indeli- bly impressed upon our minds. The Chairman, atter thanking Mr. Scovell said, [ might add that the pic- ture of Alexander Hamiiton which you see at the head of the Hall was donated by Mr. Williain Pierson Hamiiton of New York, the groaat-zrandson of Alexander Hamilton. It was unveiled by Miss Addi> Blackwood and the Honorable Ho- race M. Lowner the present (Governor of Porto Rico on February 7, 1920, while here with the Congressional Commission, and who made the address upon the un- veilling. Aecross the street is where Mrs. Mitchell, Aunt of Alexander Hamilton lived. Although his Uncle Thomas Mitehell had two stores on the island he preferred to go to work in Nicholas Cruger’s store. [he home was demol- ished owing to decay, but the store next to it is exactly as it was when Alexander Hamilton left to go to King’s College, now Columbia College. The large ma- hogany table in the next room is the tible at which Secretary Seward sat w hile negotiations were going ou in No-