side of the mountain blew out and destroyed St. Pierre. Numerous jets of steam were rising from this place when we sailed along the shore there this year, on our way south. SAILING NORTHWARD FROM ST. PIERRE We sailed out of the anchorage at St. Pierre, between a most peaceful sunset with wonderful afterglow on our left, and the scene of terrible desolation on our right. The wind was so light that we were kept near to Mt. Pelée longer than we liked, for we had learned from an eye-witness that at a recent eruption the hot sand had spread westward about five miles from shore, turning the surface of the sea to steam. We passed close to Dominica, but did not have time to stop. I visited this island in 1902. It is one of the grandest of the Carib Islands. The people are miserably poor, almost without roads, and, being British, it is cut off from trade with the neighboring islands, which are French. We sailed past Marie Galante to Pointe-àPitre, Grande Terre, the eastern one of the twin islands called Guadeloupe. A narrow and shallow strait, the Rivière Salée, divides Grande Terre from the other or western twin, which is of about equal size, but much higher. At Pointe-à-Pitre, Consul Aymé dined on board, told us about the Mt. Pelée eruption, and showed us some interesting stereopticon pictures of St. Pierre, Mt. Pelée, etc. On my visit in 1902, I had found Mr. Aymé a man of marked ability and intelligence. As he had been promptly on the ground after the great eruption, I applied for information to him, as a man most competent to give an accurate account. We sailed along the southeastern coast of Guadeloupe, past bright green fields of sugar cane, fertile hills, and noble mountains from which waterfalls and streams descend to the sea. A lovely, laughing land. On our left were the Iles-des-Saintes, the French naval station. Off these islands De Grasse was defeated by Rodney, April 12, 1782, -the severest naval battle in English history, and a victory that England then considered of greater importance than the loss of her thirteen North American colonies. At Basse Terre, Guadeloupe, we obtained a supply of naphtha for our launch, and took a beautiful drive of about seven miles to Matuba. The scenery is truly grand, especially the views from two iron bridges crossing deep mountain gorges. Matuba lies on the westerly slope of the Guadeloupe Soufrière, which had lately been discharging ashes, and it was sad to think that this lovely district might be destroyed at any moment. The government of Guadeloupe is controlled by blacks and colored people, and it is feared that an explosion more serious than a volcanic eruption may break out there. Our next anchorage was at the British island of Montserrat. The people here appear more poverty-stricken than at any other island except Dominica. After stopping again at St. Kitts for water and ice, we sailed to St. Eustatius, and, passing close under the bold white cliff there, anchored in the harbor of Orange Town. Holland owns this island, which was once very prosperous. The remains of great, solid stone warehouses are to be seen at the edge of the harbor. We sailed close by the wonderful cliffs on the western side of the Dutch island of Saba. It was too rough to land, but the mountains were unusually free from clouds. The principal village is called Bottom. It is 960 feet above the sea, and is reached only by steep paths and by steps cut in the cliff. But it is seen from the sea through a narrow gorge. We then sailed to Fredericksted, St. Croix, drove across the island on a perfect road, passing a number of fine-looking sugar-works, to Christiansted, where we had luncheon, saw the town and the old Baltimore schooner Vigilant, which has been employed by the Danish government to carry mail, etc., ever since she was captured when in the slave trade in 1801. We drove back to Fredericksted in the evening. From conversations with a number of people of various conditions, it appears that there is some reaction from the general desire for annexation to the United States, which seemed to exist when I was in St. Croix the year before. It is now expected there that Denmark will do much to develop her islands. But it is not easy to see how they can prosper without free trade with the United States. From St. Croix we sailed to Ponce, Porto Rico. I found Ponce less interesting than I had expected. |