spots there is a little raising of sugar and cotton,
and latterly of sisal, and some pasturing of cattle,
and here and there guano is found, or salt is obtained;
but the population has long been on the
decline, and the life of The Virgins seems to have
been waning.
T he two most important islands are Tortola and
Virgin Gorda. T he former is crescent-shaped and
traversed by a ridge which rises into one peak 1800
feet above the sea. Just north of the island a line
of reefs beginning with “ Jorst Van D y ck ’s Guano
Isle ” runs to St. Thomas, and another extends from
Virgin Gorda to St. John. These inclose that e x panse
of water like an inland sea which is called the
Road of the Virgins.” The vagrant buccaneers
used to wander in here and make a retreat of T o r tola,
but they were succeeded by a sedate Quaker
community, which tried an unsuccessful experiment
of cultivating plantations with free negro labour.
Their unprofitable example was not followed for a
long time after; and since slavery was abolished
Tortola has pined away. Its only port is Road
Town, and its chief export is pineapples, which get
into the channels of commerce at St. Thomas.
Virgin Gorda consists mostly of rugged highlands,
and is almost uninhabited, though a little fort is
maintained to guard the “ Ro ad .” The English
sailors used to call the place Spanish Town, which
the negroes corrupted in to ” Penniston.” A line of
reefs forming the outer rampart of the submarine
plateau on which The Virgins stand terminates in
Anegada (“ swamped ” ), which is half submerged