patois of their own. It swarms with grinning and
chattering blacks, and the “ ’longshore” work is
largely done by women, who coal steamers by
marching in procession with baskets on their heads.
T he streets are neat and well kept, and alive with
fruit vendors; the place is healthy and comfortable,
and is connected with the world by many lines of
steamers and by telegraph. There is a government
college and a Roman Catholic college in Charlotte
Amalia, and some Moravian schools. Abou t one
third of the people are classified as Roman Catholics,
and the English Church and the Wesleyans are
represented in the population as well as the Moravians.
There is a public library and reading-room
and two hospitals, besides the quarantine station on
Light-House Point. L ittle evidence of the State
of Denmark is seen about the place except the small
garrison and its flag, and Denmark has long been
willing to part with it. Secretary Seward bought
it for the United States in 1866 for $5,000,000, but
Congress refused to ratify the bargain, to the great
disgust of the Danish king and the mortification of
many Americans.
St. John is of small account. I t has a little town
of the same name on the north coast, and hardly
more than 1000 inhabitants all told, who raise a
little sugar and coffee and the fruit and vegetables
whereby they live. It is near Tortola and off the
beaten track of commerce, but on its eastern side is
a good harbour of refuge from the prowling hurricane,
little resorted to except by fishing vessels.
T h e English, with characteristic facility in pervert -
ing foreign names, called this harbour “ Crawl Bay,
though the Spanish designation was Corral, meaning
an inclosure. The island came into the possession
of Denmark by purchase as a bargain, but proved to
be of little value.
Santa Cruz, which stands isolated about forty
miles south of St. Thomas, and is rather an outpost,
by submarine attachment, of the Caribbean range of
islands than an appurtenance of the Virgin group,
was also profaned by the presence of the buccaneers.
It was afterwards in charge of the Knights of Malta,
but passed from them to the possession of France,
and was sold to Denmark in 1733 for $150,000.
T he island is about twenty-five miles long and five
or six miles wide, extending east and west. Parallel
to the coast in the western part is a ridge which
culminates in Mount Eagle, 1300 feet high. The
eastern part is hilly and the central undulating, and
on the south shore there are some flat marshy spaces
with lagoons of brackish water. Of the 5 r, 168 acres
of land, all but about 4000 acres is tillable, and in
former times fully half of this was covered with sugar
plantations. Since the abolition of slavery and the
depression of the cane-sugar interest, it has greatly
languished in comparison with the flourishing days
of yore,when its sugar, molasses, and rum figured
conspicuously in the markets of the world. Rum
is in fact what chiefly makes the name of Santa Cruz
familiar.
T he soil of the island is extremely fertile and capable
of A. great variety of products; its climate is
healthy for the tropics, and in natural attractions it