The Quebec Steamship Company sailing from New York connects with St. Thomas; the other islands being reached by coasting vessels from this point. There are many opportunities from San Juan, Porto Rico, to get to St. Thomas.
These people buy from us coal, food stuffs, flour, dried fish, candles, oil, rice, onions, beans, shoes, clothing, boots, medicines, soaps and other staples.
The French islands in the Caribbean Sea are Martinique and Guadeloupe, and they import their requirements from the mother country, owing to the fact that such goods pay no duties. The town of St. Pierre, Martinique, with its entire population of 70,000 inhabitants was totally destroyed by an eruption from the extinct volcanoe of Mt. Pelee, May 8, 1902. Josephine, the first wife of the Great Napoleon, was born at Fort de France, Martinique.
We sell these colonies some food stuffs, oils and necessities, our yearly sales to Martinique being about $700,000 and to Guadeloupe about $900,000.
Martinique raises sugar and manufactures rum, her sugar production being about $3,000,000 yearly, and her rum export equalling $2,000,000 annually. Guadeloupe exports about $3,000,000 yearly, mostly cocoa, bay leaves, and vanilla beans.
The natives all speak French, and are mostly negroes and half-breeds, with the usual admixture of French officials and soldiers. Guadeloupe has about 1200 square miles and a population of 160,000, while Martinique possesses an area of 380 square miles with about 200,000 inhabitants.
The smaller islands of Marie Galante, St. Barts and half of St. Martins also belong to France and get their supplies from either Martinique or Guadeloupe.
The Quebec Steamship Company maintains a direct service between New York and these islands, connections for the smaller ports being made by coasting vessels. France also has a line of ships from Europe direct.
The British West Indies are made up of the following islands:
Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Turks Island, with Caicos Islands and Caymans; Barbados; the Leeward Islands, consisting of Antigua, St. Kitts, Barbuda, Redonda, Virgin Islands, Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat and Dominica; the Windward Islands comprising Granada, Grenadines, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia; the Bahamas and Bermuda.