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Show nero under ttie eyes ol an American bishop. Barbadoes Letter in New York Times. . 1 HAPPIEST OF MANY ISLES, UFE ON THE SUGAR CANE ISLAND - OF BARBADOES. . I Density or the Population A Healthy Financial Fi-nancial Condition Knglitliinen Who Meet There Hospitality aud General Good Nature of the People ' TheBarbadian.froraavarietyof causes, political principally, has developed a commercial com-mercial activity greater than has so far appeared possible in the other of these islands. His island has become the distributing dis-tributing point of the region, and has, in consequence, attracted and held together a, population larger, proportionately, than any of the other islands. The streets of the capital are alive with bustling trades, her buildings bear evidence that land in valuable, her roadstead is alive with foreign-shipping, and the annual addition to Ler population appears to go hand in hand with the increase of her material prosperity, pros-perity, while other islands notably St Lucia, have been sacked and pillaged for 180 years prior to the opening of this century, cen-tury, conquered first by one power aud then by the other. Barbadoes has, sine J825, developed as peacefully and normally nor-mally as New England, and is today, in epite of the low price of cane sngar, one of the happiest little countries in the world. ( FOE MALTHOTIAinSTS. y Barbadoes has only 106,000 acres on iwhich to support a population of nearly J72.000, giving only one square mile of elbow room to each 1,000 inhabitants a state of density that should reassure tho moat pessimistio Chinaman of Malthu-ei&n Malthu-ei&n disposition. She raises nearly $1,-000,000 $1,-000,000 a year in revenue, has a publio debt of only $160,000, has about $400,000 in her savings banks, has a good water supply and compkito constitutional liberty. lib-erty. Could any man want more? And yet her chief port is a mere open roadstead; road-stead; nor does she differ materially from the other Caribbean islands in climate or Mil. j It 2s the one island cf tho West Indies that has the appearance of belonging to England! not only by the presence of British men-of-war in the roadstead and British soldiers about the streets of (Bridgetown, but from the fact that the EngiiBb. people here control local affairs, take a pride in identifying themselves with the colony, and by their geographical geograph-ical situation are the center of the best English social life in this quarter of the globe. Tho Royal Mail steamer from Jamaica to Southampton, bearing the families of planters, army and navy officers, offi-cers, civil officials and tourists, stop at Barbadoes long enough to refresh body and mind in the society of fellow countrymen. coun-trymen. From Barbadoes ply the smaller smal-ler connecting steamers that distribute passengers to the neighboring islands as far north as St. Thomas and south to Demerara. The governor of the island unites in his drawing room or, to speak more accurately, on his lawn tennis courts Englishmen from every corner of the queen's dominions whose ways cross at this little point. If the Barbadian Bar-badian does not keep up with the last fad from Piccadilly it is merely because be cannot or will not appear at Govern-tnant Govern-tnant house. , : - ENGLISHMEN FEEL At HOME. In other islands of the Caribbeo group the exiled Briton broods in toteery surrounded sur-rounded by a mob of hopelessly unintelligent unintel-ligent blacks. Horoj on the other1 band, bis beloved ehaigri greets him at every turn, assuring him that he is on soil that is English more than merely in name. The governor's residence, known as government gov-ernment house, is in a handsome park . approached by an avenue of grand trees, guarded by a sentry at the lodge gate and by very majestio household functionaries func-tionaries at the hall door. Visitors inscribe in-scribe their names in a book kept for that purpose, and nothing is omitted to impress them with the fact that they are here dealing with the representative of royalty. But government house in tho British West Indies is more than a formal for-mal official residence. The governor is expected, if not to govern, at least to be an important factor in the political and social life of the island; he is to be a man above party, able to unite under his roof the leading people of the place; to mediate medi-ate between the crown and the people. His wife, on the other hand, is expected to be the pattern of good breeding, the arbiter on all social points, assisting her husband in making Government house a colonial court. ' To do all this the -government allows $3,000 a year for entertainment alone, $15,000 a year as salary besides his residence, resi-dence, handsomely furnished, representing represent-ing for this little island about double what is furnished to the United States xninistorto England. When my rickety conveyance drew up before the great entrance en-trance of the Barbadian palace I handed to one of the resplendent servants a letter let-ter of "introduction and then proceeded to write my name in the visitors' book. Before I had completed this important task the illustrious footman returned, and,' with some appearance of having made more haste than usual, showed me into - a large, shady, cool morning room, where the "first lady of Barba-tloes" Barba-tloes" and Sir Charles Lees, the governor, bade me -welcome. P AT THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE. ,. The ' lawn of Government house Stretches away from the open doors and windows to the Bbada of graceful trees. When I arrived tennis was well under way. Buddy, -well built men and graceful grace-ful women, all in comfortable flannels, were struggling for success with a vigor aiot readily associated with tho tropics. Officers from tho squadron as well us !from the local garrison vied with one 'another in entertaining all such as woro jpetticoats, while groups of very important impor-tant looking men charted together here 'and there made up, it was plain to see, jof local officials. The governor and iLady Lees lost no opportunity of adding ito the pleasure of their guests either by leaying a few words of welcome to a new iarrival or introducui- those who ap-jpcared ap-jpcared tortured by I1;e know nobody faelkig.: The. black chief justice of the island was away on official duties, much to my regret. Officially he holds a most exalted post and receives the highest honors; socially he cannot enter the dining room of the meanest white trader. Consequently we have the comical picture pict-ure of a negro ostracized by the poorest white clerk, yet a frequent guest of the first lady of the island not merely on her lawn , but at her table. The attorney proeral, by the way, told me many itiings about the negro that confirmed suy suspicion that in spite of centuries f Christian rule devil worship was a . fact, ia.jeost .ef..tlio Li auda, .audyea |
