Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen St. Thomas and St. Croix

There are no less than three hundred islands and islands in the West Indies, as has been said.In fact, the name of the islands is derived from only forty-two islands, either because of their relatively large size or because of their geographical importance.Of the forty-two islands, only nine are likely to receive visits from top Antillean high school students. These nine islands belong to the Lesser Antilles, also known as the Windward Islands.The British divided the Lesser Antilles into two parts: the first part was from the Virgin Islands in the north to Dominica in the south, which they called the Leeward Islands; the second part was from Martinique to Trinidad , they called it the Windward Islands.

There is no need for this nomenclature.The western boundary of the archipelago is the American Mediterranean, and it should be called the Windward Islands, because it receives the first trade wind blowing from east to west. Atlantic waters and Antillean waters communicate through these island networks.Alice Ricluse compares the islands to the piers of a gigantic bridge, crossed by the currents that cut across the Gulf of Mexico. The key issue is not to confuse the Gulf of Mexico with the Antillean Sea in the narrower sense.The obvious difference between the two basins is the special configuration and the different areas.The former covers an area of ​​150,000 square kilometers, while the latter covers an area of ​​nearly 190,000 square kilometers.

It is well known that Christopher Columbus was the first to discover the islands of Concepcion, Ferdinandina and Isabel, and after planting the Spanish flag on them, the Genoese navigator in 1492 Discovered Cuba, the largest island in the Antilles. Christopher Columbus thought that the place where his sailing team had just arrived was India, the country of spices in Far Asia.He didn't even know that he had ever set foot on the land of the New World. From then on, it was believed that the European powers did not hesitate to compete for the territory of the Antilles at the cost of bloody wars, appalling massacres, and endless conflicts. The final result was the current situation, which was uncertain at the time.

In any case, we can still make the following statistical results: Independence Island Haiti - Santo Domingo; Seventeen British Isles; Five French islands, plus half of St. Maarten; Five Dutch islands, plus the other half of St. Maarten; Two islands belonging to Spain; Three islands belonging to Denmark; Six islands belonging to Venezuela; An island belonging to Sweden. As for the origin of calling the Antilles the West Indies, it was an error made by Christopher Columbus in naming the islands he discovered. In fact, from Solomon Keys in the north to Barbados in the south are the Lesser Antilles, covering an area of ​​6,408 square kilometers.The United Kingdom has 3,550 square kilometers, France 2,777 square kilometers, and the Netherlands 11 square kilometers.

The total population of these islands is 792,000, of which 448,000 are residents of the British Islands, 336,000 live on the French Islands, and 8,200 live in On the Dutch island. The islands belonging to Denmark belong to the Virgin Islands group, with an area of ​​359 square kilometers and a population of 34,000. The islands under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom have an area of ​​165 square kilometers and a population of 5,200. In conclusion, the Virgin Islands can be considered as an integral part of the Lesser Antilles.Since 1671, the Virgin Islands have been occupied by the Danes, and most of the islands have been included in the West Indies, named St. Thomas, St. Jean and St. Croix.Nils Alber, who was born on St. Thomas, was one of the recipients of the Travel Fund and came sixth in the Antilles secondary school selection examinations.

After 25 days of smooth sailing, on the morning of July 26, Harry Markle will drop anchor in front of the shore of St. Thomas Island.Starting from St. Thomas Island, the Spirit will go all the way south, stopping at other island shores along the way. If the island of St. Thomas is limited in size, the port of St. Thomas is excellent as a safe haven and port of call.Fifty large-tonnage ships can anchor at will.When the European navies fought fiercely in this water area and seized the Antilles Islands one after another, the British and French pirates took the opportunity to enter and compete for the port of St. Thomas, just like a hungry tiger staring at a prey that made them salivate.

Christian Alber lived on St. Thomas Island, and the brothers had no chance to meet each other for more than two years. One can imagine their eagerness for the arrival of the Spirit. Christian Alber was eleven years older than Niels Alber, and he was the only relative of Niels Alber in St. Thomas, the richest businessman.Christian Arber was amiable, showing that care and warmth characteristic of northern peoples.After settling in the Danish colony, Christian Arber inherited his uncle's big business, dealing in daily consumer goods, food, cloth and so on. The era when business was completely controlled by the Jews has not passed.When the war continued to disturb the normal life order in this area, especially after the black slave trade was completely banned, commercial activities started on a large scale.The port of St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, was immediately declared a free port, making St. Thomas even more prosperous.

The Port of Charlotte Amalie offers true convenience to all vessels, regardless of nationality.St. Thomas has a relatively high terrain. There is a long and narrow peninsula. The waves break into waves when they reach the shore. There is also a reef island. There are several piers and coal shops on the island. Ships can find a reliable safe haven in St. Thomas. Shelter from trade winds and gulf storms. The Spirit received the signal from the signal station, determined the position of Cape Coville and Cape Morientes, then circled the end of the long and narrow peninsula, circled the small reef, and then sailed along the beacon on the left, entering A circular harbor basin.The exit of the harbor basin is on the north side, and the top of the harbor basin stands the first few houses of the city.After traveling quickly for a while on the water surface with a water depth of eleven or twelve meters, the Spirit stopped at a water surface with a water depth of four or five meters.

After observation, Alice Ricluse pointed out that the location of St. Thomas Island is particularly good. It occupies a favorable point on the large geometric curve of the Antilles, and it is very convenient to distribute things locally to all parts of the archipelago. From the beginning it was assumed that the natural port of Charlotte Amalie would sooner or later attract the attention and favor of pirates.Sure enough, the port of Charlotte Amalie became the main warehouse for smuggling goods with the Spanish colonies, and soon became the largest "ebony market", that is to say, black slaves bought on the coast of Africa were imported to the West Indies.The Port of Charlotte Amalie was acquired by a consortium from the Elector of Brandenburg, Germany, and then transferred it to Denmark. king.

As soon as the Spirit docked, Christian Arber was on board.When the two brothers met, they hugged each other tightly.After shaking hands cordially with Mr. Horatio Pattenson and his traveling companions, Christian said: "My friends, during my stay in St. Thomas, I plan to invite you to be my guests... How long will the Spirit berth in St. Thomas?" "Three days," said Niels Alber. "Only three days?..." "Not much, Christian, I'm sorry because we haven't seen each other for a long time..." "Mr. Albert," said Pattenson, "we sincerely accept your kind invitation...to be your guest during our stay in St. Thomas...but it is impossible to extend the stay..."

"It makes sense, Mr. Pattenson, because the travel itinerary was set for you by others." "Yes . . . by Mrs. Karen Seymour." "Do you know this lady, Monsieur Albert? . . . " asked Louis Clodiron. "I don't know," said Christian Arber, "but I've heard of her a lot. In the Antilles, everyone praises her for her goodness." Then turned to Harry Markle and said: "As for you, Captain Paxson, on behalf of all the parents of these little passengers, please allow me to thank you for your care..." "It's right to thank the captain." Mr. Pattenson rushed forward and said, "Although the sea has caused us to suffer, I have suffered more than anyone else, and my face changes when I talk about the sea! But we must admit that our brave captain tried every means made our crossing comfortable and pleasant..." Harry Markle is not very flattering and polite.Mr. Christian Arber was looking at him intently, which probably made him feel uncomfortable, so he nodded slightly before replying: "Sir, as long as the stipulated berthing time is not delayed, the passengers on the Spirit accept your invitation to invite them to be guests, and I will absolutely not stop..." "It's a deal, Captain Paxon." Christian Arbor said again, "Then starting today, if you are willing to come to my house to have dinner with my guests..." "Thank you, sir," said Harry Markle. "I have some minor repairs to do that I can't afford to waste even an hour. Besides, I prefer to stay on my steamer as long as possible." Mr Christian Arber appeared surprised by the lukewarm tone of Harry Markle's rebuff.It is not surprising that among sailors, among the captains of British merchant ships, it is not uncommon to see rough sailors and ill-bred captains.Because of the rough sailors they work with, the captain's words and deeds are not refined.No doubt he had a bad first impression of Harry Markle and his crew when he got to know them.All in all, the Spirit drove well all the way, and the transatlantic crossing was relatively smooth, and that was the main thing. Half an hour later, the young passengers disembarked at the Charlotte Amalie pier and went to Christian Alber's house. As soon as they were gone, John Carpenter reminded: "Well, Harry, so far I think it's going well..." "Well..." Harry Markle was noncommittal. "However, during each of our moorings, extra care must be taken..." "Everyone will be careful, Harry, none of us want to make this operation unsustainable... It started off well, and it will end just as well..." "Sure, John, because Paxson knows no one on St. Thomas. Besides, you must take responsibility for not letting any of us disembark!" Harry Markle had reason not to disembark the crew.If let's go to the cafes, let's let's hang out in the bars, let's let them drink too much, these sailors will say things that make trouble-every time you let them go, it happens every time-the best way is to let them stay On the Spirit, they are strictly forbidden to go out without authorization. "Correct, Harry," John Carpenter continued, "if they really want a drink, give them a double or a triple... Now, the passengers will stay three days ashore. It doesn't matter if you have a drink!" Although the crew on the Spirit had a penchant for eating and drinking and making up for missed meals and drinks at the berth, they also knew that the situation was serious.As long as they can restrain themselves, they will never mess things up.Therefore, we must try to avoid contact with the island residents and sailors of different nationalities who often come and go to the pier bar, and we must pay attention not to let any pirate on the Helifa be recognized by the old gangsters.So, Harry Markle officially ordered that, one, no one should leave the ship and go ashore; two, no strangers should be allowed on board. Christian Arber's firm is located on the docks.There are a lot of transactions in this business district, and the amount of imports alone is as high as 5.6 million francs, which is quite considerable for a city with a population of 12 million. On St. Thomas Island, the little passengers have no language barriers, because the people here speak Spanish, Danish, Dutch, English, French, and they thought they were in the Antilles Secondary School under the leadership of Mr. Ade Woolen cloth. Mr. Christian Arber's lodgings were outside the town, on a terraced hillside by the sea, a mile or so away. There are villas of wealthy expatriates on the island, hidden in lush tropical trees, and the environment is particularly beautiful.Mr. Christian Arber's villa is one of the most comfortable and beautiful. Seven years ago, Christian Alber married a Danish girl from one of the richest families in the diaspora, and they gave birth to two daughters.The young woman warmly welcomes her uncle who has never met before and introduces her classmates to her classmates!As for Niels, although he is an uncle, he has never hugged and stroked his two nieces with such joy and joy! "They're so cute!... They're so cute!..." Niels Alber was full of praise. "How can they not be lovely?" said Mr. Horatio Pattenson eloquently. "Lovely father...lovely mother...lovely daughter!" The Latin quote was praised by everyone. Mr. Horatio Pattenson and his young traveling companions lived in Christian Arbor's villa, which was so spacious that each of them had a comfortable room.There they were again able to eat the ship's lavish and modest meals, though Ranya Kirk had put all his culinary talents to work.During the scorching sun during the day, taking a siesta in the shaded garden surrounding Villa Christian Arber is especially comfortable!In their day-to-day chats, they often talked about their families in Europe, about Niels Alber.His parents have passed away one after another. After graduation, he will return to his elder brother and work in his elder brother's trading company.Christian Albert even considered opening a business firm, and the address was initially chosen on Saint-Jean Island, a neighboring island of Saint-Thomas Island.Once upon a time, the Danes wanted to sell Saint-Jean Island to the United States for 5 million piastres, but it was not accepted by the United States. When St. Thomas became increasingly unable to meet the needs of commercial development, St. Jean was originally populated by expatriates.Since Saint-Jean Island is only about 12 kilometers long and about 8 kilometers wide, it was quickly considered too small, and later the expatriates on the island moved to Saint-Croix Island. Mr. Christian Arber later spoke of Captain Paxson and his crew several times, and when Mr. Pattenson assured him that the crew of the Clever deserved the most just praise, Christian Arber's prejudice disappeared. Of course, they do a walking tour of St. Thomas, which is worth visiting.St. Thomas is a porphyry island. The terrain in the north is very undulating and uneven. There are many hills with beautiful shapes. The highest hill is about 45 meters above sea level. Young tourists want to climb to the top of the hill and feel tired from climbing, but when they get to the front of the mountain, the beautiful scenery in front of them greatly offsets the fatigue of climbing.Climbing to the top of the mountain, I saw St. Jean Island floating on the surface of the Antilles Sea like a fat fish, surrounded by Hans Lelik, Luango, Bicker, Saba, and Savannah Cays; Looking from a distance, it is the vast sea, sparkling under the bright sun. All in all, St. Thomas is only an island of eighty square kilometers, barely a hundred and seventy-two times the size of the Battlefield of Paris, as Louis Clodiillon has pointed out. The students are now returning to the anchorage of the Spirit after spending three days at Albert House as required.All preparations for departure are in place.The Alberts put them on board.On board, the Alberts accepted Mr. Pattenson's thanks for their hospitality.Mr Alber and his brother say goodbye with a final hug. From the evening of July 28th, the Spirit weighed anchor and hoisted its sails, and sailed southwest to the second port of call, St. Croix Island, with the aid of the northeast wind. The distance between the two islands is 60 nautical miles, and the sailing time is 36 hours. As mentioned earlier, when expatriates feel overwhelmed with living space on St. Thomas and St. Jean, they want to move to St. Croix, which has an area of ​​218 square meters. kilometer.They discovered that, from the mid-seventeenth century, St. Croix had been in the hands of English pirates who made the island their home.In order to gain a foothold, they had to fight, but many bloody battles were fought in favor of the British adventurers.Since their arrival, however, these people have been more pirates than expatriates, and they have been preoccupied with robbing the waters of this area, neglecting to grow any crops on the island. In 1750, the Spaniards drove out the British and occupied St. Croix Island. The Spaniards failed to hold St. Croix Island.A few months later, the weak garrison on the island saw the French troops coming and had to withdraw to make way. Crop cultivation began on St. Croix during this period.However, before reclaiming deserted islands to create fertile land, the dense forests on the island must be set on fire, because burning wasteland not only frees up space but also enriches the fields. Due to the continuous development and construction over the past century and a half, the place where the Spirit stopped halfway was an island with intensive cultivation and abundant grain. Of course, the Ghost will neither encounter the Caribs who lived on the island before it was discovered, nor the British who first lived on the island, nor the Spaniards who came after the British, Not to mention the French who were the first to colonize.In the mid-seventeenth century, there was not even a single person on the island anymore.Without trade, without the benefits of smuggling, the expatriates decided to abandon the island. For thirty-seven years until 1733, the island of St. Croix was uninhabited.France sold the island of St. Croix to Denmark for 750,000 pounds. Since then, St. Croix has been a colony of Denmark. On the way to the island of St. Croix, Harry Markle played tricks and drove the ship to Barnes, the capital of St. Croix, which is called Christian Coster in Danish.Barnes lies deep in a small bay on the north shore.The second city of St. Croix, Fredericost, was once burned by the Negroes who rose up in a vigorous rebellion, when the city was built on the west coast. Axel Wickbunsen at Fredericost, where he came second in the selection exams.At the time, he had no family or family in Frederick.It has been more than ten years since his family moved to Copenhagen after selling off the property they bought on the island. During this stop, if the students were not visiting anyone, they were entertained by old Wickburn friends.Most of the time they will be on the shore, returning to the boat to sleep every night. The island they were going to visit by car was worth the trip.As long as slavery lasted and planters prospered, St. Croix was considered the wealthiest island in the Antilles.The high-yield plantation farms make full use of the land, and even the gully and hills are not left barren.This kind of plant has 350 plantations, each plantation is 150 hectares, and it is managed by well-trained personnel.Two-thirds of the land is used to produce sugar, with an average annual production of 16 quintals of sugar per hectare, not counting waste molasses. The crop after sugar is cotton, with an annual output of 800 bales, all of which are returned to Europe. Tourists walk along beautiful paths lined with palm trees that connect each village to the capital.The terrain slopes gently to the north, and gradually rises when it reaches the northwest coast, until it reaches Eagle Peak, which is 400 meters above sea level. It must be admitted that, seeing such a rich and beautiful island, Louis Clodijon and Tony Renaud felt very sorry that France did not leave this island in the rich French Antilles.Instead, Niels Alber and Axel Wickburn thought Denmark had bought a good deal.They have only one wish, that is, they hope that the island of St. Croix will belong to their country forever after it has belonged to Britain, France, and Spain successively. In short, due to its geographical location in Europe, Denmark was fortunate enough not to be involved in the long bloody conflict between Britain and France at the beginning of the last century, except that Copenhagen was bombarded by the British fleet during the blockade of the mainland.As the second most powerful country, Denmark’s territory has not been invaded by European troops, which makes the Danish Antilles nationals not feel the impact of the fierce battle on the other side of the ocean. They can work with peace of mind and make their lives more nourishing and prosperous in the future. . However, in 1862, the emancipation of blacks was announced, which caused some confusion at first, and the colonial authorities had to severely suppress it.The emancipated blacks and freed serfs were presumably dissatisfied that the authorities promised to allocate them a certain amount of land with full ownership, but the promise was not kept.When the protests were fruitless, the blacks rebelled, and the flames of the uprising eventually spread to several places on the island. Relations between the diaspora and the freed blacks had not radically improved by the time the Spirit arrived at Christian Coster's wharf.Despite this, the law and order on the island is very stable, and the tourist activities of tourists have not been hindered at all.A year later, the blacks suddenly staged large-scale demonstrations, which caused a lot of noise and burned the city where Axel Wickburn was born. Moreover, it should be noted that the population of Sainte-Croix has been reduced by a fifth in seven or eight years, as a result of continued emigration. During the mooring of the Spirit, the Danish governor lived alternately in St. Thomas Island for half a year and in St. Croix Island for half a year due to fear of turmoil. All parts of the Sri Lanka Islands are welcome, but they are required to provide various conveniences for their expeditions to the islands.His demands were fully implemented. Mr. Horatio Pattenson wrote a good handwriting, so he wrote a letter before departure, and nine outstanding students signed it and handed it over to the Governor, expressing his sincerest thanks to him. On August 1, the Spirit sailed out of Christian Coster Wharf. Once out of the channel, it turned its course to the east and sailed towards St. Maarten with the side breeze.