St. Vincent, West Indies
By J. Gershom Dasent
ST. VINCENT, one of the Lesser Antilles, and the smallest in the range of volcanic islands, was discovered by Christopher Columbus, Jan. 22, 1498. This day is known in the Spanish calendar as Saint Vincent’s day; hence, the origin of the island’s name. At the time of its discovery, it was inhabited by a tribe of wild Indians, known as the Caribs, a fierce and desperate people by nature. With the entrance of civilization, adventurous colonists were introduced, who settled in the most fertile portions of the country, and eventually owned the land, and became rich. The Caribs, however, maintained their hold until 1796, when their subjugation was accomplished by Great Britain, after a bloody struggle. In 1763 St. Vincent was declared a British possession, and from that time to now it has endeavored to keep to the front, and hold its own among the islands of the Caribbean. The island is traversed lengthwise by a range of volcanic hills, intersected by the Morne Carow, which rises about fifty-two hundred feet above the level of the sea. “From its dark top, upon which clouds almost constantly hang, the rich lava soil slopes to the sea, spreading into great plantations and verdant groves and gardens toward the coast.” The great Morne Soufrière, the scene of the terrible eruption of 1812, and the more terrible one of 1902, is about four thousand feet in altitude, in the northwest, flanking the main peaks at some distance. As in other parts of the world, the inhabitants of St. Vincent have had warnings from God in dreadful visitations. Twice have they been panic-stricken by terrible eruptions of the volcano La Soufrière, and thrice by devastating hurricanes; and by these two destroying elements—fire and wind—the colony has been greatly reduced. St. Vincent is now poor, and her resources are quite limited. Agriculture is the general pursuit. Formerly sugar and arrowroot were the chief exports, but recently the cotton trade was introduced, and is taking the place of that of sugar. The plantations are worked by water-mills, the water coming from ravines, in which the island abounds. At the meeting of the West Indian Union Conference, held in Jamaica last January, I was asked to make the island of St. Vincent my future field of labor; so on the twelfth of March I sailed from Barbados, where I had been laboring for14two and a half years, and landed at Kingstown, the chief town, on the morning of the thirteenth. I met a small church of about twenty members, who extended to me a cordial welcome. We very soon found plenty to do. We have no meeting-house in the town, and it is now about four years since aggressive work of any sort has been carried on here. There is a population of about forty thousand, and four thousand of these are in the town. The Church of England and the Wesleyan Methodists are well represented. Besides these, there are the Church of Rome, Presbyterian, and a few Antinomians. St. Vincent is ripe for the message that is to make ready a people for the second coming of the Lord. Selfishness, with its destructive train, abounds on every hand. Suddenly are men and women called from time into eternity, without a hope to cheer the tomb. The time has come for another special effort to be made in behalf of our people here. The members of our tract society have divided themselves into bands, and are doing successful work with our tracts and leaflets, and we hope soon to begin preaching services in the town. Remember us in your prayers, that we may find grace in the sight of the people, and gain souls for the kingdom of Christ.