From “The Virgin Islands,” by Luther K. Zabriskie, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Publishers] [Illustration: LABORERS’ HOMES ON A ST. CROIX PLANTATION From “The Virgin Islands,” by Luther K. Zabriskie, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Publishers] Situated 1440 miles south of New York and 1025 miles from Colon, the northern entrance to the Panama Canal, the islands are ideally placed for a short sea voyage. The population in recent years has been diminishing, because of the loss of trade and the consequent falling-off of the number of ships in the harbor. At one time there were 46,000 people on the islands; in 1911, the number had dwindled to 27,000, and the present population is said to approximate this figure. The only means of transportation on St. John is by horseback. As the island is very hilly, the roads are not suitable for vehicles. On St. Thomas there are about fifteen miles of good roads, traversed by numerous carriages and a few automobiles. St. Croix boasts one hundred miles of roads, but few of these are paved. We include in our West Indies possessions not only some of the Virgin Islands, but Porto Rico. Porto Rico, however, is no more American today than when we first went to the island. But the Virgin Islander welcomes the United States. The circumstances attending the purchase and transfer of the islands were most auspicious, and we foresee only the happiest outcome from the relations between the natives and the United States. * * * * * _SUPPLEMENTARY READING_ THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA _By Luther K. Zabriskie_ THE VIRGIN ISLANDS _By T. H. N. de Booy and J. T. Faris_ DANISH WEST INDIES _By W. C. Westergaard_ [Illustration: MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF VIRGIN ISLANDS]