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waters are often forced 3 ft. above the normal level by the pressure of the escaping gases; and the fumes rising from the lake are occasionally poisonous. The island is botanically remarkable for its See also:

GREAT

great number of See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar See also:

SPECIES

species, offering in this respect a marked contrast to the poverty of the adjacent islands. The hills are covered with valuable See also:

TIMBER

timber, while See also:

COFFEE (Fr: cafe, Ger. Kaffee)

coffee, limes, oranges, See also:

india-See also:

RUBBER, INDIARUBBER

rubber trees, spices and all tropical fruits grow luxuriantly in the See also:

rich See also:

brown See also:

MOULD

mould of the lowlands. There are some See also:

THIRTY

thirty streams of considerable See also:

SIZE

size, besides numerous mountain torrents, and this abundance of See also:

WATER

water renders the island very fertile. The See also:

FISHERIES

fisheries are productive, and See also:

HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey and See also:

wax are furnished by See also:

WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild bees, originally introduced from See also:

EUROPE

Europe. The temperature varies from 78° to 86° F. in the hot See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season from See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August to See also:

OCTOBER

October, and from 72° to 84° in the cooler months; the rainfall varies in different parts from 50 to 162 in. per annum, but the porous See also:

SOIL

soil soon absorbs the See also:

RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain, rendering the See also:

ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere dry and invigorating.

The manufactures include See also:

SUGAR

sugar, See also:

lime-juice and essential See also:

OILS (adopted from the Fr. oile, mod. huile, Lat. oleum, olive oil)

oils; the exports are coffee, See also:

COCOA

cocoa; sugar, limes and lime-juice, essential oils and See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit of all kinds. The inhabitants in 1901 numbered 28,894. The See also:

MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority are negroes; the whites are of French and British descent. There are also afew Caribs, the remnant of the aboriginal See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population. A French See also:

PATOIS

patois is the See also:

LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language of the peasantry, but See also:

ENGLISH

English is generally understood. The See also:

capital, Roseau (5764), is a fortified See also:

TOWN

town and a See also:

PORT

port; See also:

Portsmouth, the only other town, possesses the better See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour in See also:

Prince See also:

Rupert's See also:

Bay on the See also:

north-west. In See also:

religion the See also:

ROMAN

Roman Catholics predominate, and a See also:

bishop resides at Roseau, but there is no established See also:

church. See also:

EDUCATION

Education is See also:

FREE

free and compulsory, and the See also:

Cambridge See also:

LOCAL

local See also:

EXAMINATIONS

examinations are held annually. Dominica was so named on its See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery by See also:

Columbus in 1493, in See also:

COMMEMORATION

commemoration of the date, See also:

SUNDAY

Sunday (DiesDominica) the 3rd of See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November. Dominica was included in the See also:

grant of various islands in the Caribbean Sea made in 1627 by See also:

Charles I. to the See also:

EARL

earl of See also:

Carlisle, but the first See also:

EUROPEAN

European settlers (1632) were French. They brought with them See also:

NEGRO (from Lat. eager, black)

negro slaves and lived on terms offriendship with the Caribs, who were then a numerous See also:

BODY

body. In 166o a treaty appears to have been made between the French, British and the natives assigning St See also:

Vincent and Dominica to the Caribs, but shortly afterwards attempts were made by the British to gain a foothold in the island.

These attempts failed, and in 1748 it was once more agreed by See also:

France and Great See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain that Dominica should be See also:

LEFT

left in the undisturbed See also:

possession of the natives. Nevertheless the French settlers increased, and the island came under the See also:

RULE

rule of a French See also:

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor. It was captured by the British in 1761 and formally ceded by France at the See also:

peace of See also:

Paris, 1763, French settlers being secured in their estates. In 1778 a French force from Martinique seized the island. See also:

RODNEY, GEORGE BRYDGES RODNEY, BARON (1718—1792)

Rodney's victory over De See also:

Grasse in the neighbouring sea in 1782 was followed by the restoration of the island to Britain in 1783; in the See also:

INTERVAL

interval the See also:

trade of Dominica had been ruined. In 1795 a force from Guadeloupe made an unsuccessful descent on the island, and in 1805 the French See also:

general La See also:

GRANGE (through the A.-Fr. graunge, from the Med. Lat. granea, a place for storing grain, granum)

Grange, at the See also:

head of 4000 troops, took Roseau and pillaged the island—an event now remembered as the most memorable in its See also:

HISTORY

history. The French were, however, unable to make See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good their hold, and Dominica has remained since undisturbed in British possession. Its later history presents few features not See also:

COMMON

common to the other British West See also:

INDIAN

Indian islands. Since 1872 Dominica has formed See also:

PART

part of the colony of the Leeward Islands, but local affairs are in the hands of an See also:

ADMINISTRATOR

administrator, aided by an executive See also:

COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of ten members. In 1898 the local legislature, in See also:

CONSIDERATION (from Lat. considerare, to look at closely, examine, generally taken to be from con-, and the base seen in sidus, sideris, a star, the word being supposed to be originally an astrological or astronomical term)

consideration of pecuniary assistance from Great Britain, passed an See also:

ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act abrogating the semi-elective constitution and providing for a legislative council of twelve nominated members, six of whom sit ex officio.

End of Article: DOMINICA

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