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massif of Mont Pele in the north is the culminating point of the island (4430 ft.); that of Carbet is little inferior (3963 ft.), but the mountains in the south are much lower. Mont Pele is notorious for an appalling eruption in May 1902. Of the numerous streams which See also:

TRAVERSE

traverse the few See also:

MILES, NELSON APPLETON (1839— )

miles of See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country between the See also:

WATERSHED

watershed and the See also:

sea (the longest radiating from See also:

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount Carbet), about seventy-five are of considerable See also:

SIZE

size, and in the See also:

RAINY, ROBERT (1826-1906)

rainy 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 become deep and often destructive torrents. On the north-west and north the See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast is elevated and bold ; and similarly on the south, where a lateral range, branching from the backbone of the island, forms a See also:

blunt See also:

peninsula bounding the See also:

low-shored western See also:

bay of Fort de See also:

France on the south. Another peninsula, called Caravelle, projects from the See also:

MIDDLE

middle See also:

PART

part of the See also:

east coast, and south of this the coast is low and fretted, with many islets and cays lying off it. See also:

CORAL

Coral reefs occur especially in this locality.

Plains, most numerous and extensive in the south, occupy about one-third of the See also:

TOTAL

total area of the island. The mean See also:

ANNUAL

annual temperature is 8o° F. in the coast region, the monthly mean for See also:

JUNE

June being 83°, and that for See also:

JANUARY

January 77°. Of the annual rainfall of 87 in., See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August has the heaviest See also:

SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share (I1.3 in.), though the rainy season extends from June to See also:

OCTOBER

October; See also:

March, the driest See also:

month, has 3.7. Martinique enjoys a marked See also:

IMMUNITY (from Lat. immunis, not subject to a munus or public service)

immunity from hurricanes. The low coastal districts are not very healthy for Europeans in the hotter months, but there are numerous sanatoria in the See also:

FOREST

forest region at an See also:

ELEVATION

elevation of about 1500 ft., where the See also:

AVERAGE

average temperature is some 1o° F. lower than that already quoted. The north winds which prevail from See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November to See also:

FEBRUARY

February are comparatively fresh and dry; those from the south (See also:

JULY

July to October) are See also:

DAMP

damp and warm. From March to June easterly winds are prevalent. The See also:

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

population increased from 162,861 in 1878 to 175,863 in 1888 and 203,781 in Igoe. In 1902 the See also:

GREAT

great eruption of Mont Pele occurred, and in 1905 the population was only 182,024. The bulk of the population consists of See also:

CREOLE (the Fr. form of criollo, a West Indian, probably a negro corruption of the Span. criadillo, the dim. of criado, one bred or reared, from criar, to breed, a derivative of the Lat. creare, to create)

Creole negroes and See also:

HALF

half-castes of various grades, ranging from the " Saccatra," who has retained hardly any trace of Caucasian See also:

BLOOD

blood, to the so-called Sangmele," with only a suspicion of See also:

NEGRO (from Lat. eager, black)

negro commixture. The See also:

capital of the island is Fort de France, on the west-coast bay of the same name, with a See also:

FINE

fine 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 defended by three forts, and a population of 18,000. The other See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal centres of population are, on the west coast Lamentin, on the same bay as the capital, and on the east coast Le See also:

FRANCOIS (1558-1614)

Francois and Le See also:

Robert.

The colony is administered by a See also:

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

governor and a See also:

general See also:

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

council, and returns a senator and two deputies. There are elective municipal See also:

COUNCILS

councils. The See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief product is See also:

SUGAR

sugar, and some See also:

COFFEE (Fr: cafe, Ger. Kaffee)

coffee, See also:

COCOA

cocoa, See also:

TOBACCO

tobacco and See also:

cotton are grown. The island is served by British, French and See also:

AMERICAN

American steamship lines, and See also:

LOCAL

local communications are carried on by small See also:

COASTING

coasting steamers and by subsidized See also:

MAIL

mail coaches, as there are excellent roads. In 1905 the total value of the exports, consisting mainly of sugar, See also:

rum and cocoa, was £725,460, France taking by far the greater part, while imports were valued at £596,294, of which rather more than one-half by value came from France, the See also:

UNITED

United States of See also:

AMERICA

America being the next principal importing country. In 1903, II the See also:

YEAR

year following the eruption of Mont Pele, exports were valued at £604,163. Martinique, the name of which may be derived from a native form Madiana or Mantinino, was probably discovered by See also:

Columbus on the 15th of June 15o2; although by some authorities its See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery is placed in 1493. It was at that See also:

time inhabited by Caribs who had expelled or incorporated an older stock. It was not until the 25th of June 1635 that See also:

possession was taken of the island in the name of the French Compagnie See also:

des Iles d'Amerique. Actual See also:

settlement was carried out in the same year by See also:

PIERRE

Pierre Belain, Sieur d'Esnambuc, See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

captain-general of the island of St See also:

CHRISTOPHER, SAINT (Christophorus, Christoferus)

Christopher. In 1637 his See also:

NEPHEW

nephew Dyel Duparquet (d. 1658) became captain-general of the colony, now numbering seven See also:

HUNDRED

hundred men, and subsequently obtained the seigneurie of the island by See also:

PURCHASE

purchase from the See also:

COMPANY

company under the authority of the See also:

king of France.

In 1654 welcome was given to three hundred See also:

Jews expelled from See also:

Brazil, and by 1658 EmerytPalke, ,c there were at least five thousand See also:

PEOPLE

people exclusive of the Caribs, who were soon after exterminated. See also:

PURCHASED

Purchased by the French See also:

government from Duparquet's See also:

CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children for 120,000 livres, Martinique was assigned to the West See also:

India Company, but in 1674 it became part of the royal domain. The habitants (French landholders) at first devoted themselves to the cultivation of cotton and tobacco; but in r65o sugar plantations were begun, and in 1723 the coffee plant was introduced. Slave labour having been introduced at an See also:

early See also:

period of the occupation, there were 6o,000 blacks in the island by 1736. This See also:

SLAVERY

slavery was abolished in 186o. Martinique had a full share of See also:

WARS

wars. In early days the Caribs were not brought under subjection without severe' struggles. In 1666 and 1667 the island was attacked by the British without success, and hostilities were terminated by the treaty of See also:

BREDA

Breda. The Dutch made similar attempts in 1674, and the British again attacked the island in 1693. Captured by See also:

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

Rodney in 1762, Martinique was next year restored to the French; but after the See also:

CONQUEST

conquest by See also:

Sir See also:

John Jervis and Sir See also:

Charles See also:

Grey in 1793 it was retained for eight years; and, seized again in 1809, it was not surrendered till 1814. The island was the See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth-See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of the Empress See also:

JOSEPHINE (MARIE ROSE JOSEPHINE TASCHER DE LA PAGERIE) (1763–1814)

Josephine. Martinique has suffered from occasional severe storms, as in 1767, when 1600 persons perished, and M. de la Pagerie, See also:

FATHER

father of the Empress Josephine, was practically ruined, and in 1839, 1891 and 1903, when much damage was done to the sugar See also:

CROP (a word common. in various forms, such as Germ. Kropf, to many Teutonic languages for a swelling, excrescence, round head or top of anything; it appears also in Romanic languages derived from Teutonic, in Fr. as troupe, whence the English " crupper "

crop.

Earthquakes have also been frequent, but the most terrible natural disaster was the eruption of Mont Pele in 1902, by which the See also:

TOWN

town of St Pierre, formerly the chief commercial centre of the island, was destroyed. During the earlier months of the year various manifestations of volcanic activity had occurred; on the 25th of See also:

APRIL

April there was a heavy fall of ashes, and on the 2nd and 3rd of May a heavy eruption destroyed extensive sugar plantations north of St Pierre, and caused a loss of some 150 lives. A few days later the See also:

NEWS

news that the Souffriere in St See also:

Vincent was in eruption reassured the inhabitants of St Pierre, as it was supposed that this outbreak might relieve the See also:

VOLCANO

volcano of Pele. But on the 8th of May the final See also:

CATASTROPHE (Gr. Karaurpoch, from KaraQrp4ecv, to over-turn)

catastrophe came without warning; a See also:

mass of See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire, compared to a flaming whirlwind, swept over St Pierre, destroying the See also:

SHIPS

ships in the harbour, among which, however, one, the " Roddam " of Scrutton, escaped. A fall of molten See also:

LAVA

lava and ashes followed the flames, accompanied by dense gases which asphyxiated those who had thus far escaped. The total loss of See also:

LIFE

life was estimated at 40,000. Consternation was caused not only in the West Indies, but in France and throughout the See also:

WORLD

world, and at first it was seriously suggested that the island should be evacuated, but no countenance was See also:

LENT (0. Eng. lenclen, " spring," M. Eng. lenten, lente, lent; cf. Dut. lente, Ger. Lenz, " spring," 0. H. Ger. lenzin, lengizin, lenzo, probably from the same root as " long " and referring to " the lengthening days ")

lent to this proposal by the French government. See also:

RELIEF

Relief See also:

MEASURES

measures were undertaken and voluntary subscriptions raised. The material losses were estimated at £4;000,000; but, besides St Pierre, only one-tenth of the island had been devastated, and although during July there was further volcanic activity, causing more destruction, the economic situation recovered more rapidly than was expected. See Annuaire de la Martinique (Fort de France) ; H. Mouet, La Martinique (See also:

Paris, 1892) ; M. J.

Guet, Origines de la Martinique (See also:

VANNES

Vannes, 1893); G. See also:

LANDES

Landes, See also:

NOTICE

Notice sur la Martinique (with full bibliography), (Paris, 1900) ; M. Dumoret, Au pays du See also:

SUCRE, or CHUQUISACA

sucre (Paris, 1902) ; and on the eruption of 1902, A. Heilprin, Mont Pelee and the Tragedy of Martinique (See also:

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia and See also:

LONDON

London, 1903) ; A. See also:

Lacroix, La Montagne Pelee et ses eruptions (Paris, 1904) ; and the See also:

REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report of Drs J. S. Flett and T. See also:

Anderson (November 20, 1902), who investigated the eruptions on behalf of the Royal Society; cf. T. Anderson, " See also:

RECENT

Recent Volcanic Eruptions in the West Indies," in See also:

GEOGRAPHICAL

Geographical See also:

Journal, _vol. xxi. (1903).

End of Article: MARTINIQUE

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