Chapter IX.

Falkland Islands, St. Helena, Gibraltar, Bermuda.

The above Crown colonies have each a special interest and value. The Falkland Islands are a colony that will be of much importance hereafter to the Empire. In the present redundance of available colonies for Europeans, the perplexed emigrant hardly knows which to select. There are so many that are more accessible, and present more attractive features, that it will be yet some time before these distant and breezy islands will be in request. A population of 1,600 souls to an area of 6,500 square miles is not much; but they manage to send to England produce of their own of an annual average value of £53 per head, of which £42 per head is in sheep and lambs' wool. Almost all the export trade is direct with the United Kingdom. The only customs' charges are 2s. per lb. on tobacco, and 4s. per lb. on cigars, 3d. a gallon on sale in wood, and 6d. a dozen in bottles, wine 2s. a gallon in wood, and 4s. a dozen in bottles, and spirits 10s. a gallon.

St. Helena has lately had to live a good deal on the memory of the past. The Suez Canal took from it its main importance. All the whale fishing in the Indian Ocean and south of it is in the hands of Americans, whose vessels are able to fit out and provision cheaply for a three or four years' stay; and these make St. Helena one of their stations to refit, and to stow and forward their oil. The days of St. Helena are, nevertheless, not gone forever, From its position it need fear no rivals. The western coast of Africa is developing rapidly, and, by-and-by, more powerful, larger, and faster vessels than are now dreamt of will again seek the route to the East, viâ the Cape. St. Helena will find itself again a much needed position. The only duties of customs charged here are, for ale in the wood 4½d. a gallon, and 1s. per dozen bottles, wine in the wood 2s. 6d. a gallon and 5s. per dozen bottles, leaf tobacco 6d. per lb., manufactured tobacco and cigars 1s. per lb.

Bermuda is chiefly noted as a naval and military port; it is sometimes regarded as geographically one of the West India Islands, but it has little in common with these groups, except page 96 that the population, to some extent, is composed of African races and their descendants. The revenue is about £30,000 a year, four-fifths of which is raised by custom-house charges. These charges are, nevertheless, not high. Ale pays 4½d. a gallon in wood and 1s. a dozen bottles, wine pays 20 per cent. ad valorem, all tobaccos pay 2d. per pound and cigars 10s. the 1,000, spirits 4s. gallon, coal and books are free, everything else pays 5 per cent, ad valorem. The average yearly imports into the island for the 10 years 1874-83 were valued in the colony at about £254,000, and the average yearly exports for the same period at about £80,000. Much of the imports will be for the use of the garrison. Only about £55,000 a year of the imports are in British goods, £11,000 a year being for ale and beer.

Gibraltar is classed as a Crown colony, but practically it is a British stronghold under a purely military administration. The population in 1881 (exclusive of military) was reckoned to be 18,381. The yearly revenue varies between £44,000 and £49,000 a year, of which about £10,000 is from duties of customs, the remainder being obtained by land rents, port dues and fees, &c. The exports to the United Kingdom are unimportant; but the imports of the produce and manufacture of the United Kingdom are considerable, chiefly for sale to passing vessels and for garrison supplies. In the 5 years 1879-83 they amounted to £3,629,000, of which £1,580,000 was for wearing apparel, cottons, linens, and woollens, £245,000 for beer and ale, and £183,000 for refined sugar. The imports also included 1,817,000 tons of British coal, valued at £911,000. In 1883 vessels of all nations, measuring 9,504,093 tons entered and cleared, of which 7,602,423 tons were under British colours, and 9,256,703 tons of the whole were steamers.