The West India Islands are a group of nearly a thousand islands, which form a curve from the south of Florida to the mouth of the Orinoco. These islands vary in size from Spanish Cuba, the size of Ireland, to the smallest rock. Only 54 of them are inhabited. The page 46 greater portion are British colonies, but Spain, France, Holland Den mark, and Sweden are owners of a few islands.

The British West India Islands have a total area of not quite half the size of Ireland, and with a population of about a quarter that of London

You are now about to inspect the exhibits of Tropical Colonies; contrast them with those of Canada, which has a temperate climate.

You will understand their arrangement the better if you remember that,

The West India Islands are divided into The Greater Antilles, of which Jamaica is the only British possession; the Lesser Antilles, and The Bahamas.

The Lesser Antilles are divided into the Windward Islands, so called because they stand out, as it were, to catch the Trade winds, and the Leeward Islands.

The Courts of the Leeward Islands are on the left hand as you enter the Gallery, and represent Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitts.

The Windward Islands are represented by Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Tobago.

Barbados and Trinidad are geographically Windward Islands, but on account of their size and importance they are not, for governmental purposes, classed with them. The Courts which represent these islands and Jamaica are on your right hand.

Though each Court has distinct features, yet the products common to the West Indies will be found more or less in all the Courts.

To obtain a good general idea of the products of the West Indian Islands, look in the left-hand corner of the Grenada Court, when you will see—Cocoa, sugar, coffee, nutmegs, cloves, cotton, castor oil seeds, capsicum, limes, pine apples, shaddock, tamarinds, fob's tears, plaintain, bread fruit, honey, arnatto, and ground-nuts.