ably less than that sum. The treaty when perfected would require the action of both houses of Congress, since the House would have to provide the necessary funds for the appropriation. When all seemed to be smooth sailing, an unexpected obstacle arose in Denmark itself, due, it was said, to the opposition of a member of the royal family closely connected with the commercial interests, which were displeased with the proposed sale. A new ministry had come into power, and much of the ground had to be gone over anew. The correspondent of a leading newspaper in New York said: "The Dan, the aristocratic and representative club of St. Thomas, has on behalf of the inhabitants of the Danish West Indies just forwarded a petition to King Christian protesting against the proposed sale of the islands. The petition states that it is hoped that Germany, which already has a score to settle with America,' may prevent the consummation of the sale in the last moment. It is also alleged that a syndicate of American capitalists is buying up all the plantations, in order to create a monopoly in West Indian beet sugar and with a view to throttling all local opposition to the sale." When Congress assembled, however, the reports were renewed that satisfactory arrangements had been completed between the two governments, and the transfer of the islands was one of the certainties of the immediate future. But these reports proved disappointing. The London papers of the middle of December described the increasing agitation in Copenhagen against the sale of the islands without first sub mitting the question to a popular vote, while the ministerial organs were urging prompt action regardless of the clamor. Before the close of the month, a petition bearing 850 signatures was presented to King Christian and the cabinet against the deal. The inspiration of this movement was the moneyed interests, which left no stone unturned. to avert what they believed would prove a serious blow to their trade. Not only did they engineer the petition referred to, but promised to draw up certain proposals to be submitted to the Rigsdag, or governing body, as soon as it reassembled. The government was placed in an embarrassing position, for it knew a good deal of the opposition was manufactured. You need not be reminded how readily names can be obtained to any petition, and nothing was more certain than that many of those who had signed the protest, as well as many who were crying out their opposition in the loudest voices, had no personal concern in the matter, but were employed by speculators and promoters, who saw a chance of gaining something for themselves in the impending transaction. Meanwhile, opposition to the transfer made its appearance in the islands themselves, where the agents of the speculators were busy. A large demonstration took. place at Christiansted, in the island of St. Croix, on the 26th of December, when resolutions were adopted urging Denmark to introduce improvements and reforms in the islands and lift them out of the humiliations of the past. It was insisted that the leading citizens of the islands, mainly the natives of standing, merchants, planters and Danish subjects generally, demanded that they be not sold, but that reforms, commercial, industrial and social be instituted under the Danish flag, and they expressed their confidence that their prayer would be attentively considered by King Christian. Despite all this, it was confidently believed that the majority of the people in the islands favored their sale to the United States. The last vote taken on the question was in 1868, when the islands of St. Thomas and St. John were polled, The former was unanimous for cession, while in St. John, out of a vote of 1,061, only 22 were recorded against it. There was no reason to believe that a wholly uninfluenced vote would show any material change of sentiment. The treaty between the United States and Denmark for the sale of the islands was signed at Washington, January 24, 1902, by Secretary Hay and Constantine Brum, the Danish minister. The price named was $5,000,000, and the treaty required ratification by the United States Senate and the Rigsdag. It was stated at the time that the area of the three islands was 127 square miles and the population 30,000, of whom the whites form fifteen per cent., the rest being mulattoes and negroes. The islands are the home of miscegenation, intermarriage between the whites and blacks being very common. Although Danish is the official language, English is spoken by all and is used both in the schools and in the courts of justice. Unexpectedly to this country, the Danish Parliament adjourned until September, without taking any action on the treaty for the sale of the islands, and since the time allowed for the ratification of the original agreement expired on July 24, 1902, an extension became necessary to prevent the project falling through. Our State Department proposed to extend for a year the lifetime of the treaty, that is, until July, 1903, and this proposal was accepted by King Christian, on the advice of Premier Deuntzer. The treaty went to the Senate in February and was ratified on the 17th of that month after a brief discussion and without a vote in the negative. He A bombshell was exploded in the House of Representatives on March 27, by James D. Richardson of Tennessee, pending ratification of the treaty at Copenhagen. called to the attention of the House an astounding story by Captain Christmas of bribery, and fiercely demanded an investigation. This was promptly made and exploded the preposterous statement of Christmas and roused wonder that a man of Mr. Richardson's years and experience could have been so deceived and misled. While it is hardly to be supposed that action in Denmark was obstructed by this flurry, it could not fail to delay negotiation. Nevertheless, the transfer of the islands to the United States is one of the certainties of the immediate future. In the chapter devoted to the Isthmian canal and its prospects, attention was called to the perils to which the Nicaraguan route is exposed from volcanoes. The appalling outburst in the island of Martinique, one of the most awful in the history of the world,, gave an importance to this subject which would have been impossible otherwise. This was increased rather than diminished by the declaration of United States Senator John T. Morgan, an uncompromising advocate of the Nicaragua route, which he declared in the strongest terms was an absolutely safe one, and to be preferred in every respect to that of Panama. Central American newspapers of the latter part of May, 1902, failed to justify the boundless confidence of Senator Morgan, and confirmed the accounts of the action of the volcanoes which had been received by way of New Orleans. These referred mainly to the action of Momotombo and the accompanying earthquake, and the widespread panic in that section, as well as the terrifying display of this volcano, which dominates the waters of Lake Managua, that is directly joined to Lake Nicaragua. It was stated that the neighboring volcano of Asososca had been in continuous eruption since March 24, and had poured forth torrents of red-hot lava. This was startling in view of the many assurances that these volcanoes were extinct, and that for years there had not been the slightest danger from their action, for precisely the same statements had been made regarding Pelée in Martinique. These facts seemed to leave as the only refuge to the friends of the Nicaraguan route the claim that that of Panama was equally dangerous. But the best authorities say there are no volcanoes on the Isthmus of Panama. Nevertheless, a prominent newspaper made the following declaration: “In Colombia, however, and right on the Panama canal route, there have been volcanic excitements of much more recent date. The cathedral façade at Panama was destroyed and its columns thrown down in an earthquake less than twenty years ago, on September 7, 1882. And at Mount Batan, near Sogamoso, in Colombia, the subterranean heat is so intense all the time as to affect the local climate. These two facts alone are of immense significance as to volcanic dangers to the Panama canal, when it is remembered that the deep cut there is to be deeper than the worst cut on the Nicaragua route, which is seventy-seven miles east of the lake, where the volcanic action of the past has appeared." Investigation, however, shows that the volcano of Sogamoso is not on the isthmus, |