SAINT VINCENT, a British island of the West Indies, belongs to the Windward group, and lies about 28 m. s. of St. Lucia, and 100 m. w. of Barbadoes. Lat. 13° 10' n., long. 61° 5' west. It is 18/ m. long, 11 m. broad, has an area of 131 sq.m., and contained (Dec. 1875) 39,000 inhabitants, of whom a few were white, about a fifth part were colored, and all the rest black. A chain of mountains traverses the island from n. to s., and throws out lateral branches, between which are ravines, which widen into valleys as they approach the sea-shore. Evidences of volcanic action are everywhere visible on the island—strata are upheaved and disturbed, and huge masses of rock have been dis placed. In the interior is a volcanic mountain, 3,000 ft. high, the crater of which is half a mile in diameter. The climate is hot, the temperature ranging from 75° to 87°. The annual rainfall is about 76 inches. No valuable minerals have as yet been discovered. The chief products are sugar, arrowroot, rum, cotton, and molasses; the value of the exports in 1875 was .-C200,444—that of the imports, chiefly linen, cotton, and woolen manufactures, manures, flour and wheat, fish, dried or salted, pork, salted or cured, hardware and cutlery, leather and leather manufactures, thnber, butter, and mules, was
.:152,081. Nearly 700 vessels enter and clear the ports annually. Religion and morality arc at a low ebb—more than half the children arc reported as illegitimate. iThere are above 30 schools, attended by over 2,000 children. The revenue, derived chiefly from export duties, was in 1875, z.c.;27,852; the expenditure, £29,093, of which a considerable sum was employed in the completion of public works, etc. The government consists of a lieutenant-governor, a legislative council, and 12 elective members of assembly:, The capital is Kingston (q.v.), and the other one,or two small towns or villages are of little note. In 1861 the importation of coolies from India was commenced, 500 of them hav ing been brought to the island in that year. Shocks of earthquake are frequent; hurri canes occur at intervals, and the violent rains occasionally damage the crops and roads.