CHRISTOPHERS, St, or St Kitts, one of the British West India Islands, 46 miles W.N.W. of Antigua, Lat. 17. 20. N., Long. 62. 40. W. It is about 20 miles in length from N.W. to S.E., with an average breadth of 4 miles, but narrowing towards its S.E. extremity. It takes its name from Columbus, by whom it was discovered in 1493, at which time it was densely peopled by Caribs. In 1623 a party of English under one Warner first settled on the island, and soon afterwards a party of French arrived under M. D'Es-nambue. The English lived for some time on friendly terms with the natives; but having unwarrantably seized on some of their lands, and being apprehensive that the Caribs would retaliate, they treacherously surprised them during the night, murdered above one hundred, and expelled the rest, reserving the most handsome of the young women. The colony, however, after this inhuman outrage, was far from flourishing, and the two leaders were compelled to return to their respective countries for recruits. Warner returned with about 400, and a plentiful supply of necessaries. The greater part of D'Es-nambue's recruits perished at sea, and the remainder reached the island in a wretched condition. A treaty was now signed, fixing the territory of each party, the upper part, Capis-terre, being allotted to the French, and the lower part, Basse-terre, to the English. The island was afterwards seized by the Spaniards; but these invaders departed in a short time, and the tranquillity of the settlement was restored. In the numerous wars between the
Chromatic two mother countries, St Christophers suffered severely, and was repeatedly laid waste by the French. So completely was this done in 1705, that the parliament of England was obliged to distribute £100,000 amongst the unhappy sufferers. At the peace of Utrecht the island was wholly ceded to Britain, and the French possessions were sold for the benefit of the English government. In the year 1782 it was taken possession of by a French armament, but again restored in the year following. St Christophers is computed to contain 43,726 acres of land, about one-half of which is under cultivation. This island has a beautiful and picturesque appearance. In the interior are several mountains, one of which, Mount Misery, an extinct volcano, towers to an elevation of 3711 feet above the level of the sea. The barrenness of these rugged, bleak, and precipitous eminences is amply compensated by the luxuriant vegetation of the plains, which have been cultivated to the very utmost. The soil is rich, and yields abundant crops of sugar, the staple product of the island. The sugar exported in 1850 amounted to 4708 hhd., and in 1851 (a very favourable year) to 7270. In 1852 a long-prevailing drought caused a partial failure of the crop, and considerably affected the revenue. Revenue (1851) £17,902, (1852) £13,265; expenditure (1851) £14,672, (1852) £13,090; imports (1851) £112,748, (1852) £76,680; exports (1851) £126,610, (1852) £91,741. Pop. (1842) 23,177. In 1851 the number of pupils attending the Church schools was 796, the Wesleyan schools 850, and the Moravian schools 885. The climate is healthy, but violent hurricanes occasionally occur. The island is governed by a lieutenant-governor, and sends 10 members to the house of assembly of the Leeward Islands at Antigua.
Basse-terre, the capital town, is situated at the S.W. end of the island, and at the mouth of a river which discharges its waters into a bay called Basse-terre road. It possesses many good houses, and a large and handsome square, and carries on a considerable trade. Its harbour is defended by several batteries. Pop. 6500.