a numerous group of small West Indian islands, extending eastward from Puerto Rico, and lying between N. Lat. 18. 5° and 18. 50°, and W. Long. 64. 10° and 65. 40°. They are comprised within an area of about 100 miles in length, by about 25 miles in breadth, and have in all about 230 square miles, with about 25,000 inhabitants. They are for the most part rocky, elevated, sandy, and barren. Among their productions are sugar, maize, coffee, cotton, indigo, and tobacco. Guinea grass grows abundantly in certain parts, and affords excellent pasturage for cattle. The forests contain many useful trees, among which are mahogany and fustic. Fish are very plentiful on the coasts. There are two rainy and two dry seasons. The dry seasons are from December to April, and from June to September. The westerly portion of the group belongs to Spain, the central to Denmark, and the easterly to Britain. The chief of the Spanish islands, which adjoin to Puerto Rico, are Culebra or Snake Island, and Bieque or Crab Island. They have together an area of about 75 square miles, and a population of about 1200. The chief of the Danish Virgin Islands are St Thomas and St John, the former having an area of about 30 square miles, with 13,666 inhabitants, and the latter an area of 22, with 2228 inhabitants. The island of Santa Cruz is not properly one of the Virgin Islands, though it is sometimes included among them as belonging to Denmark. The principal of the British Virgin Islands are Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Beef Island, Peter's Island, Guana, Salt, Caymanes. The total area is about 92 square miles, and the population about 7000, of whom more than one half are on Tortola. They are subject to a lieutenant-governor, under the governor-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, and are governed by an administrative council of six elective and three non-elective members, presided over by the governor for the time being, all in terms of an act passed in 1854 for amending the constitution of the Virgin Islands. In 1856 the revenue and expenditure were each L.1559. During that year there arrived 648 vessels, of in all 2320 tons, and left 1201 vessels of 3670 tons,—the total value of imports being L.5714; of exports, L.10,563. The Virgin Islands were discovered by Columbus on his second voyage in 1494, and named Las Virgenes, in honour of the eleven thousand virgins in the Roman ritual. In 1666 the English established themselves on Tortola, which has ever since remained in their possession. The Danish islands of St Thomas and St John were taken by the British in 1801, but restored the following year. In 1807 they surrendered to the British, and continued in their hands till 1815, when they were again restored. The Virgin Islands suffered severely from cholera in 1853-54.