Page 309 - The interest of America in sea power, present and future

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Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. 287

The islands of Santa Lucia and of Marti-
nique have been selected because they represent
the chief positions of, respectively, Great Brit-
ain and France on the outer limits of the
general field under consideration. For the
reasons already stated, Grenada, Barbadoes,
Dominica, and the other near British islands
are not taken into account, or rather are con-
sidered to be embraced in Santa Lucia, which
adequately represents them. If a secondary
position on that line were required, it would
be at Antigua, which would play to Santa
Lucia the part which Pensacola does to the
Mississippi. In like manner the French Gua-
deloupe merges in Martinique. The intrinsic
importance of these positions consists in the
fact that, being otherwise suitable and properly
defended, they are the nearest to the mother-
countries, between whom and themselves there
lies no point of danger near which it is neces-
sary to pass. They have the disadvantage of
being very small islands, consequently without
adequate natural resources, and easy to be
blockaded on all sides. They are therefore
essentially dependent for their usefulness in
war upon control of the sea, which neither