Page 320 - The interest of America in sea power, present and future

298 Strategic Features of the Gulf of

to navigation. This, of course, in these days
of steam, is a small matter militarily in the
;
latter sense the Mona Passage is valuable be-
cause it is an alternative to the Windward
Passage, or to those to the eastward, in case
of hostile predominance in one quarter or the
other. St. Thomas is on the Anegada Passage,
actually much used, and which better than any
other represents the course from Europe to
the Isthmus, just as the Windward Passage
does that from the North American Atlantic
ports. Neither of these places can boast of
great natural strength nor of resources St.
;
Thomas, because it is a small island with the
inherent weaknesses attending all such, which
have been mentioned ; Samana Bay, because,
although the island on which it is is large and
productive, it has not now, and gives no hope
of having, that political stability and commer-
cial prosperity which bring resources and power
in their train. Both places would need also
considerable development of defensive works
to meet the requirements of a naval port. De-
spite these defects, their situations on the pas-
sages named entitle them to paramount con-
sideration in a general study of the Caribbean