Duke of Windsor's Domain

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 57, 26 July 1940, Page 4

Duke of Windsor's Domain

The appointment of the Duke. of Windsor to the Governorship of the Bahama Islands may prove to be a turning point in the fortunes of that group. Nassau is the capital and the seat of government. The Bahamas, a line of coral islands lying off the coast of Florida and warmed by the Gulf Stream,

have. a delightful climate, which attracts great numbers of American and British visitors every year. There are 20 larger islands and 653 islets and some thousands of reefs, but nowhere does the ground rise more than 400 feet above sea-level, consequently cyclones do an immense amount of damage. Sponge-fishing is the principal industry, but the production of fruits, especially pineapples, citrus fruits and tomatoes, yields almost as much revenue, In recent times thousands of acres have been planted with sisal-hemp. Turtles are caught there in large numbers, and shells, and pearls and ambergris are also important. The winter climate is mild and still; flowers bloom in profusion among the palms and other semi-tropical vegetation. On many of the tiny islands, some of which are only a few acres in extent, Americans and Europeans have built themselves most beautiful houses, The great majority of the residents of the Bahamas are descendants of liberated slaves from the Southern states of America. During the American civil war Nassau became the station for blockade-runners and for years afterwards the islands enjoyed an amazing prosperity,