St. BARTHELEMY

AFFECTIONATELY CALLED St. Barts, St. Barthélemy (St. Bar-te-le-MEE) lies 125 miles (200 km) northwest of Guadeloupe at the northern end of the Leeward Islands. St. Barts' residents are probably the least "Caribbean" of the islands' people. Because the island's rocky, arid soil never supported slave plantations and due to an unlikely 100-year owner-ship by Sweden, most residents are fair-skinned. Remnants of the Swedish owner-ship remain, most notably in the name of the capital, Gustavia. A trip around the tiny island, however, reveals scenes reminiscent of 17th-century France, a legacy of the island's original settlers maintained by today's reserved and self-sufficient residents. A quiet island with more than a dozen white sand beaches, St. Barts also has rocky hillsides and lush green valleys.

This colony succeeded, in large part because French buccaneers brought to the island vast quantities of plunder from Spanish galleons. One such pirate, Monbars the Exterminator, reputedly maintained his headquarters on St. Barts, and his treasure is said to be hidden among the coves and buried in the island sands.

Except for a brief British takeover in 1758, St. Barts remained in French hands until 1784 when it was ceded to Sweden in exchange for trading rights in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedes declared St. Barts a neutral and free port, and made fortunes in trade for many years. Following a protracted economic decline, the Swedish people voted to sell the island back to France. France agreed to repurchase the island and maintained its free-port status. St. Baits is a dependency of Guadeloupe, which is a department and region of France.

The people of St. Baits are industrious, spiritual and soft-mannered. Some work in the emerging tourist trade, but these private people return quietly to their homes at the end of the day. Lacking significant agricultural and industrial opportunities, the men have taken to the sea and are considered superb sailors and fishermen. Many of the women spend their days weaving straw hats, baskets and similar items to sell to tourists. Tropical fruits are produced, and some lead and zinc deposits are mined on the island.

SHOPPING
St. Barts is a duty-free port; therefore, per-fumes, cosmetics, china, crystal, watches, imported jewelry, resort wear, liquor and tobacco sell at bargain prices. Some selections are Jim-ited, but there are enough bargains to warrant setting aside time for shopping, particularly for "name" merchandise. Besides duty-free items, there is delicately woven reed work unique to St. Barts as well as straw goods, handcrafted san-dais, bonnets, seashells, pottery and island artwork.

Downtown Gustavia has about three dozen boutiques and duty-free shops, among them shops specializing in brightly colored, hand-painted and hand-blocked tropical fashions. Le ‘Ti Marché is an open-air market devoted to local arts and crafts; it is open in the morning Monday through Saturday. A number of chic boutiques also can be found at La Villa Creole in St. Jean and La Savane Commercial Center opposite the airport.