History of the West Indies

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HARVARD COLLEGE
LIBRARY

FROM THE LEBRARV OF

MRS. ELLEN HAVEN ROSS

OF BOSTON

H H ' i ' ^- n

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\T

THE

BRITISH

COLONIAL LIBEAKY,

COMPRISlva

A POPULAB AND AUTHENTIC DESCRIPTION

OF AU. THB

COLONIES OP THE BRITISH EMPIRE,

History— PhjTBical Oeography— Geology— Climate— Animal, Vegetable, and
Mineral Kingdonu—Goyemment— Finance — Military Defence — Commerce —
Shipping— Monetary System— Beligion— Population, white and coloured-
Education and the Press— EmignUion, Social State, tec.

BT

R. MONTGOMERY MARTIN, F.S.S.

IN TEN VOLUMES.
VOL. IV.

LONDON :

HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

MDCCCXLIV.

° HISTORY

OF THE

WEST INDIES;

COMPRISING

JAMAICA, HONDURAS,

TRINIDAD, TOBAGO, GRENADA, THE BAHAMAS,

AND THE VIRGIN ISLES.

BY

R. MONTGOMERY MARTIN, F.S.S.

OR£AT SEAL OF JAMAICA.

VOL. L

LONDON:
WHITTAKER & Co. AVE MARIA LANE.

MDCCCXXXVI.

>SA //c^e.st.^

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

FROK THE libp..i;:yof

Mfto. ELLEN HAv'fN ROSS
JUNE 28, 1&J8

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

JAMAICA, &c.

CHAPTER I.

Geography, Area, Boundaries and History . . p. I

CHAPTER II.

Physical Aspect, Mountains, Rivers, Geology, Mine-
ralogy, Soil, and Climate — Health of Troops, &c. —
The Cayman Isles Dependency . . . . p. 41

CHAPTER HI.

Vegetable and Animal Productions . . . . p. 72

CHAPTER IV.

Population, White, Coloured, and Negro— Various
Classes of the Inhabitants — Census of the different
Parishes — Stock, and Land in Cultivation, &c. —
The Press — Education and Religion . . • p- 88

CHAPTER V.

Government Council — Courts of Law, Supreme and
Local — Laws of the Colony — Military Defence and
Militia — Revenue and Expenditure, &c. . . p. 100
a3

VI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

Commerce — Shipping — Imports and Exports —
Monetary System^State of the Exchanges — Value
of Property, &c , . p. 118

CHAPTER Vn.

Religion, Education, and the Press — Future Pros-
pects, &c p. 129

BOOK II.

HONDURAS.

CHAPTER I.
Locality, Area, Boundaries — History, &c. . . p. 135

CHAPTER II.

Physical Aspect — Geology — Soil and Climate . . p. 140

CHAPTER HI.

Population, White and Coloured — Character and
Appearance — Schools, &c. — Staple Products —
Mahogany, &c p. 150

CHAPTER IV.

Government — Military Defence — Finances — Revenue
and Expenditure — Commerce — Staple Exports,
&c. — Future Prospects p. 163

BOOK IIL

TRINIDAD.

CHAPTER I.
Geography — Area — Discovery — General History, &c. p. 171

CONTENTS*

CHAPTER 11.

Physical Aspect — Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Har-
bours, &c. — Geology and Soil — Mineral Kingdom
— Volcanoes — Mud and Pitch Lakes — Climate, &c. p. 177

CHAPTER in.

Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms — Ichthyology — Staple

Produce— Land in Cultivation — Stock, &c. &c. . p. 199

CHAPTER IV.

Population, White, Coloured, and Indians — Progres-
sive Population — Births, Marriages, and Deaths —
Schools, Religion, &c. . . . . . p. 214

CHAPTER V.

Government — Military Defence — Finances — Moneys,
Weights and Measures — Value of Property — Com-
merce — Shipping — Imports and Exports, &c. —
General View p. 221

BOOK IV.

TOBAGO.

Its Locality — General History — Physical Aspect —
Geology — Climate — Animal and Vegetable King-
doms — Population — Commerce — Revenue and
Expenditure — Government, &c p. 232

BOOK V.

GRENADA and the GRENADINES.

CHAPTER I.

Geography — Area — General History, &c. . . . p. 246

Vlll CONTENTS.

CHAPTER II.

Physical Aspect — Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and
Division into Parishes — Geology — Soil — Climate —
Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms, &c. . . .p. 253

CHAPTER III.

Population, White and Coloured — Government, Civil,
Military, and Ecclesiastical — Finances — Monetary
System — Commerce — Exports and Imports, &c. —
Value of Property, &c p. 267

BOOK VI.

THE BAHAMAS.

Locality — History — Aspect — Geology — Climate —
Population — Productions — Finances — Government
— ^Waste Lands, &c p. 274

BOOK VII.

THE VIRGIN ISLES.

Locality — History — Physical Aspect — Population —
Government — Commerce, &c. — Chief Islands —
Tortola,&c p. 288

INTRODUCTION

TO THB

FOURTH VOLUME

OF THE

BRITISH COLONIAL LIBRARY.

WEST INDIES.

Europe, emerging from the dark ages which for
centuries had shrouded the genius that so pre-
eminently distinguished her past history, was roused
from a long lethargy at the close of the fifteenth
century — one of those memorable epochs when the
human mind bursts through the shackles of igno-
rance and prejudice, thinks for itself, and approxi-
mates yet closer to the maximum of intelhgence
allotted unto mortals. The invention ^ of the art of
printing, the discovery of the compass and astrolabe,
the knowledge of gunpowder, &c. &c., all conduced
at this period to stimulate men to investigate hypo-
theses heretofore neglected ; and among the specu-

* I say invention and discovery, as in common parlance ;
but it is more than probable that what were then termed dis-
coveries was merely imported information from China and the
eastern hemisphere, where printing, the compass, astrolabe,
gunpowder, metallurgy, &c., were long known.

X INTRODUCTION.

lative opinions of the day was the possible existence
of a western continent. The master-mind of Prince
Henry of Portugal had already traced the African
shores to the Cape Verd isles, and meditated a
passage round the southern cape to the rich king-
doms of the east. An obscure navigator, yet bolder,
contemplated a shorter route across the wild and
heretofore unknown waste of the western waters,
where it had long been surmised a vast transatlantic
territory gave rotundity and balance to the world.
Then was the tradition remembered, that at a period
of time indefinitely remote there existed a vast insu-
lar territory, stretching beyond the coasts of Africa
and Europe, which bore the appellative of Atlantis ;
and that for three days this western land was shaken
to its foundations by the incessant and hourly in-
creasing concussions of an earthquake, when it at
length yielded to the irresistible and unseen myste-
rious power, and sunk, with its immense population,
beneath the bosom of the ocean ^ Nor were the
Welch chronicles forgotten — ^namely, that in 1 1 70,
Madoc, son to Owen Quineth, Prince of Wales, seeing
his two brethren at debate who should inherit,
prepared certain ships with men and munition, and
left his country to seek adventures by sea. ' Leaving
Ireland north, he sayled west, till he came to a land
vnknown. Returning home, and relating what plea-
sant and fruitfull countries he had scene, without
inhabitants, and for what barren ground his brethren
and kindred did murther one another, he provided
a number of ships, and got with him such men
and women as were desirous to Hue in quiet-

1 This is the recorded tradition of Plato and the ancients ;
and on examining the geological features of the different West
Indian islands, in the following pages, there will be found a
remarkable confirmation of the earthquake tradition : in par-
ticular, vide * Bermudas' chapter.

INTRODUCTION. XI

jaesee, who arrived with him in this new land, in the
yearell70-'/

As if in confirmation of these statements, pieces
of curiously carved wood, large jointed reeds, and
trees of a kind unknown in Europe, were picked up
to the westward of Cape St. Vincent, and at the
Azores, after long- continued westerly winds. At
Ilores the bodies of two human beings were washed
ashore, whose colour and features were distinct from
those of any heretofore seen men ; and a singularly
wrought canoe was also driven on the same coast.
Several Portuguese navigators thought they had seen
three islands when driven far to the westward, and
the sons of the discoverer of Terceira perished in
seeking them ; while the legends of the Scandina-
vian voyagers told of a mysterious Vin-land, enve-
loped in danger, and surrounded by the awful super-
stitions of the northern mariners ^. Urged by these
and many other indications, as also by some sound

^ I notice these events, in order to induce the attention of
the rising generation to the geography of our possessions,
which is so little known, even in the highest quarters, that
Berhice is marked {printed) in an official document in the
House of Commons as an island^ and placed among the
Bahamas i

* Among the visions and delusions of the day was that
recorded of the inhabitants of the Canary Isles, who imagined
that from time to time they beheld a vast island to the west-
v^ard, with lofty mountains and deep valleys. It was said to be
distinctly seen in cloudy or hazy weather, or only for short
intervals, while sometimes in the clearest atmosphere not a
trace of it was visible. The Canary people were so convinced
of the reality of the island, that they applied for and obtained
permission from the King of Portugal to fit out various expe-
ditiojis in search of it, but in vain ; the island, however, still
continued to deceive the eye occasionally, and it was identified
by many with the legendary isle alleged to have been disco-
vered by a Scottish priest, St. Brandan, in the sixth century,
and was actually laid down in several old charts, as St. Bran-
dan's or St. Borodon's Isle.

Xll INTRODUCTION,

geographical reasonings, Columbus, a Genoese sea-
man of a hardy character and chivalrous spirit, im-
bued with the religious enthusiasm of the times, and
actuated by a lofty desire for fame, after in vain
tendering his services to several European monarchs,
finally engaged in the employ of the politic Ferdi-
nand and magnanimous Isabella of Castile and
Arragon, sailed from Palos with two barks or cara-
vals and a decked ship, on the 3d of August, 1492,
and on the 12th of October set at rest a long-
agitated question, by discovering and landing on one
of the Bahama islands, now in our possession, and
called by its discoverer San Salvador.

Cuba was the next island of importance disco-
vered ; then Haiti or St. Domingo, where the Spa-
niards formed a colony, and gave the isle the name
of Espanola (Hispaniola). It would be out of place
to detail the further progress of maritime adventure.
In the three succeeding voyages of Columbus, the
main land near Trinidad and several islands were
explored; and as years rolled on, the Spaniards
extended their colonies to Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad,
Porto Rico, &c., and finally to Mexico and Peru,
under adventurers such as Cortez.

For some years the Spaniards were left in almost
undisputed possession of the West Indies ; but the
French and English began to molest them, the
former in 1536, the latter in 1565, under the com-
mand of Captain Hawkins ; in 1572, by the cele-
brated Francis Drake; and in 1595, by Sir Walter
Raleigh.

The first English vessels seen in the West Indies
were two ships of war, under Sebastian Cabot and
Sir Thomas Pert, vice-admiral of England, in 1517.
They touched at the coast of Brazil, and then pro-
ceeded to Espanola and Porto Rico. The first trad-
ing Enghsh vessel that visited the islands arrived at

INTRODUCTION. XIU

Porto Rico in 1519, being, as was said by the cap-
tain, sent by the king to ascertain the state of those
islands, of which there was so much talk in Europe.
The Spaniards at St. Domingo fired on her, and
compeUed her to return to Porto Rico. The governor
blamed them for not sinking her, and preventing any
dissemination in England of a knowledge of the
West Indies.

The commencement of the seventeenth century
saw the first British colonization on the West India
islands ; the French and Dutch had been previously
settling themselves on the main land at Guiana, and
on several islands not occupied by the Spaniards ;
and Barbadoes was occupied by the servants of Sir
William Courteen, in 1624. (Vide Chapter on
Barbadoes.)

For the next half century, the progress of English
and French settlement in the West Indies was ex-
tremely rapid. Various disputes arose as to first
location. In some instances the subjects of each
nation resided on the same island, partitioning it
between them, or alternately expelling each other
(vide Montserrat) ; and as war raged in Europe
between the chief nations, it v^as carried on in the
west with a bitterness and fury outvying that waged
in the Old World. The revolution and subsequent
restoration in England helped to people the western
isles (vide Jamaica) ; and freedom of commercial
adventure, and a bold enterprize in unison with the
spirit of the age, increased the wealth and European
inhabitants of the New World. The close of the
eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries
were marked by the most terrible European wars
that ever devastated the earth. Its effects extended
to the colonies of the contending combatants. For
eighteen years England waged against France and
Spain the most destructive hostilities on the trans-

XIV INTRODUCTION.

atlantic shores; and, in 1810, Britain had captured
every West India island helonging to any power at
war with her in Europe.

At the downfall, in 1815, of that extraordinary
meteor, who seems to have heen sent on earth to teach
a lesson to arbitrary rulers, and afftrd an example
of the instability of all human greatness, a resto-
ration and repartitioning of the West India Islands
took place ; and they have since remained under the
government of the English, French, Spaniards,
Danes, and Dutch*.

This concise notice of the settlement and acquisi-
tion of the islands will be found sufficiently amplified
under each possession; but before directing the
reader to the several Books for details, I must briefly
advert to the original and present population of the
West Indies.

When Columbus first discovered the New World,
he found the whole continent and every island, how-
ever small, densely peopled with a mild, and just, and
generous race of men (I do not allude to the Caribs
scattered throughout the Archipelago, and preying, or
rather feasting, on their fellow-creatures), with skins of
a copper or light bronze colour, long silky black hair,
finely formed limbs, and pleasing features ; in some
instances warlike, and civilized to no mean extent ;
in others, living in luxurious idleness, under the
enervating effects of a tropical clime. Such were
the Indians, among whom history records some of
the rarest instances of heroism that man has ever
been ennobled by.

Within a few short years after the discovery of
the West India islands by the Spaniards, they had
for the greatest part perished ; millions of them had
been swept from the face of the earth like so many

' The History of the Foreign Colonies will contain a descrip-
tion of the West India possessions not belonging to England.

TNTKODUCTION. XV

ants from an ant-hill ' ; countless myriads sank into
the grave by reason of the avarice of a mere handful
of desperate, immoral, and murderous adventurers
from the west ! —

Quid non mortalia pectora cogis,
Auri sacra fames !

I will not venture to comment on this terrible
event in the moral history of our species. May it
be a warning, an awful lesson, to the Europeans who
in future extend their settlements among the dark
races of mankind, and especially in the eastern
hemisphere, where a handful of white men hold in
subjection one hundred million of their fellow-
creatures !

Let us pass, however, from this melancholy fact,
to glance at another event scarcely less horrible, as
regards its long and desolating continuance, — I allude
to the slave-trade. When the Spaniards found how
rapidly the aboriginal or Indian population of the
West India isles perished under the system of forced
labour, and beneath the tyranny of their rule, the
expedient of introducing negro slaves from Africa
was resorted to ; and that infernal traffic in human
blood and agony, doubly cursed to the enslaver and
to the enslaved, sprang into deadly and ferocious
activity. The example of the Spaniards * was soon

^ Bensoni states, that of two million Indians of the island
of Hispaniola (St. Domingo, or Haiti), when discovered by
Columbus, in 1492, not more than one hundred and fifty were
alive in 1545 ! The Indians in Cuba, to avoid working in the
mines, destroyed themselves in great numbers^ notwithstanding
all the efforts of the Spaniards to prevent them. The men,
women, and children of a village containing fifty houses have
been found at daylight all hanging to the trees ! The Spa-
niards absolutely fed their dogs on the flesh of their fellow-
creatures, whom they shot or slew when their bodies were
required. * Some

XVI INTRODUCTION.

followed by the Portugaese, Dutch, French, and
English*; companies for the horrid traffic were
formed, monopolies granted, and kings, princes, and
nobles enriched their coffers with the price of human
blood.

Some retributive justice has already been dealt out to Spain
by the Supreme Disposer of events. At one period the
Spaniards possessed entirely the Floridas, Mexico, Darien,
Terra Firma, Buenos Ayres, Paraguay, Chili, Peru, and Cali-
fornia ; they are now utterly expelled from every one of these
possessions, their dominion execrated, and new and flourishing
republics are rising on the ruin of their once valuable
colonies.

* In the year 1503, the Portuguese, who had settlements in
Africa, h&d begun to send negro slaves into the Spanish set-
tlements in America ; and, in 1511, Ferdinand the Fifth per-
mitted them to be carried in greater numbers. Bartholomew
de las Casas, the Bishop of Chiapa, actuated with a desire to
save the lives of the Indians, promoted the traffic ; but Car-
dinal Ximenes, perceiving the injustice and probable ill
effects of the scheme, discouraged it, and it experienced a
partial interruption. Nevertheless, before the close of that
century, the African slave-trade was carried on by the natives
of nearly all the maritime states of Europe.

The first instance of an Englishman engaging in the traffic
occurred in the year 1562, when Sir John Hawkins, in his
first voyage to Africa and Hispaniola, carried slaves, and on
his return deceived his mistress. Queen Elizabeth, in the
report which he made of his proceedings. The queen is
stated to have expressed her concern, lest any of the Africans
should be carried off* without their free consent, and declared,
* that it would be detestable, and call down the vengeance of
Heaven upon the undertakers.' Hall, the naval historian, has
the following remarkable observations on this fact : — * Here
began the horrid practice of forcing the Africans into slavery,
an injustice and barbarity which, so sure as there is vengeance
in Heaven for the worst of crimes, will some time be the
destruction of all who allow or encourage it.*

The African Company, formed in the reign of Charles II.,
granted by letters patent an exclusive right of trade to Queen
Catherine, Mary (the Queen Dowager), the Duke of York,
and others, forming a royal company, who carried on a traffic
in slaves to the extent of 800,000^. per annum.

INTRODUCTION. XVii

About thirty millions of our fellow-creatures have
been dragged from their native homes, shipped like
cattle in chains to a distant land, worked like the
beasts of the field, shot like dogs if they murmured
forth a claim in behalf of humanity, and finally they
have, with few exceptions, pined and perished under
the cruelties, avarice, and brutality of a handful of
Europeans ; for of the thirty millions exported from
Africa to the West Indies * since the commencement
of the sixteenth century, not half a million of the
original slaves, or of their unmixed descendants, are
now in existence !

I have carefully studied the pages of West India
history, which chronicle the deeds of upwards of 300
years, and I find nothing but wars, usurpations,
crimes, misery, and vice * ; — no green spot in the
desert of human wretchedness, on which the mind
of a philanthropist would love to dwell : — all, all is
one revolting scene of infamy, bloodshed, and unmi-
tigated woe. Slavery, both Indian and negro— that
blighting upas — ^has been the curse of the West

* Half a million of negroes were imported into Jamaica
from Africa, during the first half of the eighteenth century.
Between 1823 and 1832, no less than 325 regular slave-ships
left the ports of the Havanna for the coasts of Africa : 236
returned, importing into Cuha 100,000 slaves; the remaining
89 were either captured or lost at sea.

• In 1730, the legislature of Bermuda passed an act, giving
impunity to the murderers of slaves ; if, however, it could be
proved that a person had wilfully and maliciously killed a slave,
he was liable to be fined lOZ. in current money towards the
support of the government! If the murderer was not the
owner of the slain slave, he was, in addition, to pay the
appraised value of the dead slave to the owner. What a
picture of society does this legislative act in 1730 evince ?
In some of the islands, emasculation was resorted to for the
punishment of rebellious negroes, in preference to taking
away life, because that was of value to the owner of the slave.
What refined and demoniac cruelty !

WEST INDIES, VOL. I. a

XVlll INTRODUCTION.

Indies ; it has accompanied the white colonist, whe-
ther Spaniard, Frenchman, or Briton, in his progress,
tainting, like a plague, every incipient association,
and Wasting the efforts of man, however originally
well-disposed, hy its demon-like influence over the
natural virtues with which his Creator had endowed
him — leaving all dark, and cold, and desolate
within.

But now a glorious and happier era hursts upon
the western world; it diffuses the light of a new
existence over the soul, — Liberty is the spirit it has
awakened; — already her voice resounds along the
beautiful hills and through the fertile valleys of the
west, and is swept over the ocean to the uttermost
hounds of the earth. Long may England wear the
crown of glory that encircles her with an halo far
brighter than that of all her conquests and battles !
Millions of the human race will bless her name for
ages to come, and Afric*s swarthy sons will pour
forth prayers to the Giver of all good for her honour
and prosperity. She was the last nation in Europe
to enter into that accursed traffic in human beings ;
— to her eternal honour be it said, she was the first
to relinquish it — to strike the manacle from the slave
— to bid the bond go free !

Tell me not that Christianity has no power over
the soul, when we witness the consummation of this
splendid act, of which the history of Paganism affords
no parallel. Slavery, we are told, existed from the
period when tiijie was, and for four thousand years
has continued to afflict the earth. Under the benign
influence of the Christian faith, it ceased, on the first
day of August, eighteen hundred and thirty- four ; — it
ceased throughout an empire on which the sun never
sets; and mjrriads, 'redeemed, regenerated, disen-
thralled,' walk forth in all the majesty of freedom.

I stoop not to answer the impious assertion, that

INTRODUCTION. XIX

the image of the Creator, made in his likeness, and
endowed with the faculty of receiving a portion of his
Divine Spirit, was bom to a state of slavery *, —

Veluti pecora — prona — obedlentia ventri.

I heed not the physical care which may, and no
douht has, in many instances, been bestowed on the
mere animal. If the negro were not a rational being,
endowed with a mind to reflect, and with a soul to
be saved, I might rest satisfied with thinking of the
careful attention bestowed on him as a beast of bur-
then ; but he has far higher qualifications : he is
equally entitled with his white brethren to every
right and privilege of man ; and the alleged superior
slall and intelhgence of the European over the negro
should make the former a kind friend, instead of, as
has formerly been too often the case, a cruel and
avaricious tyrant, prompted only to kindness by the
despicable motives of self-interest.

But the argument founded on an alleged mental
inferiority of the African race is unfounded in fact. I
subjoin a few illustrations in proof thereof, and, if
space permitted, I could offer many additional illus-
trations, from observations made by myself in
Africa.

The following are a few instances of African
negroes who have been mathematicians, physicians,
divines, philosophers, Unguists, poets, generals, and
merchants — all eminent in their attainments, ener-
getic in enterprize, and honourable in character : —
Hannibal, a colonel in the Russian artillery, and
Lislet, of the Isle of France (the latter of whom was
named a corresponding member of the French

* It is declared in the Holy Scriptures, " He that stealeth a
man and selleth him, or if he be found in his hands, he shall
surely be put to death." — Exod. xxi. 16.

a2

XX INTRODUCTION.

Academy of Sciences, on account of his meteorolo-
gical observations), prove the capacity of the negroes
for the mathematical and physical sciences. Fuller,
of Maryland, was an extraordinary example of quick-
ness of reckoning. Being asked in a company, for
the purpose of trying his powers, how many seconds
a person had lived, who was seventy years and some
months old, he gave the answer in a minute and a
half. On reckoning it up after him, a diflPerent
result was obtained. * Have you not forgot the leap
years?' asked the negro. This omission was supplied,
and the number then agreed with his answer. Jac.
Eliza John Capitem, who was bought by a slave-
dealer when eight years old, studied theology at
Ley den, and published several sermons and poems.
His 'Dissertatio de Servitute Libertati Christianas
Hon Contraria,* that is, * Treatise of a Servitude (or
bondage) not contrary to Christian Liberty,' went
through four editions very quickly. He was ordained
in Amsterdam, and went to Elmina, on the Gold
Coast, where it is believed he was either murdered,
or consented to return to the practices and opinions
of his countrymen. In 1734, A. W. Arno, an
African from the coast of Guinea, took the degree
of doctor in philosophy, at the University of Wit-
temberg. Friedig, in Vienna, an African negro,
was an excellent performer, both on the violin and
violoncello; he was also a capital draftsman, and
had made a very successful painting of himself.
Ignatius Sancho, who was bom on board a slave-
ship, on its passage from Guinea to the West Indies,
and Gustavus Vasa, of the kingdom of Benin, both
distinguished themselves as literary characters in
this country. Toussaint Louveiture, the negro
general, and Christophe, the negro Emperor of
Hayti, and his admiral, acquitted themselves with
sufficient energy in war to achieve the liberties of

INTRODUCTION. Xxi

their country, wbich is still governed by persons of
African descent.

But whatever may be the estimate of the negro
mind, slavery has now received its death-blow, not
merely in our own colonies, but throughout the
civilized world ; and it will doubtless be interesting
to the reader to have here an abstract of the history
of the abolition of -slavery in the British Empire\

It must be grateful to an Englishman to learn that,
at an early period of our colonial history, negro
slavery was reprobated by many public writers.
Early in the sixteenth century, it was also dis-
countenanced by Cardinal Zimenes, by Charles V.
of Spain, by Pope Leo X., and by the Spanish Domi-
nican Friars. Queen Elizabeth would also have
discountenanced it, had the facts been known to her.
Milton, and many others, have left on record their
solemn protests against it. The sublime poet of
Paradise thus inveighed against this dreadful sin : — '

* O, execrable son, so to aspire
I Above his brethren, to himself assuming
Authority usurpt from God, not given *,
He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl,
Dominion absolute ; that right we hold
By his donation ; — but man over men
He made not lord, such title to himself
Reserving, human left from human free.'

Morgan Godwyn, in a little book, entitled * The
Negro's and Indian's Advocate,' published in 1680 ;
the celebrated Richard Baxter, in his ' Chris-
tian Directory ;' Thomas Trygon, in his ' Negro's
Complaint,* &c. ; John Woolman, in * Considerations
on Keeping Negroes* ; Anthony Benezet, in his
* History of Guinea,' &c. ; Southern, in his tragedy

^ I am mainly indebted for these details to my philanthropic
friend, Thomas Fisher, Esq., whose time, talents, and purse
have been devoted to the welfare of his fellow-creatux^^.

XXU INTRODUCTION.

of * Oronooko,* 1696: Dr. Primatt; Hutcheson, in
his ' Moral Philosophy' ; Foster, in his ' Discourses
on Natural Religion and Social Virtue* ; Sir Richard
Steele, in his story of ' Inkle and Yarico ;' Atkins,
in his ' Voyage to Guinea, Brazil, and the West
Indies ;* Pope, in his ' Essay on Man ;* Thomson, in
his ' Seasons ;' together with Richard Savage, Shen-
stone, Dyer, and other poets ; also Wallis, Hughes,
the celebrated Edmund Burke, Dr. Hayter, John Phil-
more, Malachi Postlethwaite, Thomas Jeffery, Sterne,
and Warburton, in their prose writings, — all inveighed
in strong language against the bondage of man by his
fellows. To these may be added, Rousseau and Baron
Montesquieu. Granville Sharp, Esq., a gentleman of
undying benevolence, took up the subject with intense
energy in 1 768; and by his noble exertions, the judges,
after three days* deliberations, made the memorable
decree, that the moment a slave touched the soil of
England he was a free man. Since Mr. Sharp's
time, further efforts have been made in the hallowed
cause of slavery abolition ; among others, by Thomas
Day, author of * Sandford and Merton,' and the
•Dying Negro,' published in 1773; Dr. Beattie, in
his * Essay on Truth ;' Rev. John Wesley, who had
been in America, and observed the condition of the
slaves, in his 'Thoughts on Slavery;' Dr. Adam
Smith, in his * Theory of Moral Sentiments,' and
•Wealth of Nations;' Professor Miller, in his
' Origin of Ranks ;' Dr. Robertson, in his * Histories
of America,' and of * Charles V. ;' the Abb^ Raynal ;
Dr. Paley, in his 'Moral Philosophy; Dr. Porteus,
Bishop of Chester, afterwards of London, who
pubUshed a sermon on negro slavery in 1776, which
he had preached before the Society for the Propaga-
tion of the Gospel, and became, from that time, an
active and powerful friend of the oppressed Africans.
In 1784, Dr. Gregory, also in his 'Historical and

INTRODUCTION. XXIU

Moral Essays/ gave a circumstantial detail of the
slave trade, in terms calculated to excite abhorrence
of it. In the same year, Gilbert Wakefield preached
a sermon at Richmond, in Surrey, in which he cen-
sured the conduct of Great Britain towards the
Africans ; this sermon was also published. In the
same year, the Rev. James Ramsay, vicar of Teston,
in Kent, became an able, zealous, and indefatigable
patron of the African cause ; in defence of which he
published an Essay on the Treatment and Conversion
of the African Slaves in the British Sugar Colonies,
1784; an 'Inquiry into the Effects of Abolition,
1784; a ' Reply to Personal Invectives and Objec-
tions,' 1785 ; a ' Letter to James Tobin, Esq.,* 1 787 ;
* Objections to the Abolition of the Slave Trade, with
Answers ;' and an * Examination of Harris's Scrip-
tural Researches on the Licitness of the Slave Trade,*
in 1788; an 'Address on the Proposed Bill for the
Abolition of the Slave Trade,' 1789. In 1785, the
celebrated work of M. Necker, the French financier,
made its appearance in the English language, and
was found to contain some very forcible observations
on the slave trade. In this year (1785), the first
petition to Parliament, excepting one from the
Society of Friends, was presented from the borough
of Bridge water, at the instance of the Rev. G.
White and Mr. John Chubb, of that town. In 1788,
Capt. J. S. Smith, of the Royal Navy, authorized the
publication of a letter in vindication of the facts
which had been stated by Mr. Ramsay, and disputed
by the West India planters. In the same year, the
poems of the celebrated William Cowper made their
appearance, containing many strong passages against
the slave trade and slavery. Thomas Clarkson, M.A.
has been eminently distinguished by his writings
against slavery, as well as by his indefatigable

XXIV INTRODUCTION.

labours in the cause of abolition, from the first agita-
tion of the subject. His most considerable work is
his * History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade/
in 2 vols. 8vo. published in 1808 ; it is a faithful and
affecting narrative, which ought to hold a conspicuous
place in every Englishman's library. His other
works are as follow : — ' An Essay on the Slavery
and Commerce of the Human Species, particularly
the African, translated from a Latin Dissertation,
which was honoured with the First Prize, in the
University of Cambridge, for the year 1785 ;' * An
Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade,
1788 ;' with several smaller productions.

To the names already mentioned must be added
those of Peers of Parliament, particularly the Mar-
quess WellesleyS Lords Grenville, HoUand, and
Teignmouth ; also Sir Wm. Dolben, Sir P. Francis,
Sir S. RomiUy, Sir James Mackintosh, Messrs. W.
Wilberforce, W. Pitt, C. Fox, S. Whitbread, J.
Stephen, C. Grant, H. Gumey, G. Harrison, Z. Ma-
caulay, Alex. Falconbridge, H. Thornton, WiDiam
Dilwyn, Sam. Bradburn, Capt. Maijoribanks, Capt.
Layman, James Montgomery, Joseph Woods, N.
Vansittart, the Rev. R. Boucher Nichols (Dean of
Middleham, in Yorkshire), the Rev. John Newton,
the Rev. J. Jamieson, the Rev. Abraham Booth, the
Rev. T. Burgess (afterwards Bishop of St. David's),
Messrs. Beaufoy, Josh. Hardcastle, W. Smith, T. F.
Buxton, W. T. Money, H. Brougham, with several
others, who have advocated the cause of the oppressed

* The Marquess Wellesley, when Lord Mornington, and
representing (I believe) the borough of Windsor in the English
Parliament, was mainly instrumental in procuring the imme-
diate abolition of the carrying trade in slaves, which it
was then proposed to extend for a definite terra of years.—
R. M. M.

INTRODUCTION. XXV

Africans, either in pamphlets or in speeches, which
were afterwards printed and circulated through the
country. His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester
especially distinguished himself by becoming the
patron and president both of the African Institution
and of the Anti- Slavery Society.

The Society of Friends, or Quakers, warmly
espoused the cause of humanity. The members of
this community have long been, individually and
collectively, both in principle and practice, opposed
to the enslavement of the African race. So far back
as the year 1671, it was adverted to in an address
delivered by the celebrated Greorge Fox to the inha-
bitants of Barbadoes. He was supported in his
views and conduct by his colleague, William Edmund-
son. The first public censure on the traffic, passed
by the society in its coDective capacity, bears date in
the year 1727, in which year it was resolved, * That
the importing of negroes from their native country
and relations, by Friends, is not a commendable nor
allowed practice, and is therefore censured by this
meeting.' The same sentiment was more empha-
tically urged upon the attention of the members
of this society in 1756, and subsequently very
frequently reiterated in an improved form, as the
subject became better understood, and the evils of
slavery more distinctly perceived. In 1761, it was
resolved to disown any member of the Society of
Friends, who should have any concern in the traffic
in slaves. In 1783, the society petitioned the Eng-
lish Parliament for the abolition of the slave trade,
and it was the first public body which adopted that
course. From that time till the present moment, its
exertions for the suppression of the slave trade, and
emancipation of the slaves, have been indefatigable.
The Friends have, at a great expence, circulated
information upon the subject; and it is now adverted

XXVI INTRODUCTION.

to, as often as occasion presents, at the yearly meet-
ings of the society.

Nor let me omit to state that the University of
Cambridge frequently petitioned Parliament for the
abolition of the slave trade, until that object was
attained ; it also distinguished itself by petitioning
the House of Commons for the abolition of slavery.

Among the earliest friends of the cause in Par-
liament were Sir Charles Middleton (afterwards Lord
Barham ; William Wilberforce, Esq., the Earl of
Momington (now Marquess Wellesley), and the Right
Hon. William Pitt, then Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The latter, on the 9th of May, 1788, submitted a
resolution to the House of Commons, 'That this
House will, early in the next session of Parliament,
proceed to take into consideration the circumstances
of the slave trade, complained of in the said petitions,
and what may be fit to be done therein.' The House,
after some debate, agreed to this motion. Several
distinguished members of the House delivered their
sentiments on the occasion, particularly the late Right
Hon. C. J. Fox, the Right Hon. Edmund Burke,
Mr. S. Whitbread, Sir William Dolben, Sir James
Johnson, a planter, Mr. Bastard, Mr. L. Smith,
Mr. Grigby, and Mr. Pelham, who were all favour-
able to the motion. Lord Penrhyn and Mr. Gas-
coyne, the Members for Liverpool, admitted the evils
of the trade, although their constituents considered
themselves as having a great interest in its con-
tinuance.

Sir William Dolben having expressed himself
particularly anxious to apply an immediate remedy
to the crying evils of the middle passage, a short
regulating act was brought in, and passed the House
of Commons. It also passed the House of Lords,
after considerable opposition, especially from the
then Lord Chancellor, Thurlow. Upon the whole.

INTRODUCTION. XXVU

the cause of the oppressed Africans appeared to gain
strength during the parliamentary session of the year
1788.

From this time till the passing of the first Aboli-
tion Act, in 1806, the subject did not rest in Parlia-
ment. Those who were friendly to the cause, and
cherished a desire to see the slave-trade abohshed,
continued indefatigable in their exertions to procure
information, with a view to enlighten the Members
of both Houses ; among those, Mr. Thomas Clarkson
deserves honourable mention ; his valuable life may
be said to have been devoted to this holy cause.
And on the 12th of May, 1789, Mr Wilberforce laid
upon the table of the House of Commons twelve pro-
positions, deduced from the report of the Committee
of Privy Council, stating the number of slaves an-
nually brought from the African shores ; the means
by which they were procured ; their treatment ; the
average loss of British seamen and of slaves in the
transit voyage, or, as it was more commonly called,
the middle passage; also the average mortality of
newly-imported slaves in the West Indies. These
propositions Mr. Wilberforce prefaced by a brilliant
aidcb*ess to the House, which obtained for him its
plaudits, and he was supported by Mr. Burke, Mr.
Pitt, Mr. Fox, Mr. (afterwards Lord) Grenville, and
other distinguished members ; but the opponents of
the cause, among whom were to be reckoned Alder-
men Watson, Sawbridge, and Newnham, three of
the members for the city of London, refused to be
satisfied with the facts contained in the evidence
then before them, and required further testimony.
To this the House acceded, and the examination of
witnesses commenced at the bar of the House. The
question was, in consequence, deferred till the fol-
lowing session ; but before the Parliament adjourned.

XXVIU INTRODUCTION.

Sir William Dolben obtained the renewal of his
regulating act.

In 1790, the examination of witnesses against
the slave-trade proceeded in the House of Commons,
but not without opposition.

In 1791, it was resumed and completed; and, on
the 1 8th of April, a motion was made by Mr. Wil-
berforce on the evidence taken, for preventing all
further importation of slaves from Africa, which,
after a long and warm debate, was lost by a majority
of 75 votes ; the numbers being for it, 88 ; against
it, 163.

On the 2nd of April, 1792, Mr. Wilberforce moved
the House, that 'The trade carried on by British
subjects for the purpose of obtaining slaves on the
coast of Africa, ought to be aboUshed.' This pro-
position, after a long discussion, was agreed to by
the House of Commons, with a limitation that the
abolition should not take place till 1796 ; but when
it- was brought up to the House of Lords, the dis-
cussion of it was postponed till the following session,
and their Lordships determined, in the interim, to
receive further evidence.

Mr. Wilberforce, in his introductory speech in
Parliament this session, stated some dreadful in-
stances of mortality, which had happened on board
of slave ships during the middle passage, particularly
that one ship, with a cargo of 602, had lost 155 ;
another, with 450 slaves, 200 ; another, with 466
slaves, 73 ; and another, with 546 slaves, 158 ; and
that out of the survivors in the four ships, after the
voyage was completed, 220 had died on shore in the
West Indies. The discussions relative to the slave-
trade were, moreover, conducted in this session with
less command of temper than they had previously
been on the part of the friends of that trade, who

INTRODUCTION. XXIX

began to distiDguish their opponents by the terms
fanatic, saint, speculatist, or abolitionist.

Notwithstanding the discouragements in the House
of Lords the question was not allowed to rest after
the session of 1792. In 1793 amotion was made
by Mr. Wilberforce in the House of Commons to
renew the resolution of the preceding year, which
motion was lost, as was another for the abolition of
a foreign slave-trade, then carried on by British
capitalists upon British bottoms. The proceedings
in the House of Lords were also remarkable this
year for the opposition given in that House to the
cause of the Africans : but some progress was made
there in the hearing of evidence.

In the year 1 794, the motion to abolish the foreign
slave-trade was renewed by Mr. Wilberforce in the
House of Commons, where it was carried, but was after-
wards negatived in the House of Lords, who, never-
theless, made some small progress in the hearing of
evidence . I think it was on this occasion that the Earl
of Momington (now Marquess Wellesley) made a
celebrated speech and motion, in which his Lordship
declared that he never could admit the doctrine of
granting justice by instalments; and if the slave-trade
were cruel, unlawful, and at direct variance with the
first principles of humanity, there could be no moral,
legal, or equitable plea for continuing the horrid and
murderous traffic for a definite term of years.

In February, 1795, Mr. Wilberforce moved in the
House of Commons for leave to bring in a bill for the
abolition of the slave-trade. This motion had then
become necessary, if, according to the former resolu-
tion of that House, already mentioned, the slave-
trade was to cease in 1796. The proposition was,
nevertheless, rejected.

In the years 1796 and 1797 a temporary success
attended the exertions of Mr. Wilberforce in the

XXX INTRODUCTION.

House of Commons, but it ended in disappointment ;
the enemies of abolition having, in the latter year,
by a recommendation that the Colonial Assemblies
would adopt measures of amelioration, parried the
blow aimed at their system by the abolitionists. This
scheme of amelioration was favourably received by
Parliament, where it checked discussion, although it
produced few good results in the West Indies.

In 1798, Mr. Wilberforce attempted to renew his
former bill for the abolition of the slave-trade within
a limited time, but was again defeated, although by
a small majority, in a thin House; the numbers
being, for the question, 83 ; against it, 87. Mr.
Wilberforce and the friends of the Africans, convinced
that truth and justice were on their side, still per-
severed in their hallowed course, and in the following
session, 1799, Mr. Wilberforce renewed his motion
in the House of Commons for the abolition of the
slave-trade, but it was again lost. Another measure,
proposed by Mr. Henry Thornton, for limiting the
trade to certain districts of the African coast, had
scarcely a better fate ; the bill passed the House of
Commons, but, after much discussion, was lost in
the Lords. The years 1800, 1801, 1802, and J803,
were, therefore, allowed to pass without any effort
being made in Parliament to abolish this odious
traffic ; but in the year 1 804 Mr. Wilberforce re-
vived the subject, and, after a very interesting
debate, obtained, by a large majority of 1 24 votes
against 49, leave to bring in a bill for the abolition
of the slave-trade. The bill was, nevertheless, when
brought in, opposed in every stage of it, but it finally
passed the House of Commons, and was sent up to
the House of Lords. There, in consequence of the
advanced state of the session, the consideration of it
was postponed till the following year.

It was of course revived early in the session of

INTRODUCTION. XXXI

1805, and met, as usual, with decided friends and
strongly excited adversaries. At length the question
upon it was lost in the House of Commons, owing,
as was helieved, to the excessive confidence of its
friends.

The good effects of these proceedings became at
last visible; an order by his Majesty in Council,.
1805, gave the first check to the English slave-trade,
by interdicting the importation of slaves into Bri-
tish colonies, except in certain cases ; in the suc-
ceeding year, 1806, the prohibition was confirmed
by Act of Parliament, (46 Geo. III. cap. 52). which
also prohibited a British traffic in slaves for the
supply of foreign colonies. In June foUowing, the
House of Commons came to certain resolutions for
the more effectual suppression of the African slave-
trade. On the 25th March. 1807, an Act (47 Geo.
III. cap. 36) was passed, prohibiting the trade, under
large penalties, and offering bounties to those who
might be instrumental in detecting it. This was
followed by the Act of 1811, (51 Geo. III. cap. 23),
declaring the slave-trade felony, and subjecting those
concerned in it to condign punishment. By a more
recent Act of Parliament, (4 Geo. IV. cap. 17), the
traffic in slaves by British subjects was declared to
be piracy. These proceedings were followed up by
the Grovernment at home, by the colonists abroad,
and by Parliament, in framing regulations for
ameliorating the physical condition of the slaves,
and providing for their moral and religious improve-
ment. The crowning of all this was the final aboli-
tion of negro slavery throughout the British empire
by the Act 3rd and 4th WiUiam IV. which came
into operation the 1st August, 1834—20,000,000/.
having been appropriated by Parliament for com-
pensation to the planters, as regards any loss they
may sustain from abolition.

XXXU INTRODUCTION.

With respect to other countries, little can yet
be said on the subject. In 1807, the foreign
slave-trade was abolished throughout the United
States, by the Act of Congress; a revolting in-
ternal slave-trade still, however, exists in the
Southern States, and nearly 2,000,000 of wretched
beings exist there in bondage. Mexico abolished
the slave-trade in 1824, and Buenos Ayres, Chili,
and Columbia, since the treaty of Vienna. The
Conventional Assembly of France, in 1794, abolished
slavery, but the Act became void. Buonaparte, on
his return from Elba in 1815, again decreed its
abolition, but the Bourbons had neither the wisdom,
humanity, nor gratitude, to carry his decree into
execution. By a recent treaty between England and
France, Lord Granville, (our intelligent, urbane, and
patriotic ambassador at Paris), prevailed on M. Se-
bastiani to ratify a treaty (4th March, 1831), render-
ing the slave-trade, and all connexion with, or con-
nivance at it, highly criminal. In the same year, a
mutual right of search by the ships of war of each
nation, was agreed to. In 1833, Lord Granville, in
pursuance of his humane and noble eflfbrts, induced
M. de BrogHe, the French Minister, to agree to a
supplementary and highly-important article, for the
capture of vessels fitted up merely for the trade,
that they should be broken up. These clauses are
of the greatest value. Denmark and Sardinia, and
Spain have agreed to the terms of this convention.
The United States have totally refused to agree to
the right of search : so also has Prussia and Russia.
Austria has not decided ; neither has the Netherlands,
Sweden, or Naples. The Brazilians have declared
it piracy ; Portugal still acts with faithlessness and
ingratitude; but, under the progress of pending
negociations, we hope the period is not far distant

7

INTRODUCTION. XXXlll

when every nation in Europe will have effectively com-
bined to annihilate for ever this murderous traffic.

Our next step is to use every possible effort to
induce the United States, France, Spain, Holland,
Portugal, &c. to abolish internal slavery. They have
an example in the British Colonies, and I feel assured
that the result will be prosperous. The example of
St. Domingo has been frequently cited as an instance
of the commercial and social rule which will be the
effect of slave emancipation in the British Colonies.
Nothing can be more erroneous than such conclu-
sions, in illustration of which I am happy in being
able to detail the following summary of events \ as
they may lead to juster views with regard to our
own colonial possessions : —

The island of St. Domingo, now the republic of
Hayti, was formerly the joint property of the French
and Spaniards, who had acquired their rights in it,
as such rights used to be acquired, by taking pos-
session of the land, and stocking it with a slave
population. But in August, 1791, the slaves on
St. Domingo achieved their own freedom by that
successful insurrection against their white masters,
the guilt of which was most erroneously charged
upon English Abolitionists.

It has been asserted that the blacks on St. Domingo,
when they acquired liberty, in 1791, murdered nearly
all the whites ; and that their conduct on that occa-
sion was marked by great cruelty and atrocity. To this
it is justly replied, that it was so reported by deputies
sent by the whites to the French National Assembly;
but to do justice to the negroes, it is necessary to
advert briefly to some other circumstances in the
history of the transactions referred to. When the
French revolution, which decreed equality of rights to
all citizens, had taken place, the free people of colour

* This has been furnished me by Mi. ¥\^\v^t.

WEST INDIES, VOL, I. \>

SSH

XXXIV INTRODUCTION.

on St. Domingo, many of whom were persons of large
property and liberal education, petitioned the Na-
tional Assembly, that they might enjoy the same poli-
tical privileges as the whites there. The subject of
the petition was not discussed till the 8th of March,
1 790, when the Assembly agreed upon a decree con-
cerning it. The decree, however, was worded so
ambiguously, that the two parties in St. Domingo,
the whites and the people of colour, interpreted it
each of them in its own favour. This difference of
interpretation gave rise to animosities between them ;
and these animosities were augmented by political
party spirit, according as they were royalists or
partizans of the French revolution ; so that dis-
turbances took place, and blood was shed.

In the year 1791, the people of colour obtained
from the Assembly in France another decree in
explicit terms, which determined that they were
entitled to all the rights of citizenship in all the
French islands, prpvided they were bom of free
parents on both sides. The news of this decree had
no sooner arrived at the Cape, than it produced an
indignation almost amounting to phrenzy among the
whites. They instantly trampled under foot the
national cockade ; and were with difficulty prevented
from seizing all the French merchant ships in the
roads. After this the two parties armed against each
other ; camps were formed, and, it is to be deplored,
that fearful massacres and conflagrations followed ;
the reports of which, when brought to the mother
country, were so terrible, that the Assembly in the
same year abolished the decree in favour of the free
people of colour.

When the news of this last Act reached St. Do-
mingo, it occasioned as much irritation among the
people of colour as the news of the passing of it had
produced among the whites ; and hostilities were

INTRODUCTION, XXXV

renewed between them, so that new battles, mas-
sacres, and burnings took place, which compelled the
Conventional Assembly to retrace their steps. They
sent out commissioners ; who, after several attempts
at pacification, emancipated such blacks as were
willing to range themselves under the banners of the
Republic; and in 1794 the National Convention
emancipated the whole remaining slave population,
who immediately betook themselves to courses of
industry. In these transactions it must be evident,
that the slaves in the first instance were the mere
engines employed by their owners, by whom they
were hurried on to excesses. If afterwards they
found a cause properly their own, and in any instance
prosecuted it wili cruelty, it should be recollected
that they had not been educated in the principles of
civilized society. Their whole experience in the
colonies had been limited to the contemplation of but.
one motive for human action, and that motive was
fear. They had witnessed great excesses of cruelty
practised by white men upon blacks ; and when the
ebullitions of their own rage and resentment, for
injuries long endured, had burst all the restraints of
law, and they knew that the foe they had raised up
would, if triumphant, resort to still more execrable
cruelties than he had formerly practised, what wonder
that in the use of power they should be implacably
cruel, thus following the example of their white
oppressors, who certainly were not less so ? The
very worst part of the conduct of the blacks on
St. Domingo, in their struggle for their liberties, is
many shades less dark and diabolical than that of
the cool calculating slave-trader, who navigates his
vessel, freighted with fetters, manacles, thumb-
screws, and scourges, to the shores of an unoffend-
ing people, andj after drawing numbers of them
into his toils by employing the most 8at«ja\c wc\&,
sacrifices the lives of nearly half oi lois c«ix^o ^l

XXXVl INTRODUCTION.

human beings that he may secm'e the others in a
distant region, in a state of irremediable bondage.
The outrages of men struggling to regain their lost
liberties have too much of virtue in them to admit
of any comparison with such transactions as those
of the slave-trader.

The inhabitants of St. Domingo have since, as
might naturally be expected, experienced some revo-
lutionary struggles ; but although they are in the
very midst of slave colonies belonging to several
European nations, they are at this moment an in-
dependent negro state, under a republican govern-
ment, over which a native mulatto chief presides,
and are daily increasing in population (it is now
1,000,000, having doubled itself in twenty-five
years), and improving in power, in intellectual
cultivation, and all the arts of civilization. Boyer,
the President of the Republic of Hayti, has thrice,
viz. in 1814, 1816, and 1823, offered to compensate
the former proprietors for their losses ; but France
wished to stipulate for sovereignty, and to this the
Haytians of course would not consent. One mil-
lion francs have been presented to Lafitte by the
St. Domingans, for the losses he may have sustained
by his projected Haytian loan.

In our own slave colonies the great question of
emancipation is now in progress. It behoves all
parties to be. on the watch in a crisis so eventful, not
merely to those immediately interested, but as re-
gards the example which we are setting to other
nations and to posterity. There should no longer
be a division of classes ; the interests of all should
be felt as one; and harmonious efforts should be
made in the mother country and in the colonies to
promote calmly and judiciously the efficient working
of this truly grand and noble experiment for the
freedom, welfare, and happiness of millions of the
human race.

For Htmt|:vij

7rt' Whit nl <«

fitti^ir'rf^ try S/tfttrt *t/itMif/.
tfi/iitH^*f fry Ktift^*fttf . tJk afSA .

Wp&f**

-^.

\

WEST INDIES.

BOOK. I.
JAMAICA, &c.

, CHAPTER I.

GEOGRAPHY, AREA, BOUNDARIES AND HISTORY.

Jamaica, (Xaymaca* or St. Jago',) a magnificent
island, one hundred and sixty miles long, by forty-
five broad, containing 4,000,000 acres, and situate
between the parallels of 17.35 to 18.30 N. Lat. and
76 to 78.40 W. Long, four thousand miles S. W. of
England, ninety miles W. of St. Domingo, the satne
distance S. of Cuba, and four hundred and thirty-five
miles N. of Carthagena, on the S. American conti-
nent, — ^was discovered by Columbus on the morning
of the 3d of May, 1494, during his second expedi-

* The isle was thus called by the Indians, signifying, in the
language of Florida, abundance of wood and water.

* According to Oldmixon this name was given by Colum-
bus, on his second visit to the island, in honour of St Jago,
alias St James, the patron Saint of Spain.

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. "&

2 JAMAICA, &C.

tion to the New World. When first visited by the
Spaniards Jamaica was found to be densely peopled
with Indians, resembling in appearance and language
the inhabitants of the contiguous mainland ; nume-
rous canoes put off from the shore to meet Colum-
bus, and resistance was offered by a large party of
armed Indians, when the Spanish boats proceeded
to obtain soundings in the haven, now called Port
Maria.

The voyagers then entered another harbour, named
Ora Cabeca, and on experiencing a similar demonstra-
tion of opposition, several arhaletes were discharged
at the Indians, who fled on witnessing the slaughter
of their companions, and permitted the quiet landing
of Columbus. The admiral, (who took formal pos-
session of the island for his sovereign,) remained ten
days among the astonished natives, and then (18th
May, 1494) sailed for Cuba. On the 22nd of the
ensuing month, Columbus again approached Jamaica,
off Rio BuSno, and surveyed the coast (without land-
ing), till the 20th of August, when he reached San
Miguel, now Cape Tiburon. For eight years from
this period nothing further was heard of Jamaica,
and the peaceful Indians were yet a little while left
in the tranquil occupation of their happy home. In
1502, (14th July,) Columbus, then on his 4th voy-
age, sailed from Hispaniola for Jamaica, but con-
trary and boisterous winds compelled his sheltering
at Guanaja, or the isle of Pines. The succeeding
year saw the first European settlement on our pre-
sent colony, the result of necessity, rather than
choice. Returning from the disastrous expedition

COLUMBUS FIBST LANDING IN JAMAICA. 3

to Veragua, Columbus (with his son and brother
and two ships), was driven for shelter toMaxaca, on
the S. coast of Cuba, whence after imperfectly re-
pairing his vessels, he again put to sea, but was
forced, by stress of weather, and in a sinking state,
on an uninhabited part of the N. coast of Jamaica,
where neither water nor provisions were procurable ;
once more the intrepid navigator turned his shattered
prows to the faithless deep, the tradewind drove him
down the coast to the westward, and at St. Ann's
Bay, (called by the devout and weather-beaten
mariner Santa Gloria S) the sinking vessels were run
on shore for the purpose of preserving the lives of
the almost exhausted adventurers, who, protected by
a reef of rocks, lashed the wrecks together, and
canopied beneath a canvas awning, found present
shelter and repose.

Friendly communications were opened with the
unsuspecting Indians, who supplied the shipwrecked
seamen with abundance of provisions in exchange
for beads, bells, or other trifles*. Columbus dis-
patched Diego Mendez, the secretary to the squa-
dron, in company with a Genoese named Fieski, in
two canoes (each fmmished with six Castilians and
ten Indians) to Ovando, the Governor of Hispa-

* The Cove is called to the present day, in remembrance of
this event, Don Christopher's Cove.

2 Columbus acted on the fears of the Indians, by threaten-
ing them with the Divine vengeance unless his wants were all
complied with ; and told them that an eclipse, which he knew
was on the point of taking place, would be the signal of de-
struction.

b2

4 JAMAICA, &C.

niola, then the capital of the Spanish western isles,
distant 200 leagues from Jamaica, and with a strong
adverse wind in their course. Ovando, the Governor
of Hispaniola, was the inveterate enemy of Colum-
bus, and availed himself of the occasion of his rival's
misfortune, to heap insult and injury on the unfortu-
nate admiral ; a vessel was dispatched from Hispa-
niola, to mock the sufferers with condolence and
ironical regrets of inability to afford assistance, the
commander of the reconnoitering ship (which pur-
posely lay outside the reefs of Santa Gloria) having
been expressly selected on account of his being the
personal enemy of Columbus. The suffering Spani-
ards, under the impression that they were neglected
by the Viceregal and Home Authorities, by reason
of their fidelity to Columbus^ mutinied at the instiga-
tion of the brothers Pooras (one a commander, and
the other a military treasurer). Columbus was ac-
cused of witchcraft, and several attempts to assas-
sinate him as he lay confined to /his bed with the
gout were only frustrated by the bravery and pre-
sence of mind of his brother Bartholomew ; the mu-
tineers seized on ten canoes which the admiral had
been preparing, plundered the natives of provisions
wherever they could be found, forced several to ac-
company them in their efforts to cross the sea to His-
paniola, and then threw the islanders overboard with
their baggage to lighten the fragile barks in which
they several times endeavoured to gain the seat of
Supreme Government. When compelled to return
by the storm to Jamaica, it was but to lay waste and
destroy the unoffending Indians, and to make fresh

DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIANS BY THE SPANIARDS. 5

attacks on Columbus and his few faithful followers.
At length, after losing several of their comrades in a
battle with the admiral's friends, headed by Diego
Columbus, the renegades sued for permission to re-
turn to their allegiance, and in a month after (28th
June, 1504), Columbus bade a final adieu to the
Jamaica shores, in vessels prepared for his relief by
Mendez and Fieski, whom he had dispatched from
Santa Gloria to Hispaniola and Spain (as before
stated) soon after the shipwreck of his vessels. The
peaceful Indians were now left for a brief period in
the quiet possession of their lovely isle, but in three
years after the death of Christopher Columbus, i. e.
in 1509, the Spanish Court divided the Darien
Government between Alfonzo d'Ojeda and Diego
Nicuesa, authorizing them jointly and severally to
make what use they pleased of the unoccupied island
of Jamaica as a garden, whence provisions might be
obtained, and as a nursery whence slaves might be
procured to work in the mines. The result of such
orders, in such times, may be easily imagined; a
contest arose between the provincial Governors who
should make the most of the unfortunate islanders
and their country; towns and villages were laid
waste and burned ; the slightest resistance was re-
venged with indiscriminate slaughter ; the caciques,
or chiefs, murdered in cold blood ; the women, who
tempted the lust of the invaders, became victims to
their sensuality ; tortures of the most infernal nature
were resorted to for the purpose of forcing a disco-
very of that which the Spaniards eagerly thirsted for
— gold ; and the adults and children of Jamaica who

6 JAMAICA, &C.

were not fortunate enough to escape to the recesses
of the mountains, there to perish, or suffer from lin-
gering famine, were borne away into captivity, to
wear out a brief existence in the rayless mines where
their merciless oppressors sought wealth at an incal-
culable sacrifice of human life and misery. Justly
may we exclaim with the poet —

quid non mortalia pectora cogis,
Auri sacra fames I

While the rival governors, Diego and Nicuesa,
were disputing about the adjudication of Jamaica,
Diego Columbus (the son of the great navigator)
stepped in to assert his prior claim, and accordingly
despatched, in 1509, Don Juan d'Esquimel, with
seventy men, to take possession of the island and
form a settlement at Santa Gloria, a spot sacred to
his filial afifections, by reason of the shipwreck and
suflferings of his father. The seat of government
was fixed on the banks of a small rivulet, termed
Sevilla Nueva, to commemorate the successful termi-
nation of his suit against the crown, as recently
decided by the council of the Indies ; and Ferdinand,
another son of Columbus, was despatched from
Spain to establish a monastery, and assist in the
extension of the new colony. The unwarlike Indi-
ans did not long offer resistance to the government
which they found disposed to settle amongst them,
they sank by degrees into the condition of serfs and
slaves, and were regarded as mere ministers to the
pleasures of their white brethren, who had now
usurped the sole occupancy of the soil. San Do-

FIRST SPANISH COLONY IN JAMAICA. 7

mingo, then in all its glory, graced by the presence
of royal blood, and many of the nobility of Castile,
and the seat of fashion in the new world, communi-
cated its luxuriance and taste to Sevilla Nueva (now
called Sevilla cTOro, from the gold brought thither
by the natives), and a splendid city arose, rivalling
in magnificence the towns of the mother country,
but of which not a vestige remains, save the me-
mory of the name, — the cane fields, on the site of
the former capital, being still termed Seville,

The chroniclers of the day represent the govern-
ment of Don Juan d'Esquimel as mild in character
towards the natives, and fostering in regard to the
culture of cotton, the introduction of the sugar
cane, vine ^ and European cattle, which flourished
in the virgin soil, and fruitful valleys, and savan-
nahs of the island. The cotton wool was celebrated
in commerce for its quality as well as quantity ; and
the beautiful fabrics woven therefrom by the Indians
became a source of wealth to the Spaniards, which,
if they had been attended to, would have proved of
more lasting value than the precious metals ; in the
avaricious search for which every thing living and
dead was sacrificed. Unhappily for the Indians,
the rule of Don Esquimel was brief; he died, and
was buried at Sevilla d*Oro, the beautiful bay on
the south of the island now called Old Harbour,
where he had fixed his estate as an eligible ship-
building settlement. Don Esquimel bequeathed to
posterity the remembrance of a name whose charac-

^ Claret was then made in Jamaica.

8 JAMAICA, &C.

ter offered a bright contrast to that of his sanguinary
successors. Francisco de Garay, a Spaniard, who
had long been a fortunate partner of the celebrated
Diaz in the famed mine of St. Christopher, in His-
paniola, and whose insatiable avarice and cruelty
was notorious, succeeded Esquimel as lieutenant of
Diego Columbus, in the government of Jamaica,
which, in 1519 (ten years after its settlement), had
risen so rapidly as to have been enabled to fit out
three vessels, manned by two hundred and seventy
men, to endeavour to take possession of a territory
named Panuco, on the main land. In 1521, Sevilla
d'Oro began to send off branches from the parent
stock, and two new towns were founded — the one
on the Bay of Blewfields, named Oristan, from a
place in Sardinia ; the other, Melilla (supposed to
be on the site where Marthse-brse now stands), so
called after a small town in Barbary.

The death of Diego Columbus (who, in 1523,
had founded St. Jago d£ la Vega, or St. Jago of the
Plains, to distinguish it from St. Jago de Cuba), in
1526, checked the improvement of the island; and
the cruelties of the Governor, Don Pedro d'Esquimel,
whom Las Casas declares to have been the greatest
destroyer of the Indians, added to the destructive
piratical warfare carried on by French corsairs, un-
der the name of Flibustiers — all tended to cloud the
rising prosperity of Jamaica. The intelligent author
of the Annals of Jamaica, the Rev. G. W. Bridges,
says, that the consequence of such proceedings was,
that the settlement of Oristan was destroyed in its
infancy, Melilla was abandoned almost as soon as

PIBACT OF THE FRENCH FLIBUSTIERS. 9

built, and the capital became the repeated prey of a
lawless banditti. Its buildings, many of them the
creation of monastic munificence, were suspended —
its trade interrupted — and such as were not bound
by office to the seat of government, deserted their
half-finished walls to seek a safer retreat in the
southern districts of the island. The Jamaica Al-
manac says, that St. Jago de la Vega, or Spanish
Town, was founded by Diego Columbus, in 1523 ;
but Mr. Bridges states its origin to have been owing
to the aflrighted Spaniards, who fled over the moun-
tain range, in 1538, in order to breathe in security
from the plundering attacks of the French flibus-
tiers, or corsairs; while superstition suggested the
name of the new capital, under the impression that
the patron saint of the island had been oflfended at
the name (St. Jago) given by Columbus having been
outlived by the native cognomen, Xaymaca, or Ja-
maica. Security of person and property, the main
spring of national wealth and happiness, soon con-
tributed to raise St. Jago de la Vega into a flourish-
ing city : the neighbouring savannahs were quickly
cultivated, the manufacture of sugar* rapidly ex-
tended, and, in sixteen years from its foundation
(1555), the capital of Jamaica gave the title of Mar-
quis to the grandson of the extraordinary mariner
who may be truly said to have discovered a new
world for the purpose of stimulating into renewed
energy the enterprize and intelligence of the old.

* In 1523 there were thirty sugar mills established in the
island.

10 JAMAICA, &C.

The wars between Charles V. and Henry of France
were carried on in America by the latter under pira-
tical leaders; and, after a desperate attack of the
flibustiers, in 1554, who massacred all the inhabit-
ants, sculptured arches and bare walls alone remained
as evidence of the pristine splendour of the once
celebrated city of Sevilla d*Oro.

In 1558, it is stated that the native inhabitants of
Jamaica had entirely perished. Gage, writing in
1637, says, 'This island was once very populous,
but is now almost destitute of Indians, for the Spa-
niards have slain in it more than 60,000 ; insomuch
that women, as well here as on the continent, did
kill their children before they had given them birth,
that the issues of their bodies might not serve so
cruel a nation/ The Spaniards cultivated the lands
in the neighbourhood of St. Jago de la Vega, by
means of the few slaves which they were enabled to
purchase. In 1580, owing to the junction of the
crowns of Spain and Portugal, the territorial right
of Jamaica was vested in the royal house of Bra-
ganza, and the Portuguese who emigrated to the
island gave new life and vigour to the settlement.
In 1587 Jamaica was so overrun with the breed of
homed cattle, swine, and horses, originally imported
from Hispaniola, that a considerable trade arose in
provisions, lard, and hides ; the cultivation of sugar,
which had been neglected after the destruction of
Sevilla d'Oro, was resumed ; and ginger, tobacco,
and other articles were added to the planters' com-
mercial stock. In 1605 the famed wealth of Jamaica
induced a predatory incursion on the settlement

PROGRESSIVE PROSPERITY OF JAMAICA. 11

from Sir Anthony Shirley, who was cruising in the
neighbourhood with a large fleet, but the invaders
retired after plundering only those parts of the island
that were most accessible.

Col. or Capt. William Jackson made a descent
upon Jamaica in 1644, from the windward islands,
at the head of Ave hundred men ; the Spaniards
fought bravely at Passage Fort, but were beaten,
and compelled to pay a large sum of money for the
preservation of the capital. Little, or indeed nothing
authentic, is known of the internal history of the
island up to the period of the British Conquest in
1655; the acquisitions of Spain on the Continent,
and the vast quantity of precious metals thence de-
rived, soon induced the neglect of the insular pos-
sessions of the Mother Country for the sake of the
more shewy, but less substantial advantages, derived
by the conquest of Peru and Mexico ; all accounts,
however, agree in representing the Hidalgos of Ja-
maica as leading a life of slothful luxuriance ; and for
the latter fifty years the N. side of the island had
been abandoned and allowed to be covered with
dense woods. The population at the time of the
British Conquest was stated by Venables to be no
more than 1,500 Spaniards and Portuguese, with
about an equal number of Mulattoes and negro
slaves, and the higher class of inhabitants was com-
posed of only eight families, who may be said to
have divided the country between them into eight
hatos or districts.

Cromwell, no less with a desire to rid himself of
those disaffected towards his government, than with

12 JAMAICA, &C.

a hope of humbling the power of the Spanish court,
which favoured the restoration of Charles, — aided
by the popular feeling in England against the Spani-
ards, for the condemnation of six hundred peaceable
English settlers at St. Christopher's, to work in
subterraneous bondage in the mines of Mexico in
1629, — anxious to avenge the murder of a small
English colony, who had quietly settled on the un-
occupied island of Tortuga eight years after the
peace of 1630, and a repetition of the same bloody
tragedy twelve years afterwards at Santa Cruz, in
which, as at Tortuga, even the women and children
were put to the sword, — and urged, moreover, by a
desire to establish the maritime supremacy of Eng-
land, by the foundation of colonies, and by putting
an end to the exclusive right of navigating the
American seas, as claimed by Ferdinand and Isa-
bella ; — influenced, I say, by these and other mo-
tives, Cromwell fitted out a large armament, which
he placed under the joint command of General Ven-
ables and Admiral Penn, with three controlling com-
missioners, for the purpose of seizing on Hispaniola
at the moment of declaring hostilities against Spain
in Europe. The expedition was hastily despatched,
the ranks of the army filled from the gaols and
prisons in England and Ireland, and the fleet so
hurried out to sea that the store-ships were left
behind. Barbadoes was the rendezvous for the ex-
pedition, which, to the number of 3,000 soldiers,
(including a troop of horse raised at the expense of
the Barbadians,) with 30 sail of vessels, one half
victuallers, departed from Barbadoes 31st March,

POLICY OF CROMWELL IN COLONIZING. 13

1655. At St. Christopher's the expedition was
joined by 1,300 men, making, with those from Bar-
badoes, 5,000 volauteers, whose grand aim was the
plunder of the Spaniards. The capture of Hispani-
ola was prevented by the vigilance of the Spaniards,
who slew 600 of the English, wounded 300, and
drove 200 into the woods. To make amends for
this discomfiture, Jamaica was attacked by a force of
6,500 men, on the 3d of May, 1655, after being
one hundred and forty- six years in the possession of .
Spain. Little resistance was offered, negotiations
were entered into for the British occupation, and
skilfully prolonged by the Spaniards, until the latter
removed all their valuables, so that when St. Jago
de la Vega was entered by the British forces, about
ten days after the landing, nothing but bare walls
were found. The inhabitants carried off all their
goods to the mountains, where, aided by their slaves,
and by occasional reinforcements from Cuba, they
long held out, but after some years were gradually
annihilated, pardoned, or permitted to emigrate.
Spain, in 1658, vainly endeavoured to recover Ja-
maica; some skill and energy would have enabled
her to do so, owing to the disaffection and disorgan-
ization of the British, army and occupants ; but the
rapid acquirement of wealth, without the aid of in-
dustry, and almost solely by means of violence and
craft, is as fatal to the strength and happiness of a
nation as it is to that of an individual, and the
Spanish government, after several unsuccessful ef
forts, abandoned all further prospects of re-possess-
ing themselves of the island. During the early

14 JAMAICA, &C.

British occupation much inconvenience and distress
(as is the case in all infant settlements), was expe-
rienced; some of the Spaniards and their negroes
still occupied the mountains ^ and martial law was
the sole judicature for a series pf years, during which
period little progress was made in cultivation, the
soldiers heing disinclined to turn their swords into
ploughshares. Colonel D'Oyley, the Grovemor of
Jamaica in 1661, wrote to Secretary Nicholas, that
a party of soldiers had just brought in from the
mountains about 100 negroes, the remainder of some
2,000, who had infested the place since their arrival :
he adds, *' the soldiers have received no pay since they
came" — State Paper Office, It would appear that
bloodhounds were now introduced into Jamaica, and
not, as was supposed, for the first time by Lord
Balcarras. The two following Jamaica orders re-
specting bloodhounds and Bibles afford a curious
picture of the manners of the times : — ^August 14,
1656. "An order signed Edward D'Oyley, for
the distribution to the army of 1701 Bibles."

August 26, 1659. "Order issued this day unto
Mr. Peter Pugh, Treasurer, to pay unto John Hoy
the summe of twenty pounds sterling, out of the
impost-money, to pay for fifteene doggs, brought by
him for the hunting of the negroes."

Under the government of Colonel D'Oyley, Jama-
ica became the head quarters of the pirates, or buc-
caneers, who infested these seas, and derived inordi-
nate wealth from the plunder of the Spanish colonies

* This was the origin of the Maroons.

BRITISH CONQUEST OF JAMAICA, &C. 15

and the fleets laden with the precious metals on their
return to Europe; it is stated that the tables and
household utensils of the colonists were of silver
and gold, and their horses sometimes shod with the
former metal, loosely nailed on, to indicate the abun-
dance of riches and contempt for slight losses of wealth.
Negro slaves appear to have been imported by the
British in pursuance of the policy of their predeces-
sors, and in 1659 the population of the island was
rated at 4,500 whites, and 1 ,400 negroes. Of the
white population a chief proportion must have been
outlaws and soldiers ; for, according to the Board of
Trade and State Paper Office Records, — ** two hun-
dred of the rebels taken at Sedgemoor were trans-
ported to Jamaica * ;" and the military strength of
the island in 1662 consisted of five regiments, con-
taining 2,083 men at arms. That emigration from
England began early is nevertheless correct; Sir
Thomas Modyford, in a letter dated Jamaica, Janu-
ary 30th, 1664, mentions the number of settlers
recently arrived at 987, of which 855 came from
England, and the remainder from Barbadoes.

At the restoration Charles sought to allay the
feuds existing between the republican and royalist
parties in Jamaica ; the restraints of martial law
were abolished, courts of session formed, and a
council of 12 elected by the inhabitants to aid

» In 1656 the Council of State in England voted that 1000
girls, and as many young men, should be listed in Ireland and
sent to Jamaica. The troops in that year were estimated at
4500 foot and 800 horse.

16 JAMAICA, &C.

the government convened; a partial survey took
place, 12 districts were marked out, laws framed by
the council for the government of the island, and
taxes levied for the maintenance thereof; every
encouragement was held out to new planters, and
the wise regulations of Cromwell, exempting planters
or * adventurers* from paying excise or customs on any
produce, SfC. exported to Jamaica, or imported from
thence into the dominions of the commonwealth, for 10
years, was allowed ; together with the abolition of
hindrance or impressment on ships or mariners bound
for Jamaica.

On the accession of Lord Windsor to the chief
authority, in September, 1662, a municipal govern-
ment was formed ; judges of session and magistracy
appointed ; the militia established ; the island divided
into seven parishes, and patents of land in free
soccage granted. It is interesting to examine the
origin of our colonial legislatures. According to a
letter in the State Paper Office from Colonel (after-
wards Sir Thomas) Modyford, dated Barbadoes,
February 16th, 1651, addressed to Bradshaw (the
regicide), the following suggestions occur, relative to
the island sending representatives to Parliament : —
* The great difficulty is, (which your wisdoms will
easily overcome,) how we shall have a representative
with you in your government and our parliament :
to demand to have burgesses with yours to sit and
yote in matters concerning England may seem im-
moderate ; but to desire that two representatives be
chosen by this island to advise and consent to mat-
ters that concern this place, I presume may be both

NOBLE CONDUCT OP THE JAMAICA LEGISLATURE. 17

just and necessary ; for if laws be imposed upon us
without our personall or implied consent, we cannot
be accounted better than slaves, which, as all En-
glishmen abhorre to see, so I am confident you
detest to have them ; This is so cleare that I shall
not need to enforce it with argument, neither enter
upon particulars for the good of this place,' &c. &c.

It may be gathered from this that the home
authorities preferred granting colonial legislatures
to colonial representatives in the British Parlia-
ment.

In January, 1664, the first assembly of Jamaica
was convened by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir
Charles Littleton, in conformity with the power of
his commission from England ; it consisted of 30
members, who chose a speaker (Mr. Robert Free-
man) the 20th of January, and continued their sit-
tings to the middle of February, then adjourned to
May, and afterwards resumed them at Port Royal ;
thus dividing its session between the seats of Go-
vernment and trade. This early establishment of a
popular legislative assembly was attended with sig-
nal advantages ; laws suited to the community were
framed, taxes raised independent of the Governor
and parent state, and the acts of assembly were
sent for confirmation to the King. Disputes subse-
quently broke out between the Governor, Sir Thomas
Modyford, and the house of assembly ; but those
who appreciate the blessing of legislative representa-
tion in unison with taxation, will think lightly of dif-
ferences between the party desiring the exercise of
uncontrollable authority, when balanced by the calm

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. C

18 JAMAICA, &C.

and efl&cient power of a chamber freely elected by
the intelligence and wealth of a commanity *.

For sixty -four years the House of Assembly of
Jamaica carried on a noble contest to secure the
means of defending itself against tyrannical acts on
the part of the Crown, to control the expenditure of
their own supplies, and to resist the imposition of a
tax of 4| per cent, on the gross produce of the island.

Up to 1670, when peace was ratified with Spain,
Jamaica was the head quarters and rendezvous
of all the pirates, corsairs, and buccaneers of the
New World, encouraged by many of the Govern-
ors of Jamaica. Sir Thomas Lynch, in 1664, con-
sidered the calling in of the privateers * a remote
and hazardous experiment.* * If they cannot get
English commissions,* he says, ' they will get French

^ Of Colonel Samuel Long, who nobly opposed the arbitrary
measures of the Crown, endeavoured to be enforced through
the then Governor, the Earl of Carlisle, in 1679, the following
notice occurs in a paper in the Board of Trade : —

Nov. 23, 1676. " His Excellency," Lord Vaughan, haveing
acquainted the Council of the present vacancy of the Chief
Justice's place, and that, in this emergency, he could not pro-
pose any other than Lieutenant- Colonel Samuel Long unto
them, wherein his Lordship desired their advice, all unani-
mously declared that they were fully satisfied with the great
abilities of Lieutenant-Colonel Long to performe and discharge
the said trust and employment, and did approve of his Excel-
lency's choice."

This distinguished colonist died possessed of nearly 20,000
acres in Jamaica. His descendant, Mr. Edward Long, was
the accomplished and learned author of the history of that
island, and to the grandson of that gentleman I am indebted
for several valuable memoranda.

LIFB AND EXPLOITS OF MORGAN. 19

or Portuguese, although they be dangerous rogues/
Sir Thomas Modyford, in 1665, acknowledges the
receipt of a letter from Lord Arlington, directing
that 'privateers be handled quietly for the future,
and be reclaimed by degrees ; encouraging them to
return home and take service in H. M. fleet against
the Dutch.' The celebrated, the notorious Morgan,
as well as other bandits, contributed to pour a vast
flood of wealth into Jamaica, the prize of their in-
famous marauding expeditions. As the name of
Morgan, the pirate, is so intimately connected with
the history of Jamaica, an island of which he subse-
quently became the chief authority, some account of
him will be acceptable.

This extraordinary adventurer was a native of
Wales, bom in 1635, of a junior branch of the great
clan of the Morgans of Tredegar, but by daring cou-
rage, talents, and successes, became advanced to the
dignity of Lieutenant- Grovernor of Jamaica. Having
no inclination to follow his father's agricultural pur-
suit, Morgan bade him adieu, wandered to Bristol,
and embarked for Barbadoes, where, according to
the custom of the times, he bound himself as a ser-
vant, or sold his services, for the space of four
years. As soon, however, as he gained his freedom,
Morgan went to Jamaica, where the temptations
held out for the rapid acquirement of wealth induced
him to join the West India buccaneers, who consi-
dered their pursuits legitimate because the Spaniards
refused to be at peace with other nations within the
tropics, where they asserted Englishmen had no
right to settle. War was declared against the Spa-
c2

20 JAMAICA, &C.

niards, by beat of drum, at Port Royal, 27th Febru-
ary, 1666; and Morgan, by his daring intrepidity,
soon brought himself into notice, made several suc-
cessful cruises, and secured a share of the spoil.
Seeing the excesses and improvidence of his compa-
nions, he profited by the example, and lived so
moderately, that he soon amassed a sufficient
sum of money to purchase a vessel, in conjunction
with some of his comrades, who elected him their
commander, and he returned to Port Royal with
several prizes from the Bay of Campeche. Mans-
feldt, the " prince of pirates," who was then pre-
paring a formidable expedition against the Spani-
ards, pitched upon him to be his vice-admiral ; and
in a short time, with fifteen ships and five hundred
men, he stormed and plundered the island of St.
Catherine (Providence), thirty -five leagues from
Chagres river, and, after various successes in dif-
ferent places, next proceeded, in 1668, with a fleet
of nine ships and four hundred and sixty men against
Puerto Bello. This city was defended by three cas-
tles, two of which were so situated that no hostile
boat could pass, and the town itself was well garri-
soned. It was night when he arrived, and being
acquainted with all the avenues of the city, he sailed
in canoes up the river to Puerto Pontin, where he
anchored, and, guided by one who had been a pri-
soner there, reached Estera longa de mar, whence
he marched to the outposts of the city. After se-
curing the sentinel, he assailed the castle with such
resistless impetuosity, that the Grovemor was com-
pelled to submit. Being unable to spare men to

LIFE AND EXPLOITS OF MORGAN. 21

gnard his prisoners, Morgan is accused by the Spa-
niards of having enclosed them all in a large dun-
geon, fired the magazine and blown up the fortress
with every Spaniard in it. They then forced the
commandant of the city into the remaining fort, who
vainly endeavoured, by an incessant cannonade, to
prevent the plundering of the town below ; but it
had no other effect than to urge them to make a
quick and sanguinary dispatch. The buccaneers
rifled the churches and houses, and stormed the
castle at the very mouth of its guns. The carnage
of this nocturnal conflict was dreadful. After per-
forming prodigies of valour, Morgan's men became
dispirited and faint ; but their courage was restored
by seeing the English colours waving over the third
and only remaining castle, which another party of
these desperadoes had successfully stormed. Our
hero commanded the prisoners they had taken from
the religious houses, at the point of the sword, to
place the scaling ladders against the walls. The
Spanish soldier's duty prevailed over his superstition,
and many of the religieuse were slain. The pirates,
however, mounted the ladders, and the Spaniards,
throwing down their arms, begged for mercy. The
commandant alone refused to yield, and nobly met
his fate in the presence of his wife and daughter.
Every species of excess marked the footsteps of the
remorseless conquerors during fifteen successive
days. A ransom of 100,000 pieces of eight was
demanded for the preservation of the town, and
paid. After levelling the redoubts which had been
raised by the Spaniards, and dismounting their guns.

22 JAMAICA, &C.

the buccaneers returned to Jamaica with a ransom
and plunder of 250,000 pieces of eight and much
merchandize. The chroniclers of the day narrate
that, on the sea shore at Port Royal, plate, jewels,
and other rich effects were literally j)iled beneath the
eaves of the houses for the want of warehouse room.
But this immense wealth was soon transferred to
others, and the pirates, reduced almost to starvation,
constrained their captain to put to sea again, after a
few short weeks of riotous debauchery. Morgan was
now at the head of a thousand desperate fellows, and
a fleet of fifteen vessels, to which was added, it is
said, the Oxford frigate, commanded by Captain E.
Collier, sent by Charles II. to aid in the war against
the Spaniards. The fleet rendezvoused at the Isle
de Vache, in Hispaniola ; and Sir William Beeston
and Esquemeling relate the following almost incre-
dible circumstance. A council of war was held on
board the Oxford, on the 2nd January, 1669. The
captains remained to dinner, and, while feasting, the
frigate, "by some unknown accident, blew up at
once, and killed two hundred and fifty men : Admiral
Morgan, and those captains that sat on that side of
the table that he did, were saved; but those cap-
tains on the other side were killed." This misfor-
tune prevented an attack on Carthagena ; but Macai-
cubo, with Gibraltar (on the Spanish main), was
again sacked, and the inhabitants underwent the
same cruel torture they experienced at the hands of
Solonnois. Failing, however, in this attempt to
plunder them, the inhabitants having concealed their
valuables in the- woods, the pirates, wearied and

7

LIFE AND EXPLOITS OF MORGAN. 23

vexed at their unusual ill fortune, retreated from the
town. They were waited for by the Spaniards, who
were prepared with three men-of-war to obstruct
their passage from the lake ; and even in this
dilemma, when life and death were in the event,
Morgan's courage alone remained unshaken. He
contrived a fire-ship with such ingenuity, that it was
impossible for the enemy to recognise her as such.
With this he destroyed one of their vessels — ^the
second ran on shore, and the remaining one became
an easy prey to the pirates ; but, although he had
destroyed their fleet, the castle, which they must
pass, was impregnable. In vain did he resort to his
iisual practice in exposing the nuns and friars they
had taken prisoners upon the deck, to restrain their
countrymen from firing. Finding it utterly useless,
he had recourse to a wily stratagem. He withdrew
out of the reach of the guns, and, ^ing his boats
with men, they were ordered to rbw ashore, as if
with the design of landing ; but, instead of doing
so, they concealed themselves at the bottom of the
boats, and the boats returned apparently with only
two or three men. After doing this several times,
the Spaniards, thinking they were going to attack
the castle from the land, removed their guns from
the sea- side to the ramparts, leaving the former
almost defenceless. The pirates then by mooidight
dropped down with the tide ; when opposite the fort,
spread every inch of canvass, and saluted the morti-
fied Spaniards as they passed with a few shots, which
the governor, completely outwitted, was unable to

24 JAMAICA, &C.

return ; thus again was Jamaica deluged with wealth
and benefitted by the prodigality of the pirates.
Morgan's reputation was now so great that he was
joined by several young men of family from England.
After a few months* peace, war was again proclaimed
(2nd July, 1670) at Port Royal, against the Spani-
ards. Morgan received a commission from the Go-
vernor to harass the enemy, and sailed with a fleet
of thirty-seven sail, carrying two thousand men at
arms, besides large crews of good sailors. St.
Catherine was recaptured, and kept as a place of
retreat. Morgan's vice-admiral (Broadley), with
four ships and four hundred men, gained possession,
(after losing one hundred men in killed and wound-
ed,) of the town and castle of Chagres. Morgan
next sailed to Panama, which, after a desperate con-
flict, he succeeded in taking possession of; but it,
by some accident, took fire, and continued burning
several days. Vast quantities of molten gold and
silver were found encrusted on the very pavements
of the town, and the worth of millions was collected
from the wells and fountains, where it had been
hastily concealed. With one hundred and seventy-
five mules, richly laden with gold, silver, and jewels,
Morgan arrived at Chagres. There he 'made a divi-
sion of the spoil ; but his crew, suspecting him of
fraud in the partition, mutinied, and he was glad to
escape with two or three ships and 400,000 pieces of
eight in specie, with which he arrived in Jamaica.
Morgan now gave up his depredations, retired into
private life, purchased a plantation, lived upon and

LIF« AND EXPLOITS OP MORGAN. 25

improved it, and so effectually recommended himself
to public favour, that he was made a naval com-
mander in the service of his king, obtained the
honour of knighthood, became President of the
Council of Jamaica, and thrice filled the office of
Lieutenant- Governor. According to some chroni-
cles, the pusillanimity of the British Court, and
Morgan's Spanish enemies, however, prevailed so
far as to procure a letter from the Secretary of
State, ordering him a prisoner to England, where his
robust constitution, which the numberless trials to
which he had been exposed could not impair, sunk
beneath unmerited disgrace. Others assert that he
died at Port Royal, in comfortable retirement, and
much beloved, the 26th August, 1668; leaving a
name which struck terror into Spain, and which re-
cords exploits rarely equalled in the annals of British
courage.

To return to the history of the island : —
In 1670, the total white population was 15,198
(vide chapter on population) ; the militia muster
rolls exhibiting an internal strength of 2,720 men,
and the British seamen about the island being 2,500
strong. Fifty- seven sugar works, yielding annually
1,710,000 lbs. of sugar; forty- seven cocoa walks,
giving 180,000 lbs. of nuts ; and forty-nine indigo
works, producing 49,000 lbs. of dye, attested the
prosperity of the island. The indigenous pimento
afforded an export annually of 50,000 lbs. ; 10,000
bushels of salt were produced from three salt pans ;
— 'in six years 60 tame cattle had increased to
60,000; and sheep, goats, and tame hogs, were

26 JAMAICA, &C.

innumerable*; cotton, tobacco, amotto, and other
articles, were being attended to ; and, in the brief
space of fourteen years, amidst numberless misfor-
tunes abroad and at home, Jamaica exhibited a won-
derful progress in colonial prosperity.

Sir Thomas Lynch, on his arrival as Governor in
1671, put an end to the privateering system, and
directed the attention of the Colonists to the more
permanently profitable means of attaining wealth,
agriculture, and commerce. The assembly (consist-
ing of eighteen representatives) was convened, and
the revenue fixed as follows : — Land at Port Royal,
one halfpenny per foot ; cleared land and savanna,
one penny per acre ; license to sell liquor, 40^. per
annum ; brandy and spirits imported, 6d. per gallon;
Portuguese and Spanish wines, 4/. per ton; beer,
305. per ton ; and mum, at 405. ditto ; British ships,
l5. per ton anchorage ; foreign, double ; the salary
of the Governor or Commander-in-Chief fixed at
1000/. per annum; 400Z. to the Lieutenant-Go-
vernor; 200/. to the Major-General ; 80/. to the
Chief Justice ; 20/. to every Judge ; and 10/. to his
Assistant.

According to documents in the State Paper Ofiioe,
the Assembly, in 1671, consisted of eighteen repre-
sentatives; and in 1674, Mr. Cranfield, in reply to
some queries from his Majesty, stated, that the

* The price of provisions had fallen rapidly — for in 1663
Sir Charles Lyttleton, the Lieutenant-Governor, says —
" Hogg, which is planters' food, is sold at 2d. per pound —
and I have paid here 7d. : every thing else does abate almost
in proportion,"

FORMATION OF JUDICIAL ESTABLISHMENTS. 27

Council of Jamaica consisted of twelve gentlemen ;
the Assembly of Representatives elected by the free-
holders, two from every parish, except from St. Jago
and Port Royal, which have the privilege of choosing
three. A Chief Court of Judicature sat at St. Jago,
sitting every three months with appeals to the
Governor as Chancellor, with six inferior courts in
different parts of the island, sitting every month,
and holding pleas not exceeding 20/., except by
Justices, and these of any sum whatever. Quarter
Sessions, according to the custom of England, were
held in every precinct, and an Admiralty Court was
established ; the domestic armed force of the island
consisted of one regiment of cavalry, 500 strong,
and the infantry regiments, containing 5000 men.
The administration of Lord Vaughan, commencing
in 1677, was termed indulgent, steady, and impar-
tial ; but the conduct of his successor, the Earl of
Carlisle, has been censured as weak, petulant, and
t3n*aniiical ; his efforts to induce the Colonial Assem-
bly to surrender its independence were happily
attended with discomfiture ; and every lover of
liberty will rejoice that the planters of Jamaica were
among the foremost to resist the unconstitutional
pretensions of the Crown.

In 1680, the military force of the island was
4526 men in eight regiments, the relative strength
of which was as follows : —

377 661 592 420

515 496 1101 364

Sir Henry Morgan, the Lieutenant-Governor, in a

28 JAMAICA, &C.

letter dated 1681, says that the north side of the
island had then only been settled five years.

The first-fruits of the impolicy of slave-labour was
felt by a serious insurrection of the negroes, which,
however, was speedily suppressed. In 1686, the
extensive immigration of Jews gave renewed com-
mercial stimulus to the island; but the sectarian
popish zeal of the Duke of Albemarle, who, to
save him from starving in England, was appointed
by James II. Governor of Jamaica, temporarily
checked the happiness and prosperity of the
islanders.

In 1691, the maroons, or runaway negroes,
became exceedingly troublesome to the planters,
several of whom, with their families, were murdered;
but by the vigilance of the militia, the evil was for
the time suppressed. In the midst, however, of
much prosperity, and when the Colonists were
exulting in their good fortune, the town of Port
Royal, into which the wealth of the buccaneers had
been poured, and on whose shores their crimes and
wickedness had been felt, was suddenly destroyed
by the awful interposition of Providence. Three
thousand of its inhabitants werte instantly engulphed
in the earthquake, which entombed the scene of so
much depravity for ever ! On the 7th June, 1 692,
at mid- day, while the Governor and Council were
sitting, and the wharfs were loaded with merchan-
dize and rich spoil, a roar was heard in the distant
mountains, and reverberated through the valleys to
the beach, where the sea suddenly arose, and in an
ihstant stood five fathoms deep, where a moment

DESTRUCTION OF PORT ROTAL. 29

before -were displayed the glittering treasures of Peru
and Mexico. In some places the earth opened wide,
and swallowed whole houses, which were again,
perhaps, thrown upwards by the violent concussion
of the sea ; in others, many individuals were swal-
lowed up to the neck ; and the earth, then closing,
strangled them. The Swan frigate was forced over
the tops of the sunken houses, and afforded a pro-
vidential escape to many persons ; and of the whole
town, perhaps the richest spot in the world, not
more than two hundred houses of the fort were left.
The whole island felt severely the shock ; in some
parts mountains were riven, in others connected ; the
outline of every thing was changed, and the entire
surface of the island considerably subsided. Many
thousand persons were destroyed in the overwhelm-
ing of Port Royal, the ruins of which are yet visible
in clear weather from the surface of the ocean,
beneath which they lie. A dreadful epidemic, aris-
ing from the putrifying bodies floating in shoals
about the harbour, and from the noxious miasm,
succeeded, in which 3000 persons fell victims.
Amidst the loss of much wealth and property, the
destruction of the official papers and records of the
island was not the least valuable. In June, 1694,
while the colonists were yet bending under the
effects of the earthquake, a formidable descent was
made on the island by M. Du Casse, with three
ships of war, twenty- three transports, and 1500
men, from France and Martinique.

This formidable invasion was most gallantly met
by the Jamaica militia, and utterly routed, with a

30 JAMAICA, &C.

loes to the invaders of 700 men, and on the side of
the English of about 100 killed and wounded. The
most wanton cruelties were committed by the French:
fifty sugar estates were totally destroyed, many plan-
tations burned, and 1500 negroes and several mer-
chant ships carried away by the retreating marauders.
The latter years of the seventeenth century were not
remarkable for any memorable events in the colonial
annals of Jamaica. The Scots colony of Darien was
formed about the period of October, 1798, and very
soon after suppressed ; but the colonists of Jamaica
generously extended encouragement and support to
those whom the miserable policy of the home govern-
ment would not permit the defence of, against the
tyrannical and false usurpation of the territory by
Spain. In 1698, the population was, whites, males,
2465 ; women and children, 4900 : total, whites,
7365; negroes, 40,000: and in August, 1702, the
following return was given in: — Sjgrvants, 1307;
slaves, 41,596; cattle, 38,248; sheep, 28,598. Port
Royal, which had begun to rise again contiguous to
the site it had occupied previous to the earthquake,
was now doomed to a second destruction by fire ;
the whole town having been annihilated by the
blowing up of some gunpowder, loosely lodged
beneath roofs of pitch pine. Kingston rose in pros-
perity as Port Royal sank under repeated misfor-
tunes. During the reign of Queen Anne, various
unconstitutional efforts were made to induce the
Jamaica Assembly to pass a bill granting a perma-
nent revenue to the crown; but the measure was
steadily and triumphantly rejected. For the first

CONSTITUTIONAL PBINCIPLES IN JAMAICA. 31

nine years of the eighteenth century, there had been
fifteen Sessions and eight Assemblies, convened for
the purpose of endeavouring to give the crown a
pov^er over the money-bills or supplies raised by the
representatives of the people ; but the Jamaica colo-
nists have never allowed an encroachment on their
constitutional rights; and neither threats nor per-
suasions could induce the House of Assembly to part
with a power, which once lost, would have left no
principles or rights worth preserving. In August,

1722, a tremendous hurricane sunk several ships,
and destroyed much property and many lives; a
fatal endemic, as usual, followed, causing thereby
great distress ; nevertheless, one of the first acts of
the House of Assembly, on being convened in Jan.

1 723, was to double the Duke of Portland's salary,
making it 5000/., "in deference to His Majesty's
recommendation and to His Grace's character."

This fact demonstrates that the opposition of the
House of Assembly to binding and burthening their
posterity with oppressive taxes, was not founded on
a parsimonious, but on a constitutional and patriotic
principle. The Duke of Portland's administration is
represented to have displayed a just blending of
moderation and firmness, of urbanity of manners,
and decision of judgment ; unhappily, however, his
rule was too brief to be productive of much advan-
tage, save in the excellent example of calm discus-
sion which he gave to political parties. His Grace's
memory was honoured with the tears of all who
knew him. In May, 1727, a long-agitated revenue
bill passed through the House of Assembly : articles

32 JAMAICA, &C.

of foreign growth or manufacture, with the quit-
rents, fines, and forfeitures, which had aL*eady been
relinquished, supplied the required fund of 8000/.
per annum, and that which has been termed the
Magna Charta of Jamaica passed, namely, that " all
such laws and statutes of England lus have been at
any time introduced, used, accepted, or received as
laws in the island are declared to b,e laws in Jamaica
for ever." From this period to 1740*, few events

* The following detail of the produce of Jamaica Estates,
and the value thereof, in 1739, has heen furnished to me from
the MS. collections of the late Mr. Long. This MS. is enti-
tled, '* Number of sugar plantations in Jamaica, with the
quantity of sugar generally made for some years past on them.
Date, Christmas, 1739."

It mentions every estate separately, together with the name
of its owner, and its produce. The estate producing the largest
return appears to have been Old and New Buxton, in the
parish of St. Thomas in the Vale, the property of Charles
Price, Esq. The produce was 300 hds. The next single
estates, producing about 250 hds., were the properties of the
Beckford, Pennant, and Dawkins' families. The two estates
of Longville and Lucky Valley, in the parish of Clarendon,
belonging to the Long family, yielded, the first 130, the second
60 hds. In the same parish, the estate of Seven plantations,
formerly also in that family, produced 200 hds. An estate
called the Crescent, in St. Mary's parish, first settled in 1676,
produced 150 hds. It has since, on one or two occasions,
yielded 400.

The general summary of the island produce, in the same
document, is as follows : —

48 sugar works in St. Thomas in the Vale, producing 3315
hds. ; 3 ditto, St. Catherine's, 210 hds. ; 31 ditto, St. Andrew's,
1390 hds. ; 8 ditto, St David's, 455 hds. ; 44 ditto, St. Thomas
in the East, 4120 hds.; 4 ditto, St. George's, 380 hds.; 19

THB MABOON WAR WAR WITH SPAIN. 33

occurred worthy of notice in a work, the main object
of which is to lay before the British public the
present value and importance of the colonial appen-
dages of Britain. The Maroon war was carried on
for some time, to the great vexation of the planters ;
and although the Maroon marauders did not exceed
500 men, they kept large bodies of troops at bay,
owing to the natural fastnesses of their mountain
retreats. The submission of Cudjoe, the leader, and
most of his followers, was eagerly accepted by the
government, and portions of land quickly allotted

ditto, St. Mary's, 1526 hds. ; 19 ditto, St. Anne's, 2050 hds. ;
8 ditto, St. James, 660 hds. ; 39 ditto, Hanover, 2620 hds. ;
64 ditto, Westmoreland, 5450 hds. ; 32 ditto, St. Elizabeth's,
2745 hds. ; 7 ditto, Vera, 405 hds. ; 66 ditto. Clarendon, 5480
hds.; 8 ditto, St. Dorothy's, 370 hds.; 28 ditto, St. John's,
2000 hds. Total, 418 sugar works (whereof 10 are new, and
make no sugar), producing 33,155 hds.

33,155 hds. of sugar, 1600 Ihs. each, is 53,048,000,

sold at \8s. per cwt., is . . . . £477,432

Each 60 lbs. of sugar to produce 4 gallons of
molasses, is 3,536,532 gallons, one-third where-
of sold is 1,178,844 gallons, at 8d. per gallon . 39,294

The remaining molasses, 2,357,688 gallons, 3 gal-
lons to make 2 gallons of rum, including the
skimmings, is 1,571,792 gallons of rum, at \Hd. 1]7|884

£634,610

N.B. The above is exclusive of plantation consumption.

Sugar. Consumption of Jamaica, and sent to the north-
ward and other places, about 2000 hds. ; the rest sent to
Britain. Rum. Consumption of Britain, 5000 puncheons
of Jamaica and other parts, 9000 : total, 14,000.

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. D .

34 JAMAICA, &C.

for their use. The war with Spain, the gallantry of
Vice- Admiral Vernon, and the patriotism of Gover-
nor Trelawney, gave glory to the British arms in
the West, a stimulus to the ardent and enterprising
spirits of Jamaica, and a flow of wealth towards
their shores from the expeditions of the fhiglish
fleets and cruisers against the Spanish settlements.
Jamaica, in 1742, contained 14,000 whites and
100,000 slaves. Under the government of Admiral
Knowles, in 1751, the seat of government was
removed from St. Jago de la Vega, or Spanish
Town, to Kingston. The lands patented, or granted,
amounted at this time to 1,500,000 acres; and the
exports to Great Britain, on an average of four
years, were estimated at nearly 800,000/. In 1 758,
the government was again removed, after much
acrimony between the government and the planters,
who opposed the removal of the seat, of government
to Kingston. The year 1760 witnessed one of those
desperate insurrections which must ever characterize
a population where nine-tenths are bondsmen, and
though with the feelings of men, treated as brutes.
The contest ended only with the destruction of the
greater part of the rebel slaves ; and it e2diibited the
most disgusting cruelty and barbarism on the part
of those whom civilization ought to have taught that
humanity never sufiers by the exercise of clemency
towards a fallen foe. The Rev. Mr. Bridges sajrs,
that some of the condemned rebels were burned,
some fixed alive on gibbets, and one lived 210 hours
suspended under a tropical sun, without so much as
a drop of water ! It is to be hoped that the day for

PROGRESS OF THE SLAVE POPULATION. 35

the repetition of such monstrous and ineffectual
attempts to enforce obedience has passed away for
ever. Ninety white persons fell in this rebellion;
400 of the rebel negroes were slain ; many destroyed
tiiemselves in the woods, sooner than again fall into
the hands of their former masters, and their skeletons
were found suspended in the lofty branches of the
cotton- trees ; about GOO were transported to the Bay
of Honduras. Prosperity attended the island during
the war ending in 1763. The king's house was
completed and furnished, at an expense of 30,000/.,
and the banks of the Rio Cobre adorned by elegant
villas and well-cultivated farms. One of the finest
fortresses in Jamaica (perhaps in the West Indies),
Fort Augusta, was blown up, 14th September, 1763,
by reason of the magazine, containing 3000 lbs. of
gunpowder, being ignited by lightning. Several
hundred persons were killed and wounded, and
43,000/. of property destroyed. It is stated that the
number of slaves annually imported into Jamaica
about this period, amounted to 16,000 ^ ; and within
thirty years the slave population had increased from

* According to a manuscript journal of Hampson Need-
ham, in possession of bis grandson, Migor-General Needham,
the price of negroes in 1750 is thus stated: — "Bought ten
negroes, at 50/. each ;" and in 1747 the foUowing calculation
appears in the Board of Trade Papers : —

500 negroes, at 30/. each . . £1500

Clothing with Osnaburglis four times a

year, at 4*. 6rf. each .... 450

Maintenance, fifty- two weeks, at Is. \0d.

each per week 2383

d2

36 JAMAICA, 8CC.

99,000 to upwards of 200,000; while the total
nuiDerical strength of the whites did not exceed
16,000.

The war waged against England by the N. Ame-
rican colonies, in a struggle for independence from a
country which could not appreciate their value, and
therefore deserved to lose them, called forth the
utmost energies of Jamaica to preserve the island
from the meditated combined attack of the French
and Spanish forces. And here it may be remarked,
that in every contest in which England has been
engaged, the inhabitants of Jamaica have evinced a
loyalty and attachment to the mother country, un-
surpassed in the annals of colonial history. The
combined fleets of France and Spain, amounting to
sixty sail of the line, with 6000 choice troops and a
well-organized artillery, destined for the conquest of
Jamaica, were frustrated in their intentions by the
splendid victory of Rodney and Hood, on the 12th
of April, 1782, off Dominica, over the French squa-
dron of thirty- six sail of the line and ten frigates,
commanded by Count de Grasse ; by which personal
security was afforded to the islanders, whose con-
dition was much reduced by several years of conti-
nued hurricanes,-»and by the extraordinary efforts
which they made for the preservation of Jamaica to
the British crown. His present Majesty, then a
midshipman in the British navy, visited Jamaica at
this period, and generously bore testimony to the
* enthusiasm displayed by the colonists in their heroic
endeavours to defend this valuable island from
becoming the property of the enemies of England ;

JAMAICA LOTALTT. 37

and on His Royal Highness' return to Jamaica in
1 788, the colonists solicited the Prince's acceptance
of a star of the value of one thousand guineas; while
to General Campbell was presented a splendid ser-
vice of plate, in testimony of his exertions as governor
during the anticipated invasion from the combined
fleets. The Jamaicans, with their usual liberality,
caused a marble statue to be erected in memory of
Rodney, which was executed by Bacon, and cost
5000 guineas.

The Maroon war, so imprudently and unjustly
brought on by the intemperate policy of the Earl of
Balcarras, then (1795) Governor of Jamaica, cost the
live& of many brave men, and ended in the removal
of the surviving Maroons to Nova Scotia, and finally
to Sierra Leone. The disastrous revolution in St.
Domingo caused additional expense to the island ;
and the West India or coloured regiments were then
first raised, much to the dissatisfaction of the colo-
nists, who were also at this time burthened with the
absurd support of the 20th regiment of Dragoons.
After putting the country to an enormous expense
for the support of this regiment, it was discovered,
after a lapse of several years, that the mountains of
Jamaica were not favourable to the movements of a
regiment of cavalry, and it was accordingly with-
drawn.

In 1802, Kingston was constituted a corporation,
and a mayor, aldermen, &c. appointed.

I have not detailed the history of the various
negro insurrections which have taken place on the

38 JAMAICA, &C.

island. The mere record of rebellions in Jamaica
indicates the danger of a slave population : —

1678. Rebellion caused by the prolongation of
martial law. 1684. Ditto— first serious one. 1686.
Ditto — sanguinary at Clarendon. 1702. Ditto.

Eastern districts. 1717. Ditto — causing great
alarm. Not to mention districts or particular events,
it may be sufficient to name the years in which the
insurrections occurred: — In 1722, 1734, 1736, 1739,
1740, 1745, 1758, 1760, 1765, 1766, 1769, 1771,
1777, 1782, 1795, 1796, 1798, 1803, 1807, 1809,
1824, 1832 1. During the latter rebellion, 200 were
killed in the field, and about 500 executed. The
expense of putting down the rebellion of 1760, cost
100,000/. It is estimated that the expense of 1832,
(exclusive of the value of the property destroyed,
viz. 1,154,583/.) was 161,596/. The British par-
liament granted a loan of 300,000/. to assist the
almost ruined planters.

The following are the names of the Governors,
Lieutenant-Governors, &c. of Jamaica, with the
years when they commenced their administra-
tions : —

Governor, Colonel D'Oyley, 1660 ; Governor,
Lord Windsor, 1662; Lieutenant-Governor, Sir C.
Lyttleton, Knt., 1662; President, Colonel Thomas
Lynch, 1664; Governor, Sir T. Modyford, Knt.,
1664 ; Lieutenant- Grovemor, Sir T. Lynch, Knt.,
1671 ; Lieutenant-Governor, Sir H. Morgan, Knt.,

1 Dr. Madden.

CHRONOLOGICAL DATA OF THE OOVBRNORS. S9

1675 ; Governor, Lord Vaughan, 1675 ; Lieutenant-
Governor, Sir H.Morgan, Knt., 1678; Governor,
Charles Earl of Carlisle,! 678 ; Lieutenant-Governor,
Sir H.Morgan, Knt., 1680; Governor, Sir Thomas
L3mch, Knt., 1682 ; Lieutenant-Governor, Colonel
Render Molesworth, 1684; Governor, Christopher
Duke of Alhemarle, 1687; President, Sir Francis
Watson, 1688; Governor, WiUiara Earl of Incbi-
quin, 1690; President, John White, Esq., 1692;
President, John Bourden, Esq., 1692; Lieutenant-
Governor, Sir W. Beeston, Knt., 1693; Governor,
William Selwyn, Esq., 1702 ; Lieutenant-Governor,
P. Beckford, Esq., 1702; Lieutenant-Governor, T.
Handasyd, Esq., 1 702 ; Governor, Lord Archibald
Hamilton, 1711 ; Governor, Peter Heywood, Esq.,
1716; Governor, Sir Nicholas Lawes, Knt., 1718;
Grovemor, Henry Duke of Portland, 1722 ; President,
John Ayscough, Esq., 1722 ; Governor, Major-
General Robert Hunter, 1728 ; President, John
Ayscough, Esq., 1734; President, John Gregory,
Esq., 1735. Henry Cunningham, Esq., was ap-
pointed Governor in 1735, but President Gregory
was succeeded by Governor Edward Trelawny, Esq.,
1738; Governor, Charles Knowles, Esq., 1752;
Lieutenant-Governor, Henry Moore, Esq., 1756 ;
Governor, Greorge Haldane, Esq., 1758; Lieutenant-
Governor, Henry Moore, Esq., 1759; Governor,
W. H. L5rttleton, Esq., 1762 ; Lieutenant-Governor,
R. H. Elletson, Esq., 1766; Governor, Sir William
Trelawny, Bart., 1767; Lieutenant-Governor, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel J. Dalling, 1773; Governor, Basil
Keith, Knt., 1773; Governor, Major-General J.

40 JAMAICA, &C.

Dalling, 1777; Grovemor, Major-General Archibald
Campbell, 1782; Lieutenant-Governor, Brigadier-
General Alured Clarke, 1784; Governor, Thomas
Eaxl of Effingham, 1790 ; Lieutenant-Governor,
Major- General Williamson, 1791 ; Lieutenant-Go-
vernor, Earl of Balcarras, 1795; Lieutenant-Go-
vernor, Lieutenant-General G.Nugent, 1801 ; Lieu-,
tenant- Governor, Lieutenant-General Sir E. Coote,
1806; Governor, Duke of Manchester, 1808; Lieu-
tenant-Governor, Lieutenant- Greneral E. Morrison,
1811; Governor, Duke of Manchester, 1813; Lieu-
tenant-Governor, Major-Greneral H. Conran, 1821 ;
Governor, Duke of Manchester, 1822; Lieutenant-
Governor, Major-General Sir John Keane, 1827;
Governor, Earl of Belmore, 1829; President, G.
Cuthbert, Esq., 1832; Governor, C. H. Earl of
Mulgrave, 1832; Governor, Marquis of Sligo, 1834;
Lieutenant-General Sir Lionel Smith, 1836.

CHAPTER II.

PHYSICAL ASPECT, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, GEOLOGY, MINERA-
LOGY, SOIL, AND CLIMATE; HEALTH OF TROOPS, &C. —
THE CAYMAN ISLES DEPENDENCY.

This beautiful isle, happily screened by Cuba and
Hispaniola from the tempestuous winds of the At-
lantic, and peculiarly adapted for an extensive and
profitable commerce with the adjacent continent, by
reason of the number and disposition of its excellent
havens, is really one of our most valuable colonies.
Jamaica is somewhat of an oval shape, with an ele-
vated ridge called the * Blue Mountains,' (towering
in some places to nearly 8,000 feet above the level
of the sea), running longitudinally .through the isle
E. and W. and occasionally intersected by other high
ridges, traversing from N. to S. ; approaching the sea
on the S. coast in gigantic spines, of sharp ascent —
difficult of access, and clothed with dense and sombre
forests; — on the N. declining into lovely mounds and
round-topped hills, covered with groves of pimento,
and aU the exquisite verdure of the tropics, — ^the
coup d'ceil presenting a splendid panorama of high
mountains, embosomed in clouds, and vast savannahs
or plains, hills and vales, rivers, bays, and creeks.
The middle part, called Pedro's Cockpit, lying be-
tween Clarendon and St. Ann's Parishes, is spread
for an extent of many miles, with an infinite number

42 JAMAICA, &C. ^

of round-topped hills, whose surface, covered with a
loose lime-stone, or honey-comb rock, is clothed
with fine cedar and other trees, of enormous bulk ;
the dales or cockpits meandering between these hum-
mocks contain a rich soil, of great depth, where the
succulent Guinea grass forms a perfect carpet of ever-
verdant beauty.

When viewed at a distance from Point Morant
(the southernmost high land on the coast), the pic-
ture is splendid ; the blue mountains appear above
the stratum of clouds, which roll along their precipi-
tous sides, — ^beneath, the rugged hills are furrowed
with ravines, and steep cliffs descend abruptly to the
sea ; on a nearer approach lofty forests are discovered
on the sides of the hills, and patches of bright eme-
rald green become visible on running along the S.
coast towards Port Royal. Well might Coleridge
thus apostrophize these —

Beautiful islands ! where the green

Which Nature wears was never seen

'Neath zone of Europe ; where the hue

Of sea and heaven is such a blue,

As England dreams not ; where the hight

Is all irradiate with the light

Of stars like moons, which, hung on high,

Breathe and quiver in the sky,

Each its silver haze divine

Flinging in a radiant line.

O'er gorgeous flower and mighty tree

On the soft and shadowy sea !

Beautiful islands ! brief the time

I dwelt beneath your awful clime ;

SPLENDID VIEW FROM POINT MORANT. 43

Yet oft I see in noonday dream
Your glorious stars with lunar beam ;
And oft before my sight arise
Your sky-like seas, your sea-like skies,
Your green banana's giant leaves,
Your golden can^s in arrowy sheaves,
Your palms which never die, but stand
Immortal sea-marks on the strand, —
Their feathery tufts like plumage rare,
Their stems so high, so strange and fair !
Yea ! while the breeze of England now
Flings rose-scents on my aching brow,
I think a moment I inhale
Again the breath of tropic gale.

From Fort Morant (conspicuous under a steep hill),
to Port Royal, there is a narrow spit of land, called
the palisades, composed of sand, overgrown with
mangroves ^ ; behind this is the harbour of the chief
commercial town^, Kingston, situated on a gentle
slope of about one mile in length, which is bounded
on the S. by a spacious bason, through which all
vessels must advance beneath the commanding bat-
teries of Port Royal '. The extended inclined plane,
on the verge of which Kingston stands, is inclosed
on the N. by the loftiest ridge of the Blue Mountain

' Quicksands are commonly met with in Jamaica (and in-
deed in most tropical isles) on crossing the mouths of rivers or
gullies on the coast, at the junction of the sea and freshes.

^ St. Jago de la Vega, or Spanish Town, Co. Middlesex, on
the S. W. side of the island, about sixteen miles from the sea
and sixteen from Kingston, is the seat of Government, but
Kingston is in reality the capital of the island.

' This is represented in the prefixed engraving as well as
the extended nature of the view would permit

44 JAMAICA, &C.

chain, termed Liguana, which, forming a semi-circle,
terminates in the £. at the narrow defile of Rock
Fort, — from thence a long neck of land stretches far
away to Port Royal, forming the S. barrier of a beau-
tiful haven ; in the W. the semicircle terminates at a
contracted pass upon the edge of an impracticable
lagoon, from thence the main land sweeping round
to Port Henderson, and the projecting salt pond hills,
secure an harbour in which the navies of Europe
might safely ride \ The entrance is defended on
the E. point of the delta of Port Royal by the formi-
dable ramparts of Fort Charles, thickly studded with
heavy ordnance ; on the W. side, by the cannon of
Rock Fort, while the low raking shot from the long
level lines of Fort Augusta, which face the narrow
channel, would sweep a hostile navy off the ocean.
For nine miles around Kingston is an alluvial plain,
surrounded by a series of irregular mountains, some
of which to the E. and N. E. are of considerable
elevation, — constantly cloud-capped, and appearing
as if made up of several hills piled one upon another,
with various elevations, picturesque valleys and
chasms, impressing the mind with an idea of volca-
nic origin, or that some convulsion of nature had
caused the strange irregularity displayed.

The streets in Lower Kingston are long and straight,
with a mathematical regularity like the new town of
Edinburgh, the houses in general two stories, with
verandahs above and below. The English and Scotch

* B'or nautical directions for Port Royal and the numerous
harbours in all our colonies, see the large edition of this
work.

MOUNTAINS OP JAMAICA THEIR HEIGHT, &C. 45

churches are really elegant structures, particularly the
former, which is built on a picturesque spot, com-
manding a splendid view of the city, the plains around
it, the amphitheatre of mountains, and the noble har-
bour of Port Royal.

On a plain at the top of the declivity on which
Kingston is built are the fine barracks, called Up
Park Camp, and not far hence on a still more con-
spicuous spot, is the residence for the naval com-
mander-in-chief on the station, called the Admiral's
Pen.

Mountains. The heights of the principal places
above the level of the sea, are thus computed : —

Feet.

Feet.

Blue Mountain Peak

. 7.770

Flamsted House .

. 3,800

Ridge of ditto . .

7,163

Sheldon House . .

. 3,417

Portland Gap ridge

6,501

Middleton ditto . .

. 2,340

Portland Gap . .

5,640

StoneyHill, Bucks

. 1,360

Catherine's Peak .

. 4,970

Green Castle . .

. 1,328

Abbey Green House, s.d. 4,233

Hope Tavern . .

. 690

Clifton House, s. a.

4,228

It is asserted, however, that the three very re-
markable peaks on the grand ridge of Blue Mountains
at the eastern part of the island called the Coldridge,
have their respective summits 8,184, 7,656, and
7,576 feet above the level of the sea, and there are
other mountains in this ridge exceeding a mile in
height. Catherine's peak, about seven miles and a
half N. of Kingston, is stated to be 5,075 feet, and
Hardwar Hill to the westward of it nearly of equal
elevation, forming the summits of another grand
ridge which crosses the island diagonally. The

46 JAMAICA, &C.

mountains to the W. in the counties of Middlesex
and Cornwall do not reach to the height of a mile,
rarely exceed half a mile; Leman's mountains in
the county of Middlesex, six miles N. of Spanish
Town is 2,282 feet high, and the Bull's Head, in
Clarendon, near the centre of the island on the
meridian of Carlisle Bay, is 3,140 feet. In the W.,
the Dolphin's Head S. of Lucea is 3,450 feet. On
the S. £. coast Yallah's Hill, which is within the
point of the same name, is only 2,706 feet. The
greater proportion of the mountains are of conical
form, with steep declivities, approaching very near
the shore on the N. coast, and leaving plains
about twelve miles wide on the S. ; the dark and
deep ravines between the lofty mountains, denomi-
nated Cockpits, are closely shut in by dense woods,
and offer a marked contrast to the lower mountains,
which are cultivated with coffee, pimento, cotton,
capsicums, &c., in all their variety, affording delight-
ful country retreats from the coast.

Rivers and Harbours. The beauty of the island
is further enhanced by its numerous rivers, upwards
of two hundred of which have been enumerated ; few,
however (owing to the mountainous and hill and
dale nature of the country), are navigable for vessels
of any burthen, though they might be made so by
means of locks, &c. In St. Elizabeth parish. Black
River, which flows for the most part through a flat

^ Near this mountain is Highgate, a delightful residence,
where Lord Belmore resided with his family in the hot months,
and subsequently occupied by Lord and Lady Mulgrave.

HOT SPRINGS, &C. 47

country, is the deepest and least rapid, and is navi-
gable for flat-bottomed boats and canoes for about
thirty mUes. The other chief rivers on the S. side
are the Rio Cobre and Rio Minho, and on the N.,
Marthabrae, White, Ginger, and Great River, &c.
The precipitate current of the streams renders them
the better adapted for mechanical purposes, their
quick agitation over the falls preserves their zest
and sprightliness for animal drink, and prevents the
too great evaporation, and formation of damps and
mists, which would otherwise be occasioned.

Springs are extremely numerous, even in the high-
est mountains ; about Kingston, and on the N. side,
they are generally impregnated with calcareous earth,
and in the latter stalactites are met with. Several
are of a medicinal nature in Vere and Portland ; the
most celebrated is one of a sulphureous nature in the
E. parish of St. Thomas, giving name to a village
called Bath. There is a cold and a hot spring ; the
latter runs by many rills dut of the side of a rocky
deft that confines the middle part of the sulphur
river to the E., as it flows towards the South ; it is
very hot at its source, naturally light, and plentifully
diarged with volatile particles of mineral acid, com-
bined with sulphureous steam, slightly engaged in a
calcareous base. The cold spring differs only in being
more abundantly charged with sulphur ; the use of
both is exceedingly beneficial in cutaneous disorders,
obstructions of the viscera, &c.

Of the harbours it may be sufficient to state, that
the Jamaica shore has sixteen principal secure havens.

48 JAMAICA, &C.

besides thirty bays, roads or shipping stations, which
afford good anchorage.

Division. — ^The island is divided into three coun-
ties — ^Middlesex, Surrey, and Cornwall, each of which
is subdivided into parishes, nine, seven and five.

Counties. Area in Acres. Towns. Parishes. Villages.

Cornwall 1,305,235 3 5 6

Middlesex... 672,616 .... 1 .... 9 .... 13
Surry 1,522,149 ....2 7 8

Total . . . 3,600,000 6 21 27

Middlesex contains St. Jago de la Vega, or Spa-
nish town, situate in a noble plain, and adorned with
many fine buildings in the Castilian style ; Surry
contains Kingston and Port Royal, and likewise the
villages of Port Morant and Morant Bay, the latter
of considerable importance on account of its ship-
ping ; Portland parish, in this county, contains Port
Antonio, one of the most commodious and secure in
the island ; St. George paftsh contains Annotto Bay ;
Cornwall county has Montego Bay on the north-west
coast, on which coast Falmouth, twenty miles east of
Montego Bay, is also situate. The other places
worth notice are Carlisle and Bluefield Bays on the
south, and Marthse-brse and Lucea harbours on the
north coast. The chief headlands of the island are
Port Morant, at the east end of Jamaica, and two
promontories on the west end, the coast along which
is bold and high.

The roads through the island are in general nar-
row but good. By the old laws the width of the

INTO PARISHES, &C. 49

roads was ordered as follows : — Width in standing
wood, 60 feet ; width of wood on one side, 40 feet ;
width of open ground, 24 feet. The making of some
roads in the island have cost £700 per mile.

It may he necessary to say a few words respecting
the position of the military stations, &c. in Jamaica,
especially on the south side of the island, where
four out of five regiments are stationed. To begin
with

Fort Augusta. — This strong fortress is built upon
a low neck of land, or peninsula, joined to the hills
at Port Henderson by a narrow isthmus of sand,
having a coral formation for its base. The buildings
of the fort occupy the whole area of the point of the
peninsula, which is surrounded by the sea, except to
the west, the south face of the fort being washed by
the deep water of the ship channel, while the east
and north fronts are environed by the shallow waters
of a lagoon. The fort is considered healthy, owing
to the prevalence of the wind from the S. and S. E.
The barracks are two stories high, well ventilated,
and contain generally four service companies.

Up-Park Camp contains the only government bar-
racks in Jamaica, and they are indeed highly credit-
able to the island. They are situate about two miles
north of Kingston, at the extremity of the plain of
Liguana, which gradually rises al}ove the level of the
sea, is well cultivated, extremely fertile, about one
mile and a half south of the Long Mountain, with
an elevation of eight hundred feet, covered with
brush- wood, and exceedingly steep towards Kingston.
The height of the camp above the sea shore is about

WEST INDIES. TOL. I. E

50 JAMAICA, &C.

two hundred feet, and it covers an irregular square
of between two and three hundred acres, sloping
towards Kingston. The barracks consist of two long
parallel lines of buildings, extending from east to
west (that to the south, or seaward, comprising the
officers' quarters), two stories high, a six-feet basement,
an excellent hospital, and a splendid bath of forty
feet clear and four deep, containing 70,000 gallons of
running water. This fine bath is supplied with
water from Papine estate, four miles and a half dis-
tant ; the pipe conveying it is six inches in diameter,
with a velocity of twelve inches, and discharging
4,500 gallons per hour. This plentiful supply of so
indispensable an element enables the soldiers to irri-
gate their neat gardens, which are laid out in the
camp, and which frirnish the garrison with a constant
supply of vegetables. Tlie whole cantonment, at
sixty feet distance, is surrounded by a wall of six
feet high, surmounted by an iron palisading. Twelve
hundred and eighty-four European soldiers are en-
camped with comfort, and the attached offices are
spacious, lofty, and commodious.

Stoney Hill garrison, capable of holding five
hundred men — ^is situate 2000 feet above the level of
the sea, on the ridge of a chain of mountains (in a
depression between a more elevated chain), running
in a curved direction from east to west, and enjoying
a most beautiful and picturesque view of the inclined
alluvial plain of Liguana, of the city of Kingston,
of Port Royal, of Fort Augusta, and of the adjacent
country. The barracks, hospitals, &c. are, generally
speaking, situate on small detached eminences, and are

PORT ANTONIO FALMOUTH — MAROON TOWN. 51

distant nine miles north of Kingston, seven of which
cross the plain of Liguana ; the remainder of the
road is rather an abrupt ascent to the garrison, but
practicable for wheeled carriages of every description.
This post commands the grand pass, which intersects
the island from north to south, and is therefore
jnstly considered of great importance. The govern-
ment ground at the station amounts to eighty-three
acres.

Port Antonio, situate at the extremity of the
island, eighty miles from Kingston, is nearly insu-
lated ; — its fort exhibiting a half-moon battery, with
a magazine in the rear, one hundred and forty-four
feet long, by twenty- one wide. The barracks are
placed upon a kind of peninsula, forming on either side
a bay, and capable of containing upwards of fifty
men. The buildings are new and elevated, commo-
dious, and commanding a fine view of the sea,

Falmouth, or Marthse-brse, fifteen miles east of
Montego Bay, has a small fort at Point Palmetto,
with a good set of artillery barracks, and an hospital,
stores and quarters, open to the sea breeze. It is a
bar harbour ; channel very narrow, intricate, not
more than sixteen or seventeen feet deep, but within
a regular depth of from five to ten fathoms. The
town of Falmouth is built pn the west side of the
harbour.

Maroon Town is situate in the interior, between
the parishes of Westmoreland and St. James, on a
very high mountain, affording a most desirable sta-
tion, in a military as well as in a sanatory point of
view. The barracks, delightfully placed in the midst
b2

52 JAMAICA, &C.

of verdant mountains and springs of the most deli-
cious water, are capable of accommodating upwards
of two hundred men, with an excellent hospital for
twenty patients.

Montego Bay is situate at the foot of a range of
mountains which nearly surround the town, except
on the sea side. The barracks for one hundred men,
and an hospital for forty patients, are complete and
comfortable. The N. point is in Lat. 18.30| N.
It is a good bay, sheltered from all winds from the
N.N.E. round to E. and W., and open to those from
N. and W. It is distant fifteen miles from —

Lucea, or Fort Charlotte, which is built on the
north-east extremity of a peninsula, bounded on one
side by the beautiful bay and sedure harbour of
Lucea, and on the other by the sea. ' The mountains
of Hanover and Westmoreland rise abruptly and
majestically high immediately behind the town of
Lucea, about one mile from the garrison. The
highest peak, termed the Dolphin's Head, serves as
a good land-mark to the mariner.

Savannah Le Mar. This is a fine station, in the
midst of a highly- cultivated country. From the
sea-bhore the ground springs a little towards the
north, pretty level, and intersected by several fine
rivers ; towards the east, at the distance of twelve
miles, the mountains begin to rise near the coast,
running nearly northerly upwards of sixteen miles,
when they turn to the west, and incline, after running
several miles further, towards the south, where they
terminate not far from the ocean, and embrace within
their border a beautiful and highly-cultivated amphi-

PORT ROYAL SPANISH TOWN, &C. 53

theatre. The town of Savannah le Mar is situated
on the beach, from which a low alluvial flat extends
for several miles ; in this plain, about one mile from
the town, are an excellent range of barracks. . The
station is now healthy', and the harbour good ; but
requiring a pilot, on account of its intricate entrance.

Apostles' Battery is a small fort, erected on a high
rock, on the shore opposite to Port Royal.

Port Royal, situate nearly at the extremity of a
tongue of land, which forms the boundary of the
harbours of Kingston and of Port Royal. Towards
the sea, the tongue is composed of coral rocks,
covered with sand, which the tide frequently inun-
dates, as a great part of the town of Port Royal is
only a few feet above the sea level. The royal naval
yard lies to the N., the naval hospital to the S. W.,
and the works of Fort Charles, and the soldiers'
barracks, to the southward. The fortifications are
extremely strong, and the situation (though low)
healthy from its openness to the sea-breeze. The
harbour is capable of containing 1000 large ships
with convenience. The European reader will re-
member that it was on this spot the former Port
Royal stood ere it was overwhelmed by the earth-
quake of 1692, and with 2000 houses buried eight
fathoms under water.

Spanish Town. The capital of Jamaica is situate
at the extremity of an extensive plain, extending far
to the S., S.E., and W., but with the mountains

' It is a remarkable circumstance that the most heahhy
stations in tropical climes have become, at times, quite the
reverse.

54 JAMAICA, &C.

closely approaching the town on the N. and N. W.,
and distant from the sea at Port Royal Harbour six
miles. The Cobre, a river of considerable depth, passes
the city at the distance of about a quarter of a mile
on the N. £. The barracks are good, well situate,
and capable of holding three hundred and seventeen
men ; the hospital, however, will not accommodate
more than thirty- six patients. The buildings of the
capital, as before observed, are in the magnificent
style of Spanish architecture, and the city has an
imposing appearance. The population is about
5000. The King's House is one of the most
splendid buildings in any of our colonies; it was
erected and furnished by the island at its own
cost, which exceeded 50,000/. It is situated in
the south of the great square, facing an immense
pile of buildings, containing under one roof the
House of Assembly, the Supreme Court, and almo^
all the Government offices of the island. Before
leaving this subject I may advert to two natural
curiosities in St. Ann's parish, which Dr. Coke thus
describes: —

* The first is a surprising cascade, formed by a
branch of the Rio Alto, or High River, which is sup-
posed to re- emerge (after a subterraneous current of
several miles), between Roaring River plantation
and Menzie's Bog. The hills in this quarter are
many of them composed of a stalactite matter ; by
whose easy solution, the waters oozing through the
rocks are copiously charged with it, so that they
incrustate all bodies deposited in them. The source
of this river is at a very considerable elevation above

SPANISH TOWN. 65

the level of the sea, and at a great distance from the
coast. From thence it runs between the hills suc-
cessively, broad or contracted, as they on each side
approach nearer, or recede further from one another.
In one of the more extended spaces, it expands its
water in a gentle descent among a very curious group
of Anchovy Pear trees, whose spreading roots inter-
cept the shallow stream in a multitude of different
directions. The water thus retarded deposits its
grosser contents, which, in the course of time, have
formed various incrustations around as many cisterns,
spread in beautiful ranks, gradually rising one above
another. A sheet of water, transparent as crystal,
conforming itself to the flight of steps, overspreads
their surface ; and, as the rays of light or sunshine
play between the waving branches of the trees, it
descends glittering with a thousand variegated tints.
' The incrustation in many parts is sufficiently
solid to bear the weight of a man : in others it is so
thin, that some persons whose curiosity induced them
to venture too far, found themselves suddenly plunged
up to the waist in a cold bath. The sides of the
cisterns, or reservoirs, are formed by broken boughs
and limbs incrusted over ; and they are supported by
the trunks of trees, promiscuously growing between
them. The cisterns themselves are always full of
water, which trickles down from one upon another ;
and although several of them are six or seven feet
deep, the spectator may clearly discern whatever lies
at the bottom. The laminae which envelop them
are in general half an inch thick. To a superficial
observer their sides have the appearance of stone;

56 JAMAICA, &C.

but upon breaking any of them, there is found either
a bough between the two incrusting coats, or a va-
cant space which a bough had once filled, but which,
having mouldered away after a great length of time,
had left the cavity. After dancing over these in-
numerable cisterns, the pellucid element divides
itself into two currents ; and then faUing in with
other neighbouring rivulets, composes several smaller
but very beautiful falls *.

' The other cascade, though so named by the inha-
bitants, may be more properly denominated a cata-
ract, similar to that of the Rhine, at Schaffhausen, in
Switzerland. Tt proceeds from the White River,
which is of considerable magnitude; and, after a
course of about twelve miles among the mountains,
precipitates its waters in a fall of about three hundred
feet, obliquely measured, with such a hoarse and
thundering noise, that it is distinctly heard at a very
great distance. Through the whole descent it is
broken and interrupted by a regular succession of
steps, formed by a stalactite matter, incrusted over a
kind of soft chalky stone, which yields easily to the
chisel. Such a vast discharge of water, thus wildly
agitated by the steepness of the fall, dashing and
foaming from step to step, with all the impetuosity
and rage peculiar to this element, exhibits an agree-
able, and at the same time an awful scene. The
grandeur of this spectacle is also astonishingly in-
creased by the fresh supplies which the torrent

* I could wish that space permitted me to dwell at greater
length on the truly beautiful scenery of our colonies. — R, MonL
Martin.

SPANISH TOWN. 57

receives after the rainy seasons. At those periods,
the roaring of the flood, reverberated from the adja-
cent rocks, trees, and hills ; the tumultuous violence
of the cataract rolling down with unremitting fury ;
and the gloom of the overhanging wood, contrasted
with the soft serenity of the sky, the brilliancy of the
spray, the flight of birds soaring over the lofty
summits of the mountains, and the placid surface of
the bason, at a little distance from the foot of the
fall, form an accumulation of objects, most happily
blended together, and beyond the power of words to
express. To complete this animating picture drawn
by the hand of Nature, or rather of Nature's God, a
considerable number of tall and stately trees, beauti-
fully intermixed, rise gracefully from the margin on
each side. The bark and foliage of these trees are
diversified by a variety of lovely tints. And from the
bason itself, two elegant trees, of the palm species,
appear like two straight columns erected in the water,
and towering towards the sky ; planted at such equal
distances from the banks on each side, that the hand
of art could not have effected, by rtde, more exact-
ness and propriety in the positions.

* Another celebrated curiosity in this parish is, the
wonderful grotto near Dry Harbour, about fourteen
miles west from St. Anne's Bay. It is situated at
the foot of a rocky hill, under which it runs a con-
siderable way : it then branches into several adits,
some of which penetrate so far, that no person has
yet ventured to discover their termination. The en-
trance has a truly Gothic appearance. It exhibits
the perpendicular front of a rock, having two arched

58 JAMAICA, &C.

entrances about twenty feet asunder, which seem as
if they had been formerly door-ways. In the centre
of the rock, between these portals, is a natural
niche, about four feet in height, and as many from
the ground. In this niche, it is conjectured, that a
Madona was placed at some early period of time ;
especially as there is a small excavation in the form
of a bason at the foot of the niche, projecting a little
beyond the surface of the rock, and seeming to be a
proper reservoir for the holy-water of the Roman
Catholics. But this idea implies the workmanship
of art, and that the grotto was anciently inhabited ;
neither of which circumstances is to be traced in
Long's detailed description of the interior recesses,
which does not materially differ from the descriptions
of other grottos and subterraneous cavities in various
parts of the globe/

Geology. — ^Jamaica presents every indication of
volcanic origin, but there is no volcano in action ;
a small lake of blackish water, about 3000 feet above
the sea, and entirely encircled with hills, presents
the appearance of an extinct crater. The precipitous
cones, conical tumuli, abrupt declivities, and irregular
masses of enormous rocks scattered over the island,
sufficiently denote the powerful operation of fire.
The soil is generally deep and fertile ; on the north
of a chocolate colour, in other parts a bright yellow,
and every where remarkable for a shining surface
when first turned up, and for staining the skin like
paint when wetted ; it appears to be a chalky marl,
containing a large proportion of calcareous matter.
There is a soil in the island termed ' brick mould,'

OBOLOOT. 59

which is deep and mellow, on a retentive under
strata ; this, next to the ash mould of St. Chris-
tophers, is considered the best soil in the W. Indies
for the sugar cane. A red earth aboands most in
the hiUy lands, and a purple loam sometimes mixed
with a sandy soil in the savannahs and low-lands ;
but the highest mountains are remarkable for having
on their summits a deep black rich soil. The prin-
cipal soils on the interior hills and mountains of
Jamaica may be enumerated thus : — ^A red clay on a
white marl ; a ditto on a grit ; a reddish brown ditto,
on marl; a yellowish clay, mixed with common
mould ; a red grit ; a loose conchaceous mould ; a
black mould on a clay or other substrate ; a loose
black vegetable mould, on rock ; a fine sand ; and
the varieties of all the foregoing. The mountain-
land in general, when first cleared of its wood, pos-
sesses more or less a deep surface of rich black
mould, mixed with shells, a soil which wiU grow
any thing.

The brick mould soil of Jamaica (which is a com-
pound of very fine particles of clay, sand, and black
mould), is of amazing depth, and is considered by
far the best for cultivation ; it is always easily la-
boured, so inexhaustible as to require no manure, in
very dry seasons it retains a moisture sufficient to
preserve the cane root from perishing, and in very
wet it sufiers the superfluous waters to penetrate, so
that the roots are never in danger of being rotted.
Next in fecundity is the black shell mould, previously
mentioned, which owes its fertility to the mineral

60 JAMAICA, &C.

salts and exuviae intermingled with it. The soil
about Kingston on the alluvial plain, consists of a
layer of deep mould, chiefly composed of decayed
vegetable matter, with a proportion of marl and
some carbonate of lime, entirely free from gravel,
and highly absorbent of water : the substratum
varies, being sometimes of a compact aluminous
earth alone, in other places mixed with gravel ; in
sinking a shaft, layers of aluminous earth and gravel
are found, running horizontally, approaching to pure
clay at the bottom, and at four feet from the surface
a strata of finely pulverized silica. About Stoney HiU
garrison, the surface is similar to what is frequently
met with in elevated situations in Jamaica, namely,
a superstratum of rich dark mould, varying in depth
from two to twenty inches, with a substratum of
argillaceous and red earth, evidently containing a
mixture of carbonate of iron ; and in many parts the
surface of the ground is studded with lime stones of a
very large size. Silver and golden mica is frequent,
especially among the hills between St. Catherine's
and Sixteen Mile -Walk, and when washed down
with the floods mistaken for gold sand : — near Spa-
nish Town it is found incorporated with Potters*
clay. Mixed and purplish schistus are common in
the mountains of St. John's, and about Bull Bay,
and the hard lamellated Amianthus is found in large
detached masses, having all the appearance of petri-
fied wood. The lower mountains E. of Kingston
are principally composed of a whitish bastard mar-
ble, with a smooth even grain, taking a good polish.

MINERALOGY AND CLIMATB. 61

and frequently used in Jamaica for lime stone '.
White free stone, quartz of diflPerent species, and
lime stone are abundant, — subcrystalline spar is
found in small detached masses, and rock spar, very
clear, may be seen formed into rocks of prodigious
size in the mountains of St. Ann's, where it is ob-
served to constitute whole strata. When exposed
any time to the weather the surface grows opaque,
and of a milky white. Friable white marl and
clammy marl, or ahoo earth, (pi an apparently
smooth, greasy, and cohesive nature,) are found, and
the latter sometimes eaten by the negroes when they
are diseased, to the great detriment of health.

Mineralogy. The lead ore of Jamaica is ex-
tremely rich, and heavily impregnated with silver ;
several varieties have been found, and indeed, worked
at Liguana, where also striated antimony is ob-
tainable ; in the lower mountains of Liguana every
variety of copper ore (14 different species) is in
profusion, in particular the green and livid, and the
shining dark copper ores ; in the more mellow
matrices, yellow mundick (marchasites), is largely
mixed. In the mountains above Bull Bay, a dark
iron sand, attracted by the magnet, is found : neither
gold nor silver ore has yet been discovered, though
it is certain the natives possessed those metals in
abundance when first visited by Columbus and the
early Spanish settlers. In the river Minho in Cla-

1 Long Mountain, near Kingston, is entirely composed of
carbonate of lime. Yet limestone was sent to Jamaica from
England !

62 JAMAICA, &C.

rendon particles of gold have been found after heavy
rains. Brown states that gold and silver ores have
been discovered at Liguana; and Gage speaks (in
1655) of the mines producing 'some gold, though
drossie/

Climate. The heat of Jamaica is by no means
so fearful as has been represented; even on the
coast it is temperate, the medium at Kingston
throughout the year being 80 F. and the minimum
70. As the country is ascended the temperature of
course decreases; eight miles from Kingston the
maximum is 70, and at the distance of fourteen
miles, where the elevation is 4,200 feet, the average
range is from 55 to 65 F., the minimum in winter
44, and a fire in the evenings not only agreeable but
necessary. On the summits of the mountains the
range in summer is from 47 at sunrise to 58 at noon,
the minimum in winter 42. The heat of a tropical
climate is materially mitigated by unremitted breezes
from sea or land, and by vast masses of clouds,
which, interposing between the sun's rays and the
earth, prevent any great inconvenience therefrom.
The air is remarkably light and enlivening, producing
great cheerfulness even in old age, and so equal in
its pressure that it rarely varies more than an inch
at any time of the year. Although the temperature
alternates eight or ten degrees on the south side of
the mountains, and more so on the north, it is not
subject to the sudden and detrimental transitions ex-
perienced in South Carolina, and other parts of the
United States. From July to October is the hurri-
cane season, but severe storms at the Windward
1

DELIGHTFUL WBATHER IN JAMAICA. 63

Caribbee isles are not felt at Jamaica. The quantity
of rain falling in the year is nearly fifty inches.
For two or three months preceding the May rains
lightning and thunder are prevalent, but not very
mischievous ; and from November to March, when
the sea-breeze is irregular, northerly winds blow,
becoming colder as they recede towards the west j
during this season the air is delicious, /esembling
the finest English vernal weather. The seasons are
divided into four, — viz. vernal or moderate rains, in
April and May, lasting six weeks ; the second, hot
and dry, including June, July, and August; the
third, hurricane and rainy months, embracing Sep-
tember, October, and November; and the fourth,
serene and cool, comprising December, January,
February, and March.

There is, however, considerable diflPetence of cli-
mate on either side of the island ; on the south it
may be said that spring ranges through the months
from November to April ; summer from May to
August, and winter from September to October ;
while on the north side winter ranges from October
to March ; the north has a larger supply of rain
than the south, but distributed in smaller and more
frequent showers, and it is cooler, and with a vege-
tation of greater bulk and height. The following
Meteorological Register for Up-Park Camp is from
Sir J. Mc Gregor's office.^

^ I am under particular obligations to this distinguished
head of the army medical department, and to Dr. Gordon, for
the urbanity with which the valuable public records of the
army were laid before me.

64

JAMAICA, &C.

i

^

»

u
i

WlniT,

J AH nary .*

&A

7B

71

N£l BE

February .

*4

7S

Ji

DItU)

Pine and dry* stmnir «a bre«E«t.

Itar^h ..^

Bfi

91

77

Uitto

Ditto, Eorthquakett fdl, ditto, diltft.

April K^H...

sr

aa

79

DiltD

Very dr^t ditto, modiTate ditto.

M^y

8^

fti

?^

IHUo

FliJCj with liiflil stiowefH,

June

s&

91

7(t

Ditto

July

fi9

A3

7^

Ditto

Many dhowcrs. but ffi-ntrallT doe.

Aupuit ,,.

fif

Si

77

B }!.Wk 1 Snnie htavy ram, ditto.

Hfi

H2

7d

DiEta ; Mcimingfi ilne, tLooti heavy talus.

Octflbtr...

ea

90

74

Ditto

3»me h^Avy rAin^ mostly Adc,

8£

7Q

73

Ditto

Ditto. ditto-

S4

7B

73

Ditto

Borne rain* geD«aUy fine.

On the southern side of the island, the sea breeze
from the south-eastward comes on in the morning,
and gradually increases till noon, when it is strong-
est ; at two or three in the afternoon its force dimi-
nishes, and in general it entirely ceases by five
o'clock. About eight in the evening the land
breeze begins ; this breeze extends to the distance
of four leagues to the southward of the island. It
increases until mid-night, and ceases about four in
the morning.

The sea and land breezes are pretty regular from
the latter end of January until May. In the middle
of May the sea-breeze generally prevails for several
days and nights, especially about the times of
full and change of the moon, and thus continues
throughout June and part of July : from that time
the sea-breeze diminishes, and veers round to S. by
W. or S.S.W., with frequent calms. August, Sep-
tember, and October, have generally strong gales of
wind, with much rain.

In December, January, and February, when the

LAND AND SBA BREEZES, &C. 65

north winds predominate, their force checks the sea-
breeze. The southern coast is that, which, of course,
is least exposed to these winds, being sheltered in a
great measure by the mountains. When combined
with the land breeze they render the air very cold
and unhealthy.

On the northern side of the island, during the
greatest part of July, and the whole of August, the
southerly, or sea-breeze, generally blows hard off the
land, with frequent squalls ; but in October northerly
winds prevail, and frequently extend over all the
Bahamas and Cuba ; and for some time on the north
side of Jamaica, where the current of air is forced
upwards by the mountains, and its strength spent in
the heights ; but it occasionally reaches the southern
coast, particularly in the neighbourhood of Kings-
ton, and has been known to continue for some days.

During the winter season the land-breeze is more
general off the shores than in summer ; and it some-
times continues through the day as well as night.
Westerly winds prevail also over the whole space
between Jamaica and Cuba, and even so far as the
Island of Hayti.

On the south side of the island, during the month
of November, southerly winds generally blow, and
have been known to extend from the Mosquito shore.
These winds are usually faint; nor do they reach
the land until it be heated by the sun, and soon after
mid-day are often expelled by a fresh land-breeze,
which also abates in a few hours.

The return of the sea-breeze in autumn is gra-
dual ; it first approaches the east end, then advances

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. F

66 JAMAICA, &C.

a little, not unfrequently reaching Morant Point a fort-
night or more before it is felt above Kingston. It
also continues to blow a week or two later on the
east end of the island than at Kingston ; and has
been, known in some years to prevail there in the
day-time, during the whole time it was unfelt at the
former place.

That the climate of Jamaica has undergone great
change since the cul,tivation of the isle is most true.
From Mr. Nedham's journal, kept at Mount Olive, in
the parish of St. Thomas in the Vale, I find that the
thermometer is noted January 5th at 50 — " whole day
cold/* Governor Mod5rford, in a letter to Lord
Arlington, then, in 1665, Secretary-of-State, ob-
serves, with regard to the healthiness of the island,
that ** the officers of the old army, from strict saints,
are turned debosht devils ;" and '* really, my Lord,"
he adds, '' no man hath died but an account hath
been given — yH. e gott his decease either by surfeitts
or travelling at high noone in a hott day — or being
wett with rain, and not changing in season. The
Spaniards, at their first coming, (I mean those who
trade with the RoyaU Company) wondered much at
the sickness of some of our people ; but when they
understood of the strength of their drinks, and the
great quantity they charged themselves with, and the
little observation of times and seasons, they told
me they wondered more they were not all dead.
Their health and cheerfulness depending upon their
temperance, which, being my natural disposition, I
doubt not but will continue me capable to serve his
Majestic, *' &c. &c.

CLIMATE IN THB INTERIOR OF JAMAICA. 67

That the climate is not inimical to the hmnan con-
stitution^ is evident from the long lives and good
health which Europeans and negroes enjoy who live
temperately, — and indeed intemperance, which in
more temperate climates would be punished with
death, here too often and too long escapes with
impunity. A negro, called * Poor Hope,* recently
died at Jamaica, aged 150 years!

At Storfey Hill garrison, nine miles from Kingston,
and 2,000 feet above the sea, the thermometer is
■ generally during the hot months 74 at 6 a.m., 82 at
2 p.m., and 80 at 6 p.m. ; during the cold months
at corresponding hours, 68 — 75 and 73 ; in Novem-
ber and December, when the north winds prevail,
the mercury falls as low as 6Q F.

At Trelawney-Maroon town, which is situate on a
very high mountain in the interior of the island,
between the parishes of Westmoreland and St. James,
the thermometer seldom or ever rises higher than
71 or 72 at noon, falling during the night and early
part of the morning as low as 50 and 52. The
troops stationed here have for several years enjoyed
as good if not indeed a better state of health than
they would perhaps have experienced in any other
part of the world; and, in 1795, when the yellow
fever was at its acme in Jamaica, the men and officers
of a newly-raised regiment (83rd) did not lose a
man by fever at this station. That there have been
periods of great sickness and mortality in Jamaica

' Of late years the yellow fever has almost, if not quite,
disappeared from Jamaica and the other West India islands.
F 2

68

JAMAICA, &C.

is too true. The comparative health of the different
Military Stations at a period of unusual sickness —
namely, for six years ending in 1822, is thus shown :

Statiom

Strength.

Deaths.

Ratio.

Up-Park-Camp

. 5,543

1,100

lin 5

Stoney HUl . .

. 1,878

163

1 in llj

Port Royal . .

. 1,651

190

lin 8|

Fort Augusta .

. 2,024

126

1 in 16

Spanish Town .

. 1,885

300

lin 6|

Port Antonio .

. 814

124

1 in 6|

Port Maria . .

. 115

30

1 in 3J

Falmouth ....

. 703

65

1 in lOf

Maroon Town .

. 576

9

1 in 64

Lucia

. 417

29

1 in 14J

Savannah le Ma

r 331

47

1 in 7

Montego Bay .

. 117

10

1 in lOi

The total number of deaths during each of the
six years ending in 1822 was 315, 332, 754, 300,
312, 287. Owing to the humane zeal of Sir James
M'Gregor, the mortality in the West Indian army
has, of late years, been considerably diminished.

I have the testimony of that highly intelligent
and zealous officer. Dr. Adolphus, Inspector of Mih-
tary Hospitals, whose eminent services in Jamaica,
and wherever his professional zeal and duties have
been engaged, are duly appreciated, in proof that the
climate of Jamaica has of late years most materially
improved, — that the high-lands of this beautiful isle
are well adapted to the European constitution, the
more so when they become cleared and cultivated, (a

CAYMAN ISLBS. 69

measure, I trust, which will speedily be accom-
plished,) and that there are many districts in the
interior of Jamaica where the climate and soil are
nearly as favourable to health as in any part of Britain,
which districts are the property of the crown, and
now lying waste.

Before closing this Chapter, I would here advert
briefly to the Cayman isles, which are a dependency
of Jamaica.

The Caymans are three small isles, in lat. 19.20.
N. ; from thirty to forty leagues N.N.W. from Point
Negrill, on the westward of Jamaica, the Grand
Cayman being the most remote. Cayman-braque
and Little Cayman lie within five miles of each
other, and about thirty-four miles N. from the Grand
Ca3nnan, which is about one mile and a half long,
and one mile broad, and containing about 1,000
acres. Grand Cayman (the only island inhabited) is
so low that it cannot be seen from a ship's quarter-
deck more than twelve or fifteen miles ofi^, and at
some distance the lofty trees on it appear like a
grove of masts emerging from the ocean. It has
no harbour, but the anchorage on the S. W. coast is
moderately good; on the other, or N. E. side, it is
fortified with a reef of rocks, between which and
the shore, in smooth water, the inhabitants have
their craals, or pens, for keeping turtle in. The soil
towards the middle of the island is very fertile, pro-
ducing com and vegetables in plenty, while hogs and
poultry find ample provender.

Columbus fell in with these islands on his return

70 JAMAICA, &C.

from Porto Bello to Hispaniola, and observing the
coiast swarming with turtle, like ridges of rocks, he
called them Las Tortugas.

The Caymans were never occupied by the Spani-
ards, but became the general resort of adventurers
or rovers, (chiefly French,) for the sake of the turtle,
which rendezvoused here to lay their eggs in the
sand, and then returned to the gulph of Mexico,
Bay of Honduras, and the adjacent coast. The
instinct with which the sea turtle annually visits a
favourite breeding- spot is very remarkable. The
Cayman Isles are yearly frequented by innumerable
shoals of these animals, who cross the ocean from
the Bay of Honduras, a distance of 450 miles, with-
out the aid of chart or compass, and with an accu-
racy, says the eloquent historian of Jamaica (Long),
superior to the best efibrts of human skill : it is
affirmed that vessels which have lost their latitude in
hazy weather have steered entirely by the noise of
the turtle in swimming. The shore of the Caymans
is low and sandy, and consequently well adapted to
hatch the turtle eggs ; and the rich submarine pas-
turage around the islands aflbrds abundance of nourish-
ish herbage to repair the waste which must ensue
after a female lays nine hundred eggs.

In 1655, when Jamaica was taken by England,
the Caymans were still uninhabited. Mr. Long states
them to have reckoned in 1774 to the number of
106 white men, women, and children. The Bishop
of Jamaica in 1827 estimated the inhabitants at
1,600.
. The present race of inhabitants are said to be

CAYMAN ISLES. 71

descended from the English Buccaneers, and, being
inured to the sea, form excellent pilots and seamen :
they have a chief or government officer of their own
choosing, and they frame their own regulations;
justices of the peace are appointed from Jamaica,
but in no other way are the inhabitants interfered
with by the authorities in the chief settlement to
which they undoubtedly belong. The islands are
extremely healthy, and the people attain a longevity,
as is also the case on the Mosquito shore, greater
than is enjoyed in Europe.

CHAPTER III.

VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS.

Jamaica is exuberantly rich in all the splendid and
useful vegetation of the tropics. Its principal pro-
duct is the sugar-cane, which, it is asserted, was
introduced from Asia via Africa, Spain, the Canary
Islands, and thence to St. Domingo, in 1520, when
the first sugar plantation was established, the num-
ber of which had increased to thirty in 1535. This
was the " Creole" cane\

At an early period, the cane was extensively culti-
vated by the Spaniards in Jamaica; and in 1671,
Traphan speaks of the numerous complicated sugar
works, like a town or village, in various parts of the
island.

Although the Spaniards at first attended to the
cultivation of sugar, it was subsequently neglected.

^ In 1788, M. Martin, a Frenc];i botanist, introduced the
celebrated Otaheite cane into Cayenne and Martinico from the
Isle of France, whither it had been brought by the justly cele-
brated Bougainville. The great advantage of this latter cane
is its flexibility of organization, or property of accommodating
itself to various temperatures much more than the Canary or
Creole cane, which will scarcely yield any sugar in Louisiana ;
besides, the Otaheitan cane yields more sugar, and of better
quality, does not require replanting in three times the time
the Creole cane does (every two or three years), and it yields
more refuse for fuel.

PRODUCTIONS OF JAMAICA. 73

In the year 1 743, the chief productions of Jamaica
were cocoa, indigo, and hides ; the cultivation of
sugar had just recommenced. The increase in the
growth of this staple article of the island has been as
follows: — 1722, 11,000 hogsheads were exported;
1739,33,155; 1744,35,761; 1768,55,000; 1774,
78,304; 1790, 105,400; 1802, 140,000; 1832,
1,200,000 cwts. Governor Knowles's calculation,
in 1755, was 2,128,431 acres ungranted, out of
which 400,000 are plantable ; of these, 100,000 are
fit for growing sugar, and the rest for coffee ; the
remaining 1,728,431 consist of barren mountains,
&c. A return was made about the year 1755, of
properties in the parish of St. Andrew's, and their
produce, to the Board of Trade. In this, an estate
called Norbrook, the property of Charles Long, Esq.
is thus entered : — " 2,222 acres, 55 hogsheads of
sugar, nine puncheons of rum ; five acres in coffee,
producing 2,972 cwt.; 100 acres in provision ground;
500 in pen and pasture ; five servants, 153 negroes,
and 86 head of cattle. Indifferent land — some parts
rocky and mountainous." This estate, in the return
of 1739, is put at sixty hogsheads. The cultivation
of Jamaica in 1818, according to Mr. Robertson's
survey, was, in sugar plantations, 639,000 acres ; in
breeding farms or fens, 280,000; and in coffee,
pimento, ginger, &c., 181,000. Total, 1,100,000.

The quantity of sugar now made in Jamaica is
very great, and the importations into Great Britain
have for some years averaged 1,400,000 cwts. ;
which, rated so low as 2ls, per cwt., would give
nearly one million and a half sterling. The Jamaica

74 JAMAICA, &C.

sugar is of a very fine quality ; and by the improved
systems of culture and manufacture coming into
operation, there is little doubt but that the quantity
and quality may yet be more extended, if the home
government will reduce the enormous rate of taxa-
tion now levied on what ceases to be a luxury, for it
is a necessary of life to the poorest individual. The
quantity of rum made from the sugar is also very
great ; the annual average exportations to England
may be taken at 3,500,000 gallons, which may be
estimated in value at 1,000,000/. sterling. The
Jamaica rum is justly prized as an excellent spirit.
Of coflfee, and that too of excellent quality, the
quantity grown in Jamaica is very great ; and the
importation into Great Britain nearly 20,000,000 lbs.
yearly, which, at the low value of 1^. per pound, is
another million sterHng. The cofiee-plant was first
introduced into Jamaica by Sir Nicholas Lawes, in
1728, where it was. cultivated on an estate called
Temple Hall, in Linguanea. An act of legislature
of the island was passed, to encourage its growth ;
and in 1732, cofiee was advertised in a Jamaica
paper at a pistole a pound. In 1652, there were
exported 60,000 lbs.; and in 1775, 440,000 lbs.
Until 1788, little attention was paid to this singular
berry. In the four years ending 30th September,
1794, the average exportation of coffee was 1,603,066
lbs.; in 1804, it amounted to 22,000,000 lbs.; and
during three years ending 30th of September, 1807,
the average exportation was more than 28,500,000
lbs,, which, at Ql, per cwt., its cost in Jamaica, pro-
duced more than 1,700,000/. The production is

RETURN OF PRODUCE. 75

now about 20,000,000 lbs. yearly. It is calculated
that 20,000,000/. is invested in coffee estates. The
coffee plant thrives in almost every soil about the
mountains of Jamaica, and in the very driest spots
has frequently produced very abundant crops.

The following is the official return of the produce
of sugar, coffee, and rum, in the island for the last
two years. It is feared that the year ending 1st of
August, 1836, will still be deficient*; but a hope is
held out that the ensuing year's returns will be very
productive.

* I do not attribute this reduced importation to worn out
West India soils. The planters find that improved husban-
dry, and the alternation of crops, are as conducive to fertility
and renovation of the earth in the new world as in the old,
but I attribute it to the enormous, and unjust, and impolitic
taxation levied on sugar imported into England, and which
the planters, notwithstanding the reduced price, have been
unable to compete with.

Proportion of Taxation on the Price of West India Sugar
for Thirty Years :—

Average Price. Tax, per Cwt per Cent.

1792 to 1796

55». Id

15*. Od...i.

e. ... 27i
26

1797 ... 1798

67 3

17 6

1799 ... 1800

64 2i

18 2

28

1801 ... 1802

52 7

20 ......

27

38

1803 ... 1823

46 4

584

1824 ... 1826

33 5

...... 27

::.::: sol

Dec. 1829 ... —

23 31

27

no

Herein we witness the bane of our colonial policy. We have
not only imposed enormous duties on the produce of our trans-
marine possessions, but, we have, while almost shutting the
West Indies out from the home market, forbade their selling
their surplus in those of Continental Europe or America ; nay,
not only from sellingt but even from buying food and the neces-
saries of life, where the Colonists could readily obtain them in
exchange for their sugar, rum, &c.

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78 JAMAICA, &C.

Cotton, indigo, and cocoa were at one time exten-
sively cultivated; but they have principally given
place to the foregoing staples of the island. Blome,
who published a short account of Jamaica in 1672,
mentions the existence of sixty cocoa walks. At
present there can scarcely be said to be a plantation
in the whole island. Various drugs, dye stufis, and
spices, are of excellent quality. Aloes, cochineal,
spikenard, canella, liquorice- root, castor oil nut,
vanilla, peppers, arrow-root, ginger, ipecacuanha,
scammony, jalap, cassia, euphorbia, senna, &c. all
attest the fruitfulness and capabilities of the soil and
climate. The cultivated vegetables of Europe arrive
at great perfection. Maize is the principal com
grown, and together with calavances, the yam and
sweet potatoe, cassava, &c. form the chief food of
the negroes. Various grasses thrive, but Guinea
grass abounds ; and, in consequence of its indispen-
sable importance in feeding the cattle that supply
manure for the sugar plantations, it is considered next
in importance to the sugar-cane. This grass was in-
troduced into the island in the early part of the last
century by accident, having been forwarded with
some Guinea birds that were sent as a present. The
birds died, the seed was thrown away, the grass
sprung up, and the cattle were observed to devour it
eagerly. Attention was accordingly paid to the
subject. It now grows all over the island, thriving
in the most rocky places, and rendering (like sain-
foin) lands productive that were heretofore consi-
dered barren, and making good hay, if salted or
sprinkled with sea-water when being ricked. The

ESCULENTS, &C. 79

native and exotic grasses are excellent for cattle and
horses ; in particular that called the Scotch grass,
which vegetates rapidly, and grows to the height of
five or six feet, with long and juicy joints. Five
horses may be fed for a year on an acre of this
vegetable, allowing each, every day, fifty- six lbs. of
grass.

Of vegetables, potatoes (Irish and sweet), yam,
cassava, peas and beans of every variety, artichokes,
beet-root, carrots, and parsnips, cucumbers and
tomatoes, radishes, celery, choco, ochro, Lima bean,
Indian kale, calalue, various salads, cabbage-trees
(200 feet high !)^ &c. all flourish in abundance ; and,
indeed, it may be said that autumn is perpetual in
Jamaica, for every month presents a fresh collation
of fruits and vegetables, and some species are at
maturity all the year round. The bread-fruit tree,
cocoa-nut, plaintain and banana, alligator pear, the
delicioTis mellow fig, pine, cashew, papaw, and cus-
tard apples, orange, lime, lemon, mango, grape,
goava, pomegranate, soursop, shaddock, plums, ta-
marind, melon, wall and chestnut, mulberry, oHve,
date, citron, and many other delicious fruits, all
arrive at perfection.

The attention of the planters is being now turned
to the cultivation of other vegetable productions,
which I doubt not will be attended with success : for
instance, a correspondent in a recent Jamaica journal
makes the following observations on a plant of great

* Some cabbage-trees have been known 270 feet high.

80 JAMAICA, &C«

beauty and worth, the utility of cultivating which is
deserving of consideration in our other colonies, and
indeed at home : —

The sunflower is a plant of peculiar beauty, and
which, if cultivated with attention, may be rendered
valuable in a pecuniary point of view. Its fecundity
in this climate renders it far preferable to com for
the common purposes of food for poultry ; and when
mixed with com, in the proportion of a pint to two
quarts, it is valuable as a nutritious food for horses.
As a proof of its fruitfulness, the authority from
whom I derive the fact states that, averaging the
quantity gathered from several hundred heads, each
stalk may have produced eleven flowers, and that
eight flowers will yield one quart of clean seed, by a
process much less laborious than rubbing out com.
Maize, called " com," is husked by the hand.

For the production of an oil, preferable, it is said,
to olive oil, the seeds of the sunflower are more
easily manufactured than even the castor nut, and
will yield a greater proportion either by heat or
pressure. In short, like many other productions of
Jamaica which are overlooked in the eager pursuit
of sugar and coffee, the sunflower, which here grows
with such superior luxuriance, needs only to be more
extensively cultivated to add to the valuable gifts of
nature in the torrid zone. The best manner of
planting them, as practised in the north of Italy, is
to dibble them, in rows about three feet asunder,
putting two seeds into each hole : in this way,* the
ripe seed may be reaped ten weeks after planting.

TREBlf. 81

Of Trees, Jamaica possesses a great variety, one
of the most valuable of which is the pimento*, which
flom-ishes spontaneously and in great abundance on
the north side of the island; its numerous white
blossoms, mixing with the dark green foliage, and
with the slightest breeze difiusing around the most
delicious fragrance, give a beauty and charm to
nature rarely equalled, and of which he who has not
visited the shady arbours and perfumed groves of the
tropics can have little conception. This lovely tree,
the very leaf of which, bruised, emits a fine aromatic
odour, nearly as powerful as that of the spice itself,
has been known to grow to the height of from thirty
to forty feet, exceedingly straight, and having for its
base the spinous ridge of a rock, eight or ten feet
above the surface of the hill or mountain. A single
tree will produce 150 of the raw, or 100 lbs. of the
dried fruit.

The indigenous forest, and even exotic trees of
Jamaica, grow to a prodigious height ; the palmetto
royal is frequently found 140 feet ; the vast trunks
of the ceiba (wild cotton-tree) and fig-trees often
measure 90 feet from the base to the limbs ; and the
trunk* of the former, when hollowed out, has formed
a boat capable of holding 100 persons. There is a

1 The cultivation of the pimento is extending, as is also that
of ginger, in Jamaica.

2 The wild pine commonly takes root in the forks of the
ceiba, and by the conformation of its leaves catches and
retains the rain-water, each leaf holding about a quart. It
would seem as if nature designed it to supply the gigantic
trunk with occasional moisture.

82 JAB^ICA* &C.

great variety of timber for agricultural and house-
hold purposes, and some exquisitely beautiful cabinet
woods.

The trumpet-tree grows from thirty to forty feet
high ; its trunk and branches are hollowed and
divided with membraneous septse, like the bamboo ;
it produces an agreeable fruit, like our strawberry.
The strong and fibrous bark is used for cordage, and
the light trunks for bark logs, &c. The bamboo
is plentiful, and houses built by the Spaniards with
it at St. Jago de la Vega (Spanish Town) are still
standing. Cedar, mahogany, lignum vita, Spanish
elm, mangeneel, braeziletto, the valuable palmetto*
(thatch), white bully or galimeta, dog-pigeon-rose,
beef and iron woods, the black mangrove, green-
heart, &c. all flourish*.

Animals. — ^Animal life has attained neither great
variety nor size in the new world, and the islands
appertaining to that vast continent, when discovered,
were found to contain but few species : Jamaica, for
instance, had only eight varieties of quadrupeds —
the agouti, peccari, armadillo, opossum, racoon, musk
rat, alco, and monkey. Of these, only the first and
last remain. One species of the monkey tribe in
Jamaica has, according to Dr. Coke, only four fingers
on each of its fore paws, and no thumb. Wild hog
hunting is a favourite, and sometimes a dangerous,
amusement. All the domesticated animals of Europe
thrive, and are found to multiply fast; there are
many varieties of beautiful lizards, and the feathered

* Has been found 140 feet high. * Vide Guyana Book.

BIRDS. 83

tribe are exceedingly numeroos, and some (especially
the parrot) of fine plumage. Some of the smallest
humming-birds are not bigger than a moderate-
sized beetle, and their hue of the most beautiful
golden green. The most remarkable of these ex-
quisite specimens of feathered elegance is the long-
tailed one, with plumes of six inches long crossing
each other : the most opposite colours are blended
together ; the oceanic green of the emerald, the lus-
trous purple of the amethyst, and the bright flame
of the ruby, are shaded and tinted by a transparent
veil of waving gold. Sloane says that he saw one
of those connecting links between birds and insects,
which, **on being put into a balance when just
killed, weighed not over twenty grains !" Next in
beauty to the foregoing is a small martin, all the
upper part of whose plumage is of a bright golden
green, and the under part white. There are a
variety of blue and red throat woodpeckers ; but a
bird called the nightingale (Brown calls it the
"mocking-bird of America") is the only warbler
remarkable for its notes. Of the vrild fowl, the
most delicious are the ring-dove and the rice-bird of
S. Carolina, which, after fattening on the rice there,
arrive in Jamaica in countless numbers in October,
to feed on the Guinea grass. Epicures compare the
plump and juicy flesh of this delicacy to the ortolan.
Dr. Chamberlain thus enumerates the sportsman's
game: — 1. Wild Guinea fowl (Numidia Meleagris).
2. Quail (tetrao coturnix), 3. Wild pigeons, namely,
ring-tail, bald-pate, pea-dove, white-breast, white-
wing, mountain-witch, ground-dove, and red-legged
g2

81 JAMAICA, &C.

partridge. 4. Snipe (scolopax galinago), 5. Wild
duck {Anas boschas). 6. Gray duck (Anas strepora),
7. Teal (Anas crecca), 8. Widgeon (Anas Penelope),
9, Grey and ring plover. The turkey buzzard is
the scavenger of the island ; and if it were not for
the persevering labours of this voracious and car-
nivorous bird, many places would be uninhabitable,
by reason of the putrifying stench from decaying
animal matter. It resembles a small turkey; the
head is bald, and the upper part of the beak covered
with a loose red skin, which gives a disgusting
appearance to this most useful bird.

Fish. — ^The rivers and sea-coast abound in fish of
various quality, and there are several salt ponds
which, if attended to, might render the planters in a
great measure independent of supplies of salt fish
from Europe. The sprat, herring, dolphin, anchovy
or silver fish ; the flying, sword, sun, parrot, rock,
king, and gar fishes; flounder, sole, eel, bream,
snapper, mullet, perch, boneeto, Spanish mackerel,
sea devil (weighing from 100 to 300 lbs.), old wife,
shark, porpoise, sting, ray, thrasher, &c. &c. may be
caught ; sea and land turtle are plentiful, and good
eating.

Dr. Madden thus enumerates the different kinds
that are to be found in the Kingston market : —

1. Calipever. The white salmon of Jamaica ; from

six to eighteen lbs. ; caught in the brackish
waters at the Ferry.

2. Snook. Both salt and fresh water ; from ten to

sixteen lbs. ; delicate.

FISH. 85

3. Mullet. Various kinds ; salt water, white ; the

mountain species, red; one of the three deli-
cacies of Jamaica.

4. Stone Bass. Both fresh and salt water ; much

esteemed ; from two to four Ihs.

5. Snapper, black. Salt water; four or five lbs. ;

delicate.

6. Ditto, red. Ditto, not so much prized.

7. Ditto, or Mangola Drummer ; caught about

Hunt's Bay ; from one to two lbs.

8. King Fish. Caught on Port Royal bank : from

ten to twenty lbs. ; very delicate.

9. June Fish, or Jew. In great estimation with

the Jews ; from four to thirty lbs.

10. Old Fish. Jamaica John A'Dory; about two

lbs.

1 1 . Cutlass. A flat fish ; a good frying fish.

12. Chuck. Freshwater; delicate; about six lbs.

13. Grunt, red-mouthed. Saltwater; one lb.

14. Mud Fish. Fresh water ; resembles trout.

15. Hog. A good species of Bass ; about four lbs.

16. Boney Fish. Coarse ; from four to eight lbs.

17. Rock Fish. A species of Bass; from four to

six lbs. ; salt water ; good.

18. Doctor. Salt water ; about one and a half lbs.;

so called from a lancet-shaped spine.

19. Parrot Fish. Salt water; variegated colour;

three or four lbs. ; coarse.

20. Baracouta. Said to frequent copper banks in

some islands ; sometimes poisonous ; six lbs.

21. Sand Fish. Species of Mud Fish; fresh and

salt water ; three-quarters of a lb.

86 JAMAICA, &C.

22. Mackerel. Mottled skin ; size of ours.

23. Whiting. Not unlike ours, but smaller.

24. White Bait. The anchovy of Jamaica.

The mountain crab of Jamaica is ** one of the
choicest morsels in nature," according to Edwards.
The crabs go down to the sea once a year to deposit
their spawn, direct their march thither in a straight
line, by the shortest course, and invariably attempt
to scale every obstacle they meet. When they have
deposited their spawn, they return to the mountains
by the latter end of June, where they remain, and
the young ones follow them to their habitations,
which are burrows Imed with dry grass, leaves, &c.
and are prepared for moulting, as soon as they are able
to crawl. These habitations are seldom less than
one mile, or more than three from the shore. In
December and January they begin to spawn, are
very fat and delicate, and esteemed fit for the table ;
but they continue in perfection till May. The crabs
perform their annual journey towards the shore in
February or April. After the month of May they
lose their flavour, and, when poor, are full of a black
bitter fluid, which decreases as they get into con-
dition, in July and August ; after which, they retire
to their burrows, shut up the hole, and remain inac-
tive till they cast their old shell. During the moult-
ing time, they are covered only with a thin mem-
branous skin, variegated with red veins, about which
testaceous concretions are found, which disappear
when the shell is formed. The shell is observed to
burst first both at the back and sides, to give a

REPTILES INSECTS. 87

passage to the body ; the limbs are afterwards gra-
dually extracted. In this state they are esteemed in
their highest perfection. The crabs that feed in the
grave-yards are the fattest and richest in flavour. In
England, people talk of being food for worms — in
the West Indies, for crabs.

Reptiles. — ^The silver, black, and yellow snakes
are numerous, excepting the former ; the yellow is
considered good eating by the negroes ; the alligator
or cayman, together with varieties of lizards, guanas,
and chameleons, are natives of the isle \

Insects are numerous, particularly cockroaches,
mosquitos, fire-flies, ants, &c. The bite of the smaU
black spider is said to produce death sometimes.

* The animal kingdom of the West Indies is fully detailed
in the book on British Guyana.

CHAPTER IV.

POPULATION — WHITE, COLOURED, AND NEGRO; VARIOUS
CLASSES OF THE INHABITANTS; CENSUS OF THE DIFFER-
ENT PARISHES; STOCK, AND LAND IN CULTIVATION, &C. ;
THE PRESS; EDUCATION AND RELIGION.

It is a melancholy reflection that the aboriginal inha-
bitants of Jamaica, to the amount probably of several
hundred thousand, were destroyed by the European
colonists within fifty years after their settling on its
shores ; had they been preserved, as sound policy as
well as humanity would have dictated — and of which
the island of Ceylon, with its million of coloured in-
habitants, afford us an excellent illustration, the deadly
curse of slavery — doubly cursed to the enslaved and
the enslaver — would have been avoided, and an in-
calculable amount of human misery prevented.

We have no authentic accounts of the Indian po-
pulation on the island when first visited by Colum-
bus ; all accounts agree in representing it as densely
peopled — within half a century they had all ceased to
exist ! Las Casas says, " they hanged these unfor-
tunates by thirteen, in honour of the thirteen apos-
tles ; — I have beheld them throw the Indian infants to
their dogs, — I have heard the Spaniards boiTOw the
limb of a human being to feed their dogs, and next
day return a quarter to the lender !" The original
Spanish colony consisted of seventy persons, whose
numbers were rapidly increased by immigration, until

CENSUS, &C.

89

the riches of the main land caused Jamaica to be com-
paratively neglected, and the incursions of freebooters
rendering property insecure checked population ; it
would appear that the Spaniards began early to im-
port negro slaves, but on the capture of the island
by the British in 1655, Venables stated the whole
population to be — not more than 1,500 Spaniards
and Portuguese, and an equal number of negroes and
mulattoes, although Spain had been one hundred and
forty-six years in possession of the island. Seven
years after the conquest of Jamaica by England, a
census was taken, of which the aggregate was — 2,600
men, 645 women, 408 children, and 552 negroes. In
this census, the acres under cultivation are 2,917.
The following is a census (about this period) of
the whole island : —

^fdncttof Fort Horant^^^

MofaninH.** **»..►* *

Yallah

llgonec (now L^i^uaDa^ .,..

St. JagoTown

Bldc^k River, Bower's)

Savannali} &c }

Ang^lla ^ * *«...*

Seven F^AhtaMoim, ^^y)
or Macario, and Qua- >

tbabacoa ^^^ „}

Gu anaboa and Guardaleone
Cngua **..* «

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The troubles in England during the commonwealth
and the early years of the restoration, contributed
materially to people our western colonies ; and Ja-

* Some errata, but of no importance in a general view.

90

JAMAICA, &C.

maica exhibited the following progressive rate of
population : —

Year.

Whites.

Free
Colour'd

' Slaves.

Year.

Whites.

Free
Colour'd

Slaves.

1658*
1670
1784
1746

4,500
7,500
7,644
10,000

No
Returns

1,400

8,000

86,146

112,428

1768
1775
1717
1800

17,947
18,500
80,000
No Ret.

3,700
10,000
No Ret.

176,914
190,914
250,000
SOO.OOO

From the year 1702 (when the importation was
800) to 1774 (when the importation was 18,000)
the number of slaves imported into Jamaica was
half a million y of which 130,000 were re-exported,
and of those retained in the island not more than
19,000 were alive in 1775.

The number of Slaves in Jamaica at the expiration
of each year, from 1800 to 1817, was —

A.D.

No. of
Slaves.

A.D.

No. of
Slaves.

A.D.

No. of
Slaves.

1800 ...

... 300,939

1806 ...

... 312,341

1812 ...

... 319,912

1801 ...

... 307,094

1807 ...

... 119,351

1813 ...

... 317,424

1802 ...

... 307,199

1808 ...

... 323,827

1814 ...

... 315,385

1803 ...

... 308.668

1809 ...

... 323,714

1815 ...

... 313,814

1804 ...

... 808,542

1810 ...

... 313,683

1816 ...

... 314,038

1805 ...

... 308,775

1811 ...

... 326,830

1817 ...

... 345,252

From 1817 to 1829, (the latest years before me,)
the Slave population of Jamaica was —

,„.

Males.

Females

TotTil

Iticretued by
Dlrth.

Decreased liy

Dettrease
byMsQU-
mlsaioti.

Males.

Fern,

MalcA,

rem.

^u.

Fe.

IflI7
J ^20

IHS;!

IS29

\^1

173,319! l7a,S31

no.-iGG n],o]6

l(3t{,535 lGr>,eSEl
lG3j73C , ICe,39!i
l.'iB.S^l 1 ia4.1C7

__ 1

.140,1^0
342^-182
a3G,2,i3
331,119
522,421

12,201
U,G8&

n,tta4

in,9&6

12,143
11,^64

10^742

15,433
l4i03U

]3h43j

ll^CBl

ll.fi5<]

U,70i2

3UG
371
316

:tG2

sso

S5A
Gil
755

* Census of Jamaica, December 12, 1661.

CENSUS, &C.

91

I have prepared the following imperfect (yet the
most complete which I have seen) view of the popu-
lation of Jamaica, from various documents laid before
the Finance Committee of 1828 : —

A « ei n ^ o » m asanas O ^ :0 ;*^
O -irtj** a a ^ 5 * yfj t^ O O — .* .1*1

o ■*o_(iui_ H ifl ^^ iOTj^io^o ^_ p-^ :o *T

*o w jo*^^ « ^ iH -^ stnts^ »5 m ;^ ^rf

tq ^^ ^H «i 04 71 « 04 n 04 ■ 74 :«4

*Ba[Hai3jjoiBiox

: S ;5 :

I io : : : : :
': ^ : : : : :

1 U i

■<^HJt>T^1oX

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' ■I'"' ■ : 1 ; :

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V

-fla[Hiiioj

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r TicsTcp : ij^ »<^ t^ i '-^in I w 1m I I

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J tqoif^ ; :q ^^ CXI ; :^^ ; fi j to ■ oi

■payBTUflJ

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i

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; fr^ >A ^ I o ^H f? « i.r^ce : ti^ :s :^
: ^^^w> * ua ^ -- I ; ^ i^ J ^ fci j^a

sstflniflj

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Fie issfl -sl Us M"^i= = '■

l^llll 131^^41^1 ill Ms"

92 JAMAICA, &C.

I trust the view of the foregoing mutilated Table
(some of the parishes having no place even in it)
may stimulate the House of Assembly to cause an
accurate census of the island to be immediately pre-
pared.

It is impossible to state with accuracy the actual
population of Jamaica ; owing to some mistaken feel-
ings the census has not been completed : by some it
is said that the population of the island is half a
million of mouths, which would give seventy-eight
persons to the square mile, a remarkable small pro-
portion, particularly in comparison with Barbadoes,
where there are sia hundred to the square mile I The
white inhabitants are estimated at 30 to 35,000, and
the maroons at 1,200.

The following is a summary for 1833 of the returns
of the number of slaves on each estate in the island ;
the number of stock, or homed cattle ; and the quan-
tity of land in cultivation and pasture : these returns
are given in on oath * : —

1 The Jamaica Almanac for 1833, whence I derive this
statement, is so imperfectly printed, that whole columns are
illegible, and even the summings-up are incorrect; I have
endeavoured to complete the return by a reference to the
returns for 1832.

PARISH RETURNS, &C.

93

^

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tf tan

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tf

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t^ ^S S^O»r3r^r~

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iC C" ifl 40 * 15 oT^ »!

t

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9

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3 £ — .1

M H v5 £ S

According to the Compensation Commissioners, by
their Return dated 7th July, 1835, Jamaica stands
thus in reference to the inter-colonial apportionment
of £20,000,000 :—

94

JAMAICA, &C.

No. of Slaves

by last
Registration.

Average Value

of a Slave
froml822tol830.

Aelative Value

of

the Slaves.

Proportion of

£20,000,000. to

which Jamaica

is entitled.

311,692

£44:15:2J

13,951,139/.

£6,161,927.

By a return from Jamaica received August 1836,
I find that 998 apprentices were valued and paid for
at an average of 34Z. each, amounting to 33,998/. ;
and 624 apprentices were valued at 47/. each,
amounting to 29,445/. This was the extent of ad-
judication up to the above-mentioned period. These
prices are much less than the former market value of
a slave, which, fifteen or twenty years ago would be,
if a good tradesman of fair character and healthy
constitution, 180/. to 200/. currency. An able field
negro of the above description, 140/. to 170/. cur-
rency; a female ditto, 110/. to 130/. currency ; stout
youths and girls, 70/. to 100/. currency ; and a healthy
infant, 20/. to 25/. currency.

A description of the character of the respective
classes of inhabitants in the island, would be too
diflfiise for my object ; it may be sufficient to observe
that the white population, embracing the English,
Irish, Scotch, French, Germans, Portuguese, &c. are
divided into two classes ; the higher embracing the
principal merchants, chief planters, government
officers, &c. ; and the other, the tradesmen, over-
seers, and shopkeepers, &c. A large portion of the
latter class are Jews, who have equal political
rights with the Christians. The French emigrants
firom St. Domingo are a respectable and industrious

POPULATION, &C. 95

dass. Hospitality and urbanity distinguish the Eu-
ropeans in Jamaica, as in all our other colonies, but
their means are now sadly disproportioned to their
generous hearts. A high independence of charac-
ter has ever characterized the British residents in
Jamaica.

The free people of colour are divided into several
classes, and known by the names of Sambos (an in-^
termixture of the black with the mulatto). Mulattos
(of the negroes with the white). Quadroons (of the
mulatto with the white), and Mestees (of the quad-
roon with the white). The offspring of the Mestee
by the white man is not considered of the coloured
race ; they are indeed often fairer than the Spaniards
on the main land.

The Creoles are distinct from the " people of co-
lour ;" they are bom in the country, of European
parents, and form part of the white population.
Many of the Creole ladies are extremely beautiful, —
with the large languishing eye of the gazelle, of de-
licate form, pale, almost colourless features, and a
quiescent, almost melancholy expression of counte-
nance.

The Maroons (who were originally the slaves of
the Spaniards previous to our conquest of the island)
are divided into four stations, having each a super-
intendant at a salary of 200/. a year. Moore town
station has 80 maroons and their families ; Charles
town, 110 ditto; Scotts-hall, 20 ditto, and accom-
panying town, 20 ditto.

The negro population is also formed into classes,
according to the country they come from, or that
7

96 JAMAICA, &C.

which their progenitors belonged to. They consist
of Mandingo negroes from Senegal, and its vicinity ;
the Coromantees, from the Fanlyn country ; the Pas-
sams or Whydaws, from the Adra coimtry; the
Eboes, from the borders of Benin river, and the Con-
gos and Angolas, from the river and coasts bearing
these names. The Mandingoes are superior in intel-
ligence to the other classes ; many of them read and
write Arabic, and they pride themselves on their
mental superiority -over the other negroes. The
Coromantees are distinguished from all others by
firmness of body and mind, — the disposition is fero-
cious, but with an elevation of soul which prompts
them to enterprises of great danger, and enables them
to meet death in its most horrible shape with fortitude
or indifference.

At the termination of the rebellion in St. Mary's
parish, Jamaica, in 1760, three Coromantee negroes
were sentenced to death, and an eye-witness of their
fortitude, but at the same time a great apologist for
negro slavery, thus details the horrid scene which
followed : — ** One was condemned to be burned, and
the other two to be hung up alive in irons, and left
to perish in that dreadful situation. The wretch that
was burnt was made to sit on the ground, and, his
body being chained to an iron stake, the fire was
applied to his feet. He uttered not a groan, and
saw his legs reduced to ashes with the utmost firm-
ness and composure ; after which, one of his arms
by some means getting loose, he snatched a brand
from the fire that was consuming him, and flung it
at the face of the executioner.

INHABITANTS, &C. 97

" The two that were htuig up alive were indulged
(at their own request) with a hearty meal, imme-
diately before they were suspended on the gibbet,
which was erected on the parade of the town of
Kingston. From that time till they expired^ they
never uttered the least complaint, except only of
cold in the night ; but diverted themselves all day
long in discourse with their countrymen, who were
permitted, very improperly, to surround the gibbet.
On the seventh day the commanding officer sent for
me, as a notion prevailed that one of them had some
important secret to communicate to his master, my
near relative. I endeavoured, in his absence, to try
an interpreter, to let him know I was present ; but I
could not understand what he said in return. I re-
member that both he and his fellow-sufferer laughed
immoderately at something that occurred, — I know
not what : the next morning one of them silently
expired, as did the other, on the morning of the
ninth day !" Who that feels for human agony but
must rejoice at the extinction of slavery.

The Whydan race are amongst the most docile and
meek of the African race. The Eboes are looked on
as the least valuable negroes, by reason of their
feeble, timid, desponding character, and being given
to suicide in their dejection. They are said to be
cannibals in their native country, and to hold the
Guana in supreme respect.

The other races do not require particularizing, and
as I intend to examine the character of the negroes
in general, (of whom I have seen a great deal in
their native country,) in my volume on Western

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. H

98 JAMAICA, &C.

Africa, I conclude with expressing a hope that the
invaluable blessing of freedom will not be found
to have been conferred by the liberality of Eng-
land on 300,000 of our fellow creatures in Jamdca,
without the most beneficial effects resulting there-
from to humanity, social polity, and Christian hap-
piness.

The following are the leading provisions of the
Emancipation Bill, as it finally passed the House of As-
sembly at Jamaica, on the 12th December, 1833 : —

*' From 1st August, 1834, the slaves, aged six and
upwards, are to become apprenticed labourers, with-
out any formal indentures.

** The slaves are divided into three classes — ^Prae-
dial labourers, employed on their masters' lands —
Praedial labourers employed on other lands — Non-
praedial labourers.

"The apprenticeships to cease inAugust, 1840, and
the hours of labour not to exceed forty-five hours in
the week. Non-prsedial apprenticeships to cease in
1838.

" Masters to be liable for the maintenance of dis-
charged labourers above fifty, or those that are
disabled.

"Apprentices may purchase their discharge, with-
out consent of the master, by paying the appraised
value.

" The value to be appraised by three Justices of
the Peace, who are to order sums advanced on the
security of the negro, to be paid out of the pur-
chase money.

EMANCIPATION, &C. 99

" No apprentice to be removed from the island,
nor to another estate, if the removal separates him
from his wife or child.

'* An employer's right to an apprentice's labour
maybe transferred by bargain or sale, but families not
to be separated.

" The employer botmd to supply the apprentice
with food, clothes, and medicine.

" Children under twelve now bom, to be inden-
tured, and remain apprentices till twenty-one.

" Special Justices to be appointed for the execu-
tion of the Act, who shall take cognizance of offences
committed by negroes.

" No females to be flogged.

'* Sunday markets abolished, and praedial labourers
to have Saturday free."

H 2

CHAPTER V.

GOVERNMENT COUNCIL — COURTS OP LAW, SUPREME AND
LOCAL — LAWS OF THE COLONY — MILITARY DEFENCE AND
MILITIA — REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, &C.

Jamaica is ruled by a Governor, or Captain-General,
(appointed by the Crown), aided by a council of
twelve, somewhat similar to the House of Lords ;
and a House of Assembly answering to the home
House of Commons. The Council is generally ap-
pointed by the King, through the Secretary of State
for the Colonies, from among the most respectable
colonists who are ex officio justices of the peace.
The Lieutenant-Governor, Chief Justice, Attorney-
General, and the Bishop, are all ex-officio Members
of the Council, each member of which is removable
at the pleasure of his Majesty. The Assembly con-
sists of forty-five members, each of the parishes
sending two representatives ; and Spanish Town,
Kingston, and Port Royal, one additional member
each ; a representative must possess a freehold of 300/.
per annum* in any part of the island, or a personal
estate of 3000/. ; an elector must be of age, and pos-
sessed of a freehold of 10/. per annum in the parish
for which he votes. Persons of colour are now
admitted to all the privileges of white persons, and

^ Such was the law, but it has not been attended to.

GOVBRNMBNT COUNCIL. lOl

there are no civil disabilities from religious differences.
The Governor has the title of his Excellency, and is
invested with the chief civil and military authority,;
he is also Chancellor, Ordinary, and Vice- Admiral.
On his death or absence, the government devolves
on the Deputy or Lieutenant- Grovemor, if there be
any ; otherwise on the senior Counsellor, who rises
in rotation to the presidency, and has a salary of
1000/. per annum.

The Governor has the disposal of such appoint-
ments as his Majesty does not reserve to himself or
his Ministers; and as to such offices so reserved,
whenever a vacancy occurs by death or removal, the
Governor may appoint to them till they are filled up
from home, and his appointee, till superseded, takes
all the emoluments.

The Council, who are by courtesy severally ad-
dressed in the colonies by the title of Honourable,
consists of twelve members. They are appointed by
mandamus from the King, and hold their offices
during his Majesty's pleasure ; but if at any time by
death, absence from the island, or suspension, the
Council should be reduced to less than the number
limited by the instructions to the Governor, he may
appoint as many persons out of the principal free-
holders, inhabitants of the island, to be Members of
the Council, as will make up such number ; which
persons so appointed may act as Counsellors until
they are disapproved, or others are appointed by his
Majesty. The Governor may, however, suspend any
of the Members of the Council from sitting, voting,
or assisting therein, if he find just cause for so doing;

102 JAMAICA, &C.

but he must, by the first opportunity, signify to the
English Government any vacancy in the Coundl,
from whatever cause it may arise.

The duty of the Council is to give advice to the
Governor or Commander-in-Chief for the time being,
when required ; and they stand in the same relation
to the Governor in the colony as the Privy Coimdl
in England does to his Majesty ; they are also a con-
stituent part of the Legislature of the colony, corre-
sponding with the British House of Peers; and,
finally, they sit as Judges on certain occasions.

The General Assembly are the Representatives of,
and chosen by, the people, and correspond with the
British House of Commons, and its utmost duration
is seven years. The laws and statutes of England
passed previously to the settlement, unless they are
from their enactments inapplicable to the local cir-
cimistances of Jamaica, apply to the colony. Sta-
tutes passed in England since 1728, unless they
relate to trade and navigation, are not in force there.
The Assembly have all the privileges of the House
of Commons in England ; they have the sole power
of levying taxes, and the distribution thereof, with
the exception of an annual permanent revenue to
the Crown of 10,000/. ; the saJary of the Speaker of
the Assembly is 1000/. per annum.

The Governor, with the advice and consent of the
Council, may, from time to time, as occasion requires,
summon the (general Assembly together, and may,
of his own authority, adjourn, prorogue, and dis-
solve it.

The Council and General Assembly, with the

OOVERNMBNT COUNCIL. 103

concurrence of the King, or his representative the
Governor, may make laws, statutes, and ordinances
for the public peace, welfare, and good government
of the colony, so that they be not repugnant, but as
near as conveniently may be agreeable to the laws
and statutes of Great Britain.

By an order in Council, dated 15th January, 1800,
it is declared, that in all cases when his Majesty's
confirmation is necessary to give validity and effect
to any act passed by the legislature of any of his Ma-
jesty's colonies or plantations, unless his Majesty's
confirmation thereof be obtained within three years
from the passing of such act in any of the said colo-
nies or plantations, such act shall be considered dis-
allowed.

By the English statute, 6 Geo. III. c. 1 2, all the
British colonies are declared to be dependent upon
the Imperial Crown and Parliament of Great Britain,
who have full power to make laws to bind such
colonies in all cases whatsoever. But by the
18 Geo. III. c. 12, the King and Parliament declared,
that thenceforth they would not impose any duty
payable in the colonies, except for the regulation of
commerce, the produce whereof should always be
applied to the use of the colony in which it is levied.

Kingston is a corporate town, having a mayor,
twelve aldermen, and twelve common councilmen,
chosen on the second Wednesday in January. The fol-
lowing is a description of the city seal : — On one side,
the arms, crest, supporters and mottos, legend —
" Sigillum commune civitatis de Kingston in Jamaica*'
Reverse — Britannia, in the dress of Minerva, holding

104 JAMAICA, &C«

in one hand the trident, and in the other a mirror,
reflecting the rays of the benign influence of Heaven
on the produce of the island ; behind her the British
lion supporting her shield; a conche shell at her
feet, and at a distance a ship under sail ; legend —
" Hos foret, hos curat servatque Britannia mater.'*
Britain, the mother country, cherishes and protects
these fruits.

The Supreme Court. — ^The jurisdiction, both
civil and criminal, of the Supreme Court is co-exten-
sive with those of the Courts of King's Bench, Com-
mon Pleas, and Exchequer, (and Insolvent Debtors),
in England, taken collectively, and it has also the
power of hearing and deciding on informations for
the breach of any act of Parliament or Assembly
relating to trade and navigation, or for laying any
duties or customs on the import of goods, wares, and
merchandizes into, or on the exportation thereof
from the island ; also on informations for land under
the quit rent acts, and all escheats. It is likewise a
court of appeal from the inferior Courts of Common
Pleas.

This Court sits in the capital of St. Jago de la
Vega, or Spanish Town, three times in the year, for
three consecutive weeks each time, commencing re-
spectively on the second Monday in February, the
first Monday in June, and the first Monday in October
in each year.

The Chief Justice is nominated by the Government
in England, and has a patent of office under the great
seal of the island ; and the Assistant Judges are ap-
pointed either by his Majesty's Ministers or by the

THB ASSIZB COURTS. 105

Grovemor of the island. There are eight or ten
Assistant Judges, who sit in rotation with the Chief
Justice ; they have each a salary of 500/. per annum
West Indian currency. All the judges hold their
offices during his Majesty's pleasure, and are remov-
able by his sign-manual only ; but they may, upon
sufficient cause, be suspended by the Governor, with
the consent of a majority of a board of the Council,
till his Majesty's pleasure be known. There is an
Attorney and Solicitor- General, Clerk of the Crown,
Clerk of the Court, and Solicitor for the Crown,
attached to the Court; and from eight to ten or
twelve barristers in practice. A Provost Marshall,
and seven Deputies, act in the like number of dis-
tricts.

The Assize Courts. — ^The jurisdiction of these
Courts is limited to their respective counties of
Surrey and Cornwall ; and the Justices in the Courts
to be held respectively before them have the same
power, authority, and jurisdiction that the Justices
of Assize and Nisi Prius, Justices of Oyer and Ter-
miner, and Justices of Gaol Delivery have in Eng-
land.

The Court of Assize for the county of Surrey sits
three times in the year, for three successive weeks
each time, if necessary ; and such sittings are held
at the town of Kingston, in that count}', and com-
mence respectively on the second Monday in April,
the first Monday in August, and the second Monday
in January. The sittings of the Court of Assize for
the county of Cornwall are held at the town of Mon-
tego Bay, for the like period as the Court of Assize

106 JAMAICA, &C.

for the county of Surrey sits ; and such sittings re-
spectively commence on the second Monday in
March, the first Monday in July, and the first Mon-
day in November. The Justices of Assize receive
no salary, are appointed by the Grovemor, by a com-
mission imder the broad seal of the island. They,
like the Judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature,
hold their places during his Majesty's pleasure
(quamdiu se bene gesserunt), and can be removed by
his sign manual only; but, upon sufficient cause,
may be suspended by the Governor, with the con-
sent of the majority of a Board of Council, till his
Majesty's pleasure be known.

Courts op Common Pleas. — The several inferior
Courts of Common Pleas in the island of Jamaica
have jurisdiction over all causes (wherein any free-
hold is not concerned) to the value of 20/. with
costs and no more, but by the aid of a justicias from
the Chancellor, who is the Governor, they may hold
Pleas to any amount. They are, however, absolutely
restricted from intermeddling with or determining
actions where the title to land or negroes is con-
cerned. These Courts are held at the same time,
and in the same place of the respective precincts, as
the Justices of the Peace hold the Quarter-Sessions,
once in every three months; some of them have
the privilege of sitting oftener. The appointment
and removal of the Judges of these Courts are under
the control of the Governor, and an appeal lies
against their decision to the Supreme Court of Judi-
cature.

Courts of Quarter Sessions. — Every precinct

COURT OP CHANCERY. 107

has a Court of Sessions, held quarterly. All manner
of debts, trespasses, and other matters, not exceeding
the value of 40s, wherein the titles of land are not
concerned, may be heard and determined by any
Justice of the Peace of the island within their re-
spective precincts, without appeal ; and after judg-
ment, the Justice may grant a warrant of distress,
and, for want of sufficient distress, may imprison the
defendant in the common gaol of the precincts till
he pay the debt and charges.

[A law passed in 1828 extended this jurisdiction
to sums not exceeding 10/. but was lately disallowed
by the King in Council. A bill for a similar object
is now (December 1831) in progress through the
legislature.]

In concluding this brief notice of the Common
Law Courts, it may be observed, that their mode of
proceeding is, in most respects, similar to that
adopted in Westminster Hall.

Court of Chancery. — ^The Grovemor sits as
Chancellor, with the same powers of judicature that
the Lord High Chancellor has in England, and the
proceedings of this Court are similar to those of
the English Court of Chancery. The Court is held
about three times a-year.

The Court of Error is held by the Governor and
Council for hearing Appeals, in the nature of Writs of
Error, from the Supreme and Assize Courts, These
Appeals, or Writs of Error, are allowed and regulated
by his Majesty's instructions to the Governor. An
appeal also lies from the judgment of the Court of
Chancery, to his Majesty in his Privy Council. On

108 JAMAICA, &C.

an appeal to the King in Council, the proceedings
must be transmitted, and the party appealing must
proceed, within a year after the pronouncing of the
decree or order appealed against.

The Court of Vice- Admiralty has two distinct
jurisdictions ; by one of which it is an Instance Court
for deciding all maritime causes, and by the other a
Prize Court: its practice is similar to that of the
High Court of Admiralty in England, to which
Court, or to the King in Council, an appeal lies from
its decision. The Judge is appointed by the Gro-
vemment in England, and holds his office during his
Majesty's pleasure ; but may be suspended by the
Governor for good cause, with the consent of a ma-
jority of a board of Council, till his Majesty's pleasure
be known.

The Court of Ordinary is for determining eccle-
siastical matters, and the Governor alone presides in
it as judge.

The English Bankruptcy Laws are not in force in
Jamaica, but there is an Insolvent Debtors' Act, by
which a debtor, on making oath that he is possessed
of no property above bare necessaries, and delivering
his books, if he has any, into the hands of the Deputy
Marshal, or SheriflTs Deputy, is exonerated from
all demands against him after suflfering three months'
imprisonment. Any person leaving the island must
give three weeks' notice on account of creditors.
The parishes, which are more like counties as to
their extent, are under the supervision or government
of a chief magistrate (termed the Custos Rotulorum)
and bench of justices, who hold sessions of the peace

MILITARY FORCE. 109

every month, and Courts of Common Fleas, for
trying actions to the extent of 20/. ; dehts not ex-
ceeding 40s, are determined by a single justice. Each
parish his a rector and church officers, according to
the number of churches or chapels in the parish ;
the vestries consist of the Custos, two magistrates,
ten vestrymen, and the rector (the vestrymen are
elected annually by the freeholders) ; the vestries
have the power of assessing and appropriating local
taxes, allot labourers for repairing the highways,
appoint way-wardens, nominate persons called con-
stables for the collection of public and parochial rates,
and regulate the police of their several parishes.
Their powers correspond with the civil duties of
Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of an English
county. There is a Board of Forts and Fortifications,
a Board of Public Accounts, and a Board of Public
Works, all managed by commissioners. The Council
and Assembly are ex -officio Commissioners of Corre-
spondence. There is a Coroner appointed for every
parish.

Military Forcb. — ^The military establishment of
the island generally comprises the head-quarters of
four European regiments of the line ; one West India
regiment, composed of Caffres or W. Coast African
negroes; a strong detachment of Artillery, altogether
comprising about 3000 men ; and of colonial militia,
from 16 to 18,000 men at arms, comprising in
Middlesex County, a regiment of horse of eleven
troops, well equipped and mounted, and nine infantry
regiments ; in Surrey County, a regiment of horse of
nine troops, and eight regiments of infantry, with

110 JAMAICA, &C.

artillery ; in Cornwall County, a regiment of horse of
six troops, and six regiments of infeoitry; and to
each regiment are attached two field-pieces and a
company of artillery ; the whole well appointed, and
proving a most eflficient force in case of internal
insurrection or foreign aggression. All white males,
from the age of fifteen to sixty, are obUged by law
to provide themselves with suitable clothing, and to
enlist in either the cavalry or infantry of the militia.
Substitutes are not allowed. When on permanent
duty (which occurs on the proclaiming of martial
law) the militia receive pay 2*. 6rf. a day and rations ;
arms and ammunition are found by the government.
"When the militia and line act together, a Lieutenant-
Colonel of the latter has the rank and command of a
Major- General of the former, a Major of Brigadier-
General, and a Captain of Lieutenant-Colonel, &c.
The Governor, from his rank, holds the chief com-
mand, but having a Major- General under him in
every district to whom the duties of reviews, &c. are
delegated. The staff appointments are numerous, con-
sisting of one Adjutant- General, two Assistant ditto,
and two Deputy ditto ditto, a Quarter-Master- Gene-
ral, and three deputies; a Muster-Master- General,
and three deputies ; a Judge- Advocate- General, and
three deputies; an Inspector- General of Hospitals;
a Surgeon- General, Physician- General, &c. There is a
Major- Commandant of Artillery for each county. There
is also a City Guard, which was instituted 28th July,
1783, It consists of two Lieutenants, two Serjeants,
and forty-four privates, all well paid. An extensive
police-force is now organized for the whole island.

MILITARY FORCE. Ill

The following are the provisions of the bill, as it
passed the House of Assembly : — It appoints an In-
spector-General with 1200/. per annum for salary,
rent, stationery, &c., without any allowance for
forage of horses. It provides that when Stipendiary
Magistrates are appointed Coimty Inspectors, they
shall only be entitled to half salary, or 250/. per
annum each. It allows 3,500/. per annum for bar-
racks, barrack furniture, water, wood, &c., and
places the money at the disposal of the Executive,
the Receiver- General to lay before the House an-
nually an account of the sums drawn by the former,
on account of the police. There is to be no mounted
police ; but the Executive is authorised, in case of
necessity, to employ persons to carry despatches, at
a rate not exceeding 15^. per diem. Provision is
made for the policemen who may happen to be
injured or killed in the service, for their widows and
children. It also empowers the Executive to enlist
men for any period under five years. The cost of the
establishment will be about 80,000/. per annum.

A vaccine estabhshment at Kingston is presided
over by a physician as director, with a sufficient num-
ber of district vaccinators.

The following detail shows the strength of the
European troops employed in Jamaica, the number of
deaths, and the annual ratio of decrement by death
per cent per annum, from the year 1818 to 1828 in-
clusive; by which it will be observed that, in 1828,
the ratio of loss was small, owing to the judicious
arrangements of Sir James M'Gregor, seconded by
the Medici Staff.

112

JAMAICA, &C.

Ratio of

Ratio of

Years. Strength.

Deceased. Loss.

Years. Strength. Deceased. Loss.

1812 - 4826

-474

- 98

1822 - 2400 - 441 - 18.3

3 - 4128

-371

- 8.9

3 - 2476 - 16ft . 6.2

4 - 3902

- 322

- 8.2

4 - 3150 - 235 - 74

6 - 4331

- 336

- 7.7

6-2644-777 - 29.3

6 - 4235

- 434

- 10.2

6 - 2237 - 176 - 7.3

7 - 4322

- 317

- 73

7-3083-636 - 20.6

8 - 3025

- 230

- 7.6

8 - 2700 - 192 - 7.1

9 - 2969

- 754

- 25.4

20 - 2546

- 301

- 11.8

Mean - 3287 438 13.3

1 - 2885

- 310

- 10.6

The following Official Return shows the number
of various ranks of the Military Forces stationed
in Jamaica since 1816. The strength, mortality, and
centesimal ratio of mortality of the British Troops
employed in Jamaica and Honduras, as also of the
Colonial Troops employed in Jamaica, Honduras, and
the Windward and Leeward Islands, from 1810 to
1828, was

TK00P3 OF THE LINK.

COLONIAL TROOPS {Aii.J

YesiB.

Strength.

Deaths,

Ratio of
Deathfl.

Strength.

Deaths,

1810
IS] I
1812
UlS
UH
U\5
U16

1^13
1819
UiO
1821
1822
lii33
1824
U25

ias7

ma

Total....

Mean of
1& yearn

3,131
2,878
3.621
3,139
4,485
2, US
1,956
1,<»14)
1,7SS
2,116
2,128

2,500

2,110

an

413
504
402
341
3?4
429
32 L
£07
800
295
44ti
311
W4
251
Bi}2
165
640
134

1Zh5
13,7
16.0

9 A
1L9
U\.2
M.7
10„5
41. a

21.0
14.6

10,0

47.2

7.8

30.0

4,iJ4L
4,C10

5,14a

3,fi61
5,?ii7
5,^19
2.584
3,:399
1,528
1,4M
1,321
1,906

i,2:!y

1,185
995
1,108
1,1()a
1,403

163
291
2BI
J25
266
3^5
450
ISO

&s

59
4S
65
56
22
29
44
54
59

a. 3

6.3
5,4
6.0
7.3
5.6
H.4
7.0
3.0
8.0
4 J
3.0
5,0
4.0
1.8
^.(\
4,0
4.6
4.2

4M^5

7460

5ftJ5i

3,938

} 2,528

302

15.5

2,733

153

5.S

MILITARY FORCE.

113

Return of the Numbers and Distribution of the
Effective Force, Officers, Non- Commissioned Offi-
cers, and Rank and File, of the British Army, in-
cluding Colonial Corps, in each year since 1815 ;
including Artillery and Engineers : —

OFFICERS PRESENT, OR ON

1

DUTY AT THKSTATKjNS.

i

j

m

1

T.

3
1

i

1

1
1

J

m

1

I

\

2S Jan.

laiG

1

2

b

30

fl6

12

4

3

5

^

Q

248

92

3710

272

17

1

6

7

40

92

37

3

6

6

5 101

282

114

4193

308

IS

1

3

5

an

m

23

1

3

2

3

9

100

78

2819

217

19

1

3

6

20

44

19

3

2

2

1

163

73

24oe

230

20

2

2

22

30

20

2

2

2

2

4

123

82

1924

%m^

31

5

4

26

42

21

5

3

4

4

3

130

82

2135

218

23

.

I

3

20

32

18

4

3

3

4 3

117

71

2027

110

23

3

G

IB

27

20

4

4

4

4; 4

101

43

2i:i9

\^

24

'

3

5

17

22

23

6

4

4

2 6

106

42

2015

105

25

3

3

24

34

20

4

4

4

4- 5

133

54

240t;

238

26

2

5

21

2C

(f

6

3'

4

4 5

124

30

1625

228

27

3

5

16

28

Ifl

5

3

2

- 6

123

40

17«5

226

28

A

3

22

37

14

4

3

5

5 4

131

45

2087

206

29

4

4

22

32

18

4

3

4

(! 4

126

47

2IJJ3

214

30

—

5

5

32

40

»7

6

2

5

3 e

160

55

2854

234

IJan,

-i

1

1031

3

3

25

32

17

4

2^

5

3| 4

149

54

2474

224

32

3

3

23

ItJ

15

2

3

3

2 6

109

40

1725

194

33

—

5

5

33

41

18

4

5|

6

4! 6

13fi

47

2\m

— '

WEST INDIES VOL. I.

114

JAMAICA, &C.

Income and Expenditurb. — The annual income,
or ways and means of the island, on an average of
ten years, ending 1831, was as follows : —

Poll Tax (at 5*. lOd.

On Goods from

per head on

United States -.

£31,000

Slaves, and 2«.

Surplus of Revenue

8,300

per head on stock,

Stamp Duty

19,000

exempting Work-

For Arms and Gun-

ing Stock on Plan-

powder
Balance of Cash 30th

900

tations), Rents at

ls,8d, in the £,

September, 1830

147,946

and Wheat at 20«.£105,000

Duty on Cattle im-

Tax on Transient

ported

1,000

Traders -

150

Tonnage Duty on

Arrears of former

Ships to pay Cus-

Years* Taxes

3,000

tom House Sala-

Land Tax -

23,700

ries - - -

25,000

Deficiency Tax

14,000

Loan to be raised -

50,000

Rum duty

24,000

Debts due to Public

Additional Duty on

on Judgments

500

Wines and Spirits

15,000

Double Duties re-

Tea Duty

1,400

ceived by Ofiicers

Duties on Goods

of Customs and

from Foreign

refunded -

15,048

Ports

4,800

Excluding the shillings and pence (as given in
the Parliamentary Return) the total ways and means
thus given for Jamaica in 1831, is 489,743/. The
return is certainly not a very explicit one, and it is
difficult, if not indeed impossible, to ascertain the
actual state of taxes in the island, and the nature of
their bearing or operation on commerce.

Jamaica Expenditure (as laid before Parliament in
the return whence the foregoing statement is derived)
defrayed hy the Island in 1831 : —

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE.

115

Governor

ies.soo

Alien and Bonding

Chief Justice -

4,000

Office

i, 600

Assistant Judges -

3,400

Island Agent

2,542

Speaker of Assembly

1.400

Captains of Forts -

669

Governor's Secretary

3,000

Officers of Assembly

6,146

Officers of his Ma-

Island Botanist

560

jesty's Customs -

23,390

Engineer and Sur-

Clergy of Esta-

veyor of Public

blished Church* -

23,593

Works

740

Ditto Presbyterian*

1,201

Storekeeper -

500

Ditto Roman Ca-

Receiver-General -

7,000

tliolics - -

200

Law Expences and

Charitable Institu-

Gaols

14,874

tions

14,656

Roads, Bridges, and

Army Expences -
Clerk of Supreme

167,032

Public Buildings

25,850

Printing

7,159

Court and Provost

Militia Arms and

Marshal -

1,160

Gunpowder

8,594

Secretary of Com-

Board of Works -

8,890

missioners of Pub-

Premium on In-

lic Accounts

1,000

crease Slaves

8,120

Secretary of Ditto

Registry and Vestry

Correspondents -

300

Returns

5,378

Clerk of Board of

Maroons and Super-

Works

400

intendant of Ma-

Commissioners of

roon Towns

2,030

Stamps

1,550

Miscellaneous

10,000

Deputy Receiver-

Interest on Public

General and Se-

Loans

16,900

cretary at the

Outports -

1,660

370,000

Marshals of Militia

Regiments

1,050

» Curates' stipends, 80002.; Rectors' ditto, 11,718/.; Regis-
trar and Appositor to the Diocese, 475/. ; Annuitants, being
widows and orphans of the Clergy, 2000/. ; Expenses of build-
ing chapels, 1400/.— Total 23,593^

* Presbyterian Institutions, 301/. ; Support of Kirk in
Kingston, 700/. ; Presbyterian Charity Schools, 200/.—
1201/.

' Pay, 14,000/. ; Contingent Accounts, 20,645/. ; Rations,
72,000/. ; Ditto to 1st April, 1831, 35,700/. ; Repairs of Bar-
i2

116 JAMAICA, &C.

The Jamaica budget for 1832 gives the taxes and
internal duties at 207,367/. ; duties on vessels and
cargoes, 95,970/. ; the certificates in circulation were
399,205/.^ ; and the loan certificates, including
64,415/. loan deposits, was 250,035/. Of the ex-
penditure, the military amounts to 184,143/. besides
222,729/. for the general defence of the island, of
which 176,691/. was incurred for martial law in
1832. The civil expenditure was 85,078/. of which
15,544/. was for interest. On a general view it may
be stated that the annual public revenue of Jamaica
is 300,000/. ; and the vestry, or parish, or local
taxation of the dififerent counties, a nearly similar
sum. Mr. Burge says — *' The annual expenditure of
Jamaica is 489,849/. ; to this must be added 10,000/.
which is annually raised, and is a perpetual revenue
granted to the Crown, and made applicable to the
orders of the Governor in Council, and over which
the House of Assembly exercises no superintending
control." It was given in evidence before Parlia-
ment in 1832, by the same authority, that "the
island of Jamaica sustains the whole burden of its
Government, with the exception of the salary of the

racks, 10,483/. ; Lodgings for Officers, 2,090/. ; Island Pay,
ditto, 997/. ; Sundry Wharfage, Water, &c. for Troops, 1115/.
Total, 167,032/.

^ The distribution of the certificates in circulation, from
1822 to the year 1832, is as follows:— Of 1822, 645/. ; 1826,
6,536/.; 1826,41,203/.; 1827,79,928/.; 1828, 61,741/. ; 1829,
39,965/.; 1830,96,499/.; 1831, 10,826/.; 1832, 12,000/.; and
of 1832, comprising 1/. 2/. and 3/. certificates in circulation
was, 49,864/. The legal rate of interest is six per cent ; the
Government borrow at five.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE. 117

Bishop ; every other species of its expenditure, in-
cluding its ecclesiastical, military, and civil establish-
ments, are defrayed by the island itself." The poll-
tax on slaves heretofore formed the largest item of
the public income. How the amount is in future to
be supplied, has not been devised. So far from
Jamaica and other of the colonies being a drain on
the home exchequer, it will be seen that they add
considerably to the national exchequer; this one
island alone contributing nearly half a million of
money per annum !

CHAPTER VI.

COMMERCE — SHIPPING — IMPORTS AND EXPORTS — MONETARY
SYSTEM— STATE OF THE EXCHANGES — VALUE OF PRO-
PERTY, &C.

Commerce. — ^The trade of this important island is
very considerable, and principally confined to the
mother country. Its maritime worth will be seen by
the following return of Jamaica Shipping : —

A

SHIPPING INWARDS.

From Great
Britain.

From British
Colonies.

From Foreign
states.

Total
Inwards.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

1822
1832

271
155

79,925
68,356

179
59

24,007
8,554

387
110

28,816
15,938

837
824

132,748
89,187

SHIPPING OUTWARDS.

To Great
Britain.

To British
Colonies.

To Foreign
States.

Total
Outwards.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

No.

Tons.

1822
1832

310
177

96,193
56,448

151
63

22,241
8,464

406
96

33,176
9,577

336

151,610
74,488

SHIPPING STAPLE PRODUCE.

119

The statistics of Jamaica are very deficient, and I
am obliged to procure documents from any source.
The following shipping return is from a board of
trade manuscript ; I give six years not stated in the
foregoing table : —

SHIPPING INWARDS.

Prom Groflt
Britain.

From Brit*
Colon iesn

From Unit.
Stales.

rr&ra For.
States.

ToUl Inward*.

No.

TauB

No.

Tons.

No. Tons.

No.

Tona.

No,

Tons.

Men,

1^3

3^2

97,537

13g

Id ,349

266' 30,867 277

18,375

1,001

163, iBt;

10,087

li*lf4

25S

79,2 ly

143
105

]Q,1K3

263 3fi,7*i5 24 H

17,385

912

149,572

9,050

1835

274

H740

12,557

L7P 24, sec; 218

15,874

776

138,037

8,404

1838' ^0

33,0B7

H5

23,043

S4»

^1,056

{{93

137.186

B,177

)*i^ 240

75,541

105

a2,&74

269

25,687

674

124,202

7.048

1

6%70»

172

25,*iH

^

26,530

715

120,721

SHIPPING OUTWARDS.

To Great
RrLiain.

To Britiflh
Colonies,

ToUdited
Stales.

To Foreign
States.

Total OutvardB.

Nd.| Terns.

No.

Tone,

No.

Toai.lNo.

Tons.

No. 1 Tons.

Men.

ms

274, 8fi,8S5

Vil

15,038

Si9

2&,54B 309

23,94?

933 151,353

9,SGV

ia24

301

yi,?7y

HI

15,052

200.35,6,15 2.18

17,645

940 101,111

g^-itts

IflSS

'ASS

7E1,586

117

13,2afl

162.22,1H3 232

17,614

764

131,644

7,8P9

mu

27?

86,532

L3»

19,959

285

28,«10

700

135,101

8,010

ltt3S

2E17

H?,7£S

145

18.205

256

24,454

688

|30,3fiK

6,993

1830

29i»

87,480

154

2l,7Gti

255

21,501

099

130,747

The staple produce of the island has been given^
for the two last years, in a preceding chapter ; the
following shows the quantity of Sugar, Rum, and
other produce, exported from the island of Jamaica,
from the year ending 29th September, 1800, to the
year ending 29th September, inclusive, 1829; ex-
tracted from the journals of the House of Assembly
at Jamaica : —

120

. * -t^ga ot Cti M_ C5_P- *p It fi-i^ t H3 ,fl. U3 *^^ ri^M T Ti-^^ri 5 * ™ ra JQ e ?] "

Ifl 40^^ iq to « « f^

'^i^^Ai^AClt]

1 " CM M r— « fl

(» -^ ^ T* o ■o

'Q44^airv»r^n ne^^^^OOnir: ^dl^^uaggok^n

t^ ^o :o ^ c^

S.S SjOl^**'«»-*ae^lF^«UT*Oflet«.a>IO*;BHtO— it*CiWaOr* tOMOl

(Q P3 »iDC*-^^^^^^

PI ua ^^ -^ V

r; Cf^* n t; n 00 oo 00 w ^ ^i-i^^ ua t- kfl^ ^too "fl *^fla ^H « ^ t- 00 ei on *o

£|W? ^f^ ^^^ti^>^ Oi m — (p^< 73 41 v:» (Ci cC A O Cl te Ol Ovsr; cC r^ A ^ w; ^^

S-^t* » M **« ^*^^f^O EO^f^ft r^ft ^- mj5Pci^evii"i(nt3 e^i^ck

£t^m kfl n m n * " M "^ ^Vb^"^=^« *^t^a ea t^:? otfiia't^i^^rt t*f « (o

'^pa*'^TtTikftin>ftL;a^^^ft^*H^k^7a*^^t^^t<PZ^T;pirT mrfra

X ^ et( i*S*^T^Tfl a (O ua W»a& «3 ^ ^c "at^ia 00 ts ** p*5*^-^ 00 (o -^ ^ si

E^^AQCiBa^^^MK^viiO^'^^^n-^^aivic^E^O^'Oi'^^ «f^ca

a^«c4^0tv;oqne44»anc4ne4r4e4ne4ne4F'«-ii-^e4t4v4 t^^pa

tu

£c^4ikrTlOC^t^^^4'tD^S^C^t^=iua-4'044iOOBr4n>aA^^O^ 4»^4i

Cul'^^'ae:D^TiD03Q»ia»flMr^O^^p4Oftiiflpii^^- ^^^"^ k.-:ifwui

^^ > ^^ ^- ^

^«jdi4^fiAiOQOJ^VV)0>rV[V>nT^t=4^^^0^^<riQ?4r^t^ Cn&4-'a

j^PTCS*^'3';Cidi-;^'Tt-t^3J^rqO*^SEaaCP>S"aifl5^1M^C» t^Ol^

■ e" F^ & t^ ra *^ « ea « ^ * t^ "ft (^ — « « IE PI CD 4/3 ^" ae V a p9' cT ti fJ^

o^PfPS^SOt^ocmet-rCflPiTwaiah-ftjciQ-HPIJ^^tr^tO t^*o

i:C4!fl3BS]0DnV'4QCw?CVnQ[?aDa3[doQ:4^0Q'AtQ0D0CJO QC'K'flD'

INTRINSIC VALUE OP TH« COLONY.

121

The intrinsic value of the colony to England is
further shown by the returns of the Net Revenue
derivable from Imports into the United Kingdom
from the island of Jamaica, supposing that the whole
of those Imports were to be entered for home con-
sumption for the year 1831 : —

Duty.

1,429,093 Cwts. of Sugar, at 24«. per Cwt

8,528,652 Galls, of Rum, at 9s. per Gal)

107 Puns, of Molasses, say 1177 Cwts., at 9t.\

per Cwt /

15,644,072 lbs. of Coffee, at 6d. per lb

^llO Bags } ®™»®'' ^y ^'222 Cwts., at 11*. 6d....

4,974,302 lbs. of Pimento, at 5d. per lb

4,526 Cwts. of Arrow Root, at \d. per lb

80 Puns, of Lime Juice, say 8000 Galls., at\

Oid. per GaU /

673 Packages of Sweetmeats, say 6730 lbs., &t\

3<2. perlb j

279 Bales of Cotton, say 50,220 lbs., at id. per lb.
8,182 Hides, say 2000 Cwts., at it. Sd. per Cwt. ...

7,361 Tons of Logwood, at 3*. per Ton

1,452 Tons of Fustic, at 3«. per Ton

328 Tons of Nicaragua Wood, at 15«. per Ton ...

819 Tons of Lignum Vita, at 10*. per Ton

244 Tons of Ebony, at 15*. per Ton

2,219 Logs, Mahogany and Cedar, say at 4/. peT\

Ton I

1,750 Pieces, Cabinet Wood, &c., say at 3/. 15*. (

per Ton J

29,324 Lance Wood Spars, atl*. each

Total

£. *. d.
1,714,911 12
1,587,893 8

529 13

891,101 11

2,427 IS

1,363 2
2,112 2

10

84 2 6

837
466 13
1,104 3
217 16
246
159 10
183

31,000
1,466 4

3,736,113 10 6

It may be said that England would derive the
same revenue, if the articles were imported from a
foreign country ; but, in such an argument, the fact
of both our commerce and revenue being at the
mercy of a foreign state, is quite overlooked. A
foreign state, for instance, levies a duty on its
exports, if at peace with us, and precludes our
raising a revenue to any extent on its produce ; or if

122

JAMAICA, &C.

at war with us, withholds altogether its supplies. I
trust that the day is far distant when our colonial
commerce will be sacrificed for the imaginary idea
of extending a trade with foreign nations.

The following is a statement : —

Description of Goods.

Quantity.

Value in
Sterlinif Money.

Arrow Root lbs.

188,084

6,689

784

63,855

16,616,761

334,853

2,807

10,439,959

122,930

*"T,481
18,372

231

228

7,155

305

101

127,889

879

424

20

459

181

127,889

8,802

1,181

648;821
18,761
27,559

"l9*,818

254;i49

3,971

1,635

182

£.

7,937

2,176

25

449

516,215

6,276

3,688

259,937

17

245

46,785

481
18,149
8,195
5,112

15,358

20
988

Cinnamon —

Cocoa. Colonial —

— Foreign —

Coffee, Colonial —

Copper, Old —

Com, viz. Wheat Flour Barrels

Cotton Manufactures, British, Yards

— Foreign —

— entered at value, British —

— Foreign —

Total Value of Cotton Manufactures

Cotton Wool, Colonial lbs.

Dye and Hardwoods :—

Fustic, Colonial ... Tons

— Foreign ... —
Logwood, Colonial ... —
— Foreign ... —
Mahogany, Colonial ... Pieces

- Foreign ...{pf^«*

Other Dye .nd/Co'»'"»l-{Kr,

Hardwoods 1,:,^, .^ f Tons
lForeign...|p.^^^3

Total of Dye and Hard/ I^^\

^'>^^' .pI^s

Fruit Value

1,038

788

82,071

1,518

182

J 4,942
} 2,153
} 4,093

Ginger lbs.

Hides Number

Indigo lbs.

Iron and Steel Manufac-\ -o-^i,,^

tures, British / ^^^®

Hardware and Cutlery, Foreign —
Lime Juice GaUons

Carried forward

892,053

IMPORTS MONETARY ST8TBM.

123

Description of Goods.

Quantity.

Value in
Sterling Money.

Brought forMrard

1,920,533
559,249

"78i035

4,671,827

46,937

3,64i;620
3,366

164,580;928
64,100
4,392
17,538
16,211

82,987
530

67,681

1,107

19,183

47

7,480
56
107

892,053

88,018

3,901

81,625

2,243

449

97

291,736

272

3,860

1,396,017

844

8,576

5,697

4,048

3

7,643
27,227

Linens, entered by the\ v»,j»

Yard, British / ^"^^^

Itinens, entered at value

- entered by the> yards

Yard, Foreign 3 xoiub

Linens, entered at value

Total Value of Linens

Molasses Gallons

Pimento lbs.

Silk Manufactures, British Value

Spirits, Rum Gallons

— Shrub —

Succades —

Sugar lbs.

Tobacco —

Tortoiseshell —

Wine of all sorts Gallons

Wood, vi2. Spars Number

— of other sorts Value

Woollens, entered by the) vo,>i-
Yard, British | ^^^^

Woollens, entered at value

Woollens, entered by the\ v—^io

Yard. Foreign / "'^^

Total Value of Woollen Manu-\
factures /

MisceUaneous Articles Value

Total Value of Exports from thel
Colony /

2,814,308

The imports into Jamaica, for the same year,
amoimted in value to 1,593,317/.: of which the
cotton manufacture was in value 392,438/. ; linens,
189,323/. ; fish, 138,942/. ; wood and lumber,
93,997/.; woollens, 51,793/.: the remainder being
composed of various articles of food, clothing, and
necessaries, of British manufacture.

Monetary System. — ^The state of the monetary
system in the West Indies has heretofore been sadly
deficient in management. In no two islands are the
denomination and value of the coins alike; a.ud\]ck&^^>

124 JAMAICA, &C.

again, vary in proportion to sterling money — thus :

Sterling. Currency. Doll. Currency.

Jamaica . . 100/. = 140/. l = 6s,Sd.

Barbadoes . . 100/. 135/. 1 6s. 3d,

Windward Isles, ex-
cept Barbadoes . 100/. 175/. 1 8s, 3d.

Leeward Isles . 100/. 200/. 1 9s. Od.

' As regards Jamaica, this is the nominal par of
exchange. In real transactions of buying or selling
bills, the exchange is thus adjusted : — If bills bear a
premium, say 20 per cent., then a bill for 100/. ster-
ling is said to be equal to 120/. sterling: this latter
sum, turned into Jamaica currency at 40 per cent.,
makes a bill for 100/. sterhng require about 168/.
currency. The relative value of the currencies of
the mother country and colony varies, of course,
from this ratio, as bills may at the time bear a higher
or lower premium. In Barbadoes, or the other
colonies, the currency, as compared with sterling,
varies according to the demand for bills.

The real exchange depends on the price which
may be paid for a bill of exchange. Sometimes the
price or premium has been 22 per cent. ; sometimes
bills have been at a discount of from 7 to 10 per
cent. In the former case, the buyer of the bill pays
20 per cent. ; and in the latter he receives from 7 to
20 per cent.

At the established rate pf the dollar in Jamaica,
4*. 3^d. sterling will be equal to 6s, currency, or
14^. 3j(/. sterling to 1/. currency. The metallic
currency in the island is estimated at 1 00,000/. A
silver standard and copper coinage for all the West
India possessions (of a depreciated value to that of

MONETARY SrSTBM. 125

the English coinage, so as to keep it in the settle-
ments) would probably be productive of considerable
benefit. I am glad to find that a West India bank,
with its capital and direction in London, has at
length been established ; it cannot fail to be produc-
tive of the most beneficial results.

The paper currency of Jamaica consists of the
island checks, issued by the receiver-general, under
the orders of the board of accounts, and upon the
security of the island and its revenue.

The coins in circulation in the island, of gold and
silver, are in weight and value thus : —

Old Spanish Doubloon 17

Half ditto .

Pistole (and half pistole)

Gold dollar

Columbian doubloon

Sovereign .

Of the gold coins, the doubloon is equal to sixteen
dollars ; pistole to four ; joe to sixteen and a half.
Of the silver coins, the dollar is equal to 65. 8c?.
currency ; maccaroni, is, Sd. ditto ; two bits piece.
Is. Sd. ; ditto, tenpenny piece, lOd. ditto ; pistareen,
7^d. ditto; a bit, ditto.

There were no copper coins current in 1832.

The rates of exchange, at Jamaica, for bills drawn
on His Majesty's treasury, payable in gold from
January to December, 1832, varied from 20 to 21
per cent, premium ; the average being equal to 20^ §•
per cent, premium.

The state of the money market in Kingston^ 29tlL

Weight,
dwt. gr.

17 8
8 16

Value.
£. 8. d.

5 6 8 currency,
2 13 4 —

4 8

16 8 —

1 2

6 8 —

—

5 6 8 —

1 13 4 —

126 JAMAICA, &C.

March, 1834, was : — Bills of Exchange. Commissa-
riat, thirty days, 18 per cent, premium, payable in
doubloons and dollars ; on London, at ninety days,
12| to 15 per cent, premimn ; on America, at thirty
and sixty days, 7^ to 10 per cent, premium. Specie.
Mexican doubloons, 7 per cent, premium — very
scarce ; Columbian ditto, 2 ditto ditto ; dollars, 5 to
6 ditto ditto ; small silver, 2| to 3 ditto ditto.

The various currencies in the different islands, as
may be naturally inferred, offer the greatest impe-
diment to commercial intercourse. This is a great
evil ; but a still greater evil is the state of the ex-
changes between England and the West Indies, which
has caused the constant transmission of any metallic
currency, that may be poured into the colonies, to
the mother country ; thus affecting the body politic
in a manner similar to that which a daily or weekly
abstraction of blood from the body corporate would
have. To remedy these great evils, I proposed, in
the former edition of this work, to form a West
India bank, with a capital of 1,000,000/. sterling,
the head-quarters of which shall be in England, and
the branches thereof divided among the colonies.
Such a measure would equalize or regulate the
exchanges, would promote commercial intercourse
between each island, and facilitate the operations of
the planter, by affording him that accommodation
which the country bankers of England give to the
farmers and merchants. By drawing bills on Eng-
land at 2 or 2| per cent., the irresistible temptation
to the transmission of the colonial currency to Eng-
land would be prevented ; and by giving an expan-
sible circulating medium as the representative <rf

VALUE OP PROPERTY. 127

value to the colonists, their well-being would be
materially promoted. Coupled with this banking
system, should be the calling in of all the debased
colonial small coin, and the substitution of a sterling
currency of shillings, sixpences, and threepences, all
in silver. The negroes will not, if possible, touch
copper coin. I have no doubt that this measure
would prove of infinite value to the West Indian
colonies and parent state ; and I am happy to find
that my suggestion has been adopted, and that a
West India bank is now organized.

Value op Property. — ^As stated in my former
volumes, it is difficult to form a definite idea of the
amount of property in any place. Mr. Colquhoun,
in 1812, estimated Jamaica thus: — Negroes,
19,250,000/. ; cultivated lands (809,450 acres),
16,189,000/. ; uncultivated (1,914,812 acres),
1,914,812/.; buildings, utensils, &c. on estates,
12,709,450/. ; stock on estates, 4,800,000/. ; houses,
stores, merchandize, and furniture, 2,000,000/. ;
colonial shipping, 42,000/.; metallic money, 220,000/.;
forts, barracks, &c., 1,000,000/. :— total, 58,125,298/.
sterhng. The same authority estimated the produc-
tions annually raised, including cattle, esculents, &c.
at 11,169,661/.; exports to the United Kingdom,
6,885,339/. ; and to the other places, 384,322/. It
will be observed, therefore, that in the following
statement I have undervalued the yearly creation
and total amount of property in Jamaica : —

Nature and Value of Property annually created,
moveable and immoveable, in Sterling Money*,(l 834) .

^ Mr. Bridges estimates the ** internal value and intrinsic
cost of Jamaica" in 1826, thus :— Slaves, 24,000 ,QQ(^l.\ VaxAa.

128 JAMAICA, &C.

Property annually Created or Prepared.
Sugar, 1,600,000 cwts., at 20*., 1,600,000/.; Rum, 3,000,000
gallons, at Is. 6d.y 226,000/. ; Molasses, 60,000 gallons, at 10^.,
2,083/. ; Coffee, 20,000,000 lbs., at 7d., 600,083/. ; Pimento,
6,000,000 lbs., at 4d., 83,000/. ; Cotton, 60,000 ibs., at Sd.,
1,260/. ; Vegetable Food, at 3/. ^ per annum each, 1,200,000/. ;
Animal Food and Fish, at 51. per annum each, 2,000,000/. ;
Domestic Manufactures — Carpentering, Tailoring, Smithingi
&c., 2,000,000/. ; Income and Sundries, 1,000,000/.

Property Moveable, and Immoveable,
Land: Acres cultivated or patented », 2,240,000, at 10/.,
22,400,000/.; Acres ungranted, or waste, 2,000,000, at 5;.,
500,000/. Public Property, viz., Forts, Barracks, Roads,Wharfs,
Hospitals, Gaols, Buildings, &c., 10,000,000/. Domestic Pro-
perty: Dwelling Houses, Stores, Furniture, Plate, Clothes, Equi-
pages, &c., 6,000,000/. ; Horned Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Swine,
Poultry, &c., 1,000,000/. ; Machihery, Agricultural and Manu-
facturing Implements, Ships, Boats, Roads, &c., 6,000,000/.
Metallic Money in Circulation, 100,000/.
Total Amount of Annually Created Property, 8,681,283/.
Total Amount of Moveable and Immoveable Property,
44,900,000/. 3

patented, 18,000,000/. ; forts and barracks, 1,000,000/. ; private
buildings, 12,000,000/. ; stock, &c., 6,000,000/. ; gold and sil-
ver coin, 200,000/. : — total, 60,200,000/. sterling. There
seems to be no calculation for roads, wharfs, bridges, and other
items.

' I take the total population of Jamaica at 400,000 ; some
say it is nearer 600,000.

' There are 2,236,732 acres of land in Jamaica for which
quit rents are paid to the crown. Mr. Burge thinks that at
least 2,000,000 acres are cultivated.

* Taking the number of slaves in the island, in round num-
bers, at 300,000, and valuing them at 30/. each, there would be
a sum of 9,000,000/. to add to this. Happily, however, it is no
longer necessary to make such calculations.

CHAPTER VII.

RELIGION, EDUCATION, AND THE PRESS — FUTURE
PROSPECTS, &C.

Religion, Education, and the Press. — I con-
nect the three foregoing subjects under one head,
because they are intimately blended with each other.
The press is unshackled by stamp duties, and on the
increase ; there are seven newspapers (two daily and
five weekly) in the island, all well conducted, and
displaying considerable talent; every class of the
community has its public organ, and there is, per-
haps, less petty feeling and faction displayed than in
many journals of the Mother Country. The names of
the newspapers are, the Kingston Chronicle, Jamaica
Courant, the Ispnomist, the Despatch,th.eWatchman, the
Cornwall Chronicle, and the Cornwall Standard, There
are two gazettes, the Royal, and the St.Jago de laVega,
weekly. The price of a paper is about 5/. currency
per annum. The Jamaica almanac stands much in
need of reform ; it is more barren of general in-
formation than those of some of the smallest islands
in the West Indies. Those of 1832 and 1833 have
in some degree improved. Education is rapidly
progressing under the aid of the local government,
as well as with the assistance of private individuals.

WEST INDIES, VOL. I. K

130 JAMAICA, &C. '

In the expenditure budget of the island for 1831,
there is nearly 10,000/. allotted for free schools*.
In 1821, the public or free schools and scholars
were — Schools, 23 ; Male Scholars, 1125 ; Female,
912 : Total, 2037. In 1827 the number of scholars
was 3500. In 1832 the number of public or free
Schools was 46 ; of Male Scholars, 1346; of Fe-
males, 982; Total, 2,328. The number of private
Schools was 123.

The efforts for the extension of religion have been
great ; whether they have produced a beneficial effect
as yet it is difficult to say. The outlay by the colo-
nial government for the purpose is considerable, viz.
nearly 25,000/. per annum (vide Expenditure). The
bishop of Jamaica (whose see extends over the
Bahamas and Honduras) has 4000Z. sterling per
annum, and the archdeacon 2000/. ditto. There are
twenty-one rectors, and altogether of clergymen of
the established church fifty-seven. The Scots Pres-
byterian clergjrmen are in number four, the Wes-
leyan ditto about twenty-four, at fifty stations, with
144 teachers ; the baptist ditto seventeen, at forty-
three stations ; and the Moravian nineteen, at seven
stations. The crown livings in Jamaica were in the
gift of the governor, in virtue of his station as such,
but are now in that of the bishop. The established
church clergy are paid partly by a stipend, partly by
fees. Take for instance the parish of St. Ann's, as
an example; acres, 235,260; slaves, 24,761; pro-

' The Jamaica free school has 1,620/. ; Wolmer's ditto,
1500^ ; Vere ditto, 1120/. ; and so on.

FUTURE PROSPECTS. 131

prietors, 47. 6. ; stipend, 378/. ; fees, average, 200/. ;
vestry allowances, average, 400/. ; church burials,
50/. ; total, 1028/. with thirty acres of glebe and an
island curate. Some parishes have a large glebe;
thus, St. Elizabeth's has 300 acres of glebe, a rectory,
and 68 slaves, and the income is — stipend, 378/. ;
fees, 245/. ; burials, 50/. ; total, 673/., and the aid
of an island curate and auxiliary. The Rev. Mr.
Bridges says, that the average annual eicpenditure of
Jamaica of late years, for her ecclesiastical estabhsh-
ment, has not fallen far short of 30,000/. (an im-
mense sum for so small a country). He gives the
rectors' stipends at 8820/., the curates' salaries,
10,550/., the aggregate vestry allowances, 3430/.,
and the average sum drawn from the inhabitants for
surplice fees, 5372/., independent of the annual ex-
penditure in maintaining thirty-nine churches and
chapels. Pluralities are not permitted, and the slave
(or as he is now termed, the apprentice) is entitled
to demand the gratuitous services of the clergy;
these facts speak volumes in favour of the long
calumniated colonists. I would earnestly urge on
the colonists the necessity of giving every possible
encouragement to the missionaries and clergymen of
the different persuasions of religion. The destruction
of the Baptists' Chapels was an event greatly to be
deplored, but the donations, gifts, and contributions
of 25,000/. for the use of the Baptists demonstrates
the warm interest felt for the spiritual enlightenment
of the negro.

Future Prospects. — The transition which society
is now undergoing in all our slave colonies renders
k2

132 JAMAICA, &C.

it impracticable to say much on this head : judging
from the past, and from the temper with which the
slave emancipation bill was passed, a less gloomy,
if not a more happy augury, than has been indulged
in may be formed for the future. The condition of
the slave population has long been undergoing
amelioration, and the coloured colonists have been
admitted to those rights, and to that position in
society to which their talents, wealth, and conduct
might entitle them ; no political or religious disabili-
ties exist; the progress of liberal institutions has
bpen sufficiently gradual to allow of their taking
permanent root, and affording that constitutional
freedom which is the result of order, security of
person, and the safe enjoyment of property. The
Kingston Commercial Advertizer thus temperately
comments on the new state of things ; — " The fate
of the colony is now sealed, whether it be good or
evil. Whether its resources will be developed, or its
present means be totally annihilated, the revolution
of time can alone fully determine. Prudence, self-
preservation, and expediency, loudly proclaim the
necessity of employing means for rendering the
changes now recognized and legalized by the Legis-
lature of Jamaica conducive to the public good.
A great duty lies before us, which is to rightly inform
the negro mind, and prepare him for performing
those duties to himself, his neighbour, his master,
and the country, so essential to the welfare of all,
and to the peace and happiness of society."

I look not despondingly on the prospects of Ja-
maica, or the other West India islands or possessions ;

FUTURE PROSPECTS. 133

on tlie contrary I think (as indeed hasbeen demonstrated
by Mr. Ward, in reference to the cultivation of sugar
on the South American continent), that the abolition
of one of the direst curses with which mankind was
ever afflicted will place society on a surer basis, and
give renewed stimulus and energy to every one pos-
sessed of property; and when we reflect that out
of upwards of 4,000,000 acres in Jamaica, only
2,235,732 are occupied, and with only fifty -six
mouths to a square mile, (Barbadoes has 816 !) we
see what ample scope there is for a development of
social prosperity and happiness. Lord Belmore
justly observed, that the capabilities of this fine
island would never be brought forward until slavery
was abolished. In this sentence his Lordship doubt-
less alluded to the introduction of free white la-
bourers^. There are very many articles which might
be largely cultivated and prepared in Jamaica, that
would yield a more profitable return than sugar, such
for instance as pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and various
spices ; silk, indigo, cotton, drugs, opium, and dye
stufiFs. But Jamaica, and our other possessions in
the West India islands, have a right to demand from
the mother country a reduction of the present
enormous duties levied on their produce, particularly
in respect to the article sugar, which is upwards of
100/. per cent. The colonists of this island, in common
with their brethren throughout the Western posses-
sions, have ever distinguished themselves by loyalty

1 See vol. ii. of the large edition of the " History of the
British Colonies," for a general view of the West India Colo-

134 JAMAICA, &C.

and attachment to the mother country in times of
difficulty and distress, — ^let that country now exercise
common justice to her colonies, and they will prove,
even more than they have yet done, a bulwark of
maritime strength for England, a mine of commer-
cial wealth, and the salvation and happiness of
millions of the human race.

BOOK 11.
HONDURAS.

CHAPTER I.

LOCALITY, AREA, BOUNDARIES — HISTORY, &C.

The British settlement of Honduras, in the province
of Yucutan, is situate in the southern part of the
North American continent, between the parallels of
17 and 19 north latitude, and 88 to 90 west longi-
tude, on a peninsula extending from the west side
of the Bay of Honduras (that either gives or takes
its name from the settlement) to the sea, north-
wardly, forming the Bay of Campeachy on the west,
and the Bay of Honduras on the east side of the
peninsula, the coast here extending about 270 miles;
but the inland boundari^ are ill-defined. According
to Henderson, the line which includes the settlement
commences at the mouth of the Rio- Grande, or
Hondo, whose course it follows, and afterwards runs
parallel with for thirty miles ; then, turning south,

136 HONDURAS.

passes through the New River Lake, in a straight
line, to the river Balize, up which it ascends for a
considerahle distance ; and then again proceeds
south, till it reaches the head of the Sihun, whose
windings it pursues to the sea-coast ; the whole
settlement embracing an area of 62,750 square miles.
The Mosquito shore (the Indians of which are in
alliance with, and, in some respects, subject to, the
crown of Great Britain) extends from Cape Gracios
a Dios, southerly, to Punta Gorda and St. Juan's
river ; north-west and westerly, to Remain river ;
and south-east, beyond Boco del Toro to Coclee or
Coli, near the river Chagre and Porto Bello. The
bay reaches from Cape Catoche, in 21.31, the north
point of the peninsula of Yucutan, to Cape Honduras,
in 16 south latitude and 86 west longitude. From
thence the coast, comprehending Cape Gracios a
Dios, and extending between 500 and 600 miles to
the mouth of the Rio de San Juan, as it flows from
the Nicaragua lake, is known by the name of the
Mosquito shore. Within these limits lie the settle-
ments which have been considered the dependencies
of Jamaica.

History. — The Honduras was discovered by
Columbus in 1502 ; the Spanish term Hondura,
signifying depth, was then given to the coast by
its discoverers, from the great depth of water along
the shore. Its period of early settlement is very
vague. At first it was occasionally resorted to by
mahogany and other wood-cutters, whose chief place
of residence was then a small island called St.
George's Key, about nine miles to the north-east of

HISTORY. 137

the town of Balize, the present capital of the settle-
ment. The first regular establishment of British
log-wod cutters was made at Cape Cartoche by some
Jamaica adventurers, whose numbers increased so
that, in a short time, they occupied as far south as
the river Balize, in the Bay of Honduras, and as far
west as the island of Triste and the Laguna de los
Terminos, adjacent to Campeachy. The territorial
jealousy of the Spaniards was soon roused, and the
governor of Campeachy fitted out several expeditions
against the logwood-cutters, in which he not only
failed, but, on two occasions, in 1659 and 1678, the
cutters actually took possession of the town of Cam-
peachy, without a single cannon, and aided only by
the seamen engaged in the trade.

By a treaty concluded with Spain in 1670, by Sir
W. Godolphin, the seventh article generally, though
not specifically, embraced the territorial right of
British occupancy at Honduras ; and, in consequence,
the English population fast augmented, the number
of whites (no negroes were introduced) being then
1700. The jealousy of the Spanish monarch at the
success of the English led to a renewed discussion of
the territorial right of our settlers, which the imbe-
cile ministers of the pusillanimous Charles H. so far
admitted as to direct the governor of Jamaica (Sir
Thomas Lynch), in 1671, to inquire into the same;
and had it not been for the spirited and patriotic
conduct of Sir Thomas Lynch, the conduct of Spain
would have been sanctioned by the court of St. James.
The Spaniards, at all events, determined to drive the
woodmen from the Campeachy shore ; and, by. 1680,

138 HONDURAS.

they succeeded in confining the English to the limits
now occupied.

From this period the establishments on the other
side of Cape Cartoche were entirely abandoned by
the settlers. In 1718, the Spaniards sent a large
force to try to dispossess the English from the Balize
river, as they had done from the opposite coast ; but
the boldness of the logwood-cutters deterred the
Castilians, who contented themselves with erecting
a fortification in the north-west branch, of which
they held possession for a few years, and finally
abandoned it. The logwood- cutters were left for
thirty-six years in peace, until the attack on Truxillo
by the English, in 1 742, which led to the long-pro-
jected expedition of 1 754, to exterminate the latter
from Honduras. By the treaty of peace, in 1763,
the Spaniards were compelled to give a formal per-
mission of occupancy to the British colonists, though
they subsequently endeavoured to annul it.

The Spaniards made another attack on the settle-
ments, in 1779, destroyed a great deal of property,
and marched oflF many of the English settlers of both
sexes, bUndfolded and in irons, to Merida, the capital
of Yucutan, and thence shipped them to the Havan-
nah, where they were kept in captivity imtil 1782 ;
but, in 1784, a commission from the crown of Spain
was authorized " to make a formal delivery to the
British nation of the lands allotted for the cutting of
logwood," &c. It is necessary to state this expli-
citly, because many persons are not only ignorant
whether Honduras is an island or part of the con-
tinent, but very many, who are aware of the position

ATTACKS OF THE SPANIARDS. 139

of the settlements, think the British have merely a
right to logwood and mahogany cutting in the Bay
of Honduras, and that it is not a territorial occu-
pancy of the British crown, which, in fact, it is, as
much as Jamaica or any other settlement. The last
Spanish attack on the settlements was during the
war in 1798, and consisted of an expedition of 3,000
men, under the command of Field Marshal O'Neil,
who was gallantly repulsed by the " Bay Men," (as
the Honduras settlers are termed,) for which they
received the thanks of His Majesty.

Nothing further worth mentioning occurs in the
history of the settlement.

CHAPTER II.

PHYSICAL ASPECT — GEOLOGY — SOIL AND CLIMATE.

Thb sea-coast of our territory at the Bay of Hon-
duras is flat, and the shore studded with low and
verdant isles (keys) ; from the land the coast gra-
dually rises into a hold and lofty country, interspersed
with rivers and lagoons, and covered with the
nohlest forests.

The town of Balize (called by the Spaniards Valize,
corrupted from the original Wallis, the noted bucca-
neer), the capital of the Honduras settlement, is
divided into two parts by the river Balize, which
empties itself by two mouths in a tortuous manner
into the sea, at the western side of the Honduras
Bay, where, as before observed, the shore is ex-
tremely flat, with numerous keys or small islands,
dispersed along the coast, and densely covered with
trees or shrubs, so exactly resembling each other as
to puzzle the most experienced sailor, and rendering
navigation exceedingly difficult. That part of Balize
which is situate on the south, or right bank of the river,
along the eastern edge of a point of land, is com-
pletely insulated by a canal on its western side which
runs across from a small arm of the sea, and bounds
the town on its south side.

The number of houses is nearly 500, many of
them convenient, well built, spacious, and even

PHYSICAL ASPECT. 141

elegant ; they are chiefly constructed of wood, and
raised JO feet from the ground. The streets are
regular, running parallel north and south, and inter-
sected by others, the main one running in a north-
east direction (to a bridge crossing the river and
facing the chief quays and wharfs) from the govern-
ment house, which is situate on the south-east point
or angle of the island, on the right bank of the
river, and bounded on the south and east by the sea.
The church is situated behind the government house
on the east side of the main street, and the whole
town is shaded by groves and avenues of the cocoa-
nut and tamarind trees. The bridge which connects
the northern to the southern town was built in 1818 ;
its span is 220 feet, the width 20. It is constructed
entirely of timber, and rests on coppered piles of
wood, which are found in abundance in this country,
remarkable for their durability ; indeed, the slowness
with which they yield to decomposition, niay almost
entitle them to the appellative imperishable. Govern-
ment gave 1000/. sterling towards the expense of
erecting it. The entire is well compacted, and
secured by balustrades on either side. The appear-
ance of this building from the Balize roads is very
pleasing ; the thick forests of evergreen, with which
the banks of the river are dotted, form a rich back
scene, and the many objects of various characters
representing commerce and recreation, dispersed on
either side, form a picture of no inconsiderable in-
terest. To the north of Balize is an extensive
morass, three miles in circumference, now being
drained. Fort George is situate about half a mile

142 HONDURAS.

from the river, on a small islet ; it is low, 600 feet
long and 200 broad, principally formed of the ballast
from the shipping, every vessel being obliged to
deposit a portion of ballast proportioned to its
tonnage. The Light House of Honduras, situate on
Half Moon Key, or Isle, is about 43 miles east by
south, southerly from Balize. Like all the islands
with which the Bay of Honduras is studded. Half
Moon Key appears at a distance flat, but, on a
nearer approach, it is found to be more elevated
than the keys in the neighbourhood. In 1821,
the lighthouse was erected on the north-east point,
the most elevated on the island, which is a rocky
promontory, nearly 30 feet above the low water
mark ; and from its base, which is 22 feet square,
to the lanthom it rises about 50 feet. It is in
lat. 17.12 N. and long 87.28 W. It is built in a
pyramidal form to within nine or ten feet of the
top. There is a fixed reflected line from sun-set
to sun-rise, for which the public of Honduras allow
the contractor the sum of 400/. currency per an-
num. By day the lighthouse, being painted white,
serves as an excellent beacon. In former periods
this island was much resorted to, and at several
periods was the residence of the buccaneers when
they infested these seas. There are many traditions
of treasures having been buried here by them when
closely pursued by the Spaniards, which have induced
some individuals to search in the hope of a discovery ;
but as yet every trial has proved unsuccessful,
notwithstanding a superstition which accredits the
nocturnal visit of a spectre, who, though in guise of

PHTSICAL ASPECT. 143

a mutilated mortal, yet, in an unearthly horridness,
appears to guard them at the hour described by
Bums, as

* Of night's black arch the keystane.'

It is to be feared that every attempt to recover the
supposed wealth will be, as heretofore, unavailing.
This key is now the chief residence of the branch
pilots. They are a set of men remarkable for their
abstemious habits, activity, and humanity on all
occasions ; and there hardly can be remembered
an instance of their deviation from duty. The
aspect of the interior is worthy of notice. The falls
in different parts of the river are extremely grand,
and the scenery along the banks really sublime ; as a
specimen the river and lagoon of Manatee, situated
ten leagues south of Balize, may be selected. At
about a mile from the mouth of the river, is a mag-
nificent sheet of water, usually denominated the
Lagoon, which extends in a northerly direction for
several leagues. The surrounding scenery is very
romantic, embracing immense mountains, which
descend in many places to its margin, and intersected
by valleys opening into woody ranges of vast extent,
possessed almost solely by wild herds of various
animals, such as the tiger, antelope, armadillo, quash,
opossum, racoon, and several species of deer ; among
the last named, the velvet deer is much esteemed
for its soft and delicate flavour. The sportsman
also finds ample amusement among the feathered
tribe, as quails, plover, pigeons, pheasants, and wild
turkeys, are abundant in these regions of silence.
7

144 HONDURAS.

Among these vast ridges, where no stream flows to
cool the parched earth, nature, ever hountiful to all
her creatures, has placed large marshy spots, or
shallow ponds, the banks of which are frequented by
the .wild duck and almost every species of aquatic
bird. These ponds contain vast quantities of fish
during the greatest part of the year; but at the
season of drought their situation may be easily dis-
covered by the traveller at a great distance, from the
quantity of sea-fowl which hover over them to prey
upon the putrid fish that have been destroyed by
the evaporation of the waters. At this season the
alligator* also travels to these marshes to partake
of the fish thus yearly provided. It is very singular
that many of those ponds, scattered through the flat
country, which have no apparent communication with
each other, should annually abound with the same
species of fish. The lake, or lagoon of Manatee, is
supplied in the wet season by innumerable rivulets ;
but, during the dry months, by three streams only,
viz. Corn Creek, Plantation Creek, and the Main
River, which empty themselves into it. Although
they are called creeks, they extend so far into the

^ This extraordinary animal leaves his usual residence, and
goes inland to partake of the fish yearly provided as above
detailed. He wanders these trackless wilds, from one pond
to another, in search of fish, and not unfrequently has been
seen many miles in the interior. Notwithstanding the strength
of this terrific animal, such is the awe of man with which the
most powerful creatures are filled, that he seems timid, from
the extreme caution with which he pursues his course, and,
by the motionless posture in which he lies, he shows his desire
to remain unnoticed if he hears the least noise.

PUTSrCAL ASPECT. 145

interior that their sources are unknown to the Bri-
tish settlers. The banks of the river are picturesque,
and divested of that sameness which marks most of
the rivers on this coast. About a mile from the lake
is an establishment of disbanded soldiers, from the
black regiments that were broken up on the late
peace. They have cleared a considerable spot of
ground, and constitute the only regular settlement
that could be formed by these Africans.

Slight to ten miles from the lakes the rapids begin,
and the high rocky banks of the river wear a delight-
ful appearance — a little further on (it is thus vaguely
stated by the Honduras almanack) there is an exten-
sive cataract, about a quarter of a mile in length,
and of considerable acclivity. A cluster of beautiful
caves, through which the river winds its way, and
beneath which the traveller must pass, is next arrived
at. These magnificent natural excavations of the
mountains are semi -circular at the entrance, and
about five yards in diameter. Within the cave the
arch rises to the height of 100 feet, and leads to
another low arch, which, being passed, a second
cavern of large size opens, beyond which is a third,
with a circular orifice, through which the river enters.
During the floods the mouths of the caverns are
filled with water, which boils up with prodigious
fury, and thus detains travellers many days before
they can pass through the caves or tunnels. In thp
rainy season, as the water increases on the upper, or
inland sides of the mountains, the river forces its
passage through the interstices and openings in its
sides with tremendous noise, forming an indescribably

WEST INDIES, VOL. I. L

146 HONDURAS.

grand cascade of from forty to fifty feet high issaing
from an hundred orifices. There are also magnificent
caves in the river Libun, eight or ten days* journey
from Balize, and some interesting creeks or caverns
exist in the creeks or arms of the old river.

The immense chain of mountains which form the
inland frontier of the British territory, has only one
pass — that leading to Peten, which is merely a path-
way through rocky dells, and might be defended by
a few men. The mountains are covered with im-
penetrable forests and brushwood, and contain abun-
dance of the finest mahogany.

The face of the country is technically divided into
the Pine and Cahoun ridges, from the respective
locations of these trees ; the pine trees extend over
immense tracts of country, presenting to the eye the
resemblance of an interminable open park, clothed
with verdure, and exhibiting an appearance of taste
and design, rather than accident. The Cahoun ridge
is covered with gigantic trees, such as the wild
cotton and other vast trees, and the fertility of the
soil occasions much brushwood.

Colonel Galindo has famished an interesting paper
to the Royal Geographical Society on the Usumasinta,
which takes its rise not far from the source of the Ba-
lize, on the opposite side of the chain of mountains that
bounds the Honduras territory. He describes it as
remarkable among the rivers of this part of America,
not only for the length of its course, the advantages
of its navigation, the fertility of its banks, and the
superiority of the climate of the district through
which it flows, but also for the almost total ignorance

GEOLOGY. 147

in which even the inhabitants of the surrounding
country remain with respect to its relative position,
its course, and branches. Part of the rich but wild
territory of the Mayas is watered by the Usumasinta,
which, in its course from east to west, receives the
important navigable river of Chicsoi; after which
its course to the sea inclines to the north-west, its
principal mouth being the port of Victoria, in the
Gulf of Mexico, to the west of the lake of Laguna
de Terminos. The river Tabasco, which, near the
sea, joins the Usumasinta, is much frequented by
vessels from the United States of North America,
which sail up to San Juan Bautista, the capital of
the state of Tabasco. The banks of the Usumasinta,
after passing the chain of moimtains which separates
the Maya territories from the Mexican states, are
studded with villages of Logwood cutters. The
ruins of Palenque, an ancient and magnificent city in
the Maya country, well deserve further investigation.
Geology. — ^The first geological feature requisite
for the knowledge of man, is the capability of the
soil to grow food. In this respect Honduras is not
behind hand in fertility to any spot in the Old or
* New World. The soil of the Cahoun ridge consists
of a deep loam produced by decomposed vegetable
matter, and capable of growing every European, as
well as tropical aliment. The Pine ridge land has a
substratum of loose reddish sand, and its indigenous
products exhibit those varieties of the vegetable
kingdom, whose assimilative powers are strong and
perennial. Extensive natural prairies, or pastures
spread over this soil. An inexhaustibly rich alluvial
l2

148 HONDURAS.

soil exists on the margin of the numerous creeks and
rivers which stud the country.

Veins of fine marble, and mountains of alabaster,
are known to exist; valuable crystals have been
found vnthin 180 miles of Balize ; and fine pieces of
transparent feltspar lie along the banks in many
places, which are used in ornamental stucco work.
Gold has at various periods been found in the Roar-
ing Creek (a branch of the Balize river), but no
trouble has been taken to ascertain from whence it
proceeded. Quantities of lava and volcanic sub-
stances have been found in different situations.
Labouring Creek, about 100 miles inland, on the
Balize, is remarkable for the petrifying properties
which it possesses ; its waters have a powerful
cathartic effect on strangers, and a healing property
when applied externally to an ulcer.

Climatb. — ^The climate about Balize is generally
moist ; in July, the dryest and hottest month of the
year, the average maximum heat is 83 F. the medium
82, and the minimum 80 ; but though the absolute
heat appears so great during the hot months, yet it
is so tempered by the sea breezes, which almost
constantly prevail from the N.E., S.E., orE., that
the air feels pleasant and often cool, but on the wind
shifting to the N. or W., the atmosphere becomes
sultry and often oppressive. During the wet seasons,
which last five months, the mercury sinks to 60.
The variation in the temperature is very great, some-
times 15 between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., and at night
20 or 25 less than in the day.

THERMOMBTRICAL RBGISTBR. 149

Thermometrical Register at Balize, Honduras : —

/BQUSiy '

February -

CvTareh* -
April - -

Ma. - -

Juhb - -

July -

August
J^eptemher
October -

N'ovemljer
December

TIIEHMOM.

WINDS.

REMARKS.

i

•6

d
i

77
7S
7Q

34

S3

i3
A3

83

SO

78

so

S2
S2

SI

n

75

72

75

7+
78

79

BD

70

73

86

74
71

W. N. and K.W.
W. K and \\ E.

E. N.IL and W.

E, and N.R

E. If .E. aud W.

£.N.N.E.sndB.£,

E, K.E. anil S.E.

K. K.E. and W.
E, W. aiidN.E.
ELK.L. andW.

E. NE. and W-
N. N.E. and W.

Generally dry, flue
wcatbirr, aojne rain.

Ditto^ iTith pleapant
brcczeu and ej bowers.

Ditto ditto

DUto, sea-breeze re-
gular.

At dry, then
heavy sliowertj, li^fht^
ding and thunder*

Afr moist, cloudy, heavy
rein.

Dtcto, thuDdci and
lightning.

Ditto ditto^

Finet with some heavy

ehoirers.
Drv and iileaiant.
Ditto ditto, slight

showera.

It is asserted* by those who know the climate best
that Honduras is more favourable to European con-
stitutions than any other climate under the tropics ;
those who have not trifled with life by intemperance
and irregularities enjoy the best health, as demon-
strated by the many instances of longevity, European
and native, that exist.

* By the Honduras Almanack. *

CHAPTER III.

POPULATION, WHITE AND COLOURED — CHARACTER AND
APPEARANCE — SCHOOLS, &C. — STAPLE PRODUCTS —
MAHOGANY, &C.

AccouDiNG to a census in 1823, the population of
Honduras was, — whites, 217; slaves, 2468 ; free
people of colour, 809; free blacks, 613; pensioners
from discharged West India regiment, 819 ; detach-
ment of second West India regiment, 231 ; ditto of
Royal Artillery, 22:— total, 5,179. The propor-
tions of males and females, adults and children,
were, —

Male
Adults.

Female
Adults.

Male
Children.

Female
Children.

Total,

Whites

Coloured

136
192
217
1440
650
200
10

51

243

222

628

54

14

4

20
183

93
214

50

10
4

10
191

81

186

65

7

4

217
809
613
2468
819
231
22

Free Blacks

Slaves

Pensioners

2d West India Regt.
Royal Artillery

In 1826, there were, — whites, 267 males, 65
females ; coloured and free, 1629 males, 826
females; slaves, 1606 males, 3502 females: — grand
total, 3502 males, 4393 females. King's troops:
379 men; females, 30; children, 47.

SOCIETY AT HONDURAS.

151

The aggregate population of Honduras, from 1823
to 1830, was\—

Years.

White and Free
Coloured.

Slaves.

Total.

Males.

Females.

Males.

Females.

Males.

Females.

1823
1826
1829
1830

842
1896
1596

937

798
891
920
919

1654
1606
1329
1347

814
804
798
680

2496
3502
2925
2284

1612
1695
1718
1599

The Board of Trade statistics for 1832, are, —
whites, males, 141, females, 82; free blacks, or
coloured, males, 832; females, 956; slaves, males,
1122, females, 1699 :— total, 3832. Births, 167;
deaths, 1 73 ; marriages, 28.

The commissioners for the slave compensation
state, under Honduras, — number of slaves, 1920;
average value of slaves, from 1822 to 1830,
120/. 4s, 1\d,\ relative value of the slaves, 230,844/.;
proportion of the 20,000,000/. to which the colony
is entitled, 101,958/.

Various Classes of Society at Honduras'. —
The blacks of Honduras are not derived from the

* I have here given three different returns of the popula-
tion, all derived from different sources ; the discrepancy shows
the necessity of causing more attention to the statistics of our
colonies.

^ I am indebted to the Honduras Almanack for this state-
ment ; and I cannot help regretting that the latter numbers
of this admirable periodical are so deficient, owing to the
withdrawal of the grant of the magistrates. No money can be
better laid out by the colonial legislatures than in improving
their respective almanacks.

152 HONDURAS.

aborigines of the country, but have been, in their
own persons or those of their forefathers, imported
from Africa, either direct or through the West India
islands. Though there are many free blacks, yet for
the most part they are either the children of slaves,
or have been slaves themselves ; and few of them
are to be found entirely exempt from those low pro-
pensities which are exhibited in a state of barbarism.
Some few, however, display some striking features
of consistent character. There are some who pos-
sess an utter aversion to spirituous liquors, and can
by no means be prevailed upon to taste a beverage
in which they know any thing of the sort to be a
component part ; but by far the greater proportion
are so strongly addicted to the use of liquors, that it
is very common to see them exposed to the scorch-
ing sun or the midnight dew, in utter insensibility.
Some have been accustomed from infancy to indulge
in this vice ; whilst others, in rejecting it, act not so
much from a correct principle as from national usage,
or original intercourse with Mahometan connexions.
As they have come to this and other neighbouring
regions from various places, so they maintain the
custom of the countries whence they come ; and
hence their habits in a great measure continue. The
African negroes of Honduras, as is the custom in
Jamaica and the other islands, hold, at Christmas, a
saturnalia, which continues without interruption for
the space of a fortnight. During this time, there is
an entire relaxation from all their toils ; negroes of
all conditions join in sets, and perambulate the
streets from mom till night, with colours flying and

POPULATION. 153

music playing, to which they keep time in graceful
movements, waving their flags and umbrellas to the
measured beat of the drum. Wakes and gumby are
recreations of vivacity among the people : the former
present a tolerable resemblance to the Irish wakes,
where the house of mourning and the house of
feasting are identified as one and the same ; and the
latter are interesting merely from the circumstance
of their being importations from the coast of Africa.
Large parties meet at night, at some appointed
negro yard, where they commence dancing to the
beat of the drum and the music of their own voices.
It is really curious to observe the ceremony of these
pastimes ; and there can be nothing more calculated
to impress a stranger with surprise, than the differ-
ent formation of their drums and the variety of their
dances. In order to preserve themselves distinct,
and to uphold their customs, each nation selects one
from their body, to whom they give the title of king,
who exercises a certain degree of lordship over his
subjects, and receives in return the most marked
attention and respect. Their affection for their
country is very conspicuous : a black man will share
his last plantain with another native of his own land,
and seldom distinguishes or addresses him by any
other appellative than countr5rman.

The coloured population has arisen from the inter-
coiu-se of Europeans with Africans or Indians. They
therefore partake, more or less, of the qualities of
black and white, directly as to their distance from
either.

The Mosquito shore men, sojourning in great num-

154 HONDURAS.

bers in the colony, have long greasy black hair, and
countenances remarkable for vacuity of intelligence,
but with a muscular formation of body that might
serve as a model for a sculptor's Hercules ; they
walk at a slow and lazy pace, in a state of perfect
nudity, devour their food voraciously, and lie down
to sleep until absolute hunger causes them to seek a
fresh supply. A canoe, a paddle, and a harpoon,
constitute the Mosquito man's whole wealth; with
these he can supply the cravings of nature, and
beyond these he requires no more. They acknow-
ledge the existence of a good and bad spirit; the
latter of whom they propitiate in order to deprecate
his malevolence, while they neglect the former on
the plea that his goodness is so great as to leave
them nothing to apprehend from his wrath. It is
customary, as with other savage nations, at their
funerals of the dead, to inter the paddle and harpoon
in the grave of the deceased, that he may be enabled
to work a canoe, and procure sustenance in another
state of existence.

The Indians, a timid inoffensive race, who are the
real aborigines of the South American continent,
seem to be guided as much by instinct as reason, —
travelling independent of either track or guide,
through wood and bush impervious to others, and
performing their journeys with a rapidity and cor-
rectness of direction that sets other modes and
marks perfectly at defiance. A small bag of maize
slung over the shoulder, from which they take a
handftd by a rivulet or well, is all the refreshment
they need; and thus, in a state of nature, they

MANNERS OF THB INDIANS. 155

wander with Parthian movements, over wilds im-
known to other men, and through forests where one
would fancy their imcultivated state alone procures
for them the sympathy of wild beasts. Their great-
est luxury is a drink called pesso, composed of the
rind of limes, rubbed with com, allowed to ferment,
and with a little honey. They are, almost without
exception, addicted to drunkenness to an excessive
degree, but appear to be entirely free from vindictive
or malicious propensities.

The canoe used by the natives here, as most sub-
servient to their purposes, is called a dorey. The
bottom being round, it has a very slight hold of the
water, and not unfrequently swamps or capsizes ; in
which emergency the dexterity of the native in hold-
ing on, righting the craft, bailing out the water, and
resuming his seat, is truly surprising. She seldom
draws more than a few inches, when light. Some-
times the dorey is raised upon a keel; it is then
called a crean, a craft of handsome model, which
answers well in these waters. The rig most used is
the schooner, and the main-sail is that on which
most dependence is placed. There is a craft peculiar
to this colony, called the pitpan, which is, like the
dorey, round at the bottom, but rather more flattened,
and without a keel. It is excavated from a solid
tree, and is very often forty or fifty feet long, and
from three feet to four feet six inches wide. It is
shaped at the end something like a butcher's tray,
and the bottom neatly rounded upwards ; this ena-
bles the paddlers to run a long way on the beach or
shore, and, in some measure, supersedes the neces-

156 HONDURAS.

sity of a plank to aid embarkation. The pitpan is
usually fitted up in a handsome style, with awnings
and curtains of oilcloth on rollers, which enclose
seats and space for provision, and is the only mode
of conveyance to the mahogany works : indeed, one
more pleasant and better adapted to the purpose
need not be desired.

State of Society, Morals, &c. — Previous to the
erection of Jamaica into a bishoprick, the church of
England was made the dominant religion of British
Honduras, and the facilities afforded for religious
instruction by the establishment are by no means
contemptible. The school attached to the church
establishment is well endowed, and has already ex-
hibited some of the benefits expected to arise from
institutions of the kind, in the situations filled by
several of its pupils. It is conducted on the Madras
system, and the average daily attendance of children
is above 100. The return for 1832 gives, — males,
140; females, 87 : — total, 227. The attendance on
the services of the church is, upon the whole, also
good, and marked throughout by the strictest order
and decorum. There are also two mission schools,
the Wesleyan and the Baptist ; also a Sunday and
three private seminaries, which are daily becoming
more useful, and no doubt in time will effect the
object for which they were established. The diffi-
culty of attaining this desirable end is considerably
increased by the greater part of the population being
engaged at the mahogany works, and spread over a
surface of country containing between 50,000 and
60,000 square miles, for at least ten months in the

STATB OF SOCIETY, MORALS, &C. 157

year ; some of those who are not so employed are
distributed among the keys or islands, at a distance
from the shore ; the business of others lies upon the
waters, in continual traffic with the main ; and to
these causes may be added the immoral lives of many
Europeans, to whom the poor untutored semi-barba-
rian naturally looks up with reverence and confi-
dence. When there are such obstacles to be sur-
mounted as those presented by local peculiarities,
united with the detrimental influence of vicious
example, reformation is an Herculean task. Never-
theless, the more atrocious grades of delinquency are
happily but seldom witnessed ; sometimes the gaol
will not afford even a single prisoner for the public
works ; and there are some who do not think it neces-
sary to secure their doors at night. The occurrence
of petty larceny, however, is very frequent, as are
also those of other crimes and misdemeanours, which
arise from intemperance. A few years back there
were very few married couples in Balize, and the
sacred institution of marriage was not only neglected,
but despised : concubinage, if not promiscuous inter-
course, &c. were among the besetting sins of the
land, and virtue and decency were but little known,
and less thought of. But now a brighter prospect
has opened : marriages are decidedly on the increase;
the advantages of families being united under one
common surname, the dignity which the matrimo-
nial tie confers on relationship, and the charities of
life beautified with the sanction of a divine ordinance,
are now more highly esteemed and duly appreciated.

158 HONDUBAS.

The Legislature has taken advantage of this change
of sentiment, «nd, for the encouragement of public
morals, have added great facilities to the marriages
of slaves by recent laws and regulations. Though
there are still a great number of people who can
neither read nor write, yet there are also many, in
the classes to which these acquirements were formerly
unknown, who have made considerable proficiency.
To the production of this change, the Honduras
Free School has certainly in a very great degree
contributed ; and this institution has the honour of
leading the way in the beneficial work of education.

The mechanic arts, as yet, have made but little
progress, in comparison with what might have been
done. The guardians of youth seem to cherish
hopes of greater gain from the trade of a carpenter
than any other, and hence the great majority of boys
are put to that trade. The writer in the Honduras
Almanack asserts that the inventive faculties of the
native artists seem to be only proportioned to the
supply of native wants, without even the recommen-
dation of embellishments or design. He is equally
indifferent about forming contracts and completing
his stipulated work ; and a peculiar inactivity of
mind, as well as corporal movement, is perceptible
even in his manner of working. This has been the
reason why architectural designs have not, till lately,
been extended to domestic comforts. Some years,
back this settlement exhibited nothing better than
stockadoed huts, the most primitive shelter imagin-
able, roofed with a thatch of leaves coarsely and

POOD, VEGBTATIOK, &C. 159

clumsily compacted ; now, however, it presents many
large and commodious houses, more particularly in
Balize.

Food, Vbgbtation, &c. — To detail the great
variety of fruit spontaneously produced in Honduras,
would far exceed my limits. Oranges, (which are
uniformly of excellent quality,) shaddocks, limes,
mangoes, melons, pine-apples, water melons, avocato
pears, cashew, cocoa-nuts, and many others, too
numerous to mention, are very abimdant during
their respective seasons. They all grow in the
neighbourhood of the town, but are also brought in
large quantities from higher plantations.

A description of the celebrated mahogany tree,
or of logwood, (the present staples of Honduras,)
would be supererogatory. The mode of procur-
ing the mahogany, is to dispatch a skilful negro
to climb the highest tree on lofty places, for the
purpose of discovering mahogany in the woods,
which is generally solitary, and visible at a great
distance, from the yellow hue of its foliage. A gang
of from ten to fifty men is then sent out, to erect a
scafibld round each tree that is selected, and to cut
it dovm about twelve feet from the ground. When
felled, the logs are with much labour dragged to the
banks of the streams, and being formed into crafts,
sometimes of 200 united, are floated as many miles
to places where the rivers are crossed by strong
cables, and then the owners separate their respective
shares. It is said that the boughs and limbs afford
the finest wood ; but in Britain mahogany is more
valued on accoimt of size, and none is allowed to be

160 HONDURAS.

exported to the United States of America exceeding
twenty inches in diameter. The logwood, on the
other hand, affects low swampy grounds, growing
contiguous to fresh-water creeks and lakes, on the
edges of which the roots (the most valuable part of
the wood) extend. It is sought in the dry season ;
and the wood-cutters, having built a hut in the
vicinity of a number of the trees on the same spot,
collect the logs in heaps, and afterwards float up a
small canoe in the wet season, when the ground is
laid under water, to carry them off!

A valuable timber covers the country for many
thousand acres, and would prove a useful article
in England, if the timber duties on colonial wood
were removed; — I allude to the pinus occidentalisy
which grows to sixty feet high, with irregular
branches and serrated edged leaves, and which,
owing to the quantity of tar and turpentine which
the best sort contains, will sink in water when felled.
The pine- wood is, of course, highly inflammable — a
property which, to the pror, renders it very valuable.
A torch of this wood, one end inserted in the earth
and the other ignited, emits a clear and powerful
light, round which may frequently be seen groups of
negroes assembled (their daily task completed), and
occupied in the formation of various domestic arti-
cles. Owing to its durability, it is, of course, much
used by builders ; it not only resists the action of
the atmosphere, but it is also proof against the
chemical influence of the earth, even in the dampest
situations. It is not uncommon to . see posts ex-
tracted from the ground, in which they have been

THE INFLAMMABLE PINE AND CAHOUN TREES. 161

fixed for year^ in as high a state of preservation as
when they were first put down ; and the only difier-
ence they exhibit is increased solidity and hardness,
and a strong bituminous smell.

The cahoun (locally pronounced cohoon) tree is
chiefly valuable for the elegant vegetable oil it yields,
which, when unadulterated, is almost colourless, being
paler than the cold- drawn castor oil; it is entirely
free from any empyreumatic or foetid taste, possess-
ing a slight and rather agreeable flavour. It emits
a beautiful palish flame, without smoke or smell — a
property which renders it, as a lamp oil, not equalled
by any other known, and therefore much in demand
in genteel society. Its affinity for oxygen is so
remarkably strong, that steel smeared with it very
soon rusts : indeed, its caloric is so easily abstracted,
that at the temperature of 60 F. it condenses into a '
white wax-like substance ; but when heat is applied,
it immediately expands and resumes its original
appearance. There are several little-known woods,
of beautiful vein and close texture, which might be
turned to a profitable account; such as the iron-
wood, claywood, rosewood, palmaletta, dark and beau-
tifully figured, Santa Maria, which possesses the
properties of the Indian teak, caoutchouc, or Indian
rubber, sapodilla, and innumerable others.

Many other valuable products of the territory
would be developed with an increased population,
and by the removal in England of the fiscal restric-
tions which check and hamper our colonial pros-
perity.

The country abounds with game of every variety,

l/V'EST INDIES. VOL. I. M

162 HONDURAS.

whether fish, flesh, or fowl. The Spaniards, who
frequent Balize from Bacalar in open crafts, carry on
an extensive trade in poultry, eggs, com, &c., and,
except in very rough weather, the supply of salt
water fish is abundant and excellent. The common
green turtle, so called from the colour of the fat,
when the animal is in a healthy state, is a staple
commodity in the market. The turtle is often five
feet long, and from 200 to 250 lbs. in weight. It
feeds on a sea grass, which is very abundant in these
parts. It is generally taken in nets, and not unfre-
quently by the harpoon ; sometimes it is watched
from the beach to its haunts, where it is secured by
being turned over, and when on its back the creature
is unable to rise. It is seldom seen on land. The
movements of the turtle are slow, except at the time
when they deposit their eggs, which they do at seve-
ral times after intervals of fourteen days. The female
lays about 900. The eggs are found in abundance
on the low sandy beaches of the quays, towards the
Spanish main, between the ports of Omoa and
Truxillo.

CHAPTER IV.

GOVERNMENT — MILITARY DEFENCE — FINANCES — REVENUE
AND EXPENDITURE — COMMERCE — STAPLE EXPORTS, &C. —
FUTURE PROSPECTS.

Until 1783 Honduras was solely governed by Ma-
gistrates selected by the people ; since then a Su-
perintendant has been added, at the nomination of
the King, to regulate all afiairs which more parti-
cularly affect the dignity of the Crown. The chief
authority of the colony is a mixed legislative and exe-
cutive j)ower, termed the Magistrates of Honduras,
by whom enactments are made ; which, on receiv-
ing the assent of the King's representative, become
laws to be enforced by the executive power. The ma-
gistrates in whom the power is thus vested, are in
number seven, elected annually by the inhabitants,
thus — ^a poll is opened on the order of the bench to
the Provost-Master-General, and remains so twenty-
one days ; at the expiration of which a scrutiny
takes place, and the Provost-Marshal- General re-
turns those duly elected, who are sworn into office
on being approved of by the Superintendant. They
are the Counsellors of his Majesty's Superintendant,
the Guardians of the Public Peace, the Judges of all
the Lower Courts ; they form the Court of Ordinary,
they are the Guardians of Orphans, and can delegate
m2

164 HONDURAS.

their power in the management of the property to
such persons whom they consider worthy of their
trust. They are the protectors of all properties of
intestate, or insane persons, or of those incapable of
managing their own afiairs. They settle all salvage
on wrecked vessels, stores, and merchandize. They
manage the public funds, and control the Treasurer ;
and no money can be paid without the sanction of
four, who sign all orders for the issue ; and previous
to retiring from office they examine all his accounts,
and sign them, if approved. *No emolument arises
to them — ^their services are entirely gratuitous.
Trial by jury, the bulwark of British freedom, is
established ; and from the decisions of the Court an
appeal lies direct to the King in Council, which,
however, is rarely made.

Honduras is under the see of Jamaica. The Bap-
tist Missionaries have a clergyman at Balize, and the
Caribs, who were expatriated from St. Vincent's,
have built themselves a chapel, the first instance of
the kind in the West Indies.

The militia of Honduras is a very fine body of
men, about 1000 strong, and consists of a brigade of
Royal Artillery, and a regiment of the line ; there is
also a local maritime force, termed the Prince Re-
gent's Royal Honduras Flotilla. The Superintendant
of the settlement is of course Commander-in-Chief.
The following shows the number of British troops
employed in the colony since 1816 : —

BRITISH TROOPS.

165

Return of the Numbers and Distribution of the
Effective Force, Officers, Non-commissioned Offi-
cers, and Rank and File, of the British Army,
including Colonial Corps, in each year since 1816 ;
including Artillery and Engineers.

OPPICERS PRKSENT, OR ON
DETACHED 1>UTY AT TH£
STATIOJJ^S,

QQ

1

ai

c

1

■3

o

■^
s

3

1

c

s
•if

c
bo

o

25 th Jjin-
1816
17
\H
10
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
20
30
1st J^n.
1031
33
33

1

—

1
1

2
I
1

2

1
1
2
4
2
1
2
2

3
1

1

6
7
G
6
3
5
4
3
4
2
3
1
2

7

5

6
B
6

I
1

2
1

I
I

1

3
2
3

3
2
1

1
S

1
)
1
I

1

2

15
21
23
20
10
10
10
12
10
12
22
18
23
14
14

i;^

26
12

6
4
4
4
6
6
6

^
5
5

B

8
10

206
3»0
301
280
201

107

188
184
184
182
342
337
2<r2
280
265

36£>
440
286

166

HONDURAS.

Finances. — Revenue and Expenditure of Hon-
duras from 1807 to 1830 :—

1807

Ravetme.

Expenditure.

ism

Hevetiue.

Expenditure.

£r,Ma

£«.591

i;iA,9B7

£1G,30G

1»08

fi,005

5,170

18^0

17,24&

17,260

1S03

£,A29

&fM6

l&Sl

I2,3n6

U,(i2T

laiD

9,a;3

9.6U

1822

14,331

H,2*fG

Iflll

S,643

8,9 K]

18?3

19,?9+

20,U2

1»]?

fi^sao

G,312

1824

14,125

I4a«3

L8ia

5,4^a

£.548

1825

17,554

17,584

IHH

5h4H

fi,S29

182G

13,256

13,755

leifi

12,044

12,527

1827

17,415

17,5ti2

1316

10,G7S

9,270

182S

]0,C58

io,7eo

lai?

fipiea

a.t^B

1329

11.744

n,759

1819

lOpriui

18,193

TdUI.

L'5,fl73

I5,8{ffi

in4,A5d

104,435

180,14)7

]82,03&

The revenue of the colony, it will be perceived,
has considerably increased, and it affords another
example to the anti -colonial writers that there is no
drain (even in the unstatesmanlike mode of viewing
the subject) on the home exchequer. All duties and
taxes are levied under the authority of Acts passed
in the Legislative Meeting. The income is derived
from customs and shipping dues, poll-tax on horses
and cattle, domestic licenses, and tax on foreign
goods and foreign traders. The custom duties are
light, and amount on spirits, wines, and cordials, to
2s. per gallon.

The following detail of expenditure of this Settle-
ment for the year 1826, from its internal revenue,
will convey an idea to the British public of the dis-
bursements of the Balize treasury : —

His Majesty's Superintendant, 1000/.*; Public

^ All these items are Honduras currency.

CURRENCT COMMBRCB. 167

Treasurer and Collector, 1000/.; Colonial Agents,
869/. ; Chaplain to the Settlement, 420/. ; Endow-
ment to the Free School, 167/.; Public School
Master, Public School Mistress, Contractor for the
Light-House, 400/. ; Pensions to Paupers, 135/. ;
Physician to the Hospital, 150/. ; Housekeeper to
ditto, 60/. ; Keeper of the Militia Clothing, 184/. ;
Adjutant to the Militia, 49/. ; Overseer of Working
Party, Pay of Men in the Government Schooner,
75/. ; Church Clerk, 70/. ; Sexton, SOL— Total of
fixed annual charges, 4742/.

Contingent expenses incurred upon the adminis-
tration of justice and maintenance of the Gaol Esta-
blishment, 1811/.; for the Military Post at Tyger
Rim, up the river Balize, 185/.; Militia Establish-
ment, St. John's Church. 6740/. ; Public Works and
improvements in the town of Balize, 4102/. ; Mission
to Guatemala, Peten, and Bacalar, 414/.; extra-
ordinary and miscellaneous expenses, not enume-
rated under any particular head, 2498/. — ^Total ex-
pended in 1826, 13,755/.

Value in English money of the Spanish coins in
circulation : —

Gold. — Doubloon,5/. 6s.Sd,; haKditto,2/. ISsAd.;
qi^^er ditto, 1/. 6s. Sd. ; one-eighth ditto, lSs.4d, ;
one-sixteenth, 6s, Sd. currency,

SiLVBR.— Dollar, 6s. Sd.; half ditto, 3*. 4d.;
quarter ditto, 1*. Sd. ; one-eighth, lOd. ; one-six-
teenth, 5d. currency.

CoMMBRCB. — ^The trade of Honduras is as yet but
in its infancy, although exceeding haK a million
sterling annually. The value of the imports in 1830

168

HONDURAS.

was 234,379/. and of the exports, 316,151/. ; employ-
ing a shipping inwards, of tons, 13,918, and out-
wards, tons, 16,351, independent of a large coasting
trade, carried on by vessels of various burthen
belonging to the merchants at Balize. The following
is the shipping return for 1832 : —

PLACES.

Inwudt from

Outwards to

Shlp»

Tonft.

Meitn

Ships.

Ton 9.

Men.

Great Britaiia - - - ~
firitJEth Colonies - - -
Uufted Smti;li < * -
Foreign Stacks ^ _ _

Total - - ^ -

ti

4

11,^51

42
7

5

Jl,071
5 SI

&2\

Ij]

IMB^I mo

Hi

1MS5

^10

The aggregate burthen of the colonial shipping
amounted, in 1830, to 1551 tons, employing 285
seamen, and it has since increased.

The principal Articles of Export from 1824 to
1830, were—

Teaia.

MahugBJfiy.

Cedar.

Indij^o.

Feet.

Feet,

Ll>s.

18^4

5,57li,Bi9

2,4&3

IPS, 807

U25

jpOSSjOO

21,000

i\l,UT

18Sa

e,3S5,5i9

30J71

353,552

jm

6^304^998

19,78L

81,767

182^

5, 443 S, 809

1839

4f63^331

&1^

1.47+ ...

ISJO

4,&S&,96&

2,65D .„

General View. — I cannot conclude 4;his Chapter
without expressing my regret, that such an im-
portant settlement as Honduras should have been sa

GENERAL VIEW. 169

long neglected at home. It is valuable not only in
a political but in a commercial aspect ; inasmuch as
it opens to our trade new regions and countries,
while its rich and fertile lands await only the skilful
handicraft of the British emigrant to pour forth the
abundance of life. The eloquent annalist of Jamaica,
writing within the last two or three years, says, ' It
is but within the last few months that the town of
Peten, situated 260 miles west of Balize, at the head
of its magnificent river, has been exposed to specula-
tion, or even to our acquaintance. A road is now
open, and a lively intercourse with the British mer-
chants has arisen there. Fleets of Indian pit-pans
repair almost weekly to Balize, and return loaded
with articles of British manufacture. Peten, formerly
the capital of the Itzaec Indians, was one of the last
conquests of the Spaniards in ^ the year 1679. It
stands on an island in the centre of the extensive
fresh- water lake Itza, in lat. 16 N., long. 91.16 W.
Within 50 miles of it the enterprising spirit of the
British settler has already extended jthe search for
mahogany : and what may not be expected from a
people so industrious, so judicious, and so perse-
vering. The Itza is 26 leagues in circumference,
and its pure waters, to the depth of 30 fathoms,
produce the most excellent fish. The islands of
Sepet, Galves, Lopez, Bixit, and Coju, lie scattered
over its surface, and afford a delicious retreat to
10,000 inhabitants, who form part of the new re-
public of central America, within the spiritual juris-
diction of the Mexican diocese of Yucatan. The
fertile soil yields two harvests in the year, producing

170 HONDURAS.

maize, chiappa pepper, balsam, vanilla, cotton, indigo,
cocoa, cochineal, brazil wood, and the most exquisite
fruits, in wasteful abundance. Several navigable
rivers flowing thence are lost in the great Pacific,
and suggest an easy communication with the British
limits. Within ten leagues of the shores of the
Itza lake commences the ridge of the Alabaster
mountains, on whose surface glitter in vast profusion
the green, the brown, and the variegated jaspers,
while the forests are filled with wild and monstrous
beasts, the Equus Bisulcus, or Chinese horse, and
with tigers and lions, of a degenerated breed. Roads
diverge in all directions from this favoured spot, and
afifbrd an easy communication with a free channel for
British merchandize to San Antonio, to Chichanha,
San Benito, Tabasco, and even Campeachy ; while
throughout the whole country the most stupendous
timbers are abundant. The most valuable drugs,
balsams, and aromatic plants, grow wild ; and the
achiote, amber, copal, dragon's blood, mastic, and
almacigo, are everywhere to be gathered.'

As the South American republics become tranquil
and prosperous, Honduras will increase in political
and commercial importance.

F(M MtUBtgOUM-in

" — r

Vrf<*^'

r J ir >

^.Toi^?

\

BOOK III.
TRINIDAD.

CHAPTER I.

GEOGRAPHY — AREA — DISCOVERT — GENERAL HISTORY, &C.

Most favourably situate for commerce, maritime
strength, and political importance, at the mouths of
the mighty Oronoco, as if destined by nature to
form a barrier for restraining the impetuosity of its
rapid tides and currents *, — the picturesque and valu-
able island of Trinidad extends from latitude 9° S(f
to 10° 51' north, and longitude 60° 30' to 61° 20'
west; separated from the province of Cumana, on
the South American continent, by the gulf of Paria ;
ninety miles long by fifty broad, with all area of
2400 square miles, or 1,536,000 acres.

Christopher Columbus was the discoverer of Tri-
nidad, on the 31st July, 1498, during his third
voyage. According to some, it was named TWnidad
by that wonderful man, while distant thirteen leagues

^ The east mouth of the Orinoco, or Great Serpent, is about
nine miles wide.

172 TBINIDAD.

south-east from it, on account of the three moun-
tam tops seen in that position. According to others,
it was thus named, in conformity to the piety of the
times, in honour of the Holy Trinity. The island
was then densely peopled by Caribs, of a mild dispo-
sition, of much industry, finely formed, and of a
lighter colour than the aborigines or inhabitants of
the other islands. These people remained unmo-
lested until the Spaniards took possession of Trinidad
in 1588, when they fell a sacrifice to the cupidity
and religious bigotry of the Castilians, who, as in
Jamaica, drafted ofif to the mines those who escaped
a more sanguinary death by fire or the sword ; but a
few, indeed, were saved by the apostle of the New
World — ^the benign, the eloquent, the heroic Las
Casas 1, The occupying Spaniards forced the Indians
to cultivate, as servants, that which they once held
as masters, and negroes were brought in from Africa
to aid their labours. The chivalrous Sir Walter
Raleigh visited Trinidad in 1595, and states that the

* Mr. Burnly, a member of council for Trinidad, on perus-
ing my manuscript, has appended to it the following note : —
' I consider the accounts of the cruelties of the Spaniards to
be very apocryphal. The Indians died off because they
endured no labour, which must have been the opinion of Las
Casas, who first recommended the introduction of Africans —
certainly not for the purpose of being worked to death.'
Unfortunately for the memory of the Spaniards of those days,
their demoniac cruelties were attested by too many eye-wit-
nesses to admit of doubt. The Indians were drafted by their
tyrants from the islands to work on the main land ; and the
object of Las Casas, in recommending the introduction of
Africans, was to save the Indians from total destruction.

NEGLECTED AT FIRST BT THE SPANIARDS. 173

inhabitants then cultivated excellent tobacco and
sugar-canes. The Spaniards, to divert his attention,
described to him the El Dorado, where the rivers
were full of .gold dust; but, on Raleigh's return
from exploring the Orinoco, he entered into a treaty
with the Indians (then at mortal enmity with the
Spaniards), marched with them, attacked and carried
by assault the capital of San Josef, and put the
garrison of thirty men to the sword. The English
government disowned this act of hostilities; yet
Spain paid little attention to her valuable possession,
being then fully occupied with conquests on the con-
tiguous continent. In 1676, Trinidad was captured
by the French, but almost immediately restored to
Spain. The population and trade of Trinidad were
subsequently almost extinguished ; and, in 1783, the
island contained but a very small number of inhabit
tants, considering its long settlement^ ; while its sole
commerce consisted in bartering cocoa and indigo for
coarse cloths and agricultural implemerts with the
smugglers from St. Eustatia. The severing of the
British provinces in North America from the mother
country, and the fear that the Castilian dominions in
South America would follow the example thus set them,
induced the council of the Indies at Madrid to lend
a willing ear to an enterprising planter, named Saint
Laurent, who had visited Trinidad, from Grenada,
and thence proceeded home to enlighten the Spanish
government as to its true interests, not merely in

•* Viz. whites, 126; free coloured, 295; slaves, 310; and
Indians, 2032.

174 TRINIDAD.

reference to the fertility of the island, but as a oom<*
mercial emporium at the mouths of the Orinoco, as
also in regard to the numerous advantages of its
geographical position in a political point of view.
The ministers entered actively into the views of
Saint Laurent ; many embarrassments under which
Trinidad laboured, with respect to its commerce and
agriculture, were removed; an edict was passed,
permitting all foreigners of the Roman Catholic
religion to establish themselves in the colony, and
they were protected for five years from being pur-
sued for debts incurred in the places the new colo-
nists had quitted. In consequence of these measures,
and owing to the indomitable energies of Laurent, as
also to the disturbed state of St. Domingo, which
drove numerous planters with their slaves from that
island, crowds of adventurers and abundance of
capital poured into Trinidad from Europe, from con-
tinental America, and from the British and French
possessions in the west, bringing their industry,
skill, and perhaps ill-gotten wealth (the property of
numerous creditors, who could not touch them for
five years), for the benefit of their new home.

In 1787, M. de la Perouse established the first
sugar plantation ; and, in 1797, there were 159 large
sugar plantations, 130 coffee farms, 60 cocoa ditto,
and 103 cotton ditto, besides many small planta-
tions ; the whole yielding 7800 hds. of sugar, 330,000
lbs. of coffee, 96,000 lbs. of cocoa, and 224,000 lbs.
of cotton. And while, in 1783, a Dutch house at
St. £ustatia carried on all the commerce of the
colony in a vessel of 150 tons burthen, in 1802 the

BRITISH CAPTURE OF TRINIDAD. 175

island employed 15,000 tons of shipping for the
transport of its produce. Such have ever been the
beneficial effects of relieving the industry of man
from shackles and impediments on free intercourse
with his fellows.

The number of inhabitants (see Chap, on Popu-
lation) rapidly increased ; and as a mixed society,
containing the germs of so many evil passions,
required vigorous control, a strong government was
formed under Don Josef Chacon, a naval captain,
one of whose earliest measures was the expulsion of
the dissolute monks, the abolition of the demo-
niacal inquisition, the grantmg of fertile lands to
new colonists, with advances from the royal treasury
to purchase cattle and implements of husbandry, and
the providing freedom and safety for mercantile spe-
culations. The revolution in France, and the dis-
turbances in her colonies, added numbers and wealth
to Trinidad ; the whole face of the island was
changed ; and, in four years, the magnificent capital
of Port of Spain usurped the place of a few miser-
able fishers' palm-leaved huts. Trinidad was then a
sixth dependent on the government of Caraccas.

On the 16th of February, 1797, Admiral Harvey,
with four sail of the line, appeared off Trinidad. The
Spanish rear-admiral, Apodaca, who then anchored
at Chagaramus with three first-rate ships of the line
and a fine frigate, instead of giving battle to Harvey,
burnt his ships, retreated to Port of Spain, reciting
his rosary at the head of a band of priests. '* Well,
admiral," said Chacon, " all is lost — ^you have burnt
your ships." " No," said the gallant and pious

176 TRINIDAD.

admiral, " I have saved the image of San Jago of
Compostella, the patron of my ship and myself," —
exhibiting the image of the saint ! General Sir
Ralph Abercrombie, ynth 4000 men, marched to
Port of Spain, and, after a few discharges of artil-
lery, Trinidad by capitulation became a British co-
lony. The fleet under Admiral Harvey consisted of
the Prince of Wales, 98 guns ; Invincible, 74 ; Alfred*
74 ; Bellona, 74 ; Vengeance, 74 ; Scipio, 64 ;
Dictator, 64 ; Alarm, 32 ; Arethusa, 38 ; Favourite,
16; Pelican, 18; Thorn, 16; La Victorieuse, 12;
the Terror Bomb, 8 ; with three transports. Five
hundred and seventy- seven Spanish soldiers were
taken in the garrison, 91 naval officers, 581 and
1032 seamen; and six French officers and fifty sick
men in the hospital. The Spanish ships burnt and
taken were — the San Vincent, 84 ; the Gallarado,
74 ; Arrogante, 74 ; and San Cecilia, 36 ; all burnt ;
— the San Damaso, 74, taken. Private property
was inviolate, and the free exercise of their religion
secured to the inhabitants.

The subsequent history of Trinidad is of no im-
portance to this work.

CHAPTER IT.

PHYSICAL ASPECT^MOUNTAINS — RIVERS, LAKES, HARBOURS,
&C. — GEOLOGY AND SOIL — MINERAL KINGDOM — VOLCANOES
— MUD AND PITCH LAKES — CLIMATE, &C.

Trinidad appears at a distance like an immense
ridge of rocks along its whole north front ; but, on
entering the Gulf of Paria, the mind is imbued with
intense emotions on beholding one of the most mag-
nificent, variegated, richly luxuriant panoramas that
nature ever formed. To the east, the waves of the
mighty Orinoco dispute for the empire of the ocean
with contending billows ; the lofty mountains of
Cumana rise from the bosom of the horizon in stu-
pendous majesty ; and on the west appear the cape,
headlands, mountains, hills, valleys, and plains of
Trinidad, enamelled with eternal verdure, and pre-
senting a coup-d'ail of which the old world affords
no parallel. The view from the block-house is mag-
nificent, the deep blue waters of the gulf, with the
white- sailed light canoes in the distance ; to the left,
the splendid capital of Trinidad ; in front, the moun-
tains of Cumana ; and, on the right, the picturesque
valley of Diego Martin, extending across the island
to the Atlantic, with its carefully cultivated fields

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. N

1 78 TRINIDAD.

and deep-foliaged woods. The batteries of Fort
George rise in succession, from the gulf-shores to
the barracks, 1200 feet above the level of the sea.
This fort commands the pass leading to Diego Mar-
tin's Valley ; and, in the event of a war, a few judi-
ciously disposed fortifications at the other entrances
to the interior of the country would render the
island impregnable. The entrenchments are elevated
along several ridges, and round backed divisions,
with a variety of surface, some parts of which are
sufficiently flat for the erection of military works ;
and on the best of these, at the elevation of 1000
feet, is the Blockhouse Barracks, calculated for 200
men. Fort George is inaccessible from behind, and
not commanded by any hill in its neighbourhood ;
it is admirably fortified by batteries that are disposed,
as it were, along the two sides of an acute-angled
triangle, terminating on a point at the Blockhouse
redoubt ; each commands the other, according to the
isituation in which they are placed. A range of
shghtly elevated mountains occupy the north coast ;
a group of finely wooded flat or round-topped hills
the centre ; and a chain of fertile evergreen downs
the south coast of the island. The fecundity of the
soil, its gigantic and magnificent vegetation (com-
pared with which the loftiest European trees are like
dwarfish shrubs, and our loveliest flowers appear pale
and inanimate,) its beautiful rivers, enchanting slopes,
forests of palms, groves of citrons, and hedges of
spices and perfumes, its succulent roots, delicious
herbs and fruits, abundant and nourishing food on
the earth, in the air, and in the water ; — in fine, its

PORT OF SPAIN. 179

azure skies, deep blue seas, fertile glades, and elastic
atmosphere, have each and all combined to crown
Trinidad with the appellation of the Indian Paradise,

Puerto d'Espana, or Port of Spain, the capital of
Trinidad, embosomed in an amphitheatre of hills, is
one of the finest towns in the West Indies. The
numerous buildings are of an imposing appearance,
and constructed of massive cut stone. No houses
are allowed to be erected of wood, or independent of
a prescribed form ; the streets are wide, long, shaded
with trees, and laid out in parallel lines from the
land to the sea, intersected but not intercepted by
cross streets, thus catching every breeze that blows ;
and, as in most tropical countries, there is a delight-
ful embowered public walk. Among the principal
buildings the Protestant church stands conspicuously
and beautifully situate, with a large enclosed lawn in
front, surrounded on two sides by the best houses of
the capital. The interior of the church is superb,
and at the same time elegant, its sweeping roof and
aisleless sides being variegated with the veuious rich
woods of the island, tastefully arranged. There is
also a splendid Roman Catholic church, and well
situate. An extensive market-place, with market-
house and shambles, all built since the burning of
the town in 1808, of handsome cut stone, add to
the beauty and convenience of the city.

Port of Spain is divided into barrios or dis-
tricts, each under the superintendence of alcaides or
magistrates and officers, who are responsible for the
cleanliness of the streets, for the regulating and
order of the markets, and for the due execution of
n2

180 TRINIDAD.

the law in their several divisions : hence the policy
and good order established in the capital are admir-
able. The St. James* barracks, for the accommoda-
tion of 600 men, are substantially, and I may add
splendidly erected, on a fine plain about a mile from
the capital.

Mountains. — ^The highest range of land (about
3000 feet) is to the north, near the sea. In the
centre of the isle is a less elevated group of moim-
tains; to the south a series of lovely hills and
mounds appear, in delightful contrast to the northern
shore ; and, as on the contiguous coast of Cumana,
the chain of mountains in the north of Trinidad runs
east and west. Las Cuevas has a double summit,
with a magnificent platform in the centre, from
which there is a view of the ocean east and west.
Four delightful -valleys, watered by numerous rivu-
lets, enhance the beauty of this charming landscape.

Rivers. — On the west coast the principal navi-
gable streams are, the Caroni, Chaguanas, Barran-
cones, Couva, Guaracara, and Sissaria. The first
is navigable from its mouth in the gulf to its junc-
tion with the Aripo, also navigable, a distance of
six leagues. The Guanaba, like the Aripo, flows
into the Caroni, but has less water. There are
many other streams on the west coast, which, being
navigable for small trading vessels, afford great faci-
lities for the cultivation of land and the transport of
its produce. The north and east coasts are well
furnished with rivers and rivulets of pure and crys-
talline water ; the principal on the east coast are the
' Eio Grande, Oropuche, and Nariva — called by the

HARBOURS AND BAYS. 18l

Creoles Mitan, from its flowing through a grove of
cocoa trees. This latter, has been sailed up seven
and a half leagues, and found navigable for a 250
ton ship, at less than a league from its source.
Guatavo, to windward of the island, is large, but
not navigable to any great extent for more than
small boats ; further south is the fine river Moruga^;
while in every direction limpid brooks run murmur-
ing over pebbly beds to the ocean, through lofty
forests and the most picturesque scenery.

It has been proposed to cut a canal between the
Aripo and the Oropuche, which discharges itself on
the east coast of the island, where the navigation is
difficult and the anchorage insecure, when the winds
are northerly or easterly. Thus a safe communica-
tion would be established between the two coasts of
Trinidad, and be the means of bringing into cultiva-
tion a great quantity of fertile land.

Harbours and Bays. — ^The Gulf of Paria, formed
by the west shore of Trinidad and the opposite coast
of Cumana (which is thirty leagues long, and fifteen
ditto from north to south), may be said to form one
vast harbour, as ships may anchor all over the gulf
in from three to six-fathom water, on gravel and
mud soundings. The principal ports are, first, the
harbour of Port Royal, Chagaramus, on the north-
west peninsula of the island, at the entrance of the

^ The rivers on the east coast, especially that of Moruga,
have abundance of excellent oysters attached to the stems and
branches of the mangrove bushes, as I found them on the
shores of Africa, where our sailors used to say it was the first
time they ever saw such fruit on trees*

182 TRINIDAD.

north moutli, three leagues west of Port of Spain,
and comprehending a space of about seventy square
miles. It is esteemed the best and safest port in the
island, is capable of receiving the largest ships of
war, has from four to forty fathom soundings of
gravel and mud, or ouze, with bold and steep north-
em shores.

Port of Spain, on the west coast, which gives its
name to the capital, is the next best harbour, and
has one of the most extensive bays in the world.
The surrounding fortified heights completely com-
mand the town ; and a fine stone quay, running
several hundred yards into the sea, has a strong
battery at its extremity. All the west coast is a
series of bays where vessels may anchor in safety at
all times. The Careenage, not having more than
two to four fathoms, is only fit for small vessels ;
and Caspar Grande is an islet within the mouths,
where the Spanish ships of war were wont to anchor
under the safeguard of a battery intended for the
protection of the passage. The northern and eastern
coasts are not equally well furnished with harbours
and roadsteads, which is the more to be regretted as
the wind blows for three-fourths of the year from
the east and north. The principal ports to the north
are Maqueribe and Las Cuevas, .where fort Aber-
crombie is situate ; to the north east are the ports of
Rio Grande, Toco, and Cumana; on the east is
Balandra Bay, or Boat Island, where safe anchorage
may at all times be found for small vessels ; further
east are Guiascreek and Mayaro Bay. The safest
port on the east coast is Guaiguaire, from its being

THB BOCAS GBOLOOY. 183

sheltered by a point of land against east winds, and
its entrance to the south, from which the winds are
neither frequent nor violent.

The Bocas, or mouths of the north entrances of
the Gulf of Paria, are four : — Boca Grande, or great
channel ; Boca de Navios, or ships' channel ; Boca
Nuevos, or egg or umbrella channel, from the
appearance of a remarkable tree, growing upon a
rock on the lee side, much resembling an umbrella ;
and the Boca de Monas, or apes' channel. In sail*
ing for the Port of Spain, vessels generally pass
through one of these passages into the Gulf of
Paria. The currents must be particularly attended
to, and the navigation is very intricate *.

Geology. — ^Trinidad, as viewed from the Gulf of
Paria, presents an alluvial coimtry in an active state
of formation ; the primitive foundations of the land,
arranged in a form nearly semilunar, incline as with
Outstretched arms to receive into their bosoms the
greater portion of the alluvies from the mouths of
the mighty Orinoco ; the currents, deeply charged
with this alluvial soil, drive along the cliffy sides of
the northern ridge and southern shores (from which
they borrow in their course), to deposit their lading
at the bottom of the gulf, where the metropoUs, at
the base of its beautiful mountain, stands. The
tides, which there rise higher by several feet than in
any other part of the West Indies, flow muddy and
foul, and ebb with elear waters, which may be seen

^ For sailing directions, &c., see the large edition of this
work.

184 TRINIDAD.

at some distance from the shore ; each extent of new
formation being marked by muddy banks of man-
grove bushes. In this way, Port of Spain (like, as
Dr. Ferguson says of the ancient Ostia, that was
built upon the sea) may become in time an inland
city, the metropolis of many other to^«ntts built on
the fertile and flourishing country.

It has been observed, that the land encroaching
on the sea on the coast south-west of Trinidad in-
creases the territorial extent of the island ; and at
some distant day the Gulf of Paria will, probably,
be a mere channel for the conveyance of the waters
of the Orinoco and Guarapiche to the ocean.

The island is evidently a section of the opposite
continent, formed either by a volcanic eruption or
oceanic irruption — the same strata of earth, the same
rocks, fossils, &c. are common to both. The nucleus
of the mountains is a very dense argillaceous schis-
tus, becoming laminated and friable when exposed
to the atmosphere, and changing to micaceous schis-
tus in the inferior layers and near the beds of rivers ;
in the interstices of which latter, particularly to the
northward, are found great quantities of sulphureous
pyrites in cubic crystals. There is no granite on the
island, while the Caribbean chain of mountains are
principally composed of that substance ; but blocks
of milky quartz, of different sizes, are found in every
valley, beneath which there is frequently to be found
a light layer of sulphate of lime ; on the precipitous
sides of the mountains, washed by the torrents, may
be seen layers of a coarse argile, mixed with ferru-
ginous sand. Thus the absence of calcareous masses

THB CUMANA AND CARIBB£AN MOUNTAINS. 185

in Trinidad, Tobago, and Cumana, offers a strong
geological contrast to the Antilles or Caribbean
Mountains. Gypsum and limestone are rare in
Trinidad. One quarry of calcareous carbonate, si-
tuate at the foot of a hill near the Port of Spain, is
mixed with veins of silex and heterogeneous sub-
stances. Considerable quantities of pulverating feld-
spar are found on the rising ground, washed by the
rains, near the Guapo mouth and on its left banks.
The micaceous schistus has sometimes a transition
into talcous schistus, thus giving an unctuous appear-
ance to the soil. Near the coast are found rocks of
a bluish calcareous nature, veined with white calca-
reous carbonate, crystallized, rather hard, and resting
on coagulated clay, with pebbles of primitive rocks.
The magnetic needle indicates the presence of iron
in many rocks ; but volcanic convulsions have pro-
duced different effects from similar eruptions in
Europe : thus gjrpsum is found abounding in sulphur,
and pyrites mingled with granite. No vestiges of
organic bodies have been discovered. Maritime and
land shells (many of unknown and extinct species)
are found in the great alluvial plains ; and although
madrepore are drifted on the coast, no coral banks
exist. On the surface of the soil of the valleys where
rivers run, rounded pebbles are observed ; but in the
plains they disappear : this is particularly the case
on the east and very rare on the west coast. There
are several extensive valleys and plains of a deep and
fertile argillaceous vegetative earth, without a rock
or even pebble to be seen.

Volcanoes. — ^There are several craters in Trini-

186 TRINIDAD.

dad. South of Cape Dela Brea is a submarine vol-^
cano, which occasionally boils up and discharges a
quantity of petreolum ; in the east part of the island
and Bay of Mayaro is another, which, in March and
June, gives several detonations resembling thunder ;
these are succeeded by flames and smoke, and, some
minutes after, pieces of bitumen, as black and bril-
liant as jet, are thrown on shore. Near the forests
of Point Icacos, on the summit of a hill of argilla-
ceous clay, M. Levyasse found a great number of
little mounds, about two feet high, whose truncated
and open-coned tops exhaled a gas smelling like
sulphurated hydrogen ; one cone, of six feet high,
on the most elevated part of the hill, continually
discharged whitish matter, of an aluminous taste;
a sound was heard, indicating a fluid in a continual
state of agitation, and globules of an elastic gas
evaporated continually; the scum at the top was
cold ; four poles, measuring sixty feet, did not- touch
the bottom, and disappeared on being let go. There is
neither stone nor sand within the circumference of a
league of the cone ; but handsome rounded pebbles
were found round the hill, together with small calca-
reous stones, encrusted with sulphur of a prismatic
form. Contiguous to this crater, and encompassed
by a marsh of mangroves, which communicate with
the sea, is another hillock, with a circular shallow
cavity full of a boiling liquid like alum ; a dull sub-
terraneous sound was heard, the earth was found to
tremble under the feet of the explorers, and two
poles pushed into the crater disappeared in an in-
stant; detonations like distant cannon are heard

7

VOLCANOES. 187

every year, in the month of March. It is remark-
able that earthquakes, felt violently in the Antilles in
1797, were not perceived at Trinidad or in Comana ;
and when the latter province was shortly after
desolated by terrible earthquakes, the shocks were
slightly felt in Trinidad, but not at all in the
Antilles.

Mud Volcanoes. — Forty miles south of the Pitch
Lake (vide Mineral Kingdom), are several mud vol-
canoes, in a plain not more than four feet above the
general surface; the largest is about 150 feet in
diameter, and has boiling mud constantly bub-
bling, but never overflowing, remaining constantly
within the surface of the crater. When the old
craters cease to act, new ones invariably appear in
the vicinity; thus resembling the mud volcanoes
witnessed by Humboldt. Some of the mud volca-
noes throw out salt water, heavily loaded with argil-
laceous earth. During the hottest months of the dry
season, cold mud is thrown to the height of thirty
feet, and the volcano is unapproachable to within
fifty paces. The following detailed description of
this extraordinary phenomenon is worthy of pe-
rusal 1 : —

* They are situated near Point Icaque, the southern
extremity of the island, on an alluvial tongue of land
that has been appended to the primitive rocks,
where, no doubt, the land originally terminated.

^ I am indebted to the scientific observation of Dr. William
Fergusson for this account — an officer whose valuable commu-
nications to the Army Medical Department evince a very high
range of talent

188 TRINIDAD.

This appendage is ' several miles in length, and
points directly into one of the mouths of the
Orinoco, on the main land, about twelve or fifteen
miles off.

* We landed nearly opposite to where we were
told we should find the mud volcanoes, and, after
making our way about five miles across, the sandy
isthmus, we came upon two plantations, very plea-
santly situated, amidst a group of remarkably round
little hills, each from eighty to one hundred feet in
height. Our path, on leaving these, led us through
some very thick wood of tall trees, till we found
ourselves again upon a pretty steep regular ascent,
which had nothing remarkable in it except th^ dimi-
nishing height of the trees as we went up. Only
the tops of those trees, which were of the kind that
usually grow near lagoons and salt marshes, at last
appeared above the ground, as we opened a perfectly
uniform round bare platform of several acres, with
different chimneys in the shape of truncated cones,
the highest of them not exceeding three feet, some
of which were throwing out, with a strong bubbling
noise, salt water, about as salt as that of the Gulf
of Paria, loaded, as much as it could be to preserve
its fluidity, with argillaceous earth. In some of the
chimneys this went on slowly, or not at all; in
others it might be called a pretty active cold ebulli-
tion. The surface of the platform round the chim-
neys was perfectly firm ; and one of our party picked
up a white sea-shell, of the turbinated kind, in the
act of being thrown out along with the mud.

* We afterwards procured various pyritic fragment^

CONTIGUOUS COUNTRY TO THE VOLCANOES. 189

that had been picked up in a similar manner — ^bnt
the inhabitants of the quarter assured us that the
ebullition, even during its greatest activity, was quite
cold. The smooth circular platform was bounded
by a perfectly regular parapef of clay, about three
feet in height, propped up as it were by the tops of
the trees, that like shrubs were shooting out of the
ground immediately behind it. This appearance was
most likely to be referred to the buried trees around
having had time to shoot out in the interval between
the two last great eruptions, which take place only
during the hottest months of the dry seasons, and
then the noise is described to be like the loudest
cannon ; the mud being thrown up to the height of
at least thirty feet in the air, and the theatre of the
eruption being unapproachable within fifty paces.

* Close to the first volcano, but in a much more
low and sunk situation, is another of precisely the
same appearance and character, with only a narrow
ravine between the two.

* Such an extraordinary phenomenon induced us
to examine the neighbouring mounts of the cleared
country, close to which stands the residence of Mons.
Chancelier, a French planter ; and we found them all
(except with regard to the eruption) to possess the
same form and composition, in all respects, as those
we had just quitted. The platform and parapet were
easily distinguishable ; the chimneys only were gone,
but small pits were left in their places, filled with
mud, from which air bubbles rose, even under
our own observation ; and our conductor, the intelli-
gent manager of the estate, told us that when these

190 TRINIDAD.

rose in salt water, a fresh eruption was to be appre-
hended. He pointed out the former site of his
master's residence, half up the mount, which had
been destroyed by one of these erup^ons, after a
period of cessation so long that no record remained
of the one that had preceded it ; and he assured us
that, during the period he had lived there (fourteen
years) the largest mount now in activity had gained
a very considerable increase of height.

' The magnificent isolated mountain of Tamanace,
in the centre of the great eastern marsh, unconnected
with any chain of hills, and at an immense distance
on every side from what may be called terra firma,
may be supposed, till examined, to have arisen from
the plain through the means of some similar labo-
ratory in the works of nature.'

Mineral Kingdom. — The precious metals have
not been found in Trinidad, but the magnet discovers
iron in the greater part of its rocks and pebbles ; a
very brilliant white metal (specific gravity ten) more
ductile and malleable than silver, has been found,
and M. Vauqueline thought it either a new metal, or
composed of several others. Crystals of sulphate of
copper have been found encrusted with alum among
flints, as also arsenic with sulphurated barytes for a
matrix. Schistus plumbago has been discovered,
and near it a mine of coal, about five miles from the
sea-shore. But the most remarkable mineral pheno-
menon is the Asphaltum, or Pitch Lake, situate on
the leeward side of the island, on a small peninsula,
jutting into the sea about two miles (opposite the
Parian Mountains on the Continent), and elevated

BXTRAORDINART PITCH LAKB. 191

eighty feet above the level of the ocean. The head-
land on which it is situate, when seen from the sea,
resembles a dark scoriaceous mass ; but, when more
closely examined, it is found to consist of bituminous
scoriae, vitrified sand, and earth, all cemented to-
gether. In some places beds of cinders are found ;
and a strong sulphureous smell pervades the ground
to the distance of eight or ten miles from the lake,
and is felt on approaching the shore.

The lake is boimded on the N. W. by the sea, on
the S. by a rocky eminence, and on the E. by the
usual argillaceous soil of the country ; it is nearly
circular, and better than half a league in length, and
the same in breadth, occupying the highest part of
the point of land which shelves into the sea, from
which it is separated by a margin of wood. The va-
riety and extraordinary mobility of this phenomenon
is very remarkable, groups of beautiful shrubs and
flowers, tufts of wild pine-apples and aloes, swarms
of magnificent butterflies and brilliant hummingbirds
enliven a scene, which would be an earthly represen-
tation of Tartarus without them. With regard to
mobility, where a small islet has been seen on an even-
ing, a gulf is found on the following morning, and,
on another part of the lake, a pitch islet has sprung
up to be in its turn adorned with the most luxuriant
vegetation, and then again engulphed ! Near Cape
La Brea, to the S. W. (the place where this lake is)
Captain Mallet observed a gulf or vortex, which, in
stormy weather, gushes out, raising the water five or
six feet, and covering the surface for a considerable

192 TRINIDAD.

space with the bituminous substance. A similar gvM
is said to be on the east coast, at the bay of Mayaro.

The usual consistence and appearance of the
asphaltum (except in hot weather, when it is actually
hquid an inch deep) is that of pit coal, but of a
greyish colour, melting like sealing-wax, ductile by
a gentle heat, and, when mixed with grease, oil, or
common pitch, acquiring fluidity, and well adapted
for preserving the bottoms of ships against the
destructive effects of the worm termed the teredo
navalis. Sometimes the asphaltum is found jet
black and hard, breaking into a dull conchoidal frac-
ture, but, in general, it may be readily cut, when
its interior appears oily and vesicular.

Deep crevices or funnels, inclining to a conic form,
and sometimes six feet deep, are found in various
parts of the asphaltum, (pitch,) filled with excellent
limpid running water, and often containing a great
quantity of mullet and small fish. Alligators even
are said to have been seen in these extraordinary
chasms. The bottoms of some of these canals are
so liquid that marked poles thrust in disappear, and
have been found a few days after on the sea-shore !

Pieces, of what was once wood, are found com-
pletely changed into bitumen ; and the trunk of a
large tree, on being sawn, was entirely impregnated
with petreolum. Where the petreolum mixes with
the earth, it tends greatly to fertilize it, and the
finest fruits in the colony come from districts border-
ing on this singular lake; the pine-apples, in par-
ticular, being less fibrous, more aromatic, and of a

VIEW AROUND THE PITCH LAKE. 193

deeper golden colour than are to be had any where
else.

A very intelligent and enterprising traveller (to
whom the author is indebted for many valuable
observations,) Captain Sir J. E. Alexander, furnishes
the following graphic account of his observations on
this extraordinary phenomenon.

The western shore of the island, for about twenty
miles, is quite flat, and richly wooded ; and though
only one or two houses are perceptible from the sea,
the interior is well cultivated, and several small
rivers, which empty themselves into the Gulf of
Paria, a£ford great facility for the transport oi sugar
to ships that anchor off their embouchures. As
Naparima is approached, and the singular mountain
(at the foot of which San Fernandez is situated,) is
plainly distinguished, the shore assumes a more
smiling aspect. Here, one sees a noble forest ; there,
a sheet of bright green points out a cane-field. Cocoa
nuts and palm trees are sprinkled over the landscape,
and now and then a weU-built house, close to the
water's edge, appears, with a verdant lawn extending
from it to the sea, and the ground sometimes broken
into sinuosities, and then slightly undulating. The
beauty of this part of Trinidad is very great, though
from some undrained swamps poisonous malaria
exhales. At Point La Brea are seen masses of
pitch, which look like black rocks among the foliage.
At the small hamlet of La Braye, a considerable
extent of coast is covered with pitch, which runs a
long way out to sea, and forms a bank under water.
The pitch lake is situated on the side of a hill, eighty

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. O

194 TRINIDAD.

feet above the level of the sea, from wMch it is dis^
tant three quarters of a mile. A gradual ascent leads
to it, which is covered with pitch in a hard state,
and trees and vegetation flourish upon it. The road
leading to the lake runs through a wood, and, on
emerging from it, the spectator stands on the borders
of what at the first glance appears to be a lake, con-
taining many wooded islets, but which, on a second
examination, proves to be a sheet of asphaltum>
intersected throughout by crevices three or four feet
deep, and full of water. The pitch at the sides of
the lake is perfectly hard and cold, but as one walks
towards the middle with the shoes off, in order to
wade through the water, the heat gradually increiases,
the pitch becomes softer and softer, until at last. it. is
seen boiling up in a liquid state, and the soles of the
feet become so heated that it is necessary to dance
up and down in the most ridiculous manner. The
air is then strongly impregnated with bitumen and
sulphur, and the impression of the feet is left upon
the face of the pitch. During the rainy season it is
possible to walk over the whole lake nearly, but in
the hot season a great part is not to be approached.
Although several attempts have been made to ascer-
tain the depth of the pitch, no bottom has ever been
found. The lake is about a mile and half in circum-
ference; and not the least extraordinary circumstance
is that it should contain eight or ten small islands,
on which trees are growing close to the boiling pitch.
In standing still on the lake near the centre, the
surface gradually sinks, forming a sort of bowl as it
were ; and when the shoulders become level with the

USBS OF THB TRINIDAD PITCH. 195

lake, it is high time to get out. Some time ago a
ship of war landed casks to fill ydth the pitch, for
the pmpose of transporting it to England ; the casks
were rolled on the lake, and the hands commenced
filling, but a piratical craft appearing in the offing,
the frigate, with all hands, went in chase ; on re-
turning to the lake, all the casks had sunk and dis-
appeared^ There is a metallic substance thrown
up by the pitch fountains, much resembling copper
ore. Science is at a loss to account for this extra-
ordinary phenomenon, for the lake does not seem to
occupy the mouth of an exhausted crater, neither is
the hill on which it is situated of volcanic origin, for
its basis is clay. The flow of pitch from the lake
has been immense ; the whole country round, except
near the Bay of Grappo, which is protected by a hill,
being covered with it, and it seems singular that no
eruption has taken place within the memoiy of man,
although the principle of motion still exists in the
centre of the lake. The appearance of the pitch
which has hardened, is as if the whole surface had

^ I am indebted to the personal courtesy of Major-General
Sir Lewis Grant, late Governor of Trinidad, for the following
curious fact : — * The pitch of the lake has been adopted for
the improvement of the roads, particularly in the fertile dis-
trict of Naparima, where it was brought for the purpose from
La Brea. In the wet season the roads at Naparima are almost
impassable in those parts where there has been no application
of the pitch ; but where the pitch has been applied, which is
the case for several miles in North Naparima, there is a hard
surface formed, which makes transport comparatively easy,
both from the support afforded, and from the little friction of
the hardened pitch. — L. G.' [R. Montgomery Martin.]
o 2

196 TBINIDAD.

boiled up in large bubbles, and then suddenly cooled;
but where the asphaltum is still liquid* the surface is
perfectly smooth. Many experiments have been
made to ascertain whether the pitch could be applied
to any useful purpose. Admiral Cochrane sent two
ship loads of it to England, but, after a variety of
experiments, it was found necessary, in order to
render it fit for use, to mix such a quantity of oil
with it that the expense of oil alone exceeded the
price of pitch in England. Another attempt was
made by a company, styled the Pitch Company, who
sent out an agent from England, but finding Admiral
Cochrane had faQed, and feeling convinced any
further attempt would be useless, he let the matter
drop.

Climate. — ^The dry and rainy seasons into which
the tropical year is distinguished are more marked in
Trinidad than in the Antilles. The dry season com-
mences with the month of December, and ends with
that of May, the E., N. E., and N. winds then
become less cool, the heat increases, and is at its
height by the end of June, storms commence, and
augment in frequency and violence during August
and September, and in October they occur almost
daily, accompanied by showers of rain. There is
seldom any faU of rain during the night, but a heavy
shower without wind usually precedes sun-rise by
half an hour during the season. Hurricanes are un-
known in Trinidad or Tobago.

The hygrometer varies much in different seasons ;
during the rainy season it is usually between 85 and
90 ; in the spring between 36 and 38 in the day.

PURB AND WHOLBSOMB ATMOSPHERB. 197

and about 50 at night ; on an average, there falls
about sixty-two inches of water during the winter,
and about ten inches (including the heavy dews,
which may be estimated at six inches) during the
spring. The October rains are very gentle; in
November they are less frequent and more slight ;
and ft-om the end of December to the beginning of
June of some years, there does not fedl a drop of
rain during the day. As the island has become
cleared, the quantity of rain falling has diminished.

During even the hot and stormy season the
thermometer rarely stands at Port of Spain before
sun-rise so high as 74 (and in the country occasion-
ally as low as 68^) ; from sun-rise to sun- set 84 to
86, falling in the evening to 82 or 80 ; in August
and September, when the air is saturated with mois-
ture, the mercury rises sometimes to 90, rarely above
that height. When during the winter there is wind
with the rain, the mornings are less hot, as are also
the evenings, when the rain has been preceded by
thunder during the day ; but the temperature of the
whole island varies with the elevation above the sea
and the aspect of the place, especially in spring,
when the thermometer descends to 60, and some-
times to 50, in places of moderate elevation ; on the
whole it is less moist than Guiana, and not so dry
as Cumana, and being an island, the winds are more
constant, and the atmosphere therefore more fre-

* From the coolness of the night, it is the ordinary custom
to have a blanket folded up at the foot of the bed to draw up
when necessary, during a residence in the country or in the
high lands.

198

TRINIDAD.

quently renovated. The valleys of Santa Anna, of
Maraval, Diego Martin, Aricagoa, and the heights
of St. Joseph, to the N. W., as also the valleys on
the north coast, enjoy a mild temperature, and their
inhabitants breathe during nearly the whole year a
fresh, pure, and very elastic air, by reason of the
simultaneous action of the evaporation of rains, dews,
and winds, on the well-known eastern principle, by
which liquids are cooled, and even ice formed, by
solar evaporation or exposure to a current of air.
The beneficial and abundant dews (arising from the
numerous rivers of the island, and surrounding ocean)
cool and invigorate the atmosphere, and give a
vigorous luxuriance to the vegetation of an isle,
which were it otherwise would be nearly barren.
The following table aflfords a Meteorological Register
of Port of Spain : —

MONTHS.

THERM.

WINDS.

OBSERVATIONS.

January ..

81 to

72

E.E.N.E.&E.S.E.

Cloudy and rainy.

February .

83 -

E. and E.N.E.

Ditto, nights dewy.

March ...

84 '

Ditto

Fine, dry, and pleasaQt.

April

84 -

E.N.E.

Invigorating breezes.

May

81 -

S.E. E.N.E.

Strong ditto, some thund.

June

82 -

E.S.E. and E.N.E.

Close and rainy, ditto.

July

84 -

E.N.E.

Stormy, lightning, rainy.

August ...

86 -

E.S.E.

SquaUy, ditto.

September

86 -

E.S.E.

Heavy rains, thunder, and
lightning.

October ...

84 -

E.S.E.

Strong breezes.

November

85 -

E. and E.N.E.

Fine, hot occasionally.
Cool, sometimes chilly.

December

82 -

E. and E.N.E.

CHAPTER III.

VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS — ICHTHYOLOGY —
STAPLE PRODUCE — LAND IN CULTIVATION — STOCK, &C. 8fC.

The vegetation of Trinidad is of the same splendid
character as that found on the main-land. M. de la
Barrere discovered 240 plants in Trinidad, pf which
he could find no specimens like them in the An-
tilles. Botanists specify on the island aspen rush,
or Cyperus kaspan, Commelina hexandra, panax chry^
sophilla, Vitex Capitata, Justicia secunda, solanum
hurtum, cestrum latifolium, Allamanda cathartica, Ma^
croeneum coccineum, frcelichia paniculata, spathodea
corymbosa, robinia rubiginosa, lupinis villosis, glycine
picta, Bigonia humilis, tabermemontana undulata, Za^
pogomea tomentosa, croton gossypi/oHum, tragia corni-
culata, toutalea scandens, 8fC. 8fC. The forests contain
the finest wood for ship huilding and for orna-
mental purposes, amongst which the red cedar
and a great variety of palms are conspicuous. The
nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove have been introduced
into the island, and flourish, particularly the former.
The cacao, or cocoa (whence the delicious thea
broma, or divine beverage is made,) is indigenous to
the new world. In Mexico, the beans served, even
in Humboldt's time, for small coin, as couries do in
India — six beans being equivalent to one halfpenny

200 TRINIDAD.

English. The introduction of this wholesome and
delightful beverage into the old world is due to the
monks, who have ever been great lovers of good
things ; and the Castilians, whether in America or
Spain, soon learned to consider chocolate a necessary
of life; indeed, it was seriously disputed for some
time among the churchmen of Rome whether it were
lawful to consume so nourishing a beverage on a
fast-day ; but the inclinations of the palate naturally
prevailed over scruples of conscience, and it was even
finally served to the Creole ladies by their slaves in
the chapels of Mexico during divine service- The
cocoa tree somewhat resembles that producing the
English cherry, fifteen feet in height, delighting in a
new and productive soil near the margin of a river,
and requiring shelter from strong sunshine or violent
winds ; for which purpose the plantain trees, Musa
Paradisiactty or coral bean-tree, Erythrina (which
the Spaniards call Madre di Cacao) are planted
between every second row, giving a most luxuriant
appearance to a plantation ; the long bare stems of
tropical trees being strongly contrasted with the
rich green of the cacaos below, and here and there
brilliant and burning with the golden foliage of the
Bois immortel, a lofty umbrageous tree, which in the
flowering season is covered with clusters of scarlet
blossoms of exceeding brightness, and shining like
brilliant velvet in the sun's rays ; while the lovely
butterfly plant (so called from its perfect similitude
to the insect) fluttering on its almost invisible stalk,
adds beauty and animation to the prospect.
. The cultivation of cacao is rapi(Uy extending, and

THE ^ACOA PLANT. 201

as Europeans are qaite adequate to the very trifling
degree of labour required for a plantation, it is to be
hoped that emigration from Great Britain will take
place to the beautiful isle, where this nourishing pro-
duct is indigenous to the soil. The annual produc-
tion of cocoa in Trinidad is about 1,500,0001b.
weight ; and, as I hope ere long to witness the final
abolition of the tax (2d. per lb.) on cocoa when im-
ported into the United Kingdom from any of our
colonies, because it afibrds a wholesome nutritive
diet for the poor, I subjoin the following direction
for the cultivation of the plant, which, though now
principally confined to Trinidad, may have its growth
extended to our other colonies in the east and west
hemispheres.

The cacao, or chocolate plant, delights in a rich
soil, if possible near the banks of a river, or in a
situation admitting of occasional irrigation. Seed-
ling plants should be raised in the dry and sheltered
spots of a nursery ground. The seeds are sown in
small raised mounds, at regular intervals, two seeds
being deposited in each mound, lightly covered with
mould, and sheltered from the scorching sun with
plantain leaves, or some other cool and umbrageous
canopy. If the season be dry moderate watering
should be used, and if both seeds germinate, the
weakest plant must be destroyed. When the shrub
attains fifteen or eighteen inches in height, (which
will be the case in ten or twelve weeks,) its trans-
plantation to the fixed location is necessary. The
plants must be arranged in straight rows, in a quin-
cunx form, with a distance between each of sixteen

202 TRINIDAD.

feet, should the soil be rich, and of not less than
thirteen if less fertile. Transplantation in dry weather,
earth removed with the plants, and the tap root
deep set when replaced. The cacao delights in the
shade ; a vertical sun destroys it, therefore it is im-
peratively necessary to plant between every second
row either the plantain-tree or the coral bean-
tree (Erythrina.) When the tree is about two
years old, it usually puts forth from five to seven
branches from the top ; all beyond five are cut
away: in about six months more flowers com-
monly appear, which must be also destroyed. In-
deed, it is usual to repeat this abscission annually,
until the fifth year, in order that the productive
power of the tree may be finally perfected in greater
strength. A great number of flowers fall without
fructifying ; the fruit, while growing, is green, but
as it ripens the pod changes to a bluish red, ap-
proaching to purple, with pink veins ; in some
varieties the fiiiit pod becomes of a delicate yellow
or lemon colour. When over ripe the pods some-
times burst, and the seeds fall from their gelatinous
pulp. The crop may be said to last throughout the
year, but the principal gatherings of the frTiit are in
June, and towards the end of December. No unripe
pods must be gathered. The ripe pods are broken
with a mallet or cut open, and the seeds separated
from the pulp with a wooden spatula. To separate
the seeds entirely from the pulp they are placed in a
hole with some dry sand, and left until a very slight
fermentation comes on the sand, being frequently
stirred and replenished to absorb the moisture from

7

FRUITS AND VBOBTABLBS IN SEASON. 203

the seeds ; when, at the end of three or four days
the process is completed by spreading out the cacao
nuts on rush mats, or upon a platform in the sun to
dry, care being taken to prevent rain reaching the
seeds. When quite dry and hard the nuts may be
lightly packed in bags or boxes, and kept in a dry or
airy place for use or exportation.

The following calendar of the fruits of Trinidad
for the year will demonstrate the variety of delicious
food which this valuable colony yields. January
produces sappadilloes, pomegranates, sour-sops, plan-
tains, bananas, papas, or papaws. The vegetables
are: — okros, capsicums of all kinds, which indeed
are common every month in the year ; cocoa-nuts,
which are seldom used but for cakes and puddings,
ground down ; pigeon, or Angola peas, sweet pota-
toes, yams of different sorts, and tanias. February,
the vegetable called chicon, or christophini come-
san. March y grenadilloes are added to the former
list. April, Java plums, mangoes, mamme sapoetas,
pines of several varieties, the Otaheitan gooseberry,
Jamaica plums, cerasees, and bread-fruit. May,
water-lemons and cashew apples. June is much the
same in her productions; pigeon peas are now nearly
out of season. In July the avacado pear comes in ;
it is also known by the name of the alligator pear,
or subaltern's butter, from its inside resemblmg
very yellow fresh butter, both in consistence and
tx)lour.

In August the only new fruit is the yellow hog
plum; the other firuits in season are the mamme
sapoetas and avaCado pears. September produces

204 TRINIDAD.

sugar and custard apples, sea-side grapes, and For-
tugaese yams. The fruits and vegetables of October
are nearly the same as September; and the only
difference in November is the hread-frnit being ripe
again. December brings in guayas, and that most
excellent production, sorrel. This plant has a suc-
culent stalk, and grows from three to four feet hi^.
There is a hlossom, not unlike the common l«^T*gli«h
columbine ; there are two varieties, wbite and red ;
the blossoms, when slightly fermented, produce 8
delightful beverage, or, stewed with sugar, make
tarts or jam. All the orange and lemon tribe, shad*
docks, and forbidden fruit, plantains, and bananas,
maybe had every month in the year, but they abound
most from April to September. Mountain cabbage
is always in season, and is a most delicious vege-
table.

Zoology. — ^As in the vegetable, so in the animal
kingdom, there is a great resemblance between Tri-
nidad and the continent, both being equally free from
large or destructive animals, such as the elephant,
lion, and tiger. Two species of small deer (cervus
Americanus), and the mangrove stag, are found in
Trinidad, but not in Tobago. The paca, or lapo, of
Trinidad, is a singular animal ; it is rather larger
than a hare, is extremely handsome, cleanly, and easily
domesticated ; from birth to four or six months, the
hair, naturally of a deep red, is spotted with white,
which spots then disappear ; it is amphibious, dives
imder water when hunted, and remains there, hke
the otter, several minutes. The flesh is excellent
food.

ZOOLOGT ICHTHTOLOGY. 205

Opossums are numerous ; the females have all the
membranous pouch, like the kangaroo, for depositing
the young. (It is singular that New Holland and
America should have the marsupial animals peculiar
to them.) The armadilloes, remarkable for their
laminated shell, are numerous, and, baked in their
scaly coats, are a good treat. A species of porcu-
pine (the hystrix prehensilis of Linnaeus), two species
of lizard, termed the Guana and Dragon, two species
of ant-bears, the lazy sloth, the musk, and crab-
swallowing rat, the tiger-cat, the peccary (wild
American hog), water-dog (didelphis Philandar), and
a variety of monkeys, are found in Trinidad.

M. Lavaysse assures us that he has seen a tribe of
monkeys in Trinidad who have a great aversion to
water; if obliged to cross a narrow stream, they
climb a tree near the bank, and form a chain by
hanging from the tails of each other ; the whole
string of animals then swing backwards and for-
wards, until the lowest, to whom the post of honour
has been assigned, alights on the opposite bank, and
pulls over, by the aid of the " tail," his companions
on the tree and bank. This singular operation is
carried on amidst terrible howling, accompanied with
the most frightful cries and grimaces.

Ichthyology, &c, — ^Among the great variety of
fish on the shores of Trinidad, one of the most
remarkable is the aqualus zygana, measuring twelve
feet in length, and thick in proportion, after the
shape of the blue shark, and with a mouth like the
latter, armed with a triple row of formidable teeth ;
the eyes are large and terrifying, and the head has

206 TRINIDAD.

the shape of a hammer. Another equally formidable
fish is shaped somewhat like a cod« and esteemed
excellent eating in the colony, although they have
been found with part of a negro in the maw. M.
Levaysse states that the sea-cow (trichecus manati) is
often found in pairs, with their young, browzing on
the marine plants in the cocoa-nut groves ; their
weight is about 1200 lbs., the fiesh tasting like that
of the hog, eaten fresh and salted, while the fat
forms excellent lard. The manati is fifteen feet long,
having two fins like arms ; it is covered with hair,
and from the shape of its head was called by our
sailors the sea-cow; it is amphibious, suckles its
young, and the cured fiesh keeps long without cor-
ruption. [See British Guiana].

Land tortoises of various kinds are abundant, the
flesh is delicate and very nourishing ; the savannahs
(marshes, in the wet season) abound with a great
variety of marine birds, grey partridges, water-hens,
flamingoes, and white woodcocks, of delicious fla-
vour; wild ducks are innumerable; one species
resembles the East India duck, another the Euro-
pean, and the third is very small, with a beautiful
plumage, including blue, rose-coloured, yellow, and
white, with a brilliant gold-coloured star on the
forehead, of about an inch in diameter : it is called
Ouikiki. The brown pelican, scarlet-necked vulture,
the lancet bat, or vampire, the frigate bird, &c., are
numerous ; parrots and paroquets are in great va-
riety, and of exceeding beauty ; the green and gold
humming-bu'd has long been celebrated for its plu-
mage; and the doves and wild pigeons are found

STAPLE PRODUCE. 207

of every species. Those magnificent birds termed
haccos are found at Trinidad, but not at Tobago.

The Gulf of Paria, near the Bocas, is full of small
rocky islets, some of which contain caves of an
extraordinary size, in which are found a curious bird,
the diablotin (vide Dominica), which, if eaten when
taken from the nest, is pronounced by epicures
unrivalled.

Staple Produce. — Previous to 1783, the whole
produce of Trinidad was a very small quantity of
cocoa, vanilla, indigo, amotto, cotton, and maize, not
more than sufficient to employ a small schooner two
or three times a year for its conveyance to St.
Eustatia. In 1787, the first sugar plantation was
formed; and in 1802, the cultivation and produce of
some of the principal articles were as follows : —
192 sugar plantations, yielding 15,461 hogsheads^;
128 cofiee ditto, 358,660 lbs. ; 57 cocoa ditto, 97,000
lbs. ; 101 cotton ditto. 263,000 lbs. : employing ship-
ping annually to the amount of 15,000 tons. In
1807, there were exported to England, British Ame-
rica, and to the United States, 18,235 hogsheads of
sugar, or 21,234,600 lbs. ; 460,000 gallons of rum ;
and 100,000 gallons of syrup. There were made,
besides, in the same year, 500,0001bs. of cofiee;
355,0001bs. of cocoa; and 800,0001bs. of cotton.
The annals of no country present such an extraor-
dinary increase of cultivation, and consequent pro-
duction of wealth.

1 The hogshead, in 1802, weighed 12001bs. ; it has since
been made to contain 1400 to 15001bs.

208

TRINIDAD.

PRODUCE OF TRINIDAD, FROM 1799 TO 1831.

TBAR,

auffv.

Com*.

CQflw,

Cotton.

Eum.

MoJaasds.

Tim,

Lbs.

Lbi.

Lba.

OoUt,

GalJs.

17^

Ml9,fi5&

258,350

335, 91 .^5

823,415

170,671

H 2,630

imfU

Ei,BD:i^eM

284,170

44^,014

31?^95

194,4H8

123,507

IftOl

15,'I«].}>12

321,730

32B.G(38

X8£,0g7

343,113

17S,369

1SU3

14,l6^,ftB4

13fl,6CS

27M,2?l

190,210

350,040

143,237

mi:^

10.O14.O5D

381,070

185,068

17S,040

844,392

214,120

1^4

1S,5&£,416

602,210

304,138

104,080

371,644

355,877

1S05

S3.4Sa.2:fi

52T,{30fl

28fi.,17S

25*i,752

428,400

6S4,55a

IJtUG

39,(H5,4H^tr

838,805

418.045

le?,700

399,122

W 9,432

ISOB

i5y9fyii,U^i

fiOfi,a[fa

,'itl7,02B

130,200

540,504

60^,100

1800

S4.S^6,»73

710.230

204.3h^0

IMnlifO

5;19,0»1

477,262 1

ISIO

21,?^ej?75

72(1.17.1

205,443

IM^HSO

463,870

83,103

l»]l

I».»l8,3a3

04(1,732

276.243

150,130

420,091

324.942

1812

2(1, 571,580

1 1.378,535

2»2,460

130,890

548,014

306,070

tai^

2a^3!?,l45

1,029,512

MO, 71 6

184,400

608,701

301,706

Ifii*

21.(504,038

1,158.183

3S2j5S«

148,505

487.14^

363,098 ,

1815

25,075,281

1,085,803

202,280

116,150

528,633

682,718

1H1G

24,L22,4Ld

l,O5<i,€02

119^074

93,710

449,007

373,873

JSl/

22,-S*,?6r

l,341,4al

215,150

fl5,95L

371.422

351,354

l^IS

23.200,^126

L233,635

224.97S

109,070

489,063

416,251

m9

30i2n.1,731

1,506,445

258,220

131,590

534,S20

545,400

jsao

3y,71+.5fi,1

1,744,405

211,555

90,545

624,316

<71,00]

IS3L

3i,i2r.act3

1,048,114

222,80y

52,871

490,81?

48C},092

lan

3i,s&a,oaa

1,809,730

205,580

84,300

5fi,'5,&78

488,126

1S23

S7, 0-^^3,6 1 8

^ 832, 105

245.5r>7

91,550

391, 62U

058,870

11SS4

36,95 M4G

2,443,3ttH

245.502

45,750

344.074

79S,3H

U25

86,280,347

2,835,035

2?4,735

58,189

340,513

865,S14

lS2fl

43Hl.H,l5fi

2,640,089

275,228

58,030

+17,704

536,201

]»2D

50,089,421

2,20G,40?

220,1:^3

25,230

400,821

1,302,605

isai

1334 f

39^240,1^0

1,473,50^

&E»9,373

0,800

890,(536

974,031

No teturHs.

1 335 J

The resources of the island are in fact very great ;
the mountainous portion, which cannot be cultivated,
forms less than one- thirtieth of the surface.

Major-general Sir Lewis Grant, whose enlight-
ened government of Trinidad is sensibly appreciated
9

PIIODUCB, &c. ' 209

in that island, and by all friends of the colonies, has
favoured me with the following note : — * I conceive
that the mountains of Trinidad may be cultivated to
their summits ; the soil is good, and the growth of
timber superb ; but, until the level land be occupied,
they will not, of course, be worth cultivating, from
the difficulty of establishing roads. The sandy sa-
vannahs are the only barren spots, and they serve to
pasture cattle/ Sir Lewis informs me that he has
in his possession specimens of Trinidad spices as fine
as are to be found in any part of the East. This
distinguished officer is a zealous advocate for the
colonization of the West Indies with European
settlers.

By a measurement, in 1799, it was found that
there may be formed on the territory 1313 sugar,
945 coffee, 304 cocoa, and 158 cotton plantations, of
100 squares, or 320 acres each. A general return
for 1831 gives the number of quarrees ^ of land in
cultivation, crop, works, and stock in Trinidad, as
follows : —

^ A quarree contains three and one-fifth English acres.

WEST INDIES. VOL. I.

210

TRINIDAD.

i
1

uuAUism or LAHt> Jtr cui'TiVATiDsr.

.

g

Towxa

i

J

1

1

1

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1

ind

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5

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1

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1

1

1

1

a

e
g

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£ 1 ^

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1

1

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ka

^i~«

u,ww «

4&4

571 IjOfiS
1*304 Ll9e9

Minw -. — .

30

30i »9

3»*,500 3

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H

1 tie

47

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tei

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15

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111

99^ ]«4

54e

9M i^«r

5

WG

?o

d5t7«) £

1^

loa; IS7

1,L33

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9!

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sot 811

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19,5W 3J

39

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176

^76 4H

^tontVIll nrHn'd.h^. „

15

B7! 104

&VR3,l£3

77

5l' M

494

&» 1^455

MAwrchftnil Gua5T«.h

fil

2S4

ea

KiOb'O

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6B 301

7^

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M«furmp{> ~^.L..i.L+,.Mi

3

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SO loi, isi;

Muncafl Villoj ...l..^

11

II

3193

343^053

ll

37

117 79

S3S| 1,XS3 l,7«i

North Naparlma ^.^

12

915

5

190

33 1S4

1,^27

1,090 £,417

H

956

1

B3

U; 99

5^

MB 1^457

W

^>33

sa

SOjlCW

5;

238

CO 153

1,147

1,342 Ej4W

Sanonctta .r.^^

^nz

174

17 187

sso

i.^oa e,fie^

South NApbtdia —

aL-s

im

44

12}7CH

s'

327

89 392

2i535

S,^S 4Ji33

^ iVitn'a ..w,4..,4«w^Ff

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171

333 504

^uitA CniE —

ifi

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414,758

45

LO^

157 ?5

870

3,479 4,148

SL J[>Kfh i.*«.««

^

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11 115

W7

407, 854

1 KhvKTtdB Crmitda r^r«

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833

l,4fil 4,ra4

1 TB£ari(^BBndAr4Uai

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a,S3S 4,313

1 Toco And CumdlUl .^

7

14

47

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€

51 4

5|>

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1 TrBgnrBtf ....r^.r+nnh+4^

3

LIQ

10

ti^DQO

^

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177

77

154

VhIIg^ of Caurm ,r^-h^

H

27B

20S,3JW

ll

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355

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1

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8TO1

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16e9!34n2

£0^12

J

35,71S 56^

LAND IN CROP, &C.

211

TOWHa

vnd

qUAATERS.

AJliin *, —

f^tm^aiamaj i,„„

Ebc^xsh CoacC ^^^4.-^1

I'm Cuevu .H ,

ViVentUlff „,

MUST^I -Ir+nfc.— ..

Muracas VilIIct ^ r.

iitn Ann^B , — L^ ..^ ,
Kantft Crii ^

Si. JQFK'PI] rr.. ..........

Ssvoiinn antndc.......

I'lMTQ Bjul CuExumn *,.
TragurcW ►-.--«.

T<>Wn aJ'fir. iliim "-*..
Ht. JuKph ^.

rortofSfiain ^^***.,'»,

460^000
027,4^5

4,600

40b%C>00
L^ 1 0,000

4O.D00
4,070,1^6

«.0&U400

3R,^0

ftSHjOOO

^4Ht^5^

474,600

596'
60

4ie

lfl75
903

€43

lAO
125

&>

&74,
1177
1301

14
493
1503

56

33; 301

fi 335
33 *3

1,400

aoo

400

£0,ll^»

1S4,43D

EjOOO

77,^K»

64,fil0 . . .

lji,l!»eij)09

I 13,700

liSOO

10,183
l^UlQ

17,444
10,1 »

3,850

3)9«0
14,510

10,100

5,0R9
419,0H3
36,470

37^e

S,240
«00

ioe,Gci

jo^ero

500
3,^00
fil,0<ffl

1,000
11,157

150

^50

15,507
10,937
1,000
1,300

1200

TuTjJ,K« 3g,i*«l,*JfiDM(6iej 558S85S M7^^5^i^ 9(J,373 0300 390,5ae| 974,031

aipsoo

9*400
77,S32

45,4b'5
28,770
5,000
7,795

lf4dB
38^00
44777
£,□00

101,09^
77,000

75,,'iflO
43,8741
3£,741
47,774
S7],n9e
l^'iOO
1,450
^&h300
4li^]0
51,369

4,824^ 14^74

ll^WOi
l^i900
4^3^301
l,iOO|

3S0ie

EM9ol

ltj,r«4

3,757
19,400

ft7,42y.

y.

p2

212

TRINIDAD.

MuTDcaii Villtijr

tlaitb. Kajp ftnn

O^JpLU^^■ ^ I- T

PnillL-U-Cbl
Soulh pfapuii

St. Jtit4-[ih

Toco utjd CuoHuui ^

TidgnriClj;

VaU^ Ut' Catim —
Town ul^SL. Juui „

Ailnna „-■<

CROWN LANDS. 213

Situation and extent of the crown lands, in acres,
in Trinidad, in 1827 :—

Arima, 11,439; Carenage and Cuesse, 6221;
Caroni, 30,858; Cedros, 2135; Chaguanas, 8010;
Coura, Savanetta, &c., 22,969 ; Diego Martin, 2427;
Erin, 1491; Guanapo, 52,317; Hicacos, 3017 ; Irois,
6474 ; Labrea and Guapo, 6474 ; Las Cuevas, 4502 ;
Maraval, 4021 ; Maraccas Valley, 1328; Mayaro,
7685 ; Oropuche, 3175 ; Point k Pierre, 4527 ; South
Naparima, 5902 ; Santa Cruz, 406 ; Savanna Grande,
733 ; Tacariqua and Arouca, 9763 ; Toco and Cumana,
2765 ; Valley of Caura, 2955 ; land in the interior
undefined in its boundaries, 881,658. Total of crown
lands in Trinidad, 1,080,500 acres.

CHAPTER TV.

POPULATION, WHITE, COLOURED, AND INDIANS ; PROGRESSIVE
POPULATION, BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS ; SCHOOLS,
RELIGION, &C.

Population. — ^When Trinidad was first discovered
by Europeans it had a dense Indian comniunity, who,
on its occupation by the Spaniards, were murdered
or transported to the Hispaniola mines, to make room
for the new occupiers, who seized on the lands of
those they had slain or sent into a captivity worse
than death*. In 1783, the number of mouths was
only — ^whites, 126 ; coloured free, 295 ; slaves, 310 ;
and Indians of all ages, 2,032 : total, 2,763. Owing
to the circumstances detailed elsewhere, relative to'
the throwing open the island to settlers, the popula-
tion thus subsequently increased : —

1 When Sir Walter Raleigh captured Trinidad in 1595, he
found five Indian Caciques confined in a loathsome dungeon,
quite exhausted with cruel tortures, and almost starved to
death. They were of course instantly liberated.

215

ABSTRACT OP THE ANNUAL POPULATION RETURNS.

*S3ABX5

^ O CM ^ a ^ >0 05^ 4rt u^ <fl ^
^ ^^ n ^^ ^^ 04 C4 &1 74 0471^404

■asautto I

^^ & 04 -^ -H ■* t- (O to ^ ^ r- [fl M Oi F-

" « «4 04 Ct Cm V3 ^ B^ Sb^ pa * * w sq {N (M — ^^ ^«i e*^ I '— '

^ va^i^^^^^Moj 44^ 144 ua c^4D 0431 i^aa 443 ^t
^ ■>» ^H A z^ ^. Oh t— js aa^o^^ ^A 9 x%4i ^ t^ CQSk 0<<

^H f4 94 « r4 04 ?4 to ta 0^ D) ^ ^ ^><0 9474 ^^ IN^H C47

1 O) ^1^4^

4 94 n A 17

H>^'^nA^«4DD e4 ^ ^JlCl A (O ^-CH ^^^ ^E^ ^ 3B ^-K n^^^ 09
^* '^ 15 ^ *^ "^ ■* '^ 06 gOt^-t^^ * ^-^ p^ts O ifl tiJ^D '^ 'rt ^5? ^^
¥4 M^^v^ ^4< «n ^ ^ ^^ ^41 n 04^3 V3V0 04-^4 04 H 047404 A P4

^»^' T" «i * W 'O «5 c to na*^^, 00 i« 01 O ^^^^ P**^ Pt #3 »>«i * ^O

f<^04 h~c4ih-^eiao>n'4in(<

0fl**3._,_.. . _.. ^ ... ._...

^ -^ — 4 i-i ^1^ r— ^ ^ 04 C4 ^ ^74 Ot 94 04 74 0474 n

BD ODCa^^OlOS^OS

^t^ O Ol O CD t^ 'i} «^ 'i; ^A f^ tt ^ M* lO a> ^= >^ 4 kf^

_ _ o4^*'w«)eo4*eJ*5*fttDtfli*5?ch-n

04 o evi ^j OQ 1ft m ^ m r^ " ii c* ^?i r^ 04 o ^^o ^<-i ^- -^ m ^ opia ^-

c& cecor^cQt^^^flti e494n<F^^cscL^i-]0>r^e4to^^u9i»Sv4

^^ ^^^^^H94^^ fi>t74 ^*4 [^^74 04 n EQ^S tO^i *^H ^^1 ^ ifl "ft

40 1^ ^ >-»*■+ Ol <B 04 -m '^ O O * Ol It ^X( frg ■*f *^ il * M t^ ^ OQ BO
C» QC^i^OOtlO^^ 04 fiC «} a> t^ W — » ta74 ^^~ (A S4 4» kfl e4C> A

... . . . v> p-

^n c*4 u^ *rj r?4 E^ 43 •^ 1^ t- KJ OD ^- ^O iTi 9* " -- Oi M -^ Q ■* ^» OC — ^ 1-*
^^ M *fl ^ 71 " *ft^H 04 ^ ii!i ^tj t-, [^ ^*1 ^rt r^ C^ r^ *^ ^ T^ *-5^^ ^ n
(4 « *4 ej «^ -en 04 74 e4 ^ 74 04 ?4 04 74 Ci? 1 et3 etj Bi? «; vg c^ t^ uj t^ O^ do

^H^H^-^^M^tO t4 dp -H * n T* 3& ^- 1* e* t'i ft *e ti *« F^ CO 00 -n

04 ^^ ^e « tr? 1^ ^ ^^ <-H T-* « 04 "fl *3 « ^ ea m C h- OOCQ -^~< fft-tH
&4 n 04 ^ P4 Ci? Bi? B^ « Ciq e^ oa ^ ^ ^ «^ U3 9 ^ ^ u? to i^? i£3 H? '4' ua

-O ft 0-+ Qui ■'T-tO " i« a» ei ^f O ^fr M « ^ C> -

Q u^^tO^fti^Mnn c^(^^^(&ftrtfts--'--'S4<c4e4in>nC9tc>

ft 13 r^ 74 ?4 40 rD 41^ CD -^ tD u^ 04 ^^ TT U Ul ^ £-. [^ ts ^ ±^ ^< m 1/1 74 04

Ub fp.fwWU3Win W V4^ t^'h. [>^4i:} o 06 O S [» ^4Cl O ft

A 0^ •-» t^ ta <3 74 (S t^

m ci o Ot i> fft ■« — ' o

^(0?4004inB'9i-'4i«04Aw3^^tnk4C74D
Mr»CStlCS4^0CO>t5ki^Okn-T'^3iW«Sa
'■'^44HCMB4D?^044i^4OCQn6r^«jp

^

t^50Ss3^fi^«*"I^^fl&C^O^*4ea^ua(Ct^(4aii^^74P; *u»,-04
0t)0*C4O-OciO3C^O-^Q^^^^^^^~^-^^.^^^^i^0404*40474&4"rt*rt.k
t^T^r-.OSDOq90S±DOaaDOC£CeaaseD09CQ4QCOOD^4Q^U]^j4iq&«i«J«n ™^\

216 . TRINIDAD.

The natives of the eastern hemisphere were
brought to the west for the purpose of cultiyating
rice, and perhaps with the idea of forming a free
labouring population ; unfortunately no Chinese
women were induced to accompany them ; the men
soon became discontented, and there now remain but
a few of them as fishermen. Captain Wildey, with
a philanthropic feeling, suggests in an able pamphlet
the introduction of more Chinese, together with
Malays, Lascars, and other inhabitants from the
East.

It will be observed from the foregoing, that the
Indian or aboriginal population is fast decreasing,
and, it is to be feared, that they will utterly pass
away, unless measures be adopted for their preserva-
tion; what these measures should be is another
question : the Indians will not amalgamate with the
negroes, from whom they totally differ in appearance
and manners ; their stature is short, (seldom exceed-
ing ^y^ feet six inches) of a yellow colour, with dark
eyes and long hair, glossy as a raven's wing ; the wide
space between the nostrils and upper lip is very re-
markable, (so indicative of wisdom and firmness in the
European), and although with an immense breadth
of frame, or rather massiveness between the shoul-
ders, their hands and feet (as among the Hindoos
and Tartars) are small boned and delicately shaped.
In their present state, apathy is certainly predomi-
nant ; neither joy nor sorrow seem to affect them —
they appear to be without curiosity or anger — the
prominent traits of savage life. I cannot think with
Mr. Coleridge, that this extraordinary, I may say

POPULATION.

217

interesting race of beings» are inferior to the negroes ;
their countenances, when lit up by the passions of
the soul, pourtray the most intense mental emotions,
and the abject state to which the whites have reduced
them, does not present a fair field for comparison ;
while lamenting their utter destruction in the islands
and on the continent, I confess my inability to divine
the inscrutable dispensations of Providence.

The Slave Population, according to a Parliamen-
tary Return, was in niunbers, from 1816 to 1828, as
follows : —

Yrt

Ual«.

PemBJet

TotaL

Birth.

Decneaie
\>y Mmu-
lUissian.

M^e3.

Fern.

MiiBS.

Pem,

Ma.

Fe.

1A25

13,155
JOhIOV

ll.^U
ll^ftl?

25h3S3

?39

no

753

1J03
1003
1079

13«
IJOt

re/

IfL

loo

1S2
177

235
377

241

218

TRINIDAD.

General Return of the Population of Trinidad for
the year 1831 :—

TOWNS

JIVD

QUARTERS.

ffl

CDldDUS^D*

6 B

if I a

Aridd^ua

Arima

Bqcaa „„,^„„.

Cajooi .^.^.^ ^^H.F.

Cedros and C'cuvbb

CliaKu^taiDSA .^....

rimarouero

CarapLotiaitna ..«»<.

Ditfgo Afartin

Erin

Extern Cttasi *

Guaaapo .,.., «

Guapo..^^

Hicacoa ,„,**, „*„„^

lT{)is **....

L^ hlSBi. „***.. ,**....

IjEM CueraH ...««

La VcnliUf! .........

Marav^o]

Af ayarx) nnd Guayre
MucLirapD .........

MarAcae Vallty
North N'aparima
Orfjsjuclie ,...„...
Point-fl- Pierre ...

S&vunetta

South Napariina

St. Anil's **H.

6aataCru2 .,.,,.

St. Joseph

SavanTia (rrandt
Tacari^a 3z Arouca
Toco and Cuinaua .

Ttafrarett ,

VaMey tif Caiira h..
TowT^ of St. Juan'a

St. Joseph

Sl Arima

Port of Spain .„.„,

r.

5

10
2

"a

33

I
I

"h

2

"a

s

"s

3

1
1

7

'lO

10

ML

1389 926 h&l

IB 2n

2^ 441 22

25 76 ?7

14
4S
22
9
IS
95
23
14

18

67

21

35
89
102

12
&3
32

s;t

56
82
3S
^2
73

8
21
57

£)

42

59

LSUO

153 JUG
2St 4*;

2» 5^
12

21 2A
1?3 21-'5
]23i Hi
4i; 42
IB' 1-^5
12» 124
123 U&
m 33
55 44
10 15

5*; e?

12B LM

2^1 38

iJ5' S5

Iti! 25
?6 84
2BI 75
22 1 ,1^
20 42
1173 2305

12
45

le

53
2fi
2fl
10

-If*
13
73
75
7S
,12
126

24

4

37

23

131

100

30

6

122

103

25

20

10

40

100

12B

22

395

75

3S

9

74

2B

21

19

IIJI

^30} 439S 5314

211
S2
23G
144
200
S4
23
ST

3^S
39 L
3SB
GH

56
137

23
J 20

S^
r304

%33
4?

t^JI
123
43
^03
,500

6ia

111
372 1^46
Ml 341

212
CI

3oa

153
114

104

3238! J 6285

POPULATION.

219

General Return of the Population of Trinidad for
the year 1831, continued : —

TOWNS

Al^vetS.—

Plantation.

SxATfia.-

— PemtmalK

H

M

Airi

:an!i.

Creolea.

AJyic,

Cr«i>W«.

QUAKTERS.

1

1

i

5

s

d

^

1-

1

5^

Arica^UA **.,..*

S9

70

7S

H^

64

«3

6

12

IS

15

9

13

513

615

Arima *^^

^0

2G

4«

54

53

33

2

3

17

6

9

7

303

561

Boca^ **.'^-

35

£0

2i

35

3£

31

4

8

«

16

ft

23

243

367

Carenne^ & Cueaa^

65

SI

8tt

92

57

4!f

6

5

G

4

12

449

na

Caro ai ^ ^

le

22

34

35

27

10

3

2

g

4
12

I
3

5
3

170
474

347

Cedru& and Couv^^

&3

68

102

S4

5a

44

]

2

6

7M

Clia^snaH ".

UQ

B3

15U

9t$

77^

62

2

5

2

1;

6

5

620

724

ChaguaiBiuas ......

]&

le

21

19

IS

la

3

4

3

3

.*.

3

121

37^

CImaroncro *,*,,-«.

4^

22

19

28

29

31

3

8

10

13

3

222

323

(!!aTapi(?hainia

233

203

ISO

Stf5

200

[53

4

1

12

12

5

8

1226

l«56

Bie^o Martin *»...

8»

BV

89

124

62

77

U

6

13

27

15

4

027

981

Erin

?

11

2f»

25

13

12

7

3

4

5

3

3

J 22

522

EaBterd Coast

...

,

-■,-

1

3

1

3

..«

3

11

397

GuAtiApo .**....*^...

52

24

39

42

41

33

3

G

&

12

8

14

283

1002

Guapcf .-. „...

58

37

G3

C3

34

25

5

3

10

11

4

4

309

38S

J3

6

5

9

11

3

7

11

IS

9

7

lOG

257

IroLrt ■F-1III++111+

12
54

5
29

U
43

IS
+5

4
39

]
19

"4

"*fl

1
14

'"0

6

56
286

88
424

lABrea

Lae Cueva« **

]

5

1

..d

2

5

++*

]

2

4

3

2

26

:j2

UVEntille

11

14

a

JO

9

A

20

21

13

23

17

14

165

asfl

Uaraval

45

41

79

04

43

51

8

8

JO

29

21

20

419

892

Mayaro fir Guayi^ ,

S3

76

127

113

5.1

ei

1

2

11

15

6

3

551

607

Hucurapa

3

5

23

23

S

10

4

2

11

4

7

9

lOJJ

(87

Marftf:flH Vatlcy .„

42

23

ai

31

51

53

3

4

6

7

5

K

254

8i9

North Napaf iin& ...

515

154

20S

IPO

130

143

19

40

65

SO

42

48

1340

1946

OTppuclif^ **.,..„,.„

7!J

AS

73

87

40

35

7

2

9

10

5

4

40»

596

Point-a-Piette .»...

m

115

l&l

2U2

124

142

7

a

15

27

15

13

1018

1194

Savonetta ...........

\^^

119

157

1C2

140

106

3

*».

3

4

&

3

K96

971

Boutb Naparinia .„

346

2h18

456

45 &

34 fi

382

55

52

9ft

109

101

71

2GS9

2985

St, Ann's

15

16

30

i:^

22

9

15

22

24

38

10

IK

245

801

E vita Cruz .»»..„.

52

42

64

54

^&

43

10

ID

18

18

17

12

398

1101

St. JOBCV^I'^^ -

&9

Ce

ftH

61

63

60

5

2

15

15

11

9

455
987

604

Savanna Crande ...

lOS

07

no

lOL

103

03

24

7

87

110

75

72

2772

Ta<: arigua & Arouca

Sl*^

U&

230

229

180

131

10

12

28

19

16

19

1291

1708

Tucu Aiid Ciinianfi.

s

2

3

2

1

^H.

3

4

ft

10

7

7

51

415

33

2fl

40

31

14

19

13

8

21

33

11

18

2G1

343

Vallej-ofCaura ...

13

8

7

17

11

11

...

1

***

.h'

1

Gft

458

Town of St, Juan's

+♦.

**.

^..>

*♦.

.**

„■,

3

10

5

15

14

1

57

219

St. JoBeph

...

I

9

.»

3

]a

H

21

14

10

76

233

St. Arinifl

.»«

F.f

**.

^..

1

4

3

7

J

18

27

43S

port of Spam

.„

...

"■

...

...

199

365
687

G32
1230

985
17a3

598
1127

57G

1086

335 S^ It**)

2^40

2037

2906

2Dt5

2241

20H0

483

,m2

™.

220 TRINIDAD.

According to the intercolonial apportidnment of the
20,000,000/. the number of slaves in Trinidad was
22,359 ; average value, each 105/. 4s,; relative value,
2,352,655/., and proportion of 20,000,000/. to which
Trinidad is entitled 1,039,119/.

The Indians (who are not given in the preceding)
will be found in the abstract of the population returns
at page 215, and are in No. 762 ; which, with the
Chinese, (No. 7,) will make the totals right.

The number of persons employed in agriculture in
1832 out of a total population of 41,220, was 2195 ;
in manufactures 392, and in commerce 264. The
births were 767, deaths 954, and marriages 159.
The resident strangers were 4615, and the total
number of mouths to the square mile, about 63.

Schools, &c. There were twelve Free Schools in
the island in 1832, at which 203 and 170 females
are educated under Bell's system. There are also
twenty-two Private Schools, with 412 pupils. The
Wesleyan Mission at Trinidad consists of Teachers —
male, 5 ; female 6. Scholars — ^male, 36 ; female, 37 :
adults — ^male, 5 ; female, 9 : total, 87. In society —
free, 108; slaves, 61 : total, 109.

I think there is only one newspaper in the island.

The Roman Catholic Religion prevails to a consi-
derable extent, by reason of the Spanish and French
population.

CHAPTER V.

GOVERNMENT — MILITARY DEFENCE — FINANCES — MONEYS,
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES — VALUE OF PROPERTY — COM-
MERCE, SHIPPING, IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, &C. — GENERAL
VIEW,

Thb administrative fanctions of Trinidad are vested
in a governor, aided by an executive and legislative
committee. The Executive Council consists of three
official members (viz. the Colonial Secretary, the Colo-
nial Treasurer, and Attorney General), selected from
the Legislative Councils ; — they have no powers, and
no other functions than counsellors of the Governor,
who may follow their advice or not, as he pleases.
The Legislative Council consists of twelve members,
six of whom are styled official, holding offices and
salaries at the pleasure of the Crown, viz. the Chief
Justice, the Colonial Secretary, Attorney General,
Colonial Treasurer, Public Prosecutor, and Collector
of Customs, and six are styled non-official, selected
from amongst the inhabitants, the whole removable
at the pleasure of the Crown. The governor presides
at the board, has a vote, and a casting vote in addi-
tion, and no measure can be introduced or proposed
at the board which he objects to. So that the whole
power and function of the board are virtually lodged
in his hands, although nominally the laws may be
passed, and the taxes imposed by the Legislative
Council. The inhabitants of Tnnidad are endeavour-

222 TRINIDAD.

ing to obtain a less restrictive form of Govern-
ment.

The Cabildo, in its authority and functions, resem-
bles our municipal corporations : it has power to raise
revenues, which are derived from licenses to the dealers
in spirituous liquors, to hucksters, &c. and from a tax
on carts, and on meat and fish sold in the town of
Port of Spain, thus realizing about 12,000/. per an-
num, with which the streets and market-house are
kept in repair, and the salaries of the police officers
paid. All other salaries are paid out of the Colonial
Treasury. The laws are principally Spanish, exe-
cuted after the Spanish form, with some modifica-
tions ; the titles of Alcade, Alquazil, &c. are always
used instead of the corresponding terms in English.

Trinidad Militia. Every freeman of the island
is enrolled in the militia, which is composed of artil-
lery, cavalry, and infantry, with a very numerous staff.
Their appearance on the great plain before St. Anne's
is really superb ; the muster is about 4,500, and a
more efficient state of discipline is kept up than per-
haps in any of the other islands. The Governor
is of course Commander in Chief; there are two
Brigadiers-General, an Adjutant, Commissary, Pay-
master, Muster-Master, Provost-Marshal, and Judge
Advocate- Gewera/; with deputies to each; Physician,
Surgeon, and Apothecary General, and of Field
Officers, two Colonels, twenty-one Lieutenant-
Colonels, twelve Majors, and fifty-seven Captains.
The uniforms are various and splendid ; — the artil-
lery is blue, with red facings, and gold lace ; the
royal Trinidad light dragoons blue, facings buff, and

CHAPTER V.

GOVERNMENT — MILITARY DEFENCE — FINANCES — MONEYS,
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES — VALUE OF PROPERTY — COM-
MERCE, SHIPPING, IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, &C. — GENERAL
VIEW,

Thb administrative fanctions of Trinidad are vested
in a governor, aided by an executive and legislative
committee. The Executive CJouncil consists of three
q^cto/ members (viz. the Colonial Secretary, the Colo-
nial Treasurer, and Attorney General), selected from
the Legislative Councils ; — they have no powers, and
no other functions than counsellors of the Governor,
who may follow their advice or not, as he pleases.
The Legislative Council consists of twelve members,
six of whom are styled official, holding offices and
salaries at the pleasure of the Crown, viz. the Chief
Justice, the Colonial Secretary, Attorney General,
Colonial Treasurer, Public Prosecutor, and Collector
of Customs, and six are styled non-official, selected
from amongst the inhabitants, the whole removable
at the pleasure of the Crown. The governor presides
at the board, has a vote, and a casting vote in addi-
tion, and no measure can be introduced or proposed
at the board which he objects to. So that the whole
power and function of the board are virtually lodged
in his hands, although nominally the laws may be
passed, and the taxes imposed by the Legislative
CouncD. The inhabitants of Trinidad are endeavour-

224 TRINIDAD.

civil eBtablishment, the extent of which is fixed by
the Secretary for the colonies in England, without
the Governor or Council having the power to increase
or diminish the amount of the expenditure. The
following are the colonial duties payable at the
treasury : —

ON IMPORTS.

percent.
On Invoice, excepting^
Cotton, Linen, and > 3^

Cod Fish j

On Wines 7

On Spirits, 4s. per gallon
in addition to 3}

OP IMPORTS.

percent.
On the valae of Pro-"\
duce regulated per f oi
Tariff of the Market? ^*
Price 3

Tare. — Hogsheads and tierces, 14-lbs. per cent ;
on barrels, 20-lbs. each ; and on bags, 3-lbs. each.
Transient Property to pay 2| per cent. Tonnage
duty, 6d. sterling per ton.

Duties on bequests by will made in Trinidad : —

Per Hundred
Pounds.
In the ascending line •£2

Collateral line of the first degree 2 ]0

Of the second degree 3 10

Of the third degree 4 10

To illegitimate or natural children 6

To all other persons 7

Bequests from the fifth 6

And on all legacies, or inheritances paid to persons, \

residents of a foreign colony or state (except in > 2

the descending line) an addition of *

Besides the foregoing, there is a tax of five per cent,
on the assessed rent of houses ; and a poll tax of
Ss. 8d, sterhng on each slave.

TAXATION, SALARIBS, &C.

225

The taxation raised on the principal items is 15,000/.
on colonial produce exported, being levied at the rate
of 3| per cent, ad valorem ; 8,000/. on all goods im-
ported at the same rate, except British linens, cot-
tons, and salt fish ; 10,000/. on slaves as a poll tax ;
and 2,500/. on the annual rents of houses. The civil
establishment costs 10,000/., and the judicial 7,000/.,
A recent Parliamentary Return states the revenue
and expenditure for five years thus : —

Taxation....
Expenditure

1824 1825 1826 1827

36810/ 44332/ 54921/| 50080/
87587 35958 1 44589 154015

1828 ! 1829 1830

49196/ 43196/: ...
36584 1 36584 I ...

The amount of the principal salaries is annually —
Governor, 4,000/.; Chief Judge, 2,000/. ; first Puisne,
1,500/.; second ditto, 1,500/.; Island Secretary,
800/. ; Register, 600/. ; Attorney- General, 1,200/. ;
Treasurer, 800/. ; Examiner of Public Accounts,
400/. : Escriband to Judicial Courts, 800/. ; Com-
missioners of Population, 500/.

A very large sum is raised by fees, the tables for
regulating which occupy the greater part of the colo-
nial Almanack ; it would seem very desirable that
such a system were in a great measure reformed. By
the 1 14th cap. 6, Geo. IV., all custom-house fees are
wisely abolished, under a penalty of 100/. for any
officer receiving such fee or bribe, besides dismissal
from office.

• Mr. Porter's Board of Trade, Statistical Vol., gives the
gross revenue of Trinidad for 1831 at 34,993^ The expense
of civil establishments, 41,801^; and the charges incurred by
the colony for garrisons, 726^; total, 42,527^.

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. Q

226 TRINIDAD.

Monies. — Accounts are kept in dollars and bits,
(reals are sometimes denoted, particularly in the
multifarious fees of the Roman Catholic church) ;
the difference between the colonial currency and
sterling, is — Sd, currency = 1 Jrf. sterling ; Is, cur-
rency=5Jrf. sterling ; 1/. currency=6*. 8d. sterling.

Value op Property. — Referring to the general
remarks on the value of property, as made imder
Jamaica and British Guiana, I give the following
table as the nearest approximation to truth : —

VALUE OP PROPERTY.

227

<

>
o

Q

s

H Pi

< H

^ 2

<

<;
>^

H

o

Oi
bi
O

;<^

<
>

TatAl Property M&vtaMo
and ImtnqyeiibLc.

Total PropcTtx
Annually CreaU'tl.

JJuUlotkorilomiti
CirrulatlDn,

t
P

PuWIc Property,

UiiL-tildvated
and

Cultivated.

MaiLLLnictiirea,
IinjciTDf?, abd
Sundries.

AnLmaL Food""
«iid Fish.

VeeetabltFoDd,

Cotton,

C<ta^.

COCOB.

iMolqssefl,

Rum.

Sugnr-

7j710.OflO

l,3!l^.m

S

Imp

IjOODjOOO acres at Ht,

400,000 acrt4 at I O^H

900,000.

Al^r jie^ annum eftoh)
^iO.OOD.

At ^K per ajiDum each,
L 20 ,000.

I 33,000 nt Gd. 6^5,

^ IfOOQ^OOo at 7d, 29,IM.

S 1 ,S0O,0O[r at Gd. 37,500.

"^ 1^000,000 at ta^. 4 l,fl€0H

U40O,OO0atU.Crf 30,000/.

^ 327,143 at l>0i.^5r.H3J.

q2

228

TRINIDAD.

Commerce, Imports and Exports. — ^The trade of
the island may, to a great extent, be judged of by the
quantity of produce raised in it, as given at page
211. For twelve consecutive years, the quantity of
the principal articles exported from Trinidad is thus
shown : —

EXPORTED PRODUCE at TRINIDAH bnm 18^21 to 1832.

U

Sugftr.

MoloflJiefl^

Kmn-

CMoa.

Coffee,

Cottxia.

■

Hhdfl

Tier. 1

Bar

Htida.Tier,

Pun.

lbs.

lbs.

Bal^

Ser&.

1821

20,412

57fi

7,DS0

2,730 »*

1203

l,214.0p,'i 193,555

2^3S

,+,

18ES

20,05]

7H

7, SO 8

2,^32' ...

rci

1,? BO, 379 347, 3i»9

223

F,H

1K23

2;j,0ti2

£10

7,03S

6,242

500

M24r703|299,404

400

...

LS24

2h1,M2

9S2

0,356

7,409

471

2,66 1,0 2^1 2M, 63 7

A52

...

1825

22,ftl2

10,570

7,S90

7,aoo

OS

2,700,603 17 7,34 &

4£>2

567

\E'26

2^,A4 1

],35a

a,o/&

S,G72

3^3

2,951,171321,354

107

2,811

lii'I7

26, or,^

],cl20

7,018

9,6&4

5H9

3,696,144

373,424

201

2,368

13Sfl

J^a.GOn

1,00?

034

11,320

300

2^5

2,532,32,^

260,754

HB

2,915

\ii2^

30, say

S?7

5,\Si

10,OSfi

^90

553

2,756,603

139,015

123

1,234

IH^O

91jliJ2

4&0

3,7S1

4,tt46

163

S5fi

1,04^,531

197,800

JO

1,010

\^:ii

■I3jbi^

440

5,500

K,syy

94

85.T

1,388,352

\9,9^

31

25fl

1S32

2!i,9i2

7?4

0,^95

iy,977

504

as

1,530,990

150,S6B

+0

493

1^^^

...

++.

U3i

...

*„.**

.**

...

Tile IndJ;^ Export! were ^n 1323,— SerooHB ,'^0, and Id the E^vural

ftutjsequcnt years, ifit 7, 12, auil 11.

The Imports valued in sterling money, were in 1831 ,
from Great Britain, 182,856/. ; from British Colonies,
51,197/.; from Foreign States, 66,514/.: — ^total,
300,567/. The Exports were, to Great Britain,
202,057/. ; to British Colonies, 30,428/. ; to Foreign
States, 11,907/. : total, 244,392/., making a grand to-
tal of maritime commerce to the amount of 544',959/.
The shipping employed in the trade of the island will
be seen from the following official return : —

SHIPPING.

229

Q

Pi

H
O
Q

<

CO

Q
<

Q

H

O
O

03

o

H

p
pi

o

to

*r*

3

Tdbh.

h*a4 ftft F^ ufl) . ,

ei A M o « — : ;

N&.

T«18.

to 5C =^ a <>: ^- "^ J

h,~F^ifl F^O Si tD :

Na.

30 'f w m »5 «5 CM -

T^ e^ c^ » n ^^ :

tn <!ti £ C-. =j vi a •
ftS^oi— FHon_ ;

jd S
■CO

Tont,

Ko.

t^ r^ [^ 4n ^a K oi .

^^ e474 0494 n

Tons,

ts =^ cc ■* 'is t^ n ^

M 0494 C k^ &^ ►

ft SO Oi 00 ^ * ^ '

tQft.'AOO't^h-'a)' ^
» F^ CM [?4 ^ ^ -^

Nq.

S£||;t"S i

O

EQ

Ph
CD

a

nteti.

H : ■ : : ! to :

Tons.

Nd.

.Is

p

Tons.

Oi f f^ ^P^ — t^ -ri I
n Q n OQ V •-• 04 1

No.

'J' « (3 tS a: j(= Pi .

94 F^ >- CM — ^ In^

« -^ go i^ ^S c> :
taoD fiD^ ca » n ■

■si

QQ O

Toai.

No.

F^«a ^0» »ft •» ,

TODI*

9ie^BQD3^tat^ *
aflp « Th *f ^"id" j

*^« ti-^ Clifi a^ -
T^ CO O Qb tq 4t^ ;

Jffl.

Yeara.

230 TRINIDAD.

Weights and Measures. — The following are the
Spanish Weights and Measures, and the proportion
they hear to each other : —

WEIGHTS.

The Fanega = 110-lbs. English.

The Quintal = 100 „ „

1 Aroba ... 25 „ „

4 Arobas . . = 1 Quintal.

MEASURES.

Varas. Estadale.

100 = 1 Solare.
2600 = 25 = 1 Suerte.
10000 = 100 = 4 = 1 Fanega.
40000 = 400 = 16 = 4 = I

English Inches.
The Vara of Castile 32,529

Seville^ 33,127

Madrid 39,166

The Measure used in surve3dng in Trinidad is the
Quarree, containing 18,5265 Varas of Castile, or
3 and l-5th English Acres ; consequently 100 Quar-
ree are equal to 320 acres.

The side of a square of a Quarr6e or 3 and l-5tli
English Acres, is equal to 373 8-1 Iths English feet;
408f Spanish ditto ; 350 French ditto; or 136 and
1-1 0th Spanish Varas.

General View and Future Prospects. — No
person can peruse even the brief description now
given of this lovely isle, without admitting its im-
portance and value to Great Britain, not only in
reference to its fertile soil, and the quantity of crown
land lying waste, but also with regard to its admi-
rable position on the South American coast, by means

FUTURB PROSPECTS. 231

of which an extensive depot may be formed for
continental commerce, as the civilization and wealth
of the Transatlantic republics increase. The remarks
made under Jamaica, in reference to the future pros-
pects of that island, apply equally well to Trinidad,
as regards the ultimate result of the Slave Emanci-
pation Bill. The grand principle by which our colo-
nies ought to have been governed, after they have
arrived at a certain extent of population and wealth,
has not yet been applied to Trinidad. I am con-
fident, however, that the inhabitants of Trinidad
have only to press forward their claims for a Legis-
lative assembly, with respectful energy, and their
prayer will not be refused by the ministers of the
crown, or the Parliament of the nation. If our fel-
low subjects in Trinidad be not admitted to send a
representative to sit in the Imperial Assembly, they
ought in conmion justice be permitted to manage
their local affairs by a local assembly at home. The
colonies possessing local legislative assemblies are
not only no drain on the British exchequer, but a
very great support to it ; and although Trinidad now
defrays the whole of its civil and a part of its miUtary
defence, yet would its inhabitants yield more readily
a greater revenue if allowed to tax themselves ; or
they would be enabled to relieve themselves of inju-
rious fiscal imposts by curtailing unnecessary taxa-
tion, and by keeping a watchful eye over the expen-
diture of the government. The discussion of general
principles aflFecting the mother county and her trans-
marine possessions, will be found in my work on the
" Colonial Policy of the British Empire,"

BOOK IV.
TOBAGO.

CHAPTER I.

ITS LOCALITY — GENERAL HISTORY — PHYSICAL ASPECT

GEOLOGY — CLIMATE — ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE KINGDOMS
— POPULATION — COMMERCE — REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
— GOVERNMENT, &C.

In 11° 16' north latitude, 60° 30' west longitude, the
western end distant but six miles from Trinidad, and
the eastern twenty-four leagues from Grenada, is
situate Tobago, the most southerly of the Caribbee
islands, about thirty-two miles long, in an east-north-
east direction; and in its greatest breadth twelve
miles, embracing a mountainous area of forty-four
square miles.

Tobago, or Tobacco, was discovered by Columbus
in 1496, and thus named after the pipe used by the
islanders in smoking the herb now so extensively
used in the Old World, and then termed Kohiba '.

^ The herb and pipe bore the same name at the other
extremity of the Carib Archipelago in St Domingo.

HISTORY OF TOBAGO. 233

When first visited, it was found to be peopled by a
race since well known ander the denomination of
Caribs, who were at continual war with another
nation denominated the Arrawaaks, residing on the
main land *. The Tobagians some time after left the
island, and retired from the pursuit of the Arrawaaks
to St. Vincent's, where, it is said, they lived in
peace with the Indians inhabiting that isle. It
would appear from this that the Arrawaaks, as
asserted by some, were a nation of Caribs, differing
in some points from those now generally called by
the name of Carib.

In 1580 the British flag was planted on the
island. In 1608 James the First claimed its sove-
reignty ; no effectual colonization, however, then
took place. A small British colony is said to have
settled on the island from Barbadoes, in 1625; but
it was subsequently abandoned. A description of
Tobago is said to have suggested the scenery of
Crusoe's island to De Foe.

The isle was granted to the Earl of Pembroke, in
1628, by Charles the First. Some Dutch navigators
visited Tobago on their return voyage from the
Brazils, and, struck with its advantageous situation
for trade with the continent, as also with the beauty
of its climate and the richness of its soil, a company
of Flushing traders formed an establishment on the
almost deserted isle, in 1632, founding the colony
with 200 persons, and naming it New Walcheren, in

* Vide Book on British Guiana, for a description of these
people.

234 TOBAGO.

honour of their native home; hut, in 1634, before
the Hollanders had time to fortify themselves, the
jealousy of the Spaniards of Trinidad was roused,
and, aided by some native Indians, the Dutch that
escaped the onslaught were conducted as prisoners
to Trinidad, the rising walls of the fortress of New
Walcheren razed, the cannon and stores carried off,
and the plantations utterly destroyed. For nearly
twenty succeeding years the island remained unte-
nanted, but occasionally frequented by seamen from
Martinique and Guadaloupe, to fish for turtle, or by
the Indians of St.Vincent and the other Antilles, who
touched there on their frequent expeditions against
the Arrawaaks of the Orinoco.

In 1 654 *, some merchants at Flushing, named the
Lampsins, obtained a charter from the government
of the United Provinces, authorizing their occupa-
tion of Tobago for their sole use, with the privilege
of appointing a governor and magistrates, but giv-
ing a veto to the Dutch government at home on the
nomination of the former. The spirit of commerce
was then at its height in Holland ; and Tobago, or
New Walcheren, soon became not merely an agri-
cultural colony, but one of the most thriving com-
mercial emporiums in the West Indies. Shortly after
the Dutch occupation, a vessel arrived at Tobago
with colonists from Courland, James the First of
England having previously granted Tobago to his
godson the Duke of Courland. Nearly 100 families

^ Some say that the Courlanders arrived on the north
coast of Tobago in 1648.

SETTLEMENT BY THE DUTCH AND ENGLISH. 235

were thus landed on one of the most beautiful parts
of the island, termed Courland Bay. In a few days,
the contending colonists came to blows ; but the
belligerents at length agreed to leave each other
quiet until their respective governments at home
should decide to whom the island belonged. The
Courlanders were neglected, partly owing to the
Duke being imprisoned and deprived of his territo-
ries by the King of Sweden, while the Lampsins
strongly reinforced their friends: the result was,
that, in 1659, the latter forced the Courlanders to
relinquish Fort James, which they had built in
Courland Bay. The efforts of the Duke of Courland
to recover Tobago, on the restitution of his estates,
were ineffectual, notwithstanding the manifesto of
Charles II. in his favour, 17th of November. 1654,
when declaring war against Holland ; the Lampsins,
therefore, remained in peaceable possession for some
years. No mention was made of Tobago at the
treaty of Breda ; and during the interval of the first
and second war between England and Holland, the
governor, Hubert de Beveren, and the colonists,
amounting to 1200, placed Forts James and Lamp-
sinberg in a good state of defence ; while the com-
merce and cultivation of the island rapidly in-
creased.

Nevertheless Tobago was shortly after plundered
and sacked by Sir Tobias Bridges, at the head of the
Barbadian privateers ; and subsequently, the Dutch
having declared war against the French, the Duke
D'Estr^es attacked and defeated Admiral Binkes, in
Scarborough Bay, and pillaged the island. Four

236 TOBAOO.

months after, D'Estr^es again appeared off Fort
Lampsins, landed his infantry, and attacked Binkes
in the fortress, who, after a gallant defence, was,
together with a great part of his little garrison,
blown np by the explosion of a powder magazine ;
and on the 24th of December, 1677, the brave and
industrious Hollanders were compelled to abandon
a colony which they had commenced under such
favourable auspices in 1 654 : such are the wretched
effects of desolating wars for personal aggrandize-
ment. In 1678, the Duke of Courland renewed .his
pretensions, and for many years strenuous but una-
vailing efforts were made to induce colonists to settle
in the island. In 1737, the house of Kettler, sove-
reigns of Courland, being extinct by the death of
Ferdinand, son of James, England claimed the rever-
sion of Tobago. In 1748, by the treaty of Aix-la-
Chapelle, it was stipulated that St. Lucia should
belong to France, and that Tobago, Grenada, St.
Vincent, and Dominica, should be considered as neu-*
tral islands ; that the subjects of all European powers
should have the right to establish themselves and
carry on commerce in and with those islands ; but
that none of the contracting parties should place
garrisons in them. Whether Tobago was then in-
habited or not, it is hard to say. The chroniclers of
the island assert that, in 1757, the ship Stirling
Castle touched at Tobago ; and on Mr. Thompson, a
midshipman, landing, he found an old French hermit
on the island, who had been living alone on it for
twenty-one years.

At the peace of 1763, Louis XV. ceded Tobago in

PHYSICAL ASPECT. 237

perpetuity to England; and on the 20th of May,
1 765, a commission was appointed for granting lands
on the island. The prosperity of tKe island dates
from this period; large capitals were invested by
enterprising British colonists, and agriculture and
commerce rapidly progressed; but the miseries of
war had not yet terminated. During our contest
with North America, in 1781, Tobago was captured
by the Marquis de Bouilli^, and ceded to France by
the treaty of Versailles in 1783. While Tobago
remained in the possession of France, a few French
settlers established themselves in the island ; and on
the breaking out of hostilities between England and
France, General Cuyler, in March, 1793, at the head
of 2000 men, took possession of the island for Great
Britain, in whose possession it has ever since re-
mained.

Physical Aspbct. — ^Tobago has been termed the
* Melancholy Ish,' because, when viewed from the
north, it seems to be only a mass of lofty, gloomy
mountains, with black precipices descending abruptly
to the sea. On a nearer approach, the island exhi-
bits a very irregular aspect ; it is principally composed
of conical hiUs, of basaltic formation, and of ridges
which descend from the interior (where they rise in
a distinct manner from a common base or dorsal
ridge, 1800 feet high, and running twenty miles out
of the thirty-two that the island is long) toward the
sea, terminating sometimes in abrupt precipices ; the
ravines are deep and narrow, and end generally in
small alluvial plains. The north-west part is the
least mountainous, terminating in the north in

238 TOBAoo.

abrupt precipices, with the dark island of Little
Tobago and the dangerous rocks called St. Giles's.
The south terminates in broken plains and low lands,
the whole aspect, like Trinidad, being calm and
magnificent, with occasional beautiful mounds of
isolated hills, so close that few levels for marsh or
swamps present themselves; the delightful vales
every where exhibiting the eflPects of a rotatory and
undulating motion of vast currents of water, and
forming, with the contiguous mountains, truly pictu-
resque scenery. The island is well watered by rivu-
lets and streams, arising in the interior, and passing
over the low lands to the coast, where they are occa-
sionally obstructed, which, however, a little attention
would prevent.

Scarborough, the principal town, is situate on the
south-west side of Tobago, along the sea-shore, at
the base of Fort George Hill, and extends, with little
uniformity, easterly towards the fort, the distance
from the latter place being upwards of half a mile.
On the south and south-west the descent to the sea
is gradual, and at the base of the hill approaching
the town are scattered several country houses. Fort
George Hill, the road to which is steep, and towards
the west, rises to the height of 422 feet, of a conical
shape, and crowned by ' Fort King George,' the chief
military station in the island. On the windward side
are numerous excellent bays, and on the northward
is situate ' Man-of-War Bay,' capacious, safe, and
adapted to the largest ships. At Courland Bay (on
the north side, six miles from Fort King Greorge),
which approaches the leeward extremity, the hills.

GEOLOGY. 239

covered with rich forests, are bolder and more abrupt
than on the south side, and consequently the cultiva-
tion more scattered ; the ' Richmond,' a large river,
passes through the district. Extending from Cour-
land to Sandy Point, on the south side, are several
estates on the low lands, in good cultivation, owing
to the number of rivulets watering the shore. Sandy
Point District (or, as it may be termed. Garden)
forms the western extremity of the island, and is the
only level land of any extent in Tobago. The east-
em district is chiefly composed of high mountains,
clothed with noble trees, and but thinly cultivated.

Man of War, Courland, Sandy Point, and King
Bays, are adapted to the largest-sized ships ; Tyr-
rels. Bloody, Mangrove, Englishman's, and Castara's
Bays, have good anchorage for vessels up to 150
tons burthen; Halifax Bay admits vessels of 250
tons, but a shoal at the entrance requires a pilot.

Geology. — On a complete view of the island, as
compared with the adjacent continent, the observer
is impressed with the belief that it formed, at some
distant day, a bold promontory of main land, from
which it has been violently dissevered. There is, in
fact, a general physiognomical resemblance between
Tobago and Trinidad, except that there are not seen
those large blocks of hyaline quartz in the former
that are found almost every where in the latter, on
the summits of mountains as well as on the plains ;
the rounded pebbles found in the beds of rivers are
generally of quartz or freestone, some of hyaline
quartz, others of amphiobolic schistus, &c. Neither
sulphur nor carbonate of lime have been seen. The

7

240 TOBAOO.

hill above Scarborougli appears to be a bed of basalt
and schistus rock, with a loose and heavy super-
stratum ; the soil is a rich dark mould, and resem-
bles, particularly in the east part, that of its neigh-
bouring isle, with the advantage of the vegetative
earth being deeper on the hills of Tobago.

Climate — ^though moist, by being impregnated
with saline particles, is not at all unhealthy, particu-
larly if proper attention were paid to promoting the
exits of the mountain streams. The rainy season
begins in June, and gradually becomes heavy until
September; the violence of the rains then abate,
showers continuing, at intervals, to the end of De-
cember or beginning of January, when the season
termed ' crop-time' begins. The island is out of the
usual range of hurricanes ; the winds are south-east
and south during the greater part of the year ; in
December and January they prevail from the north,
often very strong and cold. So decidedly salubrious
are the high lands of the interior, that Dr. Lloyd,
the principal medical officer, reported to Sir James
M'Grigor, in 1827, that ' on some of the estates in
the interior, no European resident had been buried
for upwards of ten years !'

TiDBS, Winds, and Sailing Directions. — ^The
currents round the island are very uncertain, espe-
cially in the Trinidad channel. At new and full
moon the rise of the tide is four feet ; the north-east
trade blows all the year about the island. The
island being seen towards evening, the mariner,
^cautious of approaching, should stand under easy
sail to the southward, as the current sets to the

VEGETABLE KINGDOM ZOOLOGY. 241

north-west; coming from the east, steer for the
south coast, and keep well to the southward to stem
the north-west current, which always sets round the
lesser Tobago.. On entering any of the bays to
leeward, ships may approach quite close to St.
Giles's rock. There is nothing to fear at the south-
west Bay of Courland but rocks above water, except
the Chesterfield rock. Tobago is free from hurri-
canes, though Grenada, the most southward of the
Antilles, and only thirty leagues from the continent,
is as much under the influence of squalls as the other
Antilles.

Vegetable Kingdom. — Almost every kind of
plant that grows on the Antilles flourishes at Tobago,
and also, in common with Trinidad, the greater part
of those which are cultivated in Guiana and Cumana :
the orange, lemon, guava, pomegranate, ^g, and
grape, are in perfection; the two latter yield fruit
twice a year, if pruned three weeks after the fruit has
been gathered, and all the culinary plants of Europe
arrive at perfection ; the cinnamon and pimento (some
say also the nutmeg) trees grow wild in different
parts of the island, and the cotton of Tobago is of
excellent quality.

Zoology. — Although the vegetation of Tobago
and Trinidad is similar, some quadrupeds and birds
are found in the latter which do not exist in the
former, and vice-versa : the Katraka, for instance, a
very singular species of pheasant, although taken
from Tobago to Trinidad, and let loose, has not
multiplied there ; while the Hoccos of Trinidad are
in a similar position with regard to Tobago; and

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. R

242 TOBAGO.

although nearly all the quadrupeds of the immense
region hetween the Amazon river and the isthmus
of Panama are to be found at Trinidad, very few of
them are to be seen at Tobago ; even the small deer
of Guiana, so plentiful at Trinidad, do not exist here.
The indigenous birds are, varieties of wild ducks,
pigeons, blackbirds (yellow and black), white wood-
cocks, thrushes, herons, pouched pelicans, &c. The
eagles of the Orinoco, and flamingoes, frequent the
coasts ; three varieties of humming-birds exist, and
a small bird of the size of a sparrow, with magnifi-
cent plumage ; the head, neck, and upper part of the
body are of a most brilliant red ; the feathers of the
wings and tail of a deep purple above and a sky-blue
underneath, and the breast and belly of an azure
hue. A great variety of shell-fish are found on the
coast, which is frequented by sea-cows and turtles in
abundance.

Population. — Of the yearly increase or decrease
of the inhabitants, I can find no connected details.
In 1776, the population was 2397 white, 1050 free
negroes, and 10,752 slaves; in 1787, whites, 1397;
free coloured, 1050 ; slaves, 10,539 ; and the import
of slaves, in a medium of four years, 1400 ; in 1805,
whites, 900 ; coloured people, 700 ; slaves, 14,883.
The whites are now estimated at 450 ; the free
coloured, males, 477 ; females, 686. The following
table shows the numbers, increase, and decrease of
the slave population, from 1819 to 1832 : —

POPULATION, COMMERCE, &C.

243

THE NUMBERS, INCREASE, AND DECREASE
OF THE SLAVE POPULATION.

IncrcflBt

Decrease

Dccrifiuc

by

by

t»y

s

Birth.

Death.

MuLumlbfion,

s

£

i

1

1

■2

1

5

1

1

1

1

1

nw

7,fi3,1

7.837

15,470

IflSD

?..^fW

7.fi-J)

16.0fi3

141

103

410

384

5

1821

MO?

7,4H

14,S21

17fl

155

370

dOti

Z

1823

*,052

7,3(33

14,315

150

L5S

367

ioa

ID

13

1825

G,U12

r^2fl3

14,074

151

167

232

211

16

1834

e,558

7.098

i;i.eje

IBG

157

371

2^

U

1*25

fi,532

r,iii

la.^jaa

154

157

213

101

2

1826

Mftl

7,fl34

13,43a

mi

IfiO

3{:2

828

LO

im

^,L2B

G,sei

12,&&0

170

165

213

185

7

1S2A

ti,08a

a, 807

l2,fttfS

irs

IPI

i;S!J

249

T

182S

5,96fi

6,757

12723

i7ft ■ lyfi

tm

24 S

a

1K30

S3?2

G,C14

i2,£z;o

105 ; 155

288

220

12

ISdl

5,7Gy

O.ti^kl

ia,;j7u

1?0

171

274

341

11

IMS

5,603

6,^8S

12,091

145

161

2aB

K3

13

Zl

Under the intercolonial apportionment act, the
number of slaves registered is 11,621; the average
value of each, 45/. 125. ; relative value, 529,941/.;
proportion of the 20,000,000/., to which Tobago is
entitled, 335,627/.

Commerce (Exports). — ^The principal exports are
sugar, molasses, and rum ; of which there were
exported, in 1831, sugar, 8453 hogsheads ; molasses,
183 puncheons ; rum, 5171 ditto. The value of the
trade of the island, and the shipping employed for
the same year, was, —

r2

244

TOBAGO.

IMPORTS. VALUE IN STERLING.

18S1.

From
Great Britain.

From
British Colonies.

From
Foreign States.

Total
Value.

£.

54,530

57,961

4,780

117,241

Ships Inwards.

Tons.

7,127

6,647

1,478

15,252

EXPORTS. VALUE IN STERLING.

1831.

To
Great Britain.

To
British Colonies.

To
Foreign States.

Total
Value.

£.

144,384

15,686

220

160,290

Ships Outwards.

Tons.

7,385

7,377

582

15,344

The progress of the exports is thus shown : —

PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF EXPORT.

Years.

Sugar.

Molasses.

Rum.

Hogsheads.

Puncheons.

Puncheons.

1822

7509

442

5111

1823

8760

850

4667

1824

8681

401

5053

1825

8110

757

5484

1826

8760

300

5477

1827

5419

138

4136

1828

8685

812

5450

1829

7570

183

4154

1830

6687

48

4220

1831

8453

138

5171

EXPORTS.

245

Revenue and Expenditure. — ^The gross receipts
of the island revenue, for 1831, was 9992/. ; and the
expenses of the civil establishment, 7388/. From a
Colonial Office manuscript, I derive the following
statement, which, however imperfect, I give as re-
corded : —

TOBAGO GROSS REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE IN
STERLING MONEY.

Years.

Gross
Revenue.

EXPENDITURE.

CivU.

Military.

Total.

1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831

8,662
11,699
6,909
8,753
5,894
7,654
5,732
9,614
9,132
9,992

No Returns

5,478
9,875
8,233
7.388

No Returns.

174
152
185
185

7,838
9,033
7,055
8,802
5,232
8,009
5,652
10,027
8,418
7,573

Form of Government. — ^Tobago is ruled by a
governor, council, and house of assembly, whose
powers and authority are similar to those of Ja-
maica, &c.

BOOK V.

GRENADA and the GRENADINES.

CHAPTER I.

GEOGRAPHY — AREA — GENERAL HISTORY, &C.

Grenada, the most southerly of the Antilles, and
most lovely of om* West India isles, is situate
between the parallels of 12° W and 11° 58'
north latitude, and 61° 20' and 61° 35' west lon-
gitude, nearly equi- distant from Tobago (60 miles)
and the nearest point of the continent of South
America ; its greatest length, north and south, about
twenty five miles, and at either extremity narrowing
to a point; in its greatest breadth twelve, in cir-
cumference fifty miles, and containing about 80,000
acres.

Christopher Columbus, during his third adventur-
ous voyage, in 1498, discovered Grenada, and found
it fully occupied by a warlike race (the Charibs),
among whom the Spaniards never attempted to form
a settlement, and who remained for a century after

FRENCH CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT. 247

in peaceable possession of their native home. In
1 650, the French governor of Martinique, Du Par-
quet*, collected 200 hardy adventurers, for the pur-
pose of seizing on the island, which, from the manly
character of the natives, was considered an enter-
prize of difficulty and danger.

This expedition ^ as related by Father du Tertre,
e^ibits a monstrous mixture of fanaticism and
knavery. The commanders administered the holy
sacrament, in the most solemn manner, to all the
soldiers, on their embarkation, and again on their
landing; and Du Parquet, causing a cross to be
erected, compelled them to kneel down before it, and
join in devout prayer to Almighty God for the suc-
cess of their enterprize.

The natives received and entertained the French
with the utmost kindness and cordiality. Pretending
to open a treaty with the chiefs of the Ch^bs, for
the purchase of the country, the latter gave the
natives * some knives and hatchets, and a large quantity
of glass heads, besides two bottles of brandy for the
chief himself, and then asserted that the island was
fairly ceded to the French nation, by the natives
themselves, in lawful purchase !

Du Parquet thus established a colony in Grenada,
built a fort for its protection, and left the govern-
ment of the island to a kinsman, named Le Compte.
Within eight months after this period, we find a war

^ Du Parquet subsequendy sold the island to Count Cerillac
for 30,000 crowns.

' I am indebted to the Grenada Almanack for many details
relative to this isle.

248 GRENADA.

of extermination carried on by the French against
the Charibs. Du Parquet sent a reinforcement of
300 men from Martinique, with orders to extirpate
the natives altogether ; but Le Compte seems not to
have wanted any incitement to acts of barbarity ;
for Du Tertre admits that he had already proceeded
to murder, without mercy, every Charib that fell
into his hands — not sparing even the women and
children.

The manner in which the unfortunate aborigines
were destroyed may be judged of by a circumstance
which Father Du Tertre relates of one expedition :^-
' Forty of the Charaibes were massacred on the spot.
About forty others, who had escaped the sword, ran
towards a precipice, from whence they cast them-
selves headlong into the sea, and miserably perished.
A beautiful girl, of twelve or thirteen years of age,
who was taken alive, became the object of dispute
between two of our oflScers, each of them claiming
her as his prize ; a third, coming up, put an end to
the contest by shooting the girl through the head.
The place from which these barbarians threw them-
selves into the sea has been called, ever since, le
Morne de Sauteurs (Leapers* Hill). Our people,
having lost but one man in the expedition, proceeded
in the next place to set fire to the cottages, and root
up the provisions of the savages ; and having de-
stroyed or taken away every thing belonging to them,
returned in high spirits,' No wonder that the whole
native population was soon extirpated !

It may well be imagined that cultivation made
but little progress. So late as 1700, the island

CESSION TO GRBA.T BRITAIN. 249

contained no more than 251 whites and 525 hlacks,
who were employed on three plantations of sugar
and fifty- two of indigo.

After the peace of Utrecht, the government of
France began to turn its attention towards her West
India possessions. Grenada, however, for many
years, partook less of its care than the rest. By a
smuggling intercourse with the Dutch, the Grena-
dians changed their circumstances for the better,
increased their numbers, and a great part of the
country was settled. In 1762, Grenada and the
Grenadines are said to have yielded annually, in
clayed and muscovado sugar, a quantity equal to
about 11,000 hogsheads of muscovado, of fifteen cwt.
each, and about 27,000 lbs. of indigo.

Grenada surrendered, on capitulation, in February,
1762, and, with its dependencies, was finally ceded
to Great Britain, by the definitive treaty of Paris, on
the 10th of February, 1763, St. Lucia being restored
at the same time to France. The chief stipulations
in favour of the inhabitants, as well by the treaty as
by the articles of capitulation, were these: — ^First,
That as they would become, by their surrender, sub-
jects of Great Britain, they should enjoy their pro-
perties and privileges, and pay taxes, in like manner
as the rest of his Majesty's subjects of the other
British Leeward Islands. Secondly, With respect to
religion, they were put on the same footing as the
inhabitants of Canada, viz., liberty was given them
to exercise it according to the rites of the Romish
Church, as far as the laws of Great Britain permitted.
Thirdly, Such of the inhabitants of Grenada as chose

250 GRENADA.

to quit the island, should have liberty to do so, and
eighteen months allowed them to dispose of their
effects.

A legislative assembly was granted by England,
and the Grenadians resisted the imposition of the 4|
per cent, duties. The crown, however, persisting in
its claim, and the inhabitants in opposing it, issue
was joined before the judges of the Court of King's
Bench, in England. The case was elaborately argued
in Westminster Hall four several times; and in
Michaelmas Term, 1774, Lord Chief Justice Mans-
field pronounced judgment against the croum. The
consequence was, that the duty in question was abo-
lished, not only in Grenada, but also in Dominica,
St. Vincent's, and Tobago. It should have been
abolished in all the islands.

On the 2d of July, 1797, a French armament,
consisting of a fleet of twenty-five ships of the line,
ten frigates, and 5000 troops, under the command
of the Count d'Estaing, appeared off the harbour and
town of St. George. The whole force of the island
was composed of 90 men of the forty-eighth regi-
ment, 300 militia of the island, and 150 seamen from
the merchant ships ; and its fortifications consisted
chiefly of an entrenchment, which had been hastily
thrown up round the summit of Hospital Hill. This
entrenchment the Count d'Estaing invested the next
day, at the head of 3000 of his best forces, which he
led up in three columns, and, after a desperate con-
flict and the loss of 300 men, carried the lines.
Never did so small a body of men make a nobler
defence against such inequality of numbers. The

GALLANT DSFENCB. 251

governor (Lord Macartney) and the remains of his
little garrison immediately retired into the old fort
at the mouth of the harbour, which, however, was
wholly untenable, being commanded by the Hospital
Hill battery, the guns of which, having been most
unfortunately left unspiked, were now turned against
them. At day-break the French opened a battery
of two twenty -four-pounders against the walls of the
old fort. In this situation, the governor and inha-
bitants had no alternative but an unconditional sur-
render ; and the Count d'Estaing became master of
the island.

Grenada and the Grenadines were restored to
Great Britain, with all the other captured islands in
the West Indies (Tobago excepted), by the general
pacification which took place in 1783. An insur-
rection, fomented, it was said, by the French revo-
lutionists, broke out in March, 1795, which was not
finally terminated until July, 1796. During the
continuance of the disturbance, the greatest distress
prevailed, and the most horrid murders were perpe-
trated by the infatuated rebels ; wherever they
appeared, devastation followed them ; and, from the
direful eflfects of their cruelty and rapine, Grenada
has never recovered the flourishing state which it
had previously enjoyed.

For the sake of reference, and as historical data, I
give, wherever I find it practicable, a list of the chief
authorities in each settlement, with the dates of their
period of office.

A list of governors, lieutenant-governors, &c.,
who have held the government of Grenada, since

252 ORINADA.

the cession of tlie colony to Grreat Britain in the
year 1763:—

Brig.-Gen. Robert Melville, Capt-Gen. Commander-in-
Chief in and over the southern Caribbee Islands of Grenada,
Dominica, St. Vincent, and Tobago, 1764 ; Ulysses Fitzmau-
rice. Sen. Lieut-Gov. of St Vincent, 1768 ; Brig.-Gen. R.
Melville, again, 1770; F. Corsar, Esq., President, 1771;
U. Fitzmaurice, Lieut-Gov. of St Vincent, again, 1771 ;
Brig.-Gen. W. Leybourne, Gov. S. C. Islands, 1771 ; F. Cor-
sar, Esq., President, again, 1775; W. Young, Lieut-Gov.
Tobago, 1776 ; Sir G. (afterwards Lord) Macartney, K. B.,
Gov., 1776 ; Lieut-Gen. E. Matthew, Gov., 1784 ; W. Lucas,
Esq., President, 1785; S.Williams, Esq., President, 1787;
J. Campbell, Esq., President, 1788 ; S. Williams, Esq., again
President, 1789 to 1793; N. Home, Esq., Lieut-Gov., 1793;
K. M'Kenzie, Esq., President, 1795; S. Williams, Esq.,
again President, 1795 ; A. Houstoun,^ Esq., Lieut-Gov.,
1796; Colonel C. Green, Gov., 1797; S. Mitchell, Esq.,
President, 1798; Rev. S. Dent, President, 1801; G^ V.
Hobart, Esq., Lieut-Gov., 1802; Rev. S.Dent, again Pre-
sident, 1802 ; Major-Gen. W. D. M'Lean Clephane, Lieut-
Gov., 1803 ; Rev. S. Dent, again President, 1803 ; A. C. Adye,
Esq., President, 1804; Brig.-Gen. F. Maitland, Gov., 1805;
J. Harvey, Esq., President, 1807; A. C. Adye, Esq., again
President, 1808 to 1809 ; Major-Gen. F. Maitland, Gov., 1810;
A. C. Adye, Esq., again President, 1810 to 1811; Colonel
G. R. Ainslie, Vice-Gov., 1812; J. Harvey, Esq., President,
1813; Major-Gen. Sir C. Shipley, Gov., 1813 to 1816; G.
Paterson, Esq., President, 1816 ; Major-Gen. Phineas Riall,
Gov., 1816; A. Houstoun, Esq., President, 1817 to 1819;
Major-Gen. P. Riall (resumed), Gov., 1821; G. Paterson,
Esq., President, 1821 to 1823; Sir J. Campbell, K. C. B.,
Gov., 1826 to 1831; A. Houstoun, Esq., President, 1829;
F. Palmer, Esq., President, 1831.

CHAPTER 11.

PHYSICAL ASPECT— MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, LAKES, AND DIVI-
SION INTO PARISHES — GEOLOGY — SOIL — CLIMATE — ■
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE KINGDOM, &C.

The general aspect of Grenada is extremely lovely,
but mountainous and picturesque; the interior and
north-west coast consist of successive piles of conical
hills or continuous ridges, rounded in their outline,
and covered with vast forest-trees and brush-wood ;
from north to south the island is traversed by one
continued though irregular range, rising in some
places to a very considerable elevation, often to 3000
feet above the level of the sea, but everywhere acces-
sible. From this chain, but particularly from one
very remarkable and magnificent spot in the centre
of the island, north-east of St. George's, called the
Grand-Etang, numerous small rivers and streamlets
have their source, irrigating the country in every
direction. One of the most prominent features in
this wild, romantic district is Mount St. Catherine,
(Mome Michel), which, clothed with a splendid vege-
tation, towers to an altitude of 3200 feet above the
ocean level ! Several mountain ridges extend from
the great chain towards the Windward, or south-east
side, forming rich and picturesque valleys, but nearly
the whole of the windward coast, from the south

254 ORBNADA.

tenmnation of the range of mountains at Point Cali-
vigny, about five miles from St. George, till it
reaches the leeward boundary, loses the mgg^ and
precipitous features and deep bold shore (as seen on
the leeward side), and consists of a level alluvial
plain, with numerous coral reefs.

Rivers and Lakes. — ^The rivers, as before ob-
served, are nmnerous, but not large ; the principal
are those of Great Bucolet, Duguisne, and Antoine,
on the windward ; and St. John's and Beau Sejour,
on the leeward. Several hot chalybeate and sul-
phurous springs exist, the former being the most
nmnerous. One of these (at Annandale, in St.
George's parish) is very remarkable for its heat and
strong metallic impregnation ; the mercury rises to
86, and since the earthquake of 1825, both the tem-
perature and impregnation have been very sensibly
increased. A hot spring in St. Andrew's parish
emits considerable quantities of carbonic acid gas,
possessing analogous qualities to the famous grotto
del cane ; it contains iron and lime, and possesses a
strong petrifactive quality. Some of the warm
sulphurous springs in the hilly parishes of St. Mark
and St. John's are hot enough to boil an Q^g. Near
the centre of the island, at an elevation of 1 740 feet,
amidst the mountain scenery, is situate the Grand
Etang, an almost perfectly circular fresh water lake,
two miles and a half in circumference, and fourteen
feet deep, with a bottom composed of a superstrature
of soft mud, arising from decayed vegetable sub-

"moes (especially Loti, which grow in great pro-
n around the margin, over a light cold argilla-

DIVISION INTO PARISHES. 255

ceous bed). Around this singular lake is a superb
sylvan amphitheatre of mountains, clothed in all the
verdant grandeur of a tropical forest. Another lake
(Antoine) of nearly similar size (covering sixty
English acres), and form, is situate on the east coast,
only half a mile from the sea, and but forty-three
feet above its level. It is about fifty feet in depth,
having no communication "with the sea, constantly
increasing towards the centre in the shape of an
inverted hollow cone, and increasing in size for the
last sixty years. From these circumstances, and the
formation of rocks, and the quantity of scoriae found
near its brink, there is every reason to suppose it
the crater of an exhausted volcano. The inhabitants
state that there are subterraneous communications
between this lake and different parts of the island,
and that during the great eruption of the Souflfriere
in St. Vincent's, in 1812, the waters of Lake Antoine
were not only in continual agitation and undulation,
but that considerable quantities of lava and sulphur
were thrown upon the surface of the water from
beneath. On the south shore, near Point Salines,
there are extensive salt-ponds.

Division. — This island is divided into six parishes
or districts, Sts. Patrick, Andrew, John, Mark,
David, and George. The two first named are the
most productive in sugar, cocoa, and cofifee. St.
John and Mark are mountainous, and the two
latter named are rather less so. The principal
(St. George) contains the capital of that name,
and the fortifications and military posts of Rich-
mond Hill, Fort King George, Hospital Hill, and

256 GRENADA.

Cardinal Heights ; it is also the chief sea-port, the
residence of the Governor, and the station of the
Courts of Judicature, &c. The district is situate on
the south and west part of the island, embracing
twenty-six square miles, and extending along the
King's high road, eleven miles, and twenty-eight
chains from the river Douce to the river Chemin.
It has- twenty-eight sugar estates, twenty coffee-
settlements, and eight coffee plantations. The
population of the capital and parish is about 10,000.
St. David's lies towards the south-east, and forms
several points and some bays capable of receiving
small craft ; it extends from the river Chemin to the
river Crochu, nine miles and fifty chains along the
King's high road, and contains twelve sugar and
several provision estates. St. Andrew's, situate on
the east side, extends from the river Crochu to the
river Antoine, eleven miles and sixty-six chains
along the high road. It comprises the town and
port of Grenville, formerly called La Baye, and
contains thirty-seven sugar plantations, and eight
coffee and cocoa settlements. St. Patrick, situate
on the north-east, containing sixteen square miles,
extends nine miles and forty-four chains along the
high road, from the river Antoine to the river
Duguesne. In this parish is the town of St. Pa-
trick, formerly, and now known by the name of
Sauteurs. It contains twenty- six of the richest
sugar-plantations in the island. St. Mark, the
smallest and least considerable in the island, is
situate on the north-west, extending four miles and
forty-three chains along the high road, from the

DIVISION INTO PARISHES. 257

river Daguesne to the river Maran, which separates
it on the south side from the parish of St. John.
St. John's, on the west side, extends from the river
Maran to the river Douce, six miles and thirty- six
chains. Charlotte Town is situate in this parish,
which is the next in magnitude and population to
the town of St. George. It contains sixteen stigar
estates, and eleven cocoa and coffee settlements, St.
George, the capital, is situate within an amphi-
theatre of hills, with a good harbour in front. Were
it not for the military works on Richmond Hill, which
are seen at a great distance, it would be difficult to
ascertain from the sea where George Town and har-
bour are placed, but on approaching the base of the
fortified hills, an opening is discerned into a spacious
and excellent harbour. The houses are well and
tastefully built of stone or brick, with sashed win-
dows and tiled roofs, with the streets well ventilated,
and a spacious handsome square in the centre, and
the shops equal to any in Oxford street. The town
is divided into upper and lower ; the latter, or cari-
nage, being principally occupied with stores, ship-
yards, and wharfs. The streets leading from the
one to the other are extremely rugged and steep.
Constitution Hill, leading to the market-place, is at
an angle not far removed from the perpendicular.
The carinage of Grenada is one of the best that can
be conceived both for the convenience and securing
of shipping. It is completely land-locked ; there is
a sufficient depth of water and good holding-ground;
it is protected by the batteries on shore, and it is
exempt from hurricanes. The harbour is said to be

WEST INDIES. VOL. I. S

258 GRENADA.

capable of containing 1000 ships, of 350 tons each,
secure from storms. The population consists of
4000, of whom 320 are whites, and 2000 free
coloured. A recent visitor says that Grenada with
its azure sky, cloud-capped mountains, and verdant
slopes, well merits to be entitled the gem of the
ocean. A town of white and gay -looking houses,
occupies a rocky peninsula, projecting into a clear
bay ; the spire of a church rises on the isthmus, and
Fort George and Hospital Fort, with flag staffs, on
which are displayed waving signals, look down on
the harbour from their commanding heights. Behind
a point numerous vessels are seen, sheltered from
every wind. The fortifications of Richmond heights,
far above and beyond the town, occupy the back-
ground in the picture. In the country, on the slopes
of the hills, are orange groves and palm-trees, plan-
tations and cultivated fields, mound and dale, through
which numerous streams are constantly rushing to
the sea.

The dependencies of Grenada are, the island of
Carriacou, and such of the small islands cfdled
Grenadines, as lay between it and Grenada. These
are a cluster of isles, of more or less extent, between
St. Vincent* and Grenada ; the largest are Becquia,
Canuan, Urion, and Carriacou : the last-named alone
are dependent on Grenada ; many are inhabited, and
several well cultivated, producing small quantities of
sugar, rum, molasses, cotton, fruits, vegetables,
poultry, live stock, &c. in great abundance. Carria-
cou constitutes a parish, containing, according to
estimate, 6913 acres of land; it is about nineteen

GBOLOGT. 259

miles in circumference. In the town of Hillsborough
is a church and rectory. The island is, in general,
fertile, and well cultivated ; and the successful mode
of the management of slaves is amply manifested in
their constant increase. Cotton was formerly the
chief article of cultivation, and about 1,000,0001b.
was annually exported. Eight of the principal estates
are now cultivated in sugar ; and the average pro-
duce of that article in a good season is upwards of
2,000,000 lbs. The island is however greatly ex-
posed to suffer from droughts, which mars the best
efforts of industry. The chief cause of this calamity
is supposed to be the want of wood, which has gra-
dually become exhausted, without proper means
having been used to renew it by planting. A society
has lately been established for the sole purpose of
remed3ang this defect ; and it is to be hoped that a
few years will reward their exertions, by producing
more regularity in the seasons.

Geology. — ^The geology of the island is very
complicated and irregular ; the mountains, and
different parts of the low lands, so far as they have
been examined, consist of strata, or rather mingled
portions of red and grey sand- stone,, graywack^,
irregular alternations of hornblende, hard argillaceous
schist, and a variety of gneis. In various spots (as
at Richmond Hill) an imperfect species of granite,
or nodules of the same, interbedded in a coarse loose
red sand-stone, are frequently met with, and some-
times in argillaceous schist. A very coarse porphyry
is also sometimes seen. Immediately behind Rich-
mond Hill, on the estate of Mount Parnassus, lime-
s2

260 GRENADA.

stone is found, and a quarry was at one time worked
for agricultural purposes. Basaltic rocks are met
with on the north-west coast, and it is said magnesian
limestone also. At Point Salines (the extremity of
the island) fullers- earth, of the very finest quality, is
procurable in abundance; and at La Fortune, in the
parish of St. Patrick, numerous specimens of the
natural magnet ; sulphur, in its native state, but not
crystallized, is almost every where met with. In
fine, it may be said, that the great mass of mountains
consist of sandstone, greywack^, hornblende, and
argillaceous schist, but the stratification is so diver-
sified, and the face of the country so rugged and
abrupt, as to bid defiance to any regular definition.

In one place they are horizontal, in another verti-
cal, and in almost all they are suddenly and abruptly
intersected by each other, appearing as if they had
been separated and again mingled together by some
great convulsion of nature. One remarkable cliflf on
the river St. John, about one mile and a half from
St. George's, presents a curious arrangement, which
Dr. Simpson is inclined to ascribe to volcanic origin.
Immediately under the soil is a stratum of pudding-
stone ; to that succeeds one of iron pyrites (exhi-
biting regular prisms) ; then one of alluvial formation;
and, lastly, one of brown sandstone. In some of the
less elevated situations, the strata are extremely thin,
numerous, and more regular. In one cliflf, near
Government House (not more than twenty-five feet
high), are seen running from south-east to north-
west, at a very obtuse angle with the horizon, at
least sixty distinct strata of white, grey, and brown

CLIMATE. 261

sand-stone, alternating with loose sand and gravel,
and near the surface' mixed with alluvial soil. The
bed of the sea on the south-west point of the island
is composed of phosphate of lime, or a species of
coralline, but its effects are not observable on the
surface of the water. Neither the sandstone, nor
the very imperfect species of granite found effervesce
with acids. No shells are found in any of these
formations ; but the red sandstone of Grand Mai and
Callevigny, in the parish of St. George (which is
much used for building), is thickly studded with
beautiful crystals of carburet of iron ; and in the Cal-
levigny sandstone, vegetable remains, such as the
leaves and stalks of trees, are not uncommon. The
soil varies with the external features of the country ;
in the low lands, consisting of rich black mould on a
substratum of light-coloured clay, while in the high
and central situations the soil is of a dingy red or
brick colour.

Climate. — ^Locality, as may be supposed, in-
fluences materially the temperature and health of
Grenada ; 82 F. may be considered the medium heat
throughout the year in the low country ; but in the
high lands the mercury, which at St. George's
stands at 86, will be ten degrees lower at the
Grand Etang at the same moment. The quantity
of rain which falls is very considerable, and
throughout the year showers are felt. Hurricanes
are comparatively mild and unfrequent, but earth-
quakes, or shocks, are sometimes felt. The climate is
much improved, in common with the whole of the

262 GRENADA.

West Indies, of late years. (For yearly range of
thermometer, vide St. Vincent's).

Animal Kingdom. — As in all the West India
islands, the animals of Grenada are few and un-
interesting to the naturalist. It is a matter of
dispute whether even the monkey be a native ; black
snakes are common, but almost harmless ; scorpions
and centipedes abound, but their bite is mild and
little regarded. The principal annoyance is from
that species of ant called /ormtca omnivora. It is
recorded in the island that at a former period these
minute creatures threatened the destruction of the
colony. They were in such myriads as to form
bridges of each other's bodies across the largest
streams, and to extinguish the fires kindled in the
fields for their destruction. A reward of 20,000/.
was oflfered in vain by the legislature for any plan
that would ensure their destruction. This terrible
(Egyptian) plague, after baffling human invention
for its suppression, was only finally destroyed by the
hurricane in 1780.

This destructive insect was termed the sugar ant,
and described by Sir Hans Sloane as the for-
mica fusca minima antennis longissimus. The ants
are of an ordinary size, a slender shape, a dark
red colour, remarkable for the quickness of their
motions; but are distinguished from any other
species chiefly by the sharp acid taste which they
yield when applied to the tongue, and the strong
sulphurous smell which they emit when rubbed
together between the palms of the hands. Their

EXTRAORDINARY ANT PLAGUE. 263

numbers were often so immense as to cover the
roads for the space of several miles ; and so crowded
an many places that the prints of the horses' feet were
distinctly marked amongst them till filled by the
surrounding multitudes. They were never seen to
consume or carry oflf any vegetable substance what-
ever, but always laid hold of any dead insect or
animal substance that came in their way. Every kind
of cold victuals, all species of vermin, particularly
rats, and even the sores of the negroes were exposed
to their attacks. But they were decidedly injurious
by constructing their nests among the roots of the
lime, lemon, orange-trees, and sugar-canes, and so
obstructing their growth as to render the plants
sickly and unproductive. Various plans were de-
vised for their destruction in consequence of the
promised reward of 20,000/., and the principal
means employed were poison and fire. By mixing
arsenic and corrosive sublimate with animal sub-
stances, myriads were destroyed; and the slightest
tasting of the poison rendered them so outrageous as
to devour one another. Lines of red-hot charcoal
were laid in their way, to which they crowded in
such numbers as to extinguish it with their bodies ;
and holes full of fire were dug in the cane grounds,
which were soon extinguished by heaps of dead.
But while the nests remained undisturbed, new pro-
genies appeared as numerous as ever, and the only
effectual check which they received was from the
destructive hurricane of 1780, which, by tearing up
altogether, or so loosening the roots where they
nestled as to admit the rain, almost extirpated the

264 GRENADA.

whole race, and pointed out the frequent digging up
and consuming by fire these stools and roots, in which
they take refuge, as the best preventative of their
future increase. The ornithology of Grenada is simi-
lar to that of the other islands, but with rather less
numerous varieties of birds.

The rivers, or rivulets, are plentifully supplied
with fish, such as snapper, mullet, cray-fish, eels,
pike, &c.

Vegetable Kingdom. — ^The descriptions given in
the Guiana and Jamaica Books answer for Grenada,
and the fruits and vegetables, which for their seasons
will be found under St. Vincent's equally applicable
to the island under consideration. Dr. Hancock in-
forms me that he found a very singular animal
flower (or Zoophyte), inhabiting the side of the rocky
wall that lines the carinage, next to the town, about
two feet below the surface of the water, consist-
ing of a worm encased in a cylindric tube, fastened
at the end to the rock, and throwing out its rays or
tentacula at the other or outward end ; the rays when
extended standing in a sort of funnel shape; the
flower bearing an exact resemblance to the purple
passifloras or granadiUa (passion flower). When
fully expanded, this flower is peculiarly sensitive of
the approach of any thing towards it, and it is next
to impossible to obtain one in that state, as it is im-
mediately retracted (something in the manner of a
snail when its horns are touched), even on the undu-
lation of the water within its tubular shell. Whether
this shell is separable from the rock at the will of
the inmate, has not yet been thoroughly ascertained.

VEGETABLE KINGDOM.

265

conflicting accounts being given. It is evidently one
of that genus called Tubularia by Linnaeus, of the
order Zoophyta, and which are designated as com-
posite animals, efflorescing like vegetables.

In 1 762, when Grenada surrendered to the British
arms, it is said to have yielded annually, together
with its dependencies, the Grenadines, a quantity of
clay and muscovado sugar, equal to 11,000 hogs-
heads, of fifteen cwt. each, and 27,000 lbs. of
indigo.

The principal vegetable staples at present are
sugar, cocoa, coflfee, and cotton ; and the following
return shows the produce made in Grenada and the
Grenadines in 1830, which differs but little from that
of 1832:—

Parishes and
Island.

Sugar.

Rum.

Molasses.

Coffee.

Cocoa. Cotton

Par. St. George

Mark's....

John

Patrick ...

Andrew's

David's...

Isl.ofCarriacou

lbs.
3,179,916
958,276
913,247
6,214,350
6,756,021
1,853,443
2,225,700

Gals.
122,422
34,533
29,450
278,891
303,592
114,550
9,996

Gals.

56,382

11,784
7,880
3,997

24,955

6,368

144,313

lbs.
9839
5287
7852
500
1500
1144

Ibs.^
20,022
125,454
148,225

39,*670
4,534

lbs.
7,139

600

90,055

Total

22,100,953

890,434

255,679

26,122

337,903

97,804

The prices of produce in Colonial Currency was,
in 1832 :-—

Sugar.

Rum.

Molasses.

Cotton.

Coffee.

Cocoa.

per 100-lbs
30*.

per Gallon.

28.

per Gallon.
U. 6d.

per lb.
6d.

per lb.

u. ed.

per lb.
Sd.

266

GRENADA.

The prices of provisions established by the magis-
trates, and settled by the Market Act, in 1831, was
— ^beef, prime pieces, per lb. 2*., all others, ditto,
1*. 9d. ; veal, ditto, 2^. ; goat or kid, ditto, 1^. 9d. ;
turtle, ditto, 1^. Sd. ; hawksbill, ditto, 1^. 9d. ; iish,
large, ditto, 1^. ; jacks, three to the lb. 9d. ; ditto
small, and sprats, 6d, ; milk, pure, per quart. Is.
These are currency prices (vide Monetary System).

In 1700, more than twenty years after the sove-
reignty had been vested in the crown of France, there
were found on the whole island only sixty- four horses,
569 homed cattle, three plantations of sugar, and fifty-
two of indigo. About fourteen years afterwards, how-
ever, an active commercial intercourse^ was opened
with the island of Martinique, cultivation was rapidly
extended, and notwithstanding the interruption which
these improvements sustained by the war in 1744,
Grenada was found in 1753 to contain 2298 horses or
mules, 2556 homed cattle, 3278 sheep, 902 goats,
331 hogs, 83 sugar plantations, &c. The following
shows the stock in 1832 : —

DISTRICT.

Horses.

Horned
Cattle.

Mules and
Asses,

Town of St. George,

Parish of Ditto

St. John

St. Mark

St. Patrick

St. Andrew

St. David

Island of Carriacou

Totals

102
43
26
90

133
37
84

1944
590
457
1813
1913
1017
783

8517

432
216
192
776
720
288
53

2677

CHAPTER III.

POPULATION, WHITE AND COLOURED — GOVERNMENT, CIVIL,
MILITARY, AND ECCLESIASTICAL — FINANCES — MONETARY
SYSTEM — COMMERCE — EXPORTS AND IMPORTS, &C. — ^VALUE
OF PROPERTY, &C.

We have already seen in Chapter I. how the un-
offending native inhabitants were destroyed. In 1 700
there were but 151 whites, 53 blacks, or raulattoes,
and 525 slaves. In 1753 there were 1262 whites,
175 free negroes, and 11,991 slaves. In 1779 there
were 35,000 negroes in the island. In 1788 there
were 996 whites, 1125 free coloured, and 23,926
slaves. In 1817 there were 28,029 slaves ; in 1818,
27,415; in 1819, 27,060; in 1820, 26,899; in
1821, 25,667; in 1822, 25,586: namely, males,
12,355; females, 13,231. The next data shows
that, in 1827, the island contained 29^68 mouths ;
namely, of free whites, 834, free blacks and
coloured, 3892 — ^Total, 4726 ; slaves agricultural,
21,652, slaves, domestics andartizans, 2790 — ^Total,
24,442. The following return shows the population
of Grenada and the Grenadines, December 31st,
1832:—

7

268

GRENADA.

Pwl^het

Free, White

and

Coluured^

1 I

-a

B

a

Tflvn uf at. GcoTgH

Partdhof St. du

John **H...

' Afarks -..

Patrick -..

Andrew.

' David'A .,

Ulaud or CarrLbcou
Total

92i
Sll

£07

SB
3i?

25 d

£?&»

;a4!
iOitc

2042
337?

1G07

^59

2430
1753

1704
2Z53
127£
717
2]93
Stil5
1024
19U

2SDfi
241h5
1303

rso

23:t7
2747
lOM
200<)

11, ^BG U.OiS ]3»596 14,»43

290

The white population was, in 1829, Town of St.
George, 177 males, 107 females; parish of ditto,
90 males, 28 females ; St. John's, 38 males, 34 fe-
males; St. Mark, 25 males, 10 females ; St. Patrick,
84 males, 3 females ; St. Andrew, 94 males, 8 fe-
males ; St. David's, 38 males, 1 1 females ; Carriacou
Isle, 50 males, 4 females : — ^Total, 596 males, 205
females; — total, coloured males, 1562; females,
2224.

The progressive decrease of the slave population
from the years 1817, to 1831 inclusive, is shown in
the following table : —

GOVERNMENT.

269

tncivftae by l^irtb.

DecTcase by

Death.

>l

a

«j

lU

OJ JS

E3E

J

3

73

i

H

71

a

01

E

1

mi^

13,73?

14,2^2

^8,023

212

239

451

478

424

&i)2

35

um

13,3S{f

I'l^OS?

2?,415

^(hu

352

^57

538

&22

HJ?0

54

W9

L3,I£A

13,!J0&

27,OS0

dse

375

71+

5S5

5«4

ii<;o

E>&

1920

13,00?

Vi,&92

2(],B9S

311

330

641

435

4)0

895

41

ih2i

]2,»sa

13,26^

25,6(i7

352

330

0S2

5DIS

422

&2a

02

lSi2

12,355

13,:i;3l

25,H^S6

371

350

?21

3G4

310

G50

03

]S2^

\2,2b&

13,052

^5,310

3GL

H^58

719

3!? 9

m

824

104

im

12,101

I2,S7I

24,i>73

353

324

677

392

352

r24 f 97 J

1S25

12,05?

]2Mii

34fttyr

337

540

677

359

360

759

122

1S2fi

n,6tK5

IS.Sflo

24,581

320

340

fiSD

39^

39/

794

91

1BS7

n,81I

]2,G3^

24,1 ?3

3fi9

335

?04

3eo

30d

fie9

79

]«38

l],7r7

J2.af;5

24^342

355

332

G»r

37C

337

715

95

la29'

IJJII

V2,43i

24, Mh^

377

35U

?3fl

572

355

730

ys

1530

U,S7i

i2,:30(;

23,a?ii

^S5

349

734

503

4?6

970

n

1931

U,i^2

]!!,]?:!

2^,004

34fi

356

CM

500

425

925

1J£

The returns to the Slave Compensation Commis-
sioners gives the number of slaves as 23,536; average
value of each, 59/. 6s. ; relative value of the slaves,
1,395,684/.; proportion of 20,000,000/. to which
Grenada is entitled, 616,444/.

Government, Legal, Military, and Eccle-
siastical. — The people are ruled by a Lieutenant-
Governor, Council, and House of Assembly, whose
powers are similar to those described under Ja-
maica, &c. The Council consists of twelve mem-
bers, and the Assembly of twenty-six. A freehold,
or life estate of fifty acres in the country, or of 50/.
house-rent in the capital, qualifies for a representa-
tive. An estate of ten acres in fee, or for life, or a
rent of 10/. in any of the country towns ; and a rent
» Of Africans, males, 2226 j females, 207^.

270 6RBNADA.

of 20/. out of any freehold or life estate in the capital,
gives a vote in the election of the representatives.
The Law Courts, besides those of Chancery, in which
the Governor presides, are the Court of Grand Ses-
sion of the Peace, held twice a-year, in which the
person first named in the Commission of the Peace
presides ; the Court of Common Pleas, in which a
professional judge, with a salary of 600/. presides ;
the Court of Exchequer, lately fallen into disuse ; the
Court of Admiralty, and the Court of Error, com-
posed of the Governor and Council, for trying ap-
peals. In all cases the common statute law of
England is the rule of justice, unless when particular
laws of the island interfere. Since its restoration to
Great Britain, in 1783, a Protestant clergy have been
established by law. Four clergymen are allotted to
the whole, and each is provided with an annual
stipend of 330/. currency, 60/. for house-rent, and a
considerable portion of valuable glebe-land, which
had formerly been appropriated to the support of the
Romish clergy, for whose benefit a part of the grant
is still reserved.

There are eight places of worship, capable of con-
taining 2870 persons; and the expenses of the
church establishment to the colonists is about 1500/.
sterling per annum; that of five public schools is
430/.

Finance. — Colonial taxes and duties (payable at
the Treasury by virtue of the acts of the legislature),
are levied on all wines imported (wines for the use
of his Majesty's service excepted), per pipe, 3/. 65.
In bottles, per dozen, 2s. 3d, ; on all brandy and

MONETARY STSTEM.

271

gin, per gallon, 18^.; on each and every saddle-
horse, or mule, 3/. 6s, ; for every 100/. of actual
rental of houses, stores, buildings, and sheds (not
used in the manufacture of produce), or of the esti-
mated rental thereof, when occupied by the pro-
prietor thereof, 3/. ; on each and every slave, 18^. ;
on every 100/. value of produce, grown or manu-
factured in the year 1831, estimated as follow: —
Muscovado sugar at 40^. per 100 lbs. ; Rum, 2s, per
gallon ; Molasses, 1^. 6d. ditto ; Cotton, 6d, per lb. ;
Coffee, \s. ditto ; Cocoa, 4d. ditto ; 3/. per cent.

Grenada Colonial Revenue and Expenditure, from
1821 to 1831, in pounds sterling : —

Years.

Gross
Revenue.

EXPENDITURE.

Civil. •

MiUtary.

Total.

1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831

11,325
12,302
10,360
13,059
12,740
16,658
12,473
13,810
12,443
12,268
12,513

10,512
11,592
8,722
8,311
11,455
15,273
12,466
11,304
11,302
11,132
12,630

800
555
720
1704
960
659
727
838
822
761
719

11,312
12,147
9,442
10,015
12,415
15,931
13,193
12,142
11,954
12,722
13,340

Harbour duty on all vessels clearing, per ton,
4d. ; canal duty on all vessels clearing, per ton, 2rf.

Monetary System. — Each of our West India
settlements, it will be observed, has almost a distinct
currency; at least few are alike. The following is
the standard table for Grenada currency, established
(by proclamation) in 1798 : —

272

GRENADA .

Coins.

Weight.

Value in Sterling.

Value in
Currency.

Joe

Dts.
17

Grs.
12
12
6

£
2

8.

12
6

16
9
5
9

d.

6
"9

Dels.

8
7
4
5
5

Bitts.
"4

"i

... 1

Joe

Pirtole

Moidoire

Guinea

Dollar

Bin

■'!

A Joe, valued 3/. 12^. has a G. stamped in the
middle of the face side. A Joe, valae 3/. 6s, has a
G stamped in three places near the edge of the face
side. When a Joe is plugged, the initials of the
workman's name are stamped upon the plug.

The British and Colonial currency, established by
proclamation in May, 1797, consisted of British
half-crowns, 6s, Sd. ; shilling, 2^. 6d. ; sixpence,
Is, Sd. ; Colonial Monet a, marked IV. 2^. 6d, ;
VIII. Is, Sd, ; XVI. 7|rf.

Commerce. — In 1776 the exports from the island
and its dependencies were 14,012,157 lbs. of mus-
covado, and 9,273,607 lbs. of clayed sugar ; 818,700
gallons of rum; 1,827,166 lbs. of coflFee ; 457,719 lbs.
of cocoa; 91,943 lbs. of cotton; 27,638 lbs. of' in-
digo ; and some smaller articles, the whole of which,
at a moderate computation, was worth at the ports
of shipping, 600,000/. sterhng. The sugar was the
produce of 106 plantations, worked by 18,293 ne-
groes, which gives rather more than a hogshead of
muscovado sugar of 16 cwt. from the labour of each
negro : a return, which Mr. Edwards affirms to be
unequalled by any other British island in the West

PRINCIPAL EXPORTS.

273

Indies, except St. Christopher's. In 1787 the ex-
ports were 175,548 cwts. of sugar ; 670,390 gallons
of rum; 8812 cwts. of coflFee; 2,062,427 lbs. of
cotton ; and 2810 lbs. of indigo. In 1832 the prin-
cipal articles of export were — sugar, 22,213,240 lbs.
(value, 160,008/.); rum, 684,227 gallons; molasses,
370,310 gallons; cocoa, 160,752 lbs. The^ total
value of the exports was 201,276/., and of imports,
111,605/.
Principal Exports from Grenada (except cocoa) : —

Years.

Sugar.

Rum.

Molasses.

Coffee.

Hg8.

Pns.

Pns.

Bags.

1823

16,766

11,288

• 3799

222

1824

5,263

8,663

1869

147

1825

15,848

7,964

2945

11

1826

15,441

8,358

2498

176
lbs.

1827

12,695

7,730

1403

17,120

1828

20,171

9,464

3216

28,320

1829

No Returns.

No Returns.

1830

13,268

2,777

864

31,504
Bags.
6,103

1831

11,908

6,634

2464

SHIPPING EMPLOYED BY GRENADA, IN 1832.

Places.

Inwards.

Outwards.

Great Britain

Ships.

34
170
25
32

Tons.

9899

10504

4026

1141

Ships.

34

178

17

27

Tons.

9668

11008

2956

1282

British Colonies

United States

Foreign States

Total

261 9i;.'>7n

256
1779

24914
Men.

1850

Men.

WEST INDIES, VOL. I.

BOOK VI.

THE BAHAMAS.

CHAPTER I.

LOCALITY — HISTORY — ASPECT — GEOLOGY CLIMATE-
POPULATION — PRODUCTIONS — FINANCES — GOVERNMENT-
WASTE LANDS, &C.

This singular group of isles, reefs, and keys, termed
the Lucayos\ or Bahamas, extend in a crescent-like
form, from the Matanilla Reef in 27° 50' N. latitude,
and 79° 5' W. longitude, to Turk's Island in 21° 23'
N. latitude, and 71° 5^ W. longitude, a distance of
about 600 miles, not including various sand -banks
and coral reefs, stretching to a great extent east-
ward.

History. — One of the Bahama isles, St. Salvador*,
is celebrated as being the first land discovered by the
renowned western navigator on the 12tb of October,

1 This word probably owes its origin to the Spanish words
los cayos, ( Anglice, the keys).

2 Guanahani, now called Cat Island.

HISTORY OF THE BAHAMAS. 275

1492, when he made this advanced post of a new
world. The Bahamas were then densely peopled by the
mild and happy Indian race, who were soon shipped
oflF to work in the mines of Peru and Mexico, when
the Spaniards began their search for gold. In 1629
New Providence was colonized by the English (the na-
tives were then totally extinct), who remained there
till 1641, when the Spaniards drove them from the
islands, mm'dered the Governor, and committed many
acts of savage cruelty. In 1666 the English again
colonized in the Bahamas, and New Providence re-
mained in their hands till 1703, when the French and
Spaniards again expelled them, and destroyed their
plantations. The Bahamas now became a rendez-
vous for pirates, whose proceedings, so hurtful to
commerce, were only finally suppressed by Capt.
Woodes Rogers, of the British navy, who was esta-
blished as Governor, and soon reduced the outlaws
to obedience. After this some of the other islands
became inhabited, and remained quietly in our pos-
session until the American war, when, in 1776,
Commodore Hopkins, with a squadron from Phila-
delphia, attacked and plundered the settlement, and
carried off the Governor. In 1781 the Spaniards
took possession of the isles, but they were restored
to the British crown by treaty in 1783, having, how-
ever, been previously captured for England by the
enterprising Colonel Devaux, of South Carolina. The
Bahamas have ever since remained in our possession,
and the historian is not called on to narrate any
farther event of importance to Great Britain as con-
nected with them.

t2

276 THB BAHAMAS.

Physical Aspect. — ^Amidst a group of several
hundred islets none are elevated ; they are evidently
the work of that extraordinary beingp — ^the coral
insect, who, with all his apparent insignificance, has
created many beautiful and habitable spots for the
dwelling and culture of man. The ocean close to
the isles is of an unfathomable depth ; reefs of rock,
or rather walls of coral, bound the islands after the
manner observable in the South Sea islands. Some
of the Bahamas are inhabited, others present to the
eye a few plantations ; the remainder are tenantless,
though doubtless suited for culture, if there were an
abundant population desirous of obtaining food.
Generally speaking, the Bahamas are low and flat ;
indeed, little elevated, even in their highest points,
above the level of the sea. Nevertheless, their ver-
dant appearances render them extremely prepos-
sessing. It will be sufficient to particularize a few
of the principal of our possessions in the group.

New Providence, from its harbour and relative
situation with respect to the Florida Channel, is
considered the most important of the Bahamas, and
on it is situate Nassau, the seat of Government for
the isles, and the head- quarters of the naval and
military establishments. The island is about 2 1 miles
in length from E. to W., and seven in breadth from
N. to S. ; mostly flat, and covered with brushwood
and extensive lagoons. A range of hilly rocks runs
along part of the island, at a very short distance
from the sea, in a direction E. and W. On this
ridge many of the buildings of Nassau are con-
structed, including the Government House, and at

LOCALITY OP THB BAHAMA ISLBS. 277

its extremity to the W. are the barracks and Fort
Charlotte. Another ridge, called the Blue Hills,
runs in a direction nearly parallel with the former,
and at about two and a half miles distance. Hog
Island is little more than a reef of rocks, which forms
part of the N. harbour of New Providence. Rose
Island, to the N. and E. of New Providence, is about
nine miles long and a quarter broad. It affords pro-
tection to ' Cochrane's Anchorage.' Harbour Island
is five miles long and two broad, latitude 25° 29' N.
longitude 76° 34' W. very healthy, and a favourite
resort for convalescents. Turk's Island, latitude
21° 32' N. longitude 71° 5' W. principal mart for
salt-making, peculiarly healthy, and a point of mili-
tary importance in regard to St, Domingo. North,
and South Biminis : These isles are about seven
miles long, in latitude 25° 40' N. longitude 79° 18'
W. healthy, well-wooded, and watered, capacious
anchorage, and in the event of a war highly im-
portant for the protection of the trade of the gulf of
Florida, to the east of which they are situate. The
anchorage on the gulf side can admit any class of
shipping.

An idea of the number and extent of the isles^ will

* Those not mentioned are in chief— Andros, long (22
leagues), and irregular, to the west of New Providence,
8 leagues. Between them a tongue of ocean water runs in
S. E. as far as latitude 23° 21', called the Gulf of Providence :
access difficult from reefs. Off its S. £. end are the Espirito
Santo Isles. The Berry Islands, an irregular group. Several
small harbours formed by them, where refreshments may be
had. The S. E. of these islands are denominated the Frozen
Keys, and the N. the Stirrup Keys. Off the northernmost of

278 THS BAHAMAS.

be conveyed by the following statement of the lands
in the Bahamas, from an official return dated in
1827:—

the latter there is anchorage on the bank, in latitude 25^ 49'*
The Great and Little Isaacs : W. } N., 48 miles from Little
Stirrup Key, is the easternmost of three small kejrs, called
the Little Isaacs, and five miles further is the westernmost key
of the same name : these are from 50 to 60 or 70 feet in
length; the middle key is not so large. These heys are
situated on the western end of the Gingerbread Ground, which
extends five leagues £. by S. from the westernmost rock, or
Little Isaac, is about five miles wide near the east end, and
has some dangerous sharp rocks upon it, with only seven to
nine feet water. The Naranjos, or two Orange Ke3rs, lie four
miles within the edge of the bank, in latitude 24^ 66', and
longitude 79° T- Eleuthera extends E. nine leag^ues, S. £.
four ditto, and S. | E. twelve leagues. Guanahani, or Cat
Island, N.W. 8| leagues, E. J S. from Powel's Point, in
Eleuthera; it thence extends south-eastward, 15 leagues,
having a breadth of three to seven miles. Eleven miles south-
east from Cat Island is Conception Island, of about seven
miles in length N. E. and S. W., and three miles in breadth.
Yuma, or Long Island, seventeen leagues in length from
S. E. to N. W., S. by W., 17| leagues from the S. point
of Long Island, is Cayo Verde or Green Key. From
Cayo Verde the edge of the bank forms a great and deep
bay to the N. W., in the S. W. part of which is Cayo de Sal,
at the distance of ten leagues from the former. Egg's Island
is small, in latitude 25° 31'.

There are many smaller keys, and rocks too numerous
to mention.

OEOLOOT.

279

New Providence, Hog Island, Rose

Isle, and Keys

Andros Islands, Sheep, Grass, and

Green Keys

Berry Islands, Biminis, and Qiain

of Keys

Grand Bahama and its Keys .„

Great and Little Abaco, and Chain

of Keys

Harbour Island

Eleuthera, Royal and Egg Islands,

and Keys ^

St. Salvador and Leeward Little Isle
Watling's and Windward Little Isles

Great and Little Exuma

Rum Key

Ragged Island and Keys

Long Island

Crooked and Acklin's Island, and

Long Keys

Atwood Keys

Mayaguana and French Keys

Great and Little Heneague

TheCaiocos Islands .'.

Turk's Island

Keysal and Anguilla

Acres
Granted.

33,281

25,380

2,116
6,019

24,715

43,922
50,868
18,015
32,876
15,434

67,260
31,509

Total acres..

6,210
37,881

Acres
Vacant.

475,000

18,000
282,000

296,000
1,000

227,000
190,000
10,000
58,000
5,000
3,000
86,000

180,000

18,000

60,000

351,000

171,000

9,000

10,000

Total
Area.

64,281

500,380

20,116
288,019

320,715
1,000

270,922
240,922
28,015
90,876
20,434
3.000
153,260

161,509

18,000

60,000

357,210

208,881

9,000

10,000

2,434,000 2,842,000

Remaining in possession of the Crown, acres
2,434,000 in the Bahamas Isles.

Geology. — The Bahamas are formed of calcareous
rocks, which are composed of corals, shells. Madre-
pores, and various marine deposits, hardened into
solid masses in the revolutions of ages. The deposits
appear to have been thrown up in regular strata at
various periods, and their upper surface deeply
honey-combed, bears evident marks of having been
long covered by the waters of the ocean. No pri-
mitive formation has been formed, and the bases of
the islands are evidently coral reefs, originating with

280 THE BAHAMAS.

the MoUuscse, which, unpossessed of locomotive
powers, have organic functions destined for the
secretion of the lime required for their calcareous
coverings. Marl is formed on many of the out
islands, and here and there strata of argillaceous
earth may he met with. Meteoric stones have been
discovered rudely sculptured with human features,
by the aborigines, but whether found on the island
or brought thither it is impossible to say ; and at
Turk's Island a great number of calcareous balls have
been found, all bearing an indentation, as though
they had been suspended to a pedicle. Their origin
and nature are equally unknown. In confirmation of
the idea that these islands have been raised from the
bottom of the ocean, on pillars of coral, after the
manner of the east and southern hemisphere, it may
be stated, many of their salt water lakes and ponds
communicate with the ocean, as shown by their sea
fish. Many of them are so deep as not to allow
soundings, and the water in them rises and falls with
the tides on the coast.

Climate. — Situated at the mouth of the gulf of
Florida, placed by geographical position without the
tropics, removed from the excessive heat of a
vertical sun, and the intense cold of a northern
winter, the Bahamas enjoy a climate mild, equable,
and delightful. To the islands within the torrid
zone they are nearly akin, in the little variety of
season, the natural productions of the earth, and
the manners and customs of the people. But the
decided difference in the mean annual temperature,
and the more robust and healthy appearance of all

. CLIMATE. 281

classes of the community, gives to the Bahamas all
the appearances of a country situate in a more tem-
perate latitude. The summer and winter (hot and .
cold), the wet and dry seasons are well marked ; the
cold season lasts from November to May, during
which period the sky is remarkably clear and serene,
the mercury at noon F. occasionally below 60, seldom
beyond 70 or 75, while a refreshing north breeze
tempers the mid- day heat, and the mornings and
evenings are cool and invigorating. From May to
November the heat increases and decreases as the
sun advances and retires from its great northern
declination. The thermometer ranges from 75 to
85 F., rarely higher ; a fine breeze frequently blows
from the east with cooling showers of rain, before
the summer solstice and towards the autumnal equi--
nox. The mornings have then a peculiar freshness,
and the evenings a softness and beauty unknown to
colder countries. From the flatness of the isles the
fuU benefit of the sea-breezes is felt throughout every
part of each island. The health of the climate will
be indicated by the fact that out of a population of
1 148 at Harbour Island, no funeral took place from
the 5th of June to the 12th of November, while with
the same population twenty, or thirty would have
expired in any part of Europe ; and at Nassau the
proportion of deaths to the population was, in 1826,
only 1 in 45, which is less than the mortality of
England.

The following is a Meteorological Table for Nassau,
New Providence : —

282

THB BAHAMAS.

1 llllllll IJI

THEBMQftT.

WIND,

RBUAAKS.

*

34

3

M

?l

«4
H7

1)4

^4
S2

fi9

73
?G

a7
a?

5S

ea

75
74

r7

M

S3

74

en

S.E^ S.E. N.E.

N.E, S,E. N.K. N.

E. N.E. S.E. N.W.

VorL&blc.

IMtto.

B.E. E^ a. K.£.

N.E. E. N.W. a.

N.E.N. N.W. a,

3. S.W. W. K-W-

s.a.w. N.w,

Strong bn:e««s Old

cloudy.
Modafata & vvtUble.
Cle&r and BquoUy.
I>fttd, little Tain.
Moderate Hhoverir
Cleai and dry.
Mild aad clev.
Squall^t with rain,
Cleu, Ahownr, and

hazy.
Mild, iw[ip8rHtiu0y.
Moderate and squiUif-
VarlabK miH, rku.

Population. — In 1720, there were 830 whites,
and 310 negroes. In 1727, those classes were 2000
and 2241.

i

Slave*.

lncxeu«by SUth.

De^e&&e by Death,

i

Ed

1|

4

'3

■3
B

5

o

'5
s

u

u

1

>*

^

£m

H

'^

p^

H

s

fc

^

»

1SS2

5ii9

A379

lo.j^a

1825

407O

45M

S,5W

417 393

aoff

26e

102

428

A4

IflXH

iiiOH

4r>fi()

&f3E8

437 i'le

efl3

241

171

4lfi

1L9

1^31

47J7

4U2A

U,705

nuo

—

43^

IPO

By the inter- Colonial appointment returns, the
number of slaves are 9705 ; the average value of
each, 29/. I85. ; the relative value of all, 290,573/.;
and the proportion of 20,000,000/., 128,340/.

According to a census in 1826, the population
was: —

PRODUCE AND COMMERCE.

283

Whites.

Free, Coloured.

Slaves.

Total.

King's
Troops,
includ-
ing Fa-
milies.

1

,22

1

1

1

1

i

i
-a

CO

0)

2297

2291

897

1362

4592

4594

7786

8247

380

The aggregate of the population from 1822 to
1831 was: —

White Mid Free

Years.

Coloured.

Slaves.

Total.

Males.

Females.

Males.

Females.

Males.

Females.

1822

2702

3220

5251

5019

7953

8239

1823

2712

3246

5151

5019

7963

8265

1824

3149

3610

5251

5019

8400

8629

1825

3149

3610

4592

4594

7761

8204

1826

3194

3653

4592

4594

7786

8247

1827

3164

3626

4690

4724

7854

8350

1828

3214

3731

4691

4606

7903

8337

1829

3368

8863

4692

4606

8060

8469

1830

3368

3863

4692

4606

8060

8469

1831

3668

3863

4727

4830

8095

8693

Produce and Commerce. — European and tropical
vegetables and fruits thrive and are abundant ; beef,
mutton, and poultry, good and plentiful ; the shores
abound with fish, and there is turtle enough among
the Bahamas to supply all Europe. Almost every
island has pretty good water ; ambergris is occasion-
ally found. Cotton was formerly an abundant
article of exportation, and there is scarcely a spot in
any of the islands that is not covered with a luxuriant
vegetation.

284 THB BAHAMAS.

Ship timber, of a most excellent quality, is abun-
dant on many of the Bahama islands. LtogWood,
brazilletto, fustic, green ebony, and satin wood, are
produced in considerable quantities : for building or
planking vessels, the cedar, horseflesh, madeira,
mastic, and other durable woods, in great plenty,
and there is an inexhaustable supply of very superior
fire. wood. Sponges of good quality abound on the
island shores, and the water from the wells at New
Providence has the desirable quality of keeping good
at sea for any length of time.

The agricultural stock in the Bahamas in 1831
consisted of 1165 horses, asses, and mules; 3250
homed cattle ; 5975 sheep and goats ; and 3755
swine. The quantity of produce raised was 30,350
bushels of Indian com (at 45. 4d. market price per
bushel) ; 74,2501bs. of potatoes and yams (at 6s. per
cwt.) ; 3225 bushels of peas and beans (at 5s, lOd.
per bushel) ; 38,465 dozen of pine-apples (at 2^. per
dozen) ; 22 tons of cotton (at 5d. per pound) ; 30,500
melons and pumpkins (at 35. per dozen) ; 31,3001bs.
of ocre (at 2d, per pound) ; and 19 tons of cassada,
or cassava (vide British Guayana for a description),
at 105. per cwt.

The principal articles of export in 1831 were —
cotton, 69 bales ; bark, 70,3201bs. ; braziletto, 255
tons ; fustic, 308 tons. The value of the imports in
1831 was 91,561/., and of the exports, 74,658/.;
employing a shipping inwards of 48,765 tons, and
outwards of 54,264 tons. When we observe that
there are nearly two millions and a half of acres of
land in these isles unoccupied, and admit that half

FINANCE, &C.

285

are fit for the support of human life, I cannot see
any reason, any justice, or state policy, in leaving
thousands to starve at home when we should be
offering every encouragement to the unemployed to
accept of and till the waste colonial lands.

Finance, &c. — ^The revenue of the settlement is
raised after the manner adopted in the other West
India settlements.

The gross Revenue and Expenditure in £ sterling,
from 1821 to 1831, is stated in official documents to
have been : —

BEVENUE.

EXPENDITUEE,

Colonial.

Grant.

Tomi

Civil.

mutary.

Total.

\i3l

a,4L9

3,147

]1,5G6

14,4}4S

206

]4,S4H

i^i2

ifi.ssr

9,M3

13,fi40

17,316

223

]7,53&

13^3

\7,S36

3,4iS

£1,249

No retum.

14.B34

1&24

10,fiJW

3,413

14,112

—

lA,ati6

m5

U,^S&

4,782

19,137

■ —

17,367

m^

13,175

3,9!J7

17,172

—

ia,329

18S?

n,BJ3

4,8flfl

lfl.513

25,S10

n<f

20,600

ws

15,210

3,^5?

18^463

17.395

31,279

48,e74

IB^P

17,nS2

a,252

£<»,344

2iMS

2fl.B3y

63,1B2

ma

14,6U1

^,253

17,943

1 19,26(1

26,831

48,117

mt

ltfiH7

3,2S£

£2,390

|£0,413 1 ^5tB20

4&,533

In 1836 the grant hy the Imperial Parliament for
the Civil Government was 1930/.

The number of free or public schools is twelve, with
549 male, and 568 female scholars. The public School-
room in the town of Nassau is capable of containing
200 scholars.

TheWesleyan Methodists have two Sabbath Schools,
where 24 white and 281 coloured children and adults
are gratuitously taught reading and spelling, by 10
white and 18 coloured teachers.

286 THB BAHAMAS.

In addition to the Sabbath Schools they have two
weekly Catechetical Schools, which are attended by
150 children, chiefly coloured ; these schools are under
the direction and superintendence of the Wesleyan
Missionaries.

There are also Sunday Schools held in both the
parishes of Christ Church and St. Matthew ; the one
in the former parish is held at the kirk, where about
80 or 90 white children attend ; the one in the latter
parish is held in the church, and attended by white
and coloured children to the amount of 100. The
teachers attend gratuitously.

The school of Carmichael village is for the instruc-
tion of the children of the late indentured Africans,
and other free persons located in that neighbourhood;
its distance from the town of Nassau is about seven
miles.

The Wesleyan Methodists have Sunday Schools on
several of the out islands, in number ten, where about
630 white and coloured children are taught to spell
and read. There are 41 places of worship, main-
tained at the expense of about 2000/. per annum.

Government. — As in the other West India pos-
sessions the Government of the Bahamas is modelled
after that of England, viz. a House of Assembly, or
Commons, consisting of between twenty and thirty
members, returned from the several islands, a
Council of twelve members, approved by the Crown,
and a Governor, who is Commander-in-Chief of the
militia, and has the power of summoning and dis-
solving the legislative body, and of putting a negative
on its proceedings. The Electors are free white

CONCLUSION. 287

persons, of twenty-one years of age, who have re-
sided twelve months within the Government, for six
months of which they must have been householders,
or freeholders, or in default of that have paid duties
to the amount of 50/. To become a representative
the person must have 200 acres of cultivated land,
or property to the value of 2000/. currency.

There are several Courts of Law, such as the
Supreme Court, which holds its sessions in terms of
three weeks, with the powers of the common law at
Westminster, and its practice modelled on that of
the King's Bench, the Courts of Chancery, Error,
Vice- Admiralty, &c.

Nassau, in New Providence, as before observed, is
the seat of Government and the centre of commerce ;
it possesses a fine harbour, nearly land-locked ; and
on the south side of which the capital extends over a
rather steep acclivity to the summit of a ridge, the
west of which is crowned by a fortress of consider-
able strength, where the garrison is kept. The island
is divided into parishes, each of which has its church,
clergy, and school, liberally provided for. The
streets are regularly laid out, the public buildings
good, and there is an air of liveliness and cleanliness
which immediately attracts the eye of a stranger.

In conclusion, I should be rejoiced to see Govern-
ment granting the unoccupied lands in the Bahamas
in fee simple, and in perpetuity to any responsible
individual who might either settle thereon himself,
or locate others who possess industry without the
means to render it available, either for their own
advantage or for the welfare of the state.

BOOK VII.
THE VIRGIN ISLES.

CHAPTER I.

LOCALITY — HISTORY — PHYSICAL ASPECT — POPULATION —
GOVERNMENT — COMMERCE, &C. — CHIEF ISLANDS TOR-
TOLA, &C.

Thk Virgin Islands (so named by Columbus, on
discovery, in 1493, in honour of the 11,000 virgins
in the Romish ritual) are a cluster of lofty (except
Anegada) islets and rocks, to the number of fifty, to
the north-west of the Leeward Islands, extending
about twenty-four leagues from east to west, and
about sixteen from north to south. Tortola, the
capital, is situate in 18° 20^ north latitude, and
64*^ 39' west longitude.

History. — The Virgin Islands are divided between
the British, Danes, and Spaniards ; the east division
belongs to the former. The names are Tortola,
Virgin Gorda, (or Penniston, and sometimes cor-
rupted into Spanish Town), Jos van Dykes, Guana

TORTOLA. 289

Isle, Beef and Thatch Islands, Anegada, Nichar,
Prickly Pear, Camanas, Ginger, Cooper's, Salt
Island, St. Peter's Island, and several others of little
or no value. The western division, belonging to
the Danes, are St. Thomas, John's, James, Montal-
van, Savannahor, Green Island, Brass Isles, Hau-
seatei, &c. .

The first possessors of the British Virgin Islands
were a party of Dutch buccaneers, who fixed them-
selves at Tortola about the year 1648, and built a
fort for their protection. In 1666, they were ex-
pelled by a stronger party of the same profession,
who took possession in the name of England ; and
the English monarch, Charles II., availing himself
of this circumstance, shortly thereafter annexed it to
the Leeward Island government, in a commission
granted to Sir William Stapleton.

Physical Aspect of Tortola. — ^A succession of
precipitous and rugged mountains run east and west,
from one extremity of the island to the other ; the
shores are indented with bays, harbours, and creeks,
and, together with the adjacent keys, afibrd shelter
and anchorage for a great extent of shipping. The
interior contains large tracts of waste land and
pasturage, with zig-zag paths skirting the mountain
sides, and rendering the interior difficult of access,
and of course of cultivation; the soil, however, is
thin and impoverished, ofiering little encouragement
for sugar-cane plantations.

Capital. — ^ITie chief town, Tortola, is situate on
the south side of the island, close to the water's edge,
in the western bight of a magnificent harbour or

WEST INDIES, VOL. I. U

290

THE VIRGIN I8LB8.

basin, and forming one long street, curving at the
base of a projecting point of land. In front of the
town and harbour is a chain of small islands, ex-
tending far to the southward, and forming the
passage called Sir Francis Drake's Channel, The
harbour of Tortola, extending thus in length fifteen
miles and in breadth three and a half, perfectly land-
locked, has been seen in war-time affording shelter
to 400 vessels waiting for convoy.

The Population is, of whites and free coloured
males, 787 ; females, 986. The slave inhabitants
were, from 1818 to 1828,

■a

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so

By the intercolonial apportionment returns, the
number of slaves was 5192; the average value of
each, 31/. I6s.; the relative value, 165,143/.; and
the proportion of the 20,000,000/. awarded, 72,940/.

There are four free schools in Tortola, with 151
males and 260 female scholars, and five places of
worship.

Up to 1773, the government of these islands was
entrusted to a deputy -governor, with a council, who
exercised in a summary maimer both the legislative

7

AREA, PRODUCTIONS, &C. OF EACH ISLAND. 291

and executive authority; but in the latter year a
local legislature, similar to that of the other islands,
was conferred on them, with courts of justice, in
consideration of the inhabitants voluntarily^!) offering
to pay an annual impost of 4| per cent, to the crown
upon all the natural productions of the islands. They
are now under the government of St. Kitt's, but
possessing in Tortola a council and assembly of their
own. The principal articles of export, in 1828, were,
— sugar, 959 hogsheads ; rum, 4 puncheons ; mo-
lasses, 20 ditto ; cotton, 980 bales : employing a
shipping inwards of 3632 tons, and outwards of
3184 tons.

According to a voluminous statistical table in the
possession of James Colquhoun, Esq., the agent for
St. Vincent's and several other islands (to whose
urbanity and philanthropy I am indebted for many
of the facts contained in this volume), the area of the
several Virgin Isles, in acres, was, — Anegada, 31,200;
Tortola, 13,300; Spanish Town, 9500; Jos Van
Dykes, 3200; Peter's Island, 1890; Beef Island,
1560; Guana Island, 1120; and forty other isles,
with areas varying from 900 down to 5 acres each :
comprising in the whole, 58,649 acres ; of which there
were, in 1823, under sugar-canes, 3000 acres ; cotton
grounds, 1000; provisions, 2000; pasture land,
33,500; forest or brushwood land, 11,440; and of
barren land, but 7257 acres. The quantity of stock
on the island is given at, — ^horses, 240 ; mules and
asses, 529; homed cattle, 2597; sheep, 11,442;
goats, 3225 ; pigs, 1825 ; poultry, 44,050 ; and of
fish caught within the year, 15,837,371 lbs.: and

292 THB VIRGIN ISLB8.

yielding altogether an annual prodaction of property
to the extent of 100,000/. sterling ; and with a total
aggregate of moveahle and immoveable property of
nearly one million sterling.

If encouragement v^rere given to the growth of
West India agricultural produce, by the remission of
duties in England, there are many spots on the Virgin
Isles, as well as in the other islands, where indus-
trious Britons would find a Uvelihood, instead of
perishing of want at home. In war-time they afford
a valuable retreat for our merchant shipping*.

In the ensuing Vol. will be found the remainder
of our West India Colonies, with some illustrations
of the working out of the system of Slave Eman-
cipation.

APPENDIX.

WEST INDIES, VOL. I.

294

APPENDIX.

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APPENDIX.

301

(B.)

TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE TtlADE BETWEEN THE
UNITED KINGDOM AND THE BRITISH WEST
INDIA COLONIES SINCE 1814.

OFFICIAL VALUE.

DeelHBd

Volue

' BTFOKTS TO THE nniTIin WHET

of

IHDIXR.

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Importf

British

aLd

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£.

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IBM

9,0^^1 309

fi,28a.22fi

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372,491

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4.092,414

4, M 1,253

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4,llf7,701

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4,940,0(19

^70,738

5,311. .i47

4,^2a,5«t

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a,0 19,705

4,1:27, 053

24^,126

4,570,1 7S

a,4W,Sl»

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4,621,3199

£85.247

4,&[M;.Ji.10

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4,S45,556

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5,107,931

J. 827,489

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7,932,^20

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4,^97,270

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5,017,375

5,6liJi,222

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4,134,744

320,288

4.401,042

3.2atf,704

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5,521,250

3,012,085

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302

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APPENDIX.

GO

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Men.
8,678
10,087
9,050
8,404

»*.oo

55

1

Tons.
132,748
163.188
149,572
138,037

137,186
124,202
120,721

Foreign
States.

Tons. 1 No.
24,233 1 837
18,375 1,001
17,385 912
15,874 776

21,056 693
25.687 674
25,530 713

1

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II
si

Tons.
4,583
30,867
86,785
24,866

i"iis

II
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Tons.
24,007
16,349
16,183
12,557

23,043
22,974
25,m

ogggg

sss

Tons.
79,925
97,597
79,219
84,740

93,087
75,541
68,700

Hi

1

APPENDIX.

307

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Men.
9.408
9,869
9,563
7,899

11

00 to'

Tons.
151,610
151,353
161,111
131,644

Sis

|6il«

III

Tons.
29,190
23,942
17,645
17,614

III

ISIIB

gs^

Is
II

Tons.
3,986
25,548
35,635
22,182

6S§2§S

•S ^

Tons.
22,241
15,038
15,052
13,260

III

15555

2SS

11

Tons.
96.193
86,825
92,779
78,588

00 00 00

^eo»)03e*

i

§§Sii

ailisHsi

308

APPBNDIX.

RETURN OF THE SHIPPING, FOREIGN AND
BRITISH, EMPLOYED IN THE TRADE WITH
THE BRITISH WEST INDIA ISLANDS,

From 1820 to 1830, both inclusive, distinguishing each Yesr.

UNITED KINGDOM.

Yean.

Ships.

Tonnage.

Shipa.

Tonnage.

1820

857

240,510

831

233,486

1821

884

245.321

891

246,180

1822

839

232,426

743

208.099

1823

861

233.790

842

232,717

1824

899

244,971

848

233,097

1825

872

232,357

801

219,431

1826

891

243,448

907

251,852

1827

872

243,721

906

248,598

1828

1,013

272,800

1,022

270,495

1829

958

263,338

918

252,992

1830

911

253,872

868

240,664

Rates of Tares allowed on West India Sugar imported into Grest
Britain :—

From Jamaica, Grenada, Tobago, St. Vincent's, and St. Kitt's.

Cwt. qrs. lbs.

Hogsheads,— from 8 to 12 cwt 10 7

From 12 to 15 — 1 l 12

From 15 to 17 — 1 2

From 17 and upwards 1 2 14

From Dominica, Antigua, Nevis, Montserrat, and Trinidad.

Hogsheads,— from 8 to 12 cwt 10 7

From 12 to 15 — 1 i 4

From 15 to 17— 1 1 21

From 17 and upwards 12

THE END.

Gilbert & Rivinoton, Printers, St. John's Square, London.

II

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