HISTORY

OF THE

WEST-INDIA ISLANDS.

THE vaft country of America is divided into two parts, North and

South, the narrow ifthmus of Darien ferving as a link to connect them together; between the Florida fhore on the northern peninfula, and the gulf of Maracabo on the fouthern, lie a multitude of islands, which are called the Weft-Indies, from the name of India, originally affigned to them by Columbus; though, in confequence of the opinions of fome geographers of the fifteenth century, they are frequently known by the appellation of Antilia or Antilles: this term is, however, more often applied to the windward or Carribbean islands.

Subordinate to this comprehenfive and fimple arrangement, neceffity or convenience has introduced more local diftinctions; that portion of the Atlan tic which is feparated from the main ocean to the north and eaft by the islands though known by the general appellation of the Mexican gulf, is itself properly divided into three diftinct parts; the gulf of Mexico, the bay of Hon. duras, and the Carribbean fea, so called from that class of iflands which bound this part of the ocean on the caft. Of this clafs, a group nearly adjoining to the caftern fide of St. John de Porto Rico is likewife called the Virgin ifles. The name of Bahama islands is likewife given, or applied by the English, to a cluster of small iflands, rocks and reefs of fand, which Aretch in a north-westerly direction for the space of nearly three hundred leagues from the northern coaft of Hifpaniola to the Bahama ftrait opposite the Florida fhore.

Such of the above iflands as are worth cultivation now belong to Great Britain, Spain, France, Holland and Denmark

The climate in all the Wefl-India iflands is nearly the fame, allowing for thefe accidental differences which the feveral fituations and qualities of the Jands themfelves produce. As they lie within the tropics, and the fun goes quite over their heads, palling beyond them to the north, and never returning farther from any of them than about thirty degrees to the fouth, they would be continually fubjected to an extreme and intollerable heat, if the trade winds, rifing gradually as the fun gathers ftrength, did not blow upon them from the fea, and refresh that air in fuch a manner, as to enable them to attend their concerns even under the meredian fun. On the other hand, as the night advances, a breeze begins to be perceived, which blows fiartly from the land, as it were from the center, towards the sea, to all points of the compafs at once.

By the fame remarkable Providence in the difpofition of things it is, that when the fun has made a great progress towards the tropic of Cancer, and becomes in a manner verticle, he draws after him fuch a vast body of clouds, which fhield them from his direct beams, and diffolving into rain, cool the air and refresh the country, thirty with the long drought, which commonly prevails from the beginning of January to the latter end of May.

The rains in the Weft-Indies are like floods of water poured from the cludso with a prodigious impetuofity; the rivers fuddenly rife; new rivers and lakes are formed, and in a fhort time all the low country is under water. Hence it is, that the rivers which have their fource within the tropics, fwell and overflow their banks at a certain feafon; but fo mistaken were the ancients in their idea of the torrid zone, that they imagined it to be dried and fcorched up with a continual and fervent heat, and to be for that reafon uninhabita ble; when, in reality, fome of the largest rivers of the world have their course within its limits, and the moiflure is one of the greatest inconveniencies of the climate in feveral places.

The rains make the only diftinction of feafons in the Weft-Indies; the trees are green the whole year round; they have no cold, no trofts, no fnows, and but rarely fome hail; the ftorms of hail are, however, very violent when they happen, and the hailftones very great and heavy. Whether it be ow ing to this moisture, which alone does not feem to be a fufficient caufe, or to a greater quantity of a fulphureous acid, which predominates in the air of this country, metals of all kinds that are fubject to the action of fuch caufes ru and canker in a very short time; and this cause, perhaps, as much as the heat itfelf contributes to make the climate of the Weft-Indies unfriendly and unpleafant to an European conftitution.

It is in the rainy feafon, principally in the month of Auguft, more rarely in July and September, that they are affaulted by hurricanes, the moft terrible calamity to which they are fubject, as well as the people in the Eat-Indies, from the climate; this destroys, at a ftroke, the labours of many years, and proftrates the most exalted hopes of the planter, and at the moment when he thinks himself out of danger. It is a fudden and violent storm of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, attended with a furious fwelling of the feas, and fometimes with an earthquake; in fhort, with every circumflance which the elo

ments can affemble that is terrible and deftructive. First, they fee a prelude, to the enfuing havoc, whole fields of fugar-canes whirled into the air, and fcattered over the face of the country. The ftrongest trees of the foreft are torn up by the roots, and driven about like ftubble; their windmills are fwept away in a moment; their utenfils, the fixtures, the ponderous copper boilers, and fills of feveral hundred weight, are wrenched from the ground and battered to pieces; their houfes are no protection: the roofs are torn off at one blaft; whilft the rain, which in an hour raifes the water five feet, rushes in upon them with an irrefiflible violence.

The grand ftaple commodity of the Weft- Indies is fugar; this commodity was not at all known to the Greeks and Romans, though it was made in China in very early times, from whence was derived the first knowledge of it; but the Portuguefe were the first who cultivated it in America, and brought it into requeft, as one of the materials of a very univerfal luxury in Europe. It is not determined, whether the cane, from which this fubflance is taken, be a native of America, or brought thither to their colony of Brafil by the Portuguefe, from India and the coaft of Africa; but, however that may be, in the beginning they made the moft, as they fill do the bell, figars which come to market in this part of the world. The juice within the fu gar cane is the moft lively, excellent, and the leaf cloying fweet in nature, which, fucked raw, has proved extremely nutritive and wholefome. From the molaffes rum is diftilled, and from the fcummings of the fugar a meaner fpirit is procured. The tops of the canes, and the leaves which grow upen the joints, make very good provender for their cattle, and the refufe of the ca e, after grinding, ferves for fire, fo that no part of this excellent plant is

without its ufe.

They compute that, when things are well managed, the rum and molaffes pay the charges of the plantation, and the fugars are clear gain. However, a man cannot begin a fugar plantation of any confequence, not to mention the purchase of the land, which is very high, under a capital of at least five thou fand pounds.

The negroes in the plantations are fubfified at a very easy rate; this is gegerally by allotting to each family of them a small portion of land, and allowing them two days in the week, Saturday and Sunday, to cultivate it: Some are fubfifted in this manner, but others find their negroes a certain portion of Guinea or indian corn, and to fome a falt herring, or a small portion of bacon or falt pork a day. All the reft of the charge confifts in a cap, a fhirt, a pair of breeches, and a blanket, and the profit of their labour yields ten or twelve pounds annually. The price of men negroes, upon their firft arrival, is from thirty to fifty pounds, women and grown boys lefs: but fuch negro families as are acquainted with the bufinefs of the islands, generally bring above forty pounds upon an average one with another; and there are inflances of a fingle negro man, expert in the bufinefs, bringing one hundred and fifty guineas; and the wealth of a planter is generally computed from the num ber of flaves he poffeffes.

No. 28.