Minerals. the island; the stormy season lasts in these districts from BOOK April to November; in the north the winter begins in XCIII. August and continues to the month of April. The soil is light, and consists in some places of a thin stratum of vegetable mould resting on a layer of argil, tophus and sand; but the different varieties which have been observed, render the country well adapted for most kinds of cultivation. Early writers tell us that gold, silver, copper, tin, magne- Metals. tic iron ore, rock crystal, coal and the finest porphyry are to be found on the mountains of St. Domingo. Their statements are without doubt exaggerated, but they have been perhaps, for that reason, too hastily rejected. A Spanish mineralogist, by proving, in our own times, that all these metals exist in their native state on this island, has at least shown that the accounts of earlier writers were not wholly fictitious. The same author is likewise of opinion, that some of the mines might, even at present, be worked with advantage. Herrara declares that the mines of BuenaVentura, and Vega, yielded annually 460,000 marks of gold, and that there was found in the former place a piece of gold which weighed two hundred ounces. The Maroon negroes in Giraba still carry on an inconsiderable trade in gold dust. The population of the Spanish settlements, or of Spanish the central and eastern parts of the island, amounts at present to about 100,000 inhabitants, of whom only 30,000 are slaves. These colonists are not industrious; they are Producchiefly occupied in breeding cattle, cutting timber, or planting cocoa and sugar. It is stated that there were in the year 1808, 200,000 oxen in this part of the island, and that much about the same time, 40,000 mahogany trees were exported to Europe, which were supposed to be worth £140,000. Valverde tells us, that the cocoa raised in this settlement is the best in the Antilles; and it is well known that the D. Nieto, rapport au roi d'Espagne, inséré dans le Voyage de Dovo Soulastre au Cape Français, p. 90. + Walton's State of the Spanish Colonies. settle ments. tions. Towns. Tomb of BOOK island supplied the whole of Spain with that article during XCIII. the sixteenth century. San Domingo was the first town founded by Europeans in America; the bones of Christopher Columbus and his brother Lewis are deposited in two leaden Columbus. coffins in the Cathedral of this city. The ashes of the illustrious discoverer were removed from Seville, where they were interred in the Pantheon of the Dukes of Alcala; but nothing remains at present of the ancient splendour of San Domingo, which was wealthy, flourishing and populous in the reign of Charles the Fifth. It was at this place that the conquerors of Mexico, Chili and Peru formed their vast designs, and found the means of putting them in execution. The principal towns in the inland districts are San Yago and La Vega; the traveller may wander in this part of the country, through fertile and extensive meadows, without discovering any other traces of inhabitants than the temporary huts of a few shepherds. Lava, or rather perhaps fragments of basalt, have been observed on the heights, which are covered with lofty forests.* Bay of Sa mana. French settlement. Productions. As the bay of Samana is sheltered by many rocks, it might be converted into the finest harbour on the island. The Youna, which flows into this bay, might be rendered navigable for the space of twenty leagues; thus nature seems to have pointed out a situation for the capital; but the banks of that vast basin are unhealthy, and Europeans are unwilling to reside on them; some French colonists, however, have lately attempted to cultivate the district.† The French possessed formerly an extent of territory on the western part of the island, which was equal to 1700 square leagues ; a small portion of the country could only have been occupied, for more than seven-tenths of it are mountainous, or covered with wood. We may judge of the fertility of this colony, from the fact that the produce Dorvio Soulastre. + Guillermin, Précis des événemens de St. Domingue. XCIII. of 121 square leagues, or the quantity of sugar, coffee, in- BOOK digo, and cocoa raised on a district of that extent, was supposed, according to a moderate valuation, to be worth in France L.7,682,480. The exports from this settlement amounted, so early as the year 1788, to L.7,487,375. As there were at that time 450,000 negroes, if we consider them as the means by which this produce was raised, the annual labour of each slave must have been worth more than L.16.* Cape François, the capital of the French colony, has been Towns. denominated Cape Henry by Christophe the negro, who was lately proclaimed king of Haiti, under the title of Henry the first. This African, the leader of a well-dis- Kingdom ciplined army, whose subjects are indebted to him for the publics of blessings of liberty, has attempted to introduce into his do- Haiti. minions the splendour and ceremonies of a European court. His people carry on a trade with the Americans, the English and the Danes, and the great pay to which his officers are entitled, has induced many foreigners to enter into his service. The kingdom of Haiti terminates at the desert plains, which are watered by the Artibonite. and Re The southern parts of the island are divided into republican cantons and governed by a council, that has lately acknowledged a president or chief in the person of Petion the mulatto, who resides at Port-au-Prince, and considers his authority sanctioned by the example of the late republic in France. The French language is spoken in these states; and the catholic religion prevails not only in the republics, but in the kingdom of Haiti. Philip Dos, another chief, maintains his independence in the mountains of the interior. Porto Rico, situated Porto-Rieastwards of Hispaniola, is the next island in the chain of the Antilles. It is about a hundred and twenty miles in length, and forty in breadth; its mountains extend towards the south-west and are not so lofty as those in St. Domingo. Layvonito is the highest mountain on the eastern, and Lopello on the southern part of the island. Herds VOL. V. *Page, Traité du commerce des colonies. + Ledru, Voyage au Ténériffe, Porto-Rico, &c, 74 Co. XCIII. Productions. BOOK of wild dogs roam on these hills, they are supposed to be sprung from a race of blood hounds brought from Spain by the first conquerors to assist them in destroying and in hunting down the natives, who fled to the fastnesses for safety and shelter. The wide savannas in the interior and those near the northern coast are fertile; many cascades add to the beauty of the mountains in these places, which are the healthiest districts in the island. The low grounds are unwholesome during the rainy season, but the land is fruitful and well watered by numerous rivulets. The Spaniards determined to remain on this island for the sake of its gold, that metal has of late years been seldom observed. Excellent timber, ginger, sugar, coffee, cotton, lint, hides and the different kinds of incense so much used in catholic countries are among the productions of the island. Its mules are eagerly sought after in St. Domingo, Jamaica and Santa Cruz; and it carries on a considerable trade in tobacco, salt, rice, maize, cassia, oranges, gourds and melons. The capital, St. Juan de Porto Rico, is built on a small island on the northern coast, which communicates with the other by means of a mole, and the whole forms a convenient harbour. Aguadilla is famed for the comparative salubrity of its climate, San Germano is a considerable burgh, inhabited by the most ancient families on the island, and the small but pleasant town of Faxardo is situated on the eastern coast. Colonists might settle with advantage near the bays of Guanica and Guaynilla; and it is probable that these places may at some future period become more populous. Towns. About five leagues from Cape Pinero or the eastern extremity of Porto Rico, we may perceive the verdant and woodRiequen. ed heights of Biequen, a thinly inhabited island, which does not acknowledge the authority of Spain. The population of Porto Rico is at present unknown; it amounted about fifteen years ago to fourteen thousand freemen and seventeen thousand slaves. The inhabitants, faithful to the Popula tion. King of Spain, have afforded protection to several thousand colonists devoted to the royal cause. The annual revenue of the island has been valued at £17,209, and the expenses of administration at £61,850.* XCIII. Bahama, Islands tants. It is necessary to give some account of the Bahama or Lucayo islands, before we examine more minutely the Less or Lucayo Antilles. The Lucayos are separated from the continent by the Gulf of Florida, or the New Channel of Babama, a broad and rapid current, and the old channel of the same name divides them from Cuba. Their number is not less than five hundred, many of them are barren rocks; but Inhabitwelve, which are the most populous and the most fertile, contain about 18,000 inhabitants. The larger islands are generally fruitful, and their soil is the same as that of Carolina. Many British loyalists fled thither from the United States after the war of independence. The negroes are said to be more fortunate in these islands than their brethren in the Antilles. The owners preside over them, and they are not exposed to the lash of an overseer; their master is careful that their labour may be proportionate to their strength; and they have shown themselves worthy of this humane treatment by their industry and good conduct.t Cotton, indigo, tortoise shell, ambergris, mahoga- Producny, logwood and different kinds of fruit are exported from tions. these islands. During war the inhabitants derive some prefit from the number of prize vessels that are brought to their ports, and at all times from the shipwrecks that are so common in this labyrinth of shoals and rocks. Turk's islands are at present in the hands of the English, who have strengthened them by fortifications. Anegada, Virgin Virgin Gorda, and Tortala, are the principal English islands in the small Archipelago to the east of Porto Rico. Sir Francis Drake is said to have called them the Virgin islands in honor of Queen Elizabeth; but this is a mistake, Columbus himself gave them the name of Las Virgines, in allusion to the legend of the eleven thousand virgins in the Romish ritual. * Ledru, Voyage au Ténériffe, &c. + M'Kinnen's Travels. Islands. |