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384

AREA, PRODUCTIONS, &c. OF EACH ISLAND.

nearly half a mile, lies a sunken rock, called Santa Monica, with only 11 feet water over it, and midway between Normand's and St. John's Islands is Flanagan Island, off the southern part of which is a rocky reef. There are navigable channels on each side of Flanagan Island, only taking care to give a good berth to the Santa Monica Rock, in the eastern channel, and to St. John's Island in the western channel, for some sunken dangers lie on that side. These are the islands from the S. Western part of Virgin Gorda to St. John's, which enclose Sir Francis Drake's Channel on the south-eastern side, while St. John's, Tortola, Beef, and Scrub Islands, forin its W. and N. W. boundary.

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 were-Anegada 31,200; Tortola 13,300; Spanish Town 9,500; Jos Van Dykes 3,200; Peter's Island 1890; Beef Island 1560; Guana Island 1,120; and forty other isles, with areas varying 900 down to five acres each, comprising in the whole 58,649 acres; of which there were in 1823 under sugar canes 3,000 acres; cotton grounds 1,000; provisions 2,000; pasture land 33,500; forest or brushwood land 11,440; and of barren land but 7,257 acres. The quantity of stock on the island is given at horses 240; mules and asses 529; horned cattle 2,597; sheep 11,442; goats 3,225; pigs 1,825; poultry 44,050 ; and of fish caught within the year 15,837,371 lbs.; and yielding altogether an annual production of property to the extent of £100,000. sterling; and with a total aggregate of moveable and immovable property of nearly one million sterling.

If encouragement were given to the growth of agricultural produce by the remission of duties in England, there are many spots on the Virgin Isles where industrious Britons would find a livelihood, instead of perishing of want at home.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE BAHAMAS.

LOCALITY-HISTORY ASPECT- GEOLOGY CLIMATE

POPULATION

PRODUCTIONS-FINANCES-GOVERNMENT, WASTE LANDS, &c.

LOCALITY. This singular group of isles, reefs, and quays, termed the Lucayos,* or Bahamas, extend in a crescent-like form; from the Matanilla Reef in 27.50 N. lat. and 79.5 W. long.; to Turks Island in 21.23 N. lat. and 71.5 W. long., a distance of about 600 miles, not including various sand banks and coral reefs, stretching to a great extent eastward.

HISTORY. One of the Bahama isles, St. Salvador,† is celebrated as being the first land discovered by the immortal navigator on the 12th of October, 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 off to work in the mines of Peru and Mexico, when the Spaniards began their search for gold. In 1629 New Providence was colonized by English, (the natives were then totally extinct) who remained there till 1641, when the Spaniards drove them from the islands, murdered the Governor, and committed many acts of savage cruelty. In 1666 the English again colonized in the Bahamas, and New Providence remained in their hands till 1703, when the French and Spaniards again expelled them, and destroyed their plantations. The Bahamas now became a rendezvous for pirates, whose proceedings, so hurtful to commerce, were only finally suppressed by Capt. Woodes Rogers, of the British navy, who was established as Governor, and soon reduced the outlaws to obedience. After this some of the other islands became inhabited, and remained quietly in our pos

* This word probably owes its origin to the Spanish words los cayos, (Anglice, the keys.)

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386 HISTORY OF THE BAHAMAS-PHYSICAL ASPECT.

session until the American war, when, in 1776, Commodore Hopkins, with a squadron from Philadelphia, 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, however, been previously captured for England by the enterprising Col. Devaux, of South Carolina. The Bahamas have ever since remained in our possession, and the historian is not called on to narrate any further event of importance to Great Britain as connected with them.

*

PHYSICAL ASPECT. Amidst a group of several hundred islets none are elevated; they are evidently the work of that extraordinary being-the coral insect, who, with all his apparent insignificance, has created many beautiful and habitable spots for the dwelling and culture of man. 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 verdant appearances render them extremely prepossessing. 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 21 miles in length from E. to W. and 7 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 constructed, including the Government House, and at its extremity to the

The ocean close to the isles is of an unfathomable depth; reefs of rocks, or rather walls of coral, bound the islands after the manner observable in the South sea isles.

LOCALITY OF THE BAHAMA ISLES.

387

broad. It

HARBOUR

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 21 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 9 miles long and affords protection to 'Cochrane's Anchorage.' ISLAND is 5 miles long and 2 broad, lat. 25.29 N. long. 76.34' W. very healthy, and a favourite resort for convalescents. TURKS' ISLAND, lat. 21.32 N. long. 71.05 W. principal mart for salt making, peculiarly healthy, and a point of military importance in regard to St. Domingo. NORTH AND SOUTH BIMINIS. These isles are about seven miles long, in Lat. 25.40 N. Long. 79.18 W. healthy, well wooded and watered, capacious anchorage, and in the event of a war highly important for the protection of the trade of the gulf of Florida, to the E. 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 be conveyed by the following statement of the lands in the Bahamas, from an official return dated in 1827.

Those not mentioned above are in chief

ANDROS long (22 leagues) and irregular, to the W. of New Providence, 8 leagues. Be-tween them a tongue of ocean water runs in S. E. as far as Lat. 23° 21', called the Gulf of Providence access difficult from reefs. Off its S. E. 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 Kays, and the N. the Stirrup Kays. Off the northernmost of the latter there is anchorage on the bank, in Lat. 250 49. The GREAT and LITTLE ISAACS.-W. N., 48 miles from Little Stirrup Kay, is the easternmost of three small kays, called the Little Isaacs, and five miles further, is the westernmost kay of the same name: these are from 50 to 60 or 70 feet in length; the middle kay is not so large. These kays are situated on the western end of the Gingerbread Ground, which extends five leagues E. 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 KAYS, lie four miles within the edge of the bank, in lat. 24° 55', and long. 79° 7. ELEUTHERA extends E. 9 leagues, S. E. 4 ditto, and S. E. 12 leagues. GUANAHANI, OF CAT ISLAND N. W. 8 leagues, E. & S. from Powel's Point, in Eleuthera; it thence extends south eastward, 15 leagues, having a breadth of three to seven miles. Eleven miles S. E. 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, 17 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 Kay. 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 10 leagues from the former. EGG ISLAND is small, in Lat 25. 31.

There are many smaller kays and rocks too numerous to mention.

388

AREA OF EACH BAHAMA ISLE, AND CROWN LANDS.

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Remaining in possession of the Crown, acres 2,434,000 in the Bahama Isles.

GEOLOGY. The Bahamas are formed of calcareous rocks, which are composed of corals, shells, Madrepores, 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 primitive formation has been formed, and the bases of the islands are evidently coral reefs, originating with the Molluscæ, 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

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