THE AMERICAN ISLANDS,
or
WE S T INDIES, •
THESE iflands, fo important to commerce, are Cuba, St. Domirig'o,.
Jamaica, and Porto Rico, all of confiderable extent; and^Bo&wed
by the diftinguifhed group called the Antilles, Cafihbee.^' of",Leeward
Iflands, but more properly by the Freach, Windward Iflands,, as
being towards the eaft, tfie_ point''of' the trade'wind'*. T o He
fouth. of this group is ,Trinidad, ajrecêht ErigKfli acquifition ; to the
weft of whicifi ffretch thT Leeward Ifland'd'of'\he'Sgai^d?. * 'In the
N. E. of this grand aflemblagé are the Bahama or Lucayos Iflands,
narrow and -barren ftrigs of ^and, formerly frequented by. pirates, mil
fubjedted to the legal power of .England ; but chiefly remarkable as
having been the firft difcovery o f Colon, ~ The reftrifted nature o f this
work will not admit o f a defcription adequate to the importance o f thefe
iflands, which is the lefs to be régretted, as the fubje£fc is already
familiar .to moft readers. . The heft geographical order appears to be
that fuggeftéd by their natural extent1 and importance, independent
o f the partial- and fleeting diftinction o f European pofleffion.. "
C UBA. \
This noble ifland is not lefs than 700 B. miles in length; but the medial
breadth does hot exceed 70. On his firft voyage, after exploring the
* O a r mariners apply both terms to .the Caribbee Iflands ;’the Windward ending with, Ivlar-
tinico, the Leeward reaching from Dominica .toPorto Rico. Edwards, i, 5,
8 fffeharna