Cu BA. part o f A-merrcft. This, with-thé, other large. iflands5'w,are\alffo ,qa-l|e'd
the Great Antilles,-the origin of which term barbeen before explained ;
and they were alfo known- by the -name ~ Sotqven to, or the le ew a r d
JJlands, in eontradiftindtion to the exterior 'group . called)% B a rlo vm t^ T
W in dw a rd IJlands. Havantia, the capital, was huilt in 1gfj 9 ; pas
taken in 1669 by Morgan, a celebrated ■'Buccaneer. ’ It again fojiren-
dered to thé Englifli in 1761, and treafures were fount! of«no fmafl
amount. This extenfive ifland is divided by a -chain- of ^oj^it^ins
palling >E. and W. The rivers are o f fhort courfe, but there are^yeral
excellent harbours. Among the produdts muft alfo be feokoiSed,ginger,
long pepper, mafticycocoa, manioc, and aloes: -There sare^ j^s-p fj excellent,
copper, which fupply the other vSpanilh colonies with domeftic
utenfils; and gold is not unknown in the xivers.Vi 'The,-forse#sv^)ipjuni
with wild cattle and fwinè ; and amongvtjië.trees'aée-ebony abdpp^ho-
gany. There ife sa governor-general; and-reighteen Jprif^^i^ps^re
governed by diftindt magiftrates«;, The natural hiftory^pf . 4 ^ J$rge
ifland is very defeQive, as is thé cafe with- all-the Spanifh Pftffeffions.
S A IN T D OMIN G O .
' T his ifland, the fécond in the American archipelago, is nowfpffifelly
poffeffed, at leaft nominally, by the French ; and is a&oufe 400 B. miles
in length by 100 in breadth. Under the name o f Hifpariidlafît was thé
firft Spanifh fettlement in the new world. The French’ cclohy.derived
its origin from a party o f Buccaneers, moftly nativeé. o f Normahdy,
towards the middle Of the feventeenth century ; and the weftern - part
was formally ceded to France by the peace o f Ryfwick. ' Soihdiiftrious
and flourifhing was this French colony, that it was termed the paradife
o f the Weft Indies : and according to Mr. Edwards1 in 1790 the pffiu-
lation amounted to 30,831 whites, and about 480,000 negro flaves, the
mulattoes, or free people o f colour, being fuppofed to be 24,000 ; while
the average exports before the revolution ftood thus :
* Hiftory of St. Domingo, 1797, 4to. p. 134. Reprinted in the third volume offrit Weft Indie
«, 1801,4to.
Clayed
Clayed-fugar.) i 15^643 ,,214
.,:T«Uyres,
tMiÆ©vadp-, s WË■ y r a H j l H ;®Py5'4o;:,,p,29
ÇjoÇce, -■ ■ - . ■ - lbis*.« B B i C©j:.tpp,;.. r ' , , .^ 6 9 ^ 5 8 1 ' à
Infligo, 5 1 pi) H jtii M H i
^ llilds. I.ly2 nq,6ï, (i: 2>7’C,v>,3- - l
An inferiopfoiÆpfi'um called taffia, libels. 31 2^p9®:
toW hidfes;?\ Np. I GjgpO^;
Tadfled ’ ditto,il. : V ’.' ’h'îÿ.; | | B m |
The total vajiie at th eM oe ® o f ^irai^giln
* ' livïcs >:óf p n r®amiifgó-, was ' -
(being’ equâl to 4,765,1 JdT. ftèrlingfmphey of Grjçat îfi itpiïl
Thefnational affembly o f France;, unhappily ^ hilojbphcrs
and^ n'<^^ff>men^o‘frbuf|^fs, palled f©mef'eck^adi(9:o] y dcctccof'c®jicLrn-
i$gjjlfe rightStOf the mulattoes-* cartas they are^§^<ja odlx ftjjLd>; people
$ Qte fof .p^r^gptatives.,, Thd’^aad|fftj ray,|pf|pp|iti^al ‘prur
denee might have jnforir£|th them, that the government o f dillant colo-
M fe Tuiffred * t^ T ea fr
thagvof the parent JeaiSntry. y^e^ftahlilhecl. op ,a^,fcjlid .and laflhig.b du^j
After many abfurdhfruggles between? the w h i^A tld my&l8b$svVori the
21ft June 1.79.3 three^thouf^nd negrO'fflap | l' fupported hkr jmrifatC i
ts^Mntered ,the capitaLcity of,Cape Framgois, and ^perpetrated an up if
verfal rnaflacre'pf the white njen; wo(men, and chMdrenv The^^pflop.
of flavery by-the infatuated commiffio'ners, in 0'rdef tb, d|fend theiiland
againft the Englifli, Has had the effedt that mights have heen-foisoleen ,,
the^coiony having been loft, at leaft for a feafpp,s^to^European, civrlhz-
atien and culture. The very naturehand eminence o f the Bcgrpe'si, and;
other favages,"being akin to that o f other ferocious- animals, and. their
chief pleafure to deftroy, it would be in vain to^expfed any thing fflort
of defplation from a negro- colony; and the example being, dmgprbus.
to Pur own poffeffions-, a powerful flfee'fi'has. failed fro’m Franfe’e; with eur
cpnc'urrence, in order to repeat the ’ fubj^gatjon o f this, ifland, which,
will probably be found far. more difficult than the,- firft'tconqueft.
Amidft:
It . D o m in g
o .