The ANTILLES, The VIRGIN ISLES, and The CARIBBEES. The Antilles are sometimes divided into two classes, denominated The GREAT and LITTLE ANTILLES. All these islands, except Hispaniola, which is independent, and two or three others, belong to Great-Britain. As the usual distinction of European possession is fleeting and uncertain, we shall consider the principal of these islands, in their order from north to south.

THE BAHAMA ISLANDS,

CALLED by the Spaniards LUCAYOS, lie between 22 and 27° of N. lat. and between 2° E. and 6° W. lon. and comprehend all the isles to the north of Cuba and Hispanjola. They are about 500 in number; some of them are only rocks; others are very low and narrow, or little spots of land almost on a level with the water; but 12 of them are large and fertile. Five only are inhabited, viz. Providence, Harbor, Cat, Eleuthra, and Exuma. Turk's island has about 500 men on it during the salt season, but most of them return to the other isles. The principal island, which has given its name to the whole cluster, is Great Bahama, whose situation is about 20 leagues from the coast of Florida, from which it is separated by the strait of Bahama, or gulf of Florida. Ambergris is found on the coasts of these islands. The inhabitants catch great numbers of green turtle. The only article cultivated for exportation is cotton. They produce great quantities of dying woods, and some lignumvitæ and mahogany. Their chief commerce consists in furnishing with provisions such ships as are driven in by bad weather.

One of these islands, Guanahani, or Cat Island, is cele. brated as being the first spot of the new world descried by Columbus, who, as a memorial of deliverance, gave it the appellation of St. Salvador. These islands were then full of inhabitants, who were simple and mild, and lived happy in the midst of plenty. These unfortunate people were transported to the mines of St. Domingo, after the Spaniards had destroyed the inhabitants of that large island; so that fourteen years after their discovery, not a person was left on one of the Bahamas. Charles II. afterwards granted them to the proprietors of Carolina, who built the

town of Nassau, on the island of Providence, which is now the seat of government. The Spaniards and Americans captured these islands, during the American war, but they were retaken, in 1782, and are still subject to GreatBritain.

THE ANTILLES.

TO the southward of the Bahamas lie the Antilles, extending from 18 to 24 degrees north latitude. The most remarkable of them are Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Porto Rico.

CUBA is the most valuable island of all the Spanish West-Indies, and is situated between 20 and 23 degrees north latitude, and between 1 degree east and 10 degrees west longitude; 100 miles south of cape Florida. It is nearly 700 miles in length, and about 70 in breadth. A chain of hills runs through the middle of the island from east to west. It produces all the commodities known in the West-Indies, particularly ginger, long pepper, and oth er spices, cassia, fistula, mastic, aloes, tobacco, and sugar. The principal part of the plantations are on the beautiful plains of Havanna, and are cultivated by about 25,000 slaves. The other inhabitants amount to about 30,000. The course of the rivers is too short to be of any conse quence to navigation; but there are several good harbors in the island, which belong to the principal towns, Havanna, St. Jago, Santa Cruz, and La Trinidad. There are a vast number of small isles round this noble island, the channels separating which, as well as the rivers in the island, abound with fish. In the woods are some very valuable trees, particularly cedars, so large, it is said, that canoes made of them will hold 50 men. The hills are rich in mines, and in some of the rivers there is gold dust. Here are also fountains of bitumen.

Havanna, the capital of Cuba, is a place of great strength and importance, containing 2000 houses, and a number of churches and convents.

This island was discovered by Columbus, in 1492. It was taken possession of by the Spaniards, in 1511, who soon exterminated the mild and peaceable natives, to the amount of 500,000.

JAMAICA, belonging to Great-Britain, and one of the most valuable appendages to that crown, is 30 leagues south of Cuba. The centre of the island is in lat.18 12 north, and lon. 1 36 west; it is 150 miles long, and, on a medium, 40 broad.

This island is intersected with a ridge of steep rocks, from which issue a vast number of small rivers of pure, wholesome water, which fall down in cataracts, but none are navigable for marine vessels. The Blue Mountain Peak rises 7431 feet above the level of the sea. Sugar is

e greatest and most valuable production of this island. It produces also cocoa, ginger, pimento, or as it is called, Jamaica pepper, and vulgarly allspice; the wild cinnamon; the machineel, whose fruit, though uncommonly delightful to the eye, contains one of the worst poisons in Lature; the cabbage tree, remarkable for its height, and for the hardness of its wood, which, when dry, is incorruptible, and hardly yields to any kind of tool; the palma, affording oil, much esteemed by the negroes, both as food and medicine; the soap tree, whose berries answer all the purposes of washing; the mangrove and olive bark, useful to tanners; the fustic, redwood, and logwood. Jamaica can boast of a botanical garden, containing the rarest collection of curious trees and plants perhaps in the world.

This island was originally a part of the Spanish empire in America. It was reduced under the British dominion, in 1656, and ever since has been subject to Great-Britain. It is subject to earthquakes and hurricanes, which have done it incredible damage. Kingston is the capital, and contains 16.0 houses, beside negro huts and ware-houses. It is a place of great trade and opulence.

HISPANIOLA, or ST. DOMINGO lies at the entrance of the gulf of Mexico, between 17 and 21 degrees north latitude, and between 1 and 8 degrees east longitude; 450 miles long and 150 broad. The face of the country presents an agreeable variety of hills, vallies, woods, and rivers. It is extremely fertile, producing sugar, cotton, indigo, tobacco, maize, and cassava root. The European cattle are so multiplied here, that they run wild in the woods. The two great chains of mountains, which extend from east to west, and their numerous spurs, give

rise to innumerable rivets, repel the violence of the winds, vary the temperature of the air, and multiply the resources of human industry. They abound with excellent timber, and mines of iron, lead, copper, silver, gold, some precicus stones, and mercury.

Hispaniola was the cradle of European power in the new world. Columbus landed on it the 6th of December, 1492. The natives called it Hayti, signifying high or mountainous land; it was also called Quisqueya, that is, great country, or mother of countries. Others say it had the name of Bohio, which means a country full of habita tions and villages. Columbus called it Hispaniola, or Lit-' tle Spain, which name the Spaniards still retain, though St. Domingo is the name commonly used by other nations; so called from St. Domingo the capital, which was thus named by Columbus, in honour of his father. When the Spaniards discovered the island, there were on it, at least, a million of happy inhabitants, who were reduced to 60,000 in the short space of 15 years! It formed five kingdoms, each governed by caciques. The names of these kingdoms were Maqua, Marien, Higuay, Maguana, and Xaraguay. The Spaniards had possession of the whole island for 120 years, when they were compelled to share it with the French. About the year 1793, an insurrection began among the negroes, which, after the most horrid scenes of bloodshed and cruelty, has terminated in the expulsion of the French from almost all parts of the island, and the establishment of a government, administered by negroes. A negro chief, named Dessalines, has assumed the title of Emperor of Hayti, and the island, is now chiefly under his control.

The principal French town was Cape François, which, before its destruction, in 1793, contained 8000 people. The city of St. Domingo, at the same time, contained 20,000.

PORTO RICO, belonging to Spain, is 20 leagues E. S. E. of St. Domingo, 100 miles long, and 40 broad. The lands are beautifully diversified with woods, valleys, and plains, and are very fruitful, yielding the same produce as the other islands. Gold, which first induced the Spaniards to settle here, is no longer found.

The capital town, which is called Porto Rico, is on a

small island, joined to the main isle by a causeway, extending across the harbor. It is large and well built, the see of a bishop, and so well defended as to be almost impregnable.

THE VIRGIN ISLES

ARE a group of small islands, extending over a space of about 24 leagues from east to west, and 16 from north to south, and nearly approach the east coast of Porto Rico. They belong to several European powers, but chiefly to Great-Britain and Denmark.

THE CARIBBEES

EXTEND in a semicircular form, from the island of Porto Rico, the easternmost of the Antilles, to the coast of South-America. The sea, thus enclosed by the main land and the isles, is called the Caribbean sea; and its great channel leads northwestward to the head of the gulf of Mexico, through the sea of Honduras. The chief of these islands are Santa Cruz, Sambuca, Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Bartholomew, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatia, St. Christopher, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Guadaloupe, Deseada, Mariagalante, Dominico, Martinoco, St. Vincent, Barbadoes, and Grenada. These are classed into WINDWARD and LEEWARD ISLES, by seamen, with regard to the usual courses of the ships from Old Spain, or the Canaries, to Carthagena, or New Spain, and Porto Bello.

BARBADOES, belonging to the English, is the most easterly of all the Caribbees, and one of the mât popu lous spots on the earth. Its extent is not more than 20 miles by 13, yet it contains 16,000 whites, and 6000 blacks.

MARTINIQUE is the residence of the governor of all the French West-Indies. GUADALOUPE, which also belongs to the French, is the largest of the whole group.

TRINIDAD, though not one of the Caribbees, may be properly noticed in this place. It lies near the coast of Terra Firma, 36 leagues long and 18 or 20 broad. Beside the products, common to the West-Indies, this island has a remarkable lake of petroleum, or fossil oil, which