general vie in luxury and expense with their fellow subjects of Great Britain. Of so much importance is this island to the commerce of the mothercountry, that a squadron of ships of war is always stationed at Port Royal for its defence. All the forts

I went from one ship to another, till at last it pleased God I met with my wife and two of my negroes. She told me, when she felt the house shake she ran out, and called all the house to do the same. She was no sooner out, but the sand lifted up, and her negro woman grasping about her, they both dropt into the earth together, when at the very instant, the water came in, rolled them over and over, till at length they caught hold of a beam, where they hung till a boat came from a Spanish vessel and took them up."

The wharfs of Port Royal sunk down at once with many of the most eminent merchants; and water, to the depth of several fathom, filled the space where the street had stood. The earth, in its openings, swallowed up people, and threw them up in other parts of the town; nay, some of them survived this violence. About a thousand acres to the north of the town subsided, mountains were split, and plantations removed half a mile from the places where they formerly stood; and no fewer than two thousand black's and whites are said to have perished in the town. The ships in the harbour had their share in this disaster. Several of them were overset; the motion of the sea carried the Swan frigate over the tops of houses, by which means she was the instrument of saving many lives. The rest of the island suffered in proportion; and scarce a house in it was left undemolished or undamaged. In short, it entirely changed not only its improved, but natural, appearance; scarce a mountain or piece of ground standing where it formerly did. Upon the whole, this earthquake was a mere wreck of nature, and its horrors were such as cannot be described.

When the first shock was over at Port Royal, the clergymen assembled the people to implore the divine forgiveness; and some miscreant sailors took that opportunity of robbing the houses of the wretched inhabitants, when a second shock happened, by which many of those villains

were

forts are kept in excellent order, a regiment of regular troops is kept in actual service, and there is a strong militia of horse and foot arrayed in case of an invasion from abroad, or insurrection of the negro slaves on the island*.

were swallowed up. The whole system of the air and soil was changed; putrid smells issued from the apertures in the earth, and occasioned pestilential disorders, which are said to have destroyed above three thousand of the white inhabitants.

* At this period, there are on the Jamaica station six ships of the line, and thirteen frigates and smaller vessels. And on the Leeward Island station there are two ships of the line, two frigates of 44 guns each, and nine smaller

ones.

CHAP

general vie in luxury and expense with their fellow subjects of Great Britain. Of so much impor tance is this island to the commerce of the mothercountry, that a squadron of ships of war is always stationed at Port Royal for its defence. All the

forts

I went from one ship to another, till at last it pleased God I met with my wife and two of my negroes. She told me, when she felt the house shake she ran out, and called all the house to do the same. She was no sooner out, but the sand lifted up, and her negro woman grasping about her, they both dropt into the earth together, when at the very instant, the water came in, rolled them over and over, till at length they caught hold of a beam, where they hung till a boat came from a Spanish vessel and took them up."

The wharfs of Port Royal sunk down at once with many of the most eminent merchants; and water, to the depth of several fathom, filled the space where the street had stood. The earth, in its openings, swallowed up people, and threw them up in other parts of the town; nay, some of them survived this violence. About a thousand acres to the north of the town subsided, mountains were split, and plantations removed half a mile from the places where they formerly stood; and no fewer than two thousand black's and whites are said to have perished in the town. The ships in the harbour had their share in this disaster. Several of them were overset; the motion of the sea carried the Swan frigate over the tops of houses, by which mea: she was the instrument of saving many lives. The rest o the island suffered in proportion; and scarce a house in it was left undemolished or undamaged. In short, it entirely changed not only its improved, but natural, appe. ance; scarce a mountain or piece of ground standing whe it formerly did. Upon the whole, this earthquake was « mere wreck of nature, and its horrors were such as cann be described.

When the first shock was over at Port Royal, the clergy men assembled the people to implore the divine forgiv ness; and some miscreant sailors took that opportunity robbing the houses of the wretched inhabitants, when second shock happened, by which many of those villair

CHAP. XIV.

BARBADOES. By whom discovered. To whom granted. Disputes respecting regal Government. Conduct of Charles II. Present Situation of the Island. Its Constitution. Exports. GRENADA. By whom discovered. By whom and by what Means settled. Taken by the English. Attempt to levy a Tax. Present Situation of the Island. St. VINCENTS. Conduct of the French. Famous for its Sugar. NEVIS. ANTIGUA. Infamous Conduct of Mr. Park. MONTSERRAT. The VIRGIN ISLANDS. The BAHAMAS. The BERMUDAS.

THE

DOMINICA. Cruel

St. CHRISTOPHERS.

HE island next in importance to Jamaica, which we possess in the West Indies, but the oldest in point of settlement, is Barbadoes. It is one among the windward division of the Caribbee islands, and was probably discovered by the Portuguese in their voyages from Brazil, and from them it received the name which it still retains. The Caribbees, for reasons unknown to us, had deserted it, and the Portuguese considering it of little value, left it nearly in the same state as they found it.

When our countrymen first landed here, they found the place as destitute as if it had never been peopled by savages. Some years after this a ship of sir William Courteen's, a merchant of London, was driven by distress of weather to this island, and finding refreshments on it, the master and seamen, on their arrival in England, made so fa2

vourable