in latitude eighteen: it is about thirty leagues weft from St. Chriftopher's, about ten or twelve leagues in length, and at the broadeft, fomewhat above three. Columbus, though the most humane of all the Spanish adventurers, exterminated the natives, who manfully oppofed him; but abandoned the island, which was afterwards vifited by the Englifh in 1587. They probably poffeffed it till 1635, when the Dutch putting in their claim, the island was divided by compromife between the two nations, each of whom had a governor; but the whole being a private, rather than a national tranfaction, their names have not come to our hands. It is, however, certain, that about the year 1645, the Dutch governor furprifed and murdered the English chief. This outrage produced a 'war upon the island, in which the Dutch were defeated, and their governor killed. A short pacification enfued; but fresh broils happening, the new Dutch governor was killed by the English, and all the Hollanders, including one hundred and twenty French, were A.D.1650. driven off the island. Thofe fettlers were no better than free-booters, acting without any legal authority; and foon after the Spaniards from Porto Rico attacked the English, and treated them as fuch, by putting to death all who fell into their hands. The Dutch of St. Euftatia hearing that their enemies the English had been extírminated, returned to take poffeffion of Santa Cruz, and being ignorant that it was still in the hands of the Spaniards, they were furrounded, and forced to furrender prifoners of war. Before the Spaniards could carry them to Porto Rico, the French general de Poincy, arriving with a fuperior force, obliged the Spaniards to relinquish their prifoners, and return to Porto Rico; but he carried the Dutch, who in fact, had no right to the island, back to St. Euftatia. He there entered into treaty with thofe Dutch merchants who had advanced money towards the fettlement of Santa Cruz; and purchased this, together with fome other islands, in property for the order of Malta; which purchase was afterwards confirmed by the French king, who referved the fovereignty of it, and a certain reddendo to his own crown by way of acknow- A D.1664. legement. When Colbert, the French minifter, ftruck into a new fyftem of commerce, he made no fcruple of reducing this bargain, which indeed was of itfelf abfurd and impracticable, by repaying the money which the order had advanced for the purchase, and the French then re-entered into poffeffion of the island. About the year 1695 or 1696, the court of Denmark thought of colonizing Santa Cruz, and the French had their reafons, both pecuniary and political, for tranfmitting the property of it to the Danes, who were long confidered as its proprietors rather than R 3 fettlers, Anegada The Virgin fettlers, for its chief profits went to the English. In later years their Danish majestics have thought fit to be at a confiderable expence in improving this ifland to their own immediate emolument. As it is equally the interest of the English as of the French, that the Danes fhould be poffeffed of it preferably to any other European power, their right to it has hitherto been unquestioned. Some fay, that the ifland of Santa Cruz is far more valuable than it is generally imagined to be. The foil, which is rich, and easily im proveable, produces many excellent dying and other woods proper for house and fhip-building. The progress of the inhabitants in cultivating the fugar-cane, under the protection and encouragement of the Danish court, has been of late years very confiderable. Oranges, citrons, and the mandioca root, with granates, lemons, and the papay-tree, the fruit of which makes a moft excellent fweetmeat, grow here in abundance. The air is excellent, and the water, when filtrated or fettled in earthen jars, becomes wholefome. Its chief port lies on the north-fide, where there is a large bay, on the weft fide of which stands the governor's houfe. The island of Anegada and Sombrero are at present Sombredo. without any fettied European inhabitants, and only remarkable for the collibry or humming bird, the fmalleft, but at the fame time, one of the most beautiful of all the feathered creation, and for painted crabs of a delicate taste and a peculiar nature. The Virgin Islands are about twelve in number, but for the most part fo inhofpitable and unimproveable, that they properly belong to no European power. They lie to the east of Porto Rico, and to the weft of Anegada. The chief of them is that of St. Thomas, divided between the Danes and the Brandenburghers, many of whofe merchants and planters by opening their harbour, which is fafe, ftrong, and commodious, to traders of all nations, become very rich. It naturally produces most of the Weft India commodities, but is infefted by mof. quitos. The French buccaneers deftroyed the Danish factory in this ifland, but fince that time, a large battery has been erected between the fort and the harbour; so that it is now made proof against all irregular attacks . Auguilla. The other ENGLISH CARIBBEE ISLANDS. ANGUILLA, fo called from its fnake-like form, is about ten leagues in length, and three in breadth, the e Linfchot. Hift. Amer. De Laet. Hift. du Nouv. Monde. L'Abat, Charlevoix. moft moft northern of all the English Caribbees, lying twentyfix leagues north-eaft from Santa Cruz, and about fifteen north from St. Chriftopher's. It is, properly fpeaking, one of the Virgin Islands likewife. When the English difcovered this, ifland in 1650, it was filled with alligators, and other noxious animals; but they imported into it live cattle, which have fince multiplied exceedingly. They found the foil proper for raifing tobacco and corn; and in general the whole inland agreeable. But not being fettled here under any public encouragement, each planter laboured for himself and the island became a prey to every rapacious invader. The greateft damage they fuftained, was from a party of wild Irifh, who landed here after the Revolution, and treated them more barbaroufly than any of the French pirates, who had attacked them before. The people of Barbadoes, and the other English Caribbees, knew the value of the foil, and feveral planters removed to Anguilla, where they remained many years, carrying on a profitable trade, but without any government, either civil or ecclefiaftical. There are ftill inhabitants who plant fome fugar; and the island is in general faid to be capable of great im provements. The island of St. Martin lies about fifteen miles diftant St. Martin; from Anguilla on the north-weft, and at the like distance from St. Bartholomew on the fouth-eaft, being about seven leagues in length, and four in breadth. This ifland is valuable for its falt-pits and falt-water lakes, which the Spaniards thought fo confiderable, that they built a fort upon the ifland to protect them, and to prevent other nations from making a fettlement. In the year 1650, when the affairs of Old Spain were in great diforder, the garrison of this fort being no longer able to maintain themselves, blew it up, and destroyed at the fame time all their houses and cifterns. The French, upon their retiring, fet up a claim of pre-occupancy, and endeavoured to get poffeffion of the island, but were thwarted by the Dutch; and an accommodation being propofed, the island was divided between them; the French entering into poffeffion of the moft pleafant part of it, which looks towards Anguilla, while the Dutch occupied the most profitable, because it contained the falt-pits and ponds above mentioned. This quarter was foon filled with commodious buildings and capacious ftorehouses, while that of the French remained poor and ill provided; and in the year 1689, was plundered by fir Timothy Thornhill. The Dutch part would have proved a flourishing colony, had it not been deftitute of a good harbour, and lain too R 4 far Berbuda. far to leeward, to carry on a convenient commerce with the windward iflands. In 1744, a handful of English, headed by the deputy-governor of Anguilla, with two St. Chriftopher's privateers, drove the French from the poffeffion of their part of the island, and it has been ever fince confidered as belonging half to the Dutch, and half to the English. The island of Berbuda, belonging to the English, is thirty-five miles north from Antigua, fifty-three north from St. Chriftopher's, and about ninety fouth-west from Anguilla; being in length twenty miles, and in breadth twelve. This ifland was planted foon after the English had fettled upon St. Chriftopher's; for one Mr. Littleton, a planter, of St. Chriftopher's, obtained a grant of it from the earl of Carlifle, within whofe charter it lay. The beautiful appearance of the island induced the first settlers to give it the appellation of Dulcina; and they removed to it in 1628. They foon had occafion to abate of their fanguine expectations. The island had no harbour; it was expofed to the defcents of the merciless Caribbeans; and it was not yet difcovered that it was capable of producing any ftaple commodity. All that invited the new fettlers to perfevere, was its falubrious air, its pleasant fituation, and its readily affording all the neceffaries of life. The Caribbeans from Dominica, in their nocturnal descents, proved so troublesome, that the English were several times obliged to forego their defign of planting Berbuda ; but after the refumption of lord Carlifle's patent, when those barbarians had been a little chaftized by other English colonists, colonel Codrington became fole proprietor of the fame, and he well deferved to be fo, by the many important fervices he did to the crown of England in the Weft Indies. This island remains the property of the Codrington family to this day. Their poffeffion of it, however, was contefted by Park, governor and captain-general of the Leeward Islands, an infolent minifterial governor. drington, however, defpifed Park's enmity fo much, that he refufed to produce his right, and his own friends advifed the governor to drop his claim, which was only founded upon Berbuda's being a Caribbee Ifland; and therefore, as he pretended, within his government. the numbers and favagenefs of the Caribbeans decreased, the inhabitants of Berbuda acquired comfortable eftates: and in 1708, no fewer than twelve hundred English were fuppofed to be upon the ifland. In its infant ftate it was harraffed by the French, merely out of spite to their capi Co As tal tal enemy in the Weft Indies, general Codrington, who had driven them from St. Chriftopher's. The appointment of a governor is in the Codrington family, and part of the eftate arifing from this island, amounting, as it is faid, to two thoufand pounds a year, with two plantations in Barbadoes, was bequeathed by Chriftopher Codrington, efq. to the fociety for propagating the Gofpel, towards the inftruction of the Negroes in the Caribbee Iflands in the Chriftian religion, and the erecting a college at Barbadoes for teaching the liberal arts. The land of this ifland lies low, but is fertile, and the inhabitants are chiefly employed in breeding black cattle, fheep, kids, fowls, and all kind of domeftic stock, which they difpofe of to the neighbouring iflands; fo that their way of life differs little from that of an English farmer. The ifland, upon trial, has been found proper for the cultivation of many of the commodities with which the other Weft India iflands abound, fuch as citrons, pomegranates, oranges, raifins, Indian figs, maize, cocoa-nuts, cinnamon, pine apples, and the fenfitive-plant, with various kinds of wood and drugs, fuch as brafil, ebony, pepper, and indigo. There are fome large ferpents, upon this ifland, but far from being poisonous, they are useful in destroying rats, toads, and frogs; but there are others fo venomous, that their bite proves mortal, unlefs an antidote is applied in two hours. On the weft fide of this ifland is a good well-sheltered road, clear from rocks and fands; but two fhoals run above two leagues into the fea, from the north-weft and fouth weft points. The island of St. Chriftopher's affords more matter for St. Chrif history, and has undergone greater revolutions, than any topher's. other island in the Weft Indies. When it was discovered by Chriftopher Columbus in his firft voyage to America, the name given to it by the inhabitants was Lianuiga, which he changed to its prefent name, upon a fanciful refemblance of the land to the reprefentation, of St. Christopher bearing upon his back the infant Jefus. It lies between latitude feventeen degrees ten minutes, and feventeen degrees forty minutes; and in longitude fixtytwo degrees forty minutes weft from London; is about ten miles north of Nevis, and fourteen leagues from Antigua. Its length is twenty-five miles and a half, and its greatest breadth feven. The compafs of the whole ifland is between feventy and feventy-five miles. Who were the original fettlers, whether French or English, is a point of very little confequence in itself, had it not been magnified into importance by both nations. It is certain, that foon after the |