called GOAT ISLAND, and a rock, called MONKEY KEY, almost contiguous to it.

MASSAFUERO, called by the Spaniards the Lesser Juan Fernandes, lies 22 leagues west by south of the last mentioned island; on the north side is good anchorage for shipping.

WEST-INDIES.

IN that immense gulf, which flows between North and South-America, lies a multitude of islands, which at the time of their first discovery, were called the West-India islands, on the suppositian that they extended so as to form a connection with those of the East-Indies. The fallacy of the supposition was soon discovered; but the name is still retained, to prevent confusion in geographical accounts of the islands. They lie in the form of a semicircle, and stretch almost from the coast of Florida to the mouth of the river Oronoko, in South-America.

The climate in all the West-India islands is nearly the same, allowing for those accidental differences which the several situations and qualities of the lands themselves produce. As they lie within the tropics, and the sun goes quite over their heads, they would be continually subjected to an extreme and intolerable heat, if the trade winds did not blow in upon them from the sea, and refresh the air, in such a manner, as to enable them to attend their concerns, even under the meridian sun. On the other hand, as the night advances, a breeze begins to be perceived, which blows smartly from the land, as it were from the centre, towards the sea, to all points of the compass at once.

The rains make the only distinction of seasons in the West-Indies; the trees are always green. They have no cold, no frost, no snows; the storms of hail are, however, very violent when they happen.

The grand staple commodity of the West-Indies is sugar. The juice of the sugar cane is the most lively, excellent, and the least eloying sweet in nature.

The Islands of the West-Indies are generally distributed by navigators, into four clusters, called The BAHAMAS,

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The ANTILLES, The VIRGIN ISLES, and The CARIBBEÉS, The Antilles are sometimes divided into two classes, denominated The GREAT and LITTLE ANTILLES. All these islands, except Hispaniola, which is independent, belong to Great Britain, France, Spain, and Denmark. 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 Hispaniola. 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 is!and, 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 coast 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 lignamyitæ 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 celebrated 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 isl and; so that fourteen years after their discovery, not a person was left on one of the Bahamas. Charles H. 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 Ameri can war, but they were retaken, in 182, and are still subjeet to Great Britain.

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.

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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. 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, löng pepper, and other 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 consequence 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 & medium, 40 broad.

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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 the 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 nature; 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 1660 houses, besides 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 rivers, 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 precious 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 habitations and villages. Columbus called it Hispaniola, or Little 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 honor of his father. When the Spaniards discovered the island, there were on it, at least, a million of happy inhabitants, who were reduced to 60,009 in the short space of 15 years! It formed five kingdoms, each governed by caciques. The name 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 people of color, which, after the most horrid seenes of bloodshed and eruelty, has terminated in the expulsion of the French from almost all parts of the island, and the establishment of a government, administered by victors of color. A chief, named Dessalines, assumed the title of Emperor of Hayti, and the island was subjected to his control. His successor is Christophe, under the title of King Henry.

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