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by no means unromantic history of the islands. He speaks 

 with horror of the cruelties inflicted upon the wretched 

 aborigines by the Spaniards, and of the enormous oppres- 

 sion which they endured, an oppression so excessive that 

 it met with the stern condemnation of the human and 

 illustrious Dominican Los Casas. 



The transfer of the islands from Spain to England, 

 at the cost of many a bloody episode, forms a lengthy 

 and exciting period in colonial history, one, however, far 

 too pregnant with startling events to be dwelt upon in 

 these pages. The piratical history of the islands is also 

 of deep and picturesque interest, but, although it abounds 

 in romantic incidents, I must perforce pass it by and 

 merely allude to it by saying that the novelist and the 

 lover of exciting narratives will find in the pages of ' The 

 Memoirs of Peter Henry Bruce,' of ' Daniel McKinnen's 

 Tour of the West Indies,' and of ' Montgomery Martin,' 

 enough material for more than one exciting story of old 

 colonial life. 



The object, however, of this Pamphlet is not historical, 

 but essentially practical, and, moreover, devoted principally 

 to the fisheries and fishing industries of a colony, which 

 by reason of its superb climate and its proximity to the 

 United States, is of very great value to the Crown, and 

 the inhabitants of which are essentially loyal and earnest 

 in their endeavours to progress with the rest of the world 

 in intellectual and commercial prosperity. 



The island of New Providence is about twenty miles 

 long by seven in breadth, and is the most important, 

 though by no means the biggest, of the Bahama group. 

 The history of the island since its discovery by Columbus, 

 down through the buccaneer period, is only interesting 

 to its inhabitants and government. I may observe that. 



