ST DOMINGO. 



Subdivi- 



Si Domin- Jay. in thv kind's exchequer." Sec Doiitetday llltulra- 

 ._ **%_* tf d, U .V Kelham. Littleton'* History of Henry the Se- 

 cond, vol. iii. hvo. edition. There arc ul-o st-veral cu- 

 rious notices respecting Domesday Hook sc.ittcrcd up 

 and down in Nicliol's Literary History of 'I lie I'.ightmith 

 Century, (u. -.) 



DOMINGO, ST, or Hi-i-AMoi \, is tin- second in 

 point of size, and one; of the most fertile of tin- islands 

 lormiug the American Archipelago : its dimensions 

 have licit been accurately ascertained ; but, according 

 to the best authorities, it is 170 le .-.giics. in length, 30 

 in breadth in the middle, and about SlSO in circumfe- 

 rence. Hy t!ie natives it is called Haiti, or the High- 

 land Country, on account of nu h.i'\ nature of its north 

 diu.-ion. They also give it the name of Quisqueya, 

 r the mother of oountrie.-. When it was first disco- 

 vered by Columbus, he called it Isabella, in honour of 

 the Queen of Spain ; but it soon afterwards was deno- 

 minated St Domingo after the princijial city in the 

 island. It is situated among the islands of Cuba, Ja- 

 maica, and Porto Rico, from the last of which it is se- 

 parated only by a channel : it extends from 17" 37' to 

 20" north latitude, and from G7" .'35' to 74" l.V wot lon- 

 gitude. Several small islands lie round St Domingo, 

 the principal of which are Altarde, Saone, Beate, St Ca- 

 therine, on the south side from west to east ; Mone, 

 and Monique, on the south east side ; Gaymetc and 

 Coneve, on the west ; and La Tortue on the north 

 side. 



T.his island is divided into two parts; that which is 

 now strictly and properly called Il.-'.iti, and Ilisp.miola; 

 the former comprehends the ancient French division ; 

 and the latter what belongs to the Spaniards : the an- 

 cient divisional line which separated these two parts 

 stretched from the river Pedernates on the south side, 

 tn the river Massacre on the north side, at the head of 

 the bay of Mancenille: the Spanish part is reckoned to 

 contain about yo leagues, in its extreme length from 

 east to west, and about CO leagues in its greatest 

 breadth, having a surface of about 3200 square leagues: 

 of this surface, nearly -H)0 square leagues are moun- 

 tainous ; but these mountains are much more capable 

 of cultivation than those in the Haitian division ; the 

 soil huing little inferior in point of fertility to that of 

 the valleys. The division of Haiti extends 100 miles 

 in length ami 1 W in breadth ; it contains 2,500,000 

 acres, of which 1,500,000 were in high cultivation be- 

 fore the commencement of the French revolution in 

 1789: it is for the most part mountainous, but fertile, 

 uiid full of woods, and mines of silver and iron. 



The climate of the whole island is very hot, but the 

 effect of the heat is considerably moderated by the 

 winds and frequent heavy falls of ram ; these, however, 

 render it so very damp, that most things become pu- 

 trescent in a very short space of time. In the plain*, 

 in the Spanish part, the neat is nearly uniform, .some-- 

 times rising as hi;jha.s 99 > hut as the mountains are ap- 

 proached, it gradually subsides on them, it rarely ri- 

 te above 72 11 or 77 ; wd during the night, the tempe- 

 rature is so cool as to render covering necessary ; on 

 some of the highc-t mountains, as those of Cibao, Lille, 

 and Hoiie, the former of which is estimated at about 

 tjOOO feet above the level of the sea, a fire is frequent- 

 ly requisite. In the central part of the island, the 

 plains of Banica border on the more elevated districts 

 of St John's and St Thomas ; and in the former, the de- 

 cree of heat is so perceptibly greater, as, according to 

 Walton, to cause a diminutive size in the' inhabitants, 

 compared with tliosc of St John's and St Thomas. The 



i ;. .:- 



valley of Costan/.i, which is divided from the district of M nmuin- 

 M John's by a high ridge of mountain*, and i> clo-rd ({ 

 in like an amphitheatre by surrounding hill*, has a .still """ ~- """' 

 colder climate: meat there can be preserved live or si\ 

 days untainted: hoar frost is frequently seen in 

 morning, and a tire is generally necessary. Tin 

 mate may lie divided into t : thect and 



dry: the he n iest rains fall in May anil June : the pre- 

 valent winds are funn the east, which cool the air ; a 

 -until or west wind render.- it ,-ultrv. In Jai: 

 north winds are not uncommon; thcv <>cci-iona cold 

 dryncss in the atmosphere. SW and land winds arc 

 common ; about 10 o'clock in the morning, the ri . 

 easterly brcc/.c sets in ; toward- the evening, the land 

 wind springs up, but it doc.- not reach to a great dis- 

 tance from the, shores. Hurricanes are scliLun c\ 

 enced ; wlten they occur, they are preceded by a elo-r 

 sultriness of the atmosphere ; earthquakes are not now 

 nearly so frequent as formerly. In the southern part 

 of the island, violent gales of wind are not uncommon, 

 but they are not attended with such dreadful consequen- 

 ces as the hurricane- in the windward islands. The prin- 

 cipal cause of the unhealthiness of the climate ofSt 

 Domingo seems to be the alternation of violent heat* 

 and heavy rains ; and as this alternation prevail" in a 

 greater degree, and more frequently on the sea shore, 

 it is more unhealthy than the interior parts < 

 island. The moisture of the climate has been already 

 noticed ; and from this cause, as well as from the at- 

 tacks of small insects, while the French held [ 

 of the west end of the i-land, copies ol'all the transac- 

 tions and records were transmitted to Paris, to -ccur< 

 them from the destruction of the colonial climate. 

 Walton remarks, that even the texture of the paper is 

 de-troved. 



The soil in general is a rich clay ; in some places Suil. 

 mixed with light gravel, lying on a substratum of 

 rock. It is remarked that the upper soil is deep, in 

 proportion as it is less humid, and easily broken, hi 

 this kind of soil, vegetable remain- arc ..(ten found. 

 The direction of the hills in St Domingo is similar to 

 that on the other islands, being parallel with the bearing 

 of the island; their summits form a regular curve; 

 there" are two great chains of mountains, which stretch Mountain 

 from east to west ; from the.-;- numerous -purs branch 

 out. C'ibao, one of the loftiest, has been alri ady stated 

 to be about COOO feet above the level of the sea. The Valley* 

 valleys are very numerous, and in general extensive 

 and fertile. The valley of La Vega heal is one of the 

 largest and finest in the island ; its length i- computed 

 at 80 league's, and its breadth at 10, and in some place* 

 at 15. To the east of the city of St Domingo, are 

 those immense pkins, which are emphatically called 

 IMS Llanos ; tiny are perfectly level; with no trees 

 upon them, except a few small shrubs on the margin 

 of the springs or pools of water. These- plains are said Plain*. 

 to occupy nearly a sixth part of the island, stretching 

 almost to the east end, a distance of mere than 90 

 miles, while their breadth is about 30 miles. The Riven, 

 island is watered by several rivers, the principal of 

 which are Ozama, Hainn, Nigua. Villcija-. Norsjic, 

 Ocoa, and Yane : they take their rise in the mountains, 

 and in general descend tow ards the west. There are, 

 however, some which flow to the north and east ; but 

 these are not so large as the others. The- Ozama f;Jls Ozam*. 

 into the sea at the city of St Domingo, when it is as 

 wide :is the Thames at Chelsea ; about a league above 

 the city it is joined by the Isabella. In rainy seasons, 

 the current is very rapid and strong ; and the colour of 



