Sk Domin- 

 go- 



Animals. 



ST DOMINGO. 



pin, a small tortoise, snooke, calapever, mullet, bara- 

 f cooler, &c. Centipedes are large, dangerous, and fre- 

 quent : the scorpion is rarely found; but the venomous 

 crab spider is sometimes met with. The land crabs are 

 numerous over the whole island, but particularly so 

 near the city of St Domingo: they burrow in the sands 

 during the day, and at night issue out in great num- 

 bers. The Spaniards have a tradition, that the city 

 was saved in 1692 from the English, under Admiral 

 Penn, by means of these animals. According to 

 them, the European forces landed in the night, expect- 

 ing to attack the Spanish camp unprepared ; " the ad- 

 vanced line from the first boats had already formed, and 

 were proceeding to take post behind a copse, when they 

 heard the loud and quick clatter of horses feet ; and, 

 as they supposed, of the Spanish lancemen." Thinking 

 that they were discovered, they embarked precipitately, 

 but the alarm was occasioned 'by these land crabs, and 

 the noise was caused by their clattering over the dry 

 leaves : in commemoration of this defeat, the inhabi- 

 tants for a long time celebrated La. Fiesta de lox Can- 

 grejos, or the Feast of Crabs. The wood ant is one of 

 the most destructive insects in Domingo. It attacks all 

 kinds of wood, especially the wood of the pine; if the 

 packing cases are made of it, it will perforate through 

 every fold of the goods which they contain, till it works 

 a passage out on the other side. The cattle are attack- 

 ed by a large fly, something similar to the cantharides 

 of the Mediterranean. It fastens on any part of their 

 skin which is broken, and there deposits its eggs; 

 which, when in the state of maggots, often deprive 

 the animals of life. These flies also attack the navel- 

 string of the young cattle for the same purpose, and 

 with the same effect. Walton asserts, that the cochi- 

 neal insect is found indigenous in the district of St 

 John's, and Banis, and along the river Ocoa ; but he 

 is probably mistaken in this, as well as in what he says 

 .-i j i tting the periwinkle found in St Andrew's Bay, 

 containing the Tyrian dye. In the district of St John's, 

 a small red insect, resembling a spider, is found; which, 

 when crushed upon the skin, produces a poison through 

 the system, which the Indians remove by the applica- 

 tion of the flame of certain leaves. 



It is extremely difficult to ascertain the population ei- 

 ther of the Spanish or the Haitian divisions of this island. 

 The last census of the Spanish division was taken in 1 785; 

 according to it, the jxjpulation then amounted to 152,640. 

 In the year 1798, Alcedo says, there were 125,000 

 inhabitants, of whom 110,000" were free, and 15,000 

 were slaves : this gives about 40 individuals to one 

 square league. According to Walton, in 1810, the po- 

 pulation of the Spanish division of Hispaniola amount- 

 ed to about 104,000. The population of this partis 

 composed of whites, freed people, and slaves. The 

 European Spaniards are few, and consist principally of 

 Catalans, who come in search of fortunes, and keep 

 shops ; the freed people are few compared with the 

 whites, but numerous in proportion to the slaves. The 

 people of colour are excluded from all employments, 

 as long as their skin lx -tray* tlu-ir origin. The princi- 

 pal settlements in which the Spanish population resides, 

 are called holies ; here cattle are raised, but with little 

 attention or skill ; some of these hattes comprize seve- 

 ral square leagues, and yet do not contain above 500 

 head of cattle. Some are called horse hattes, and others 

 cattle hattes, according to the animals which they con- 

 tain. In the--e the people lodge miserably, nnd have but 

 i scanty subsistence. The small provision farms, call- 

 canacos^ are occupied by the poorer colonists, gr most 

 eommonly people of colour or freed people. 



39 



The manufactures and commerce of the Spanish di- 

 vision are very much neglected. There are but 22 su- 

 gar manufactories of any consequence ; and the ne- 

 groes employed in them do not exceed 6'00. Of these 

 manufactories, six produce syrup, and some sugar; 

 but the others, which are called trapiches, where ani- 

 mals are employed to turn the mills, which press the 

 canes, make nothing but syrup. All the produce is 

 consumed in the colony, except small quantities, which 

 are sometimes sent to Porto Rico or Old Spain. The 

 number of men organized as a militia, amounts to about 

 8000 ; but if the militia laws were carried regularly 

 and fully into effect, the number would be raised to 

 12,000. 



In 1726, the French division contained 100,000 ne- 

 gro slaves, and 30,000 white colonists. At that time 

 its greatest commerce was tobacco, with which, from 60 

 to 100 vessels were laden annually. Immediately be- 

 fore the commencement of the Revolution, according 

 to Mr Edwards, the population amounted to 30,831 

 whites, and about 480,000 negro slaves, the mulattoes 

 or free people of colour being estimated at 24,000, but 

 according to Alcedo, at this period the population 

 consisted of 42,000 white people, 44,000 free people of 

 colour, and 600,000 slaves. The number of deaths du- 

 ring 1789, according to the bills of mortality, were 

 7121 ; the number of births the same year, 4232. This 

 great excess of deaths is accounted for by the fact, that, 

 in the two years immediately preceding, 60,000 ne- 

 groes had been imported into the colony. The mer- 

 chandise landed in the various ports of France from the 

 island of St Domingo in the year 1789 was as follows: 

 84,617,328 pounds of coffee, 217,463 casks of sugar, 

 white and brown, 5836 casks of molasses, 3,257,610 

 pounds of indigo, 1,536,017 pounds of cocoa, 1 1,317,226' 

 pounds of cotton wool, 1514 scrons of Spanish cochi- 

 neal, 6814 tons of logwood, fustic, Nicaragua wood, 

 and lignum vita?, 1685 tons of mahogany, 4618 bags 

 of black pepper, 2426 bags of ginger, 380 casks of gu- 

 iacum and other gums, 248 boxes of aloes, cassia, and 

 China root, 26,948 hides tanned, 114,639 hides in the 

 hair; from the Spaniards, 416? pounds of tortoise 

 shell, 27,812 barrels of syrup, 1346 boxes of sweet- 

 meats, 1 478 scrons of Jesuits bark, 2,61 7,530 dollars, 

 57,2 1 8 ounces of gold in grains from the Spaniards ; 

 the total value of these products was estimated at 

 L. 6,0.01,230. According to Mr Edwards, the average 

 exports before the revolution consisted of 58,642,214 

 pounds of cluyed sugar, 86,549,829 pounds of Musca- 

 vado, 71,663,187 pounds of coffee, 6,698,858 pounds of 

 cotton, 951,607 hogsheads of indigo, 23,061 hogsheads 

 of molasses, 2600 hogsheads of an inferior kind of rum 

 called taffia, 6500 raw hides, and 7900 tanned ones, 

 the value of which exports was equal to L. 4,765,1 29. 

 In the same year, 710 vessels navigated by 18,460 sea- 

 men, anil admeasuring 2 i 3,540 tons, sailed from Bour- 

 deaux, Nantes, Marseilles, and other ports in France, 

 for St Domingo ; their cargoes consisted of a great va- 

 riety of articles, amongst which were French linens, ca- 

 licoes printed in France and Flanders, coarse Rouen 

 checks for negroes, silk goods manufactured at Lyons, 

 French wines, &c. The total value of the exports from 

 France to Domingo in 1789, amounted to L. 4,125,610. 

 At this time, a very considerable trade was carried on 

 between the French colony and the Spanish settlements 

 in the island, in the other islands, and on the main. 

 The Spanish ships which arrived amounted to 283, 

 most of which brought dollars and other articles to the 

 amount of L. 2,450, 11 5, to purchase European goods, 

 slaves, &c. Most part of this trade wa contraband. 



St Domin- 

 go- 



Manufac- 

 tures and 

 commerce. 



Exports t 

 fr'rancv. 



Exports 

 before Ihe 

 revolution. 



Imports 

 from 

 FraLte. . 



