WEST INDIES. 



WESTBURY-ON-SEVERN. 



lose 



in its vicinity ice is occasionally formed, after ft long continuance of 

 northerly winds in December or January. With this exception it is 

 stated that no frost is experienced even on the summits of the high 

 mountains of Cuba or Jamaica. 



Wh-n the sun is in the southern hemisphere the Archipelago enjoys 

 the full benefit of the trade-winds, blowing from north-cast and east- 

 uurth-cast, and diffusing over it a refreshing coolness. But when the 

 run has parsed the equator, the trade-winds retire to the northward as 

 far a* 15" or 16" N. 1st., and are replaced by south-eastern winds, which 

 are warm and usually gentle; they continue to blow with diminishing 

 force till June, when they are frequently interrupted by calms. During 

 the Ion-,' rains the wind blows from all the points of the compass, and 

 frequently in very violent gusts. This is also the season of the hurri- 

 canes, which rarely occur in July, but generally in August or Septem- 

 ber. They are not experienced in Trinidad and Tobago, and are more 

 frequent and destructive on the Lesser Antilles than in Jamaica or 

 Cuba. In Cuba they usually occur in October. When the trade-winds 

 are not strong, the heat is moderated by the daily alternation of the 

 sea- and land-breezes, the first blowing by day and the land-breeze by 

 ni:: lit. The calms between the breezes are the hottest part of the day, 

 but they last only from one to two hours. 



All the islands are subject to earthquakes ; but they are not violent, 

 except on the island* of volcanic formation, where they prove some- 

 times very destructive. The climate is considered healthy from 

 November to June, but during tbe great rains various diseases, 

 especially fevers, are prevalent. 



The navigation of the Archipelago is much affected by the currents 

 which prevail in tbe surrounding seas. The principal of these, the 

 Uu!f Strean and the Guyana Current, arc noticed under ATLANTIC 

 OCEAS. Another current prevails along the north-eastern edge of the 

 Bahama Banks. It set* aloug the banks to the east-south-east, and 

 varies much in strength according to the seasons. In the Ma between 

 this current and the Guyana Current the extraordinary phenomenon 

 ocean which u called the ' Ground-Sea,' or in Jamaica the ' North 

 Sea,' It is a swell of tbe sea, to which the south-eastern Bahamas, 

 the north-eastern coast of Jamaica and HispanioU, but chiefly Puerto- 

 Rico and the Virgin Islands, and in a less degree the northern Carib- 

 bee Islands, an subject. This heavy swell sets in generally in October 

 and continue*, though with some intermission, till April and May. 

 -' June, July, and August it appears only occasionally, and for a 

 short time. It takes place when the air is calm, or even after the 

 prevalence of light winds from the south ward of east. The sea 

 approaches from the north the shores of the islands in undulating 

 masses, which suddenly rise to large ridges crested with foam, anil 

 form billows which burst upon the beach with great impetuosity. 

 The sea for many miles assumes a peculiar aspect. Different tints of 

 MM-, from the lightest to the darkest, form a strong contrast with the 

 snowy foam of the breaking waves when they strike against the hidden 

 rock, or with the white line which is visible along the whole cotst 



The grains, plants, vegetable?, nnd fruit-trees, which are cultivated 

 either fur the purpose of obtaining articles of export or as food, are 

 enumerated in the articles on the several islands. The most important 

 product* are surrar, coffee, tobacco, indigo, cotton, ginger, cacao, manioc, 

 maize, Ac., vast quantities of delicious fruits and vegetables, and 

 hard strong timber. Tbe wild animals which existed on the Archi- 

 pelago when tbe Europeans first arrived were the agouti, peccarv, 

 racoon, alco, or native Indian dog, and the wild boar are now all 

 extinct or nearly so, with the exception of ths wild hog, which is 

 still common on most islands. Monkeys are itill found on several 

 inlands, and in Jamaica there is a smaller kind. Birds are numerous, 

 .\n. I n-arly all of them are fit for food. There are maceaws, parrots, 

 wild gnin. T fowls, quails, several species of wild-pigeons and partridge*, 

 wild-ducks, gray-ducks, teal, plovers, widgeon*, mocking-birds, 

 'HniHrs, curlews, spoonbills, divers, herons, rails, and sand- 

 pipers. The most remarkable of the birds are the humming-bird and 

 the carrion-crow : without the last-mentioned bird, it is said that these 

 islands would hardly be habitabK 



Fish are abundant and excellent. Madden enumerates 24 species 

 in Jamaica, all of which are excellent food. In the sea surrounding 

 Cuba and Jamaica the manatee and the retnora, or sucking-fish, are 

 met with, but vrry rarely. Turtles ore abundant on the Bahamas and 

 other low islands. In Jamaica Is the mountain-crab, which is one of 

 the delicacies of the island. The cotton-tree worm, or casi, is eaten 

 by tbe negroes. There are several kinds of large lizards, among which 

 is the guana, which is eaten. Alligators are numerous. There are 

 also several kinds of makes, and some are large, but they are innoxious. 

 Tbe mosquitoes, cockroaches, and aiiU are troublesome. Fire-flies are 

 Tery abundant 



The original inhabitants found by the Spaniards on the Greater 



Antilles and the Bahamas were a rentle and timid race. They were 



all ^terminated in a few yean. The Little Antilles on the other 



baud were inhabited by a courageous and robust race called Carlos, 



from whom t!.i- part of the West Indies is still sometimes called the 



Caribbean Islands. But this, warlike race is also extinct in the islands, 



whirh are now peopled entirely by Europeans, Creoles, and negroes. 



A few families of Caribs still exist on the islands of St. Vincent and 



I. The present population, amounting to between three and 



;illion, li cxinporeil <'f whit-s and negroes, anil the offspring of 



i these two races. In the British islands the negroes constitute about 

 three-fourths of the population; in Cuba, about one half; in. Puerto 

 Rico, only one-sixth. The proportion between the two races in. the 

 islands which belong to other European nations is nearly the same as 

 in the British islands. In HispanioU both races are so mixed, that 

 the bulk of the people are considered mulattoes. 



Hittory. The greater number of the islands composing the Colum- 

 bian Archipelago were discovered by Columbus. On his first voyage 

 he first fell in (12th Oct., 1492) with the island of San. Salvador, one 

 of the Bahamas, which, the natives called Guanahani. He afterwards 

 visited the Bahama Islands, which lie between San Salvador and Cuba, 

 and sailed along the north-east coast of the last-mentioned island from 

 Punta Maternello to Cape Maysi, whence he passed to Hispauiola, of 

 which he discovered a great part of the northern coast. In his second 

 voyage (1493) he discovered all the Lesser Antilles north of 15 N. lat,, 

 and also Puerto Rico, and in the following year the southern coast of 

 Cuba. In his third voyage (149S) he discovered Trinidad and the 1 

 adjacent part of Venezuela, with the islands of Margarita and Cuba- 

 gua. In his fourth vojage he discovered the liay of Honduras, the 

 whole of the coast of Central America from Cape Gracias a Dios to 

 Puerto Hello, and, in returning from this coast to Hispauiola, also the 

 island of Jamaica. The other islands were discovered either at the 

 same time or soon afterwards. Columbus formed the first settlement 

 on his second voyage, and in the beginning of the 16th century the 

 other Greater Antilles were occupied and settled by tho Spaniards, 

 who attempted to exclude Europeans from having any commercial 

 intercourse with these islands. But as the Spaniards did not think it 

 worth their while to occupy the smaller islands, they became the 

 resort of the pirates called Buccaneers, who infested the Spanish 

 possession? during the 16th and 17th centuries. With the assistance 

 of the Buccaneers several nations settled permanently in them. Other 

 islands were wrested from the Spaniard* by war, as Jamaica by the 

 English; or by treaty, as the western portion of Hispauiola by the 

 French. After the extermination of tho Buccaneers the islands began 

 to enjoy peace, and soon rose to great importance, as the demand 

 for their princi|>al produce, sugar and coffee, increased rapidly in 

 Europe, and most of the other countries in which those articles might 

 be obtained were shut out from a free commercial intercourse. Thus 

 the English islands, as also those of other European nations, with tho 

 exception of those of Spain, had risen to a high degree of cultivation. 

 at the end of the 18th century. Several events which have taken place 

 since 1800 have considerably (fleeted the condition of the English 

 poasenious ; such as the abolition of the slave-trade, the emancipation 

 of the slaves, and the free intercourse not only of EugUnd, but also 

 of other European nations, with countries producing similar articles. 

 Slavery has been abolished, and the slaves made free iu the French 

 West India islands since 1848. Slaves now exist only on the island) 

 still belonging to Spain. 



(Bryan Edwards, Jlwtory of Ike Wat Indies ; Humboldt ; London 

 Geographical Journal ; Parliamentary Paperi.) 



WEST KILBIUUE. [ArMHiEi] 



WEST WARD, Westmorland, is the north-western division of the 

 county, and gives name to a Poor-Law Union. The ward contains an 

 area of 120,523 acres, with a population iu 1851 of 8155. It is bounded 

 N.W. by Cumberland, K. by East Ward, and S. by Lancashire and the 

 ward of Kendal. West Ward Union, which contains 22 parishes and 

 townships, is co-extensive with West Ward division of the county. 



WESTBOURNE, Sussex, a village and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, 

 is situated on the left bank of a small stream which divides Sussex 

 from Hampshire, in 50 51' N. lat, 60' VV. long., distant 8 mile* 

 W. by N. from Chichester, and 70 miles S.W. from London. The 

 population of the parish in 1851 was 2178. Tho living is a vicarage, 

 in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chichester. Westbourne Poor-Law 

 Union contains 12 parishes and townships, with an area of 32,880 

 acres, and a population iu 1851 of 6944. Besides tbe parish church, 

 Westbourne has National and Infant schools. Brick-making, rope- 

 making, and mast and block making are carried on. 



WESTBURY, Wiltshire, a market-town and parliamentary borough, 

 and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated in 52 15' N. lat., 2 9' 

 W. long., distant 12 miles S.W. from Devizes, 100 miles W. by 8. 

 from London by road, and 1094 miles by the Wilts and Somerset 

 branch of the Great Western railway. The population of tho parliamen- 

 tary borough of Westbury in 1851 was 7029. The living is a vicarage, 

 in the archdeaconry and diocese of Salisbury. The Poor-Law Union, 

 which is called the Westbury and Whorwelsdown Union, from the two 

 adjoining hundreds so named with which its area is nearly conter- 

 minous, contains 10 parishes and townships, with an area of 80,944 

 acres, and a population in 1851 of 12,530. 



Westbury is a place of considerable antiquity, and numerous Roman 

 coins have been dug up in the neighbourhood. Westbury Leigh forms 

 a street, separated by an interval of open road from the principal 

 street of Westbury. The church is a large ancient building, with a 

 central tower, and a fine west window. There are chapels for Inde- 

 pendents and Baptists, and National and Infant schools. Tbe town-hall 

 is a handsome building. Tbo clothing manufacture is carried on. The 

 market is on Friday, and there are four yearly fairs. 



WESTBURY-ON-SEVERN, Gloucestershire, a village and the peat 

 of a Pocr-Law Union, is situated on the right bank of the river Severn, 



