5^8 



A. D. 1666. 



report of the conduiou of thofe iflands. King Charles II now granted 

 them, by a patent to the lords proprietors of Carolina. 



Providence, fituated in 25 degrees north latitude, is about 28 miles 

 long, and 11 miles broad, lies in the midft of fome hundreds, great and 

 finall, of dangeroufly-fituated ifles, from latitude 22° to 27^ to the- 

 northward of Cuba, and eail of the coaft of Florida. Moft of them are 

 good for very little, and more noted for frequent fliipwrecks, when (hips 

 chance to be driven amongft them by ftrefs of weather, and the tempef- 

 tuoufnefs of thofe feas, than for any material benefit they can afford us 

 in time of peace, as lying feveral hundred miles out of the ufual courfe 

 of fhips to or from any of our own plantations ; yet, when we are at war 

 with other European nations, who have colonies in America, our priva- 

 teers may be ufefully employed the-reabout, as alfo our fmaller fliips of 

 war, which the port of Naflau in Providence can well receive ; where- 

 by, and by a royal fquadron flationed at Port-Royal in Carolina, the Spa- 

 nifh plate fleets from the Havanna, in time of war, might be more eafily 

 iiitercepted than by any fleet at Jamaica *. For thefe reafons it was 

 judged proper to fortify Providence, and eftablifh a regular government 

 in it : for, (hould it be poflelfed by any other nation, it might be a 

 means of greatly injuring our American commerce. The Spaniards, 

 jealous of a fettlement fo near to the Havanna, furprifed the Englifli 

 there in the year 1641, burnt their habitations, and murdered the go- 

 vernor, after which it remained a defart, till replanted in 1666. It was 

 again negleded or deferted till about the year 1690, when the proprie- 

 tors of Carolina once m^ore repeopled it, and appointed a governor to 

 it. In the year 1703 the French and Spaniards utterly wafted and de- 

 populated the ifle of Providence, drove out theEnglifli, carried off their 

 negroes, &c. and demohflied the fort of Naflau ; and lo it remained till 

 the reign of King George I, when the houfe of lords addrefled the king, 

 to replant and refortify the Bahama ifles, where pirates then had their 

 tiiual retreat. Whereupon, in the year 171 8, Captain Woods Rogers 

 was lent regal governor to Providence, to whom moft of the pirates fub- 

 mitted, and accepted the king's pardon ; and it has ever fince remained 

 a regal colony, where there is a fmall town named Naflau, with two 

 good and v/ell-defigned forts, ereded in the year 1745, fo as to be now 

 in a very good flate of defence againft any enemy. Befides this princi- 

 pal ifland of Providence, there are fmall Britifli fettlements on Harbour- 

 ifland, and on Eleuthera, and a few families on fome other of thofe 

 iflands, who join with the inhabitants of Providence in the choice of 20 

 aflembly-men, to reprefent them all. Thofe ifles abound with manj 

 forts of good, and fome very uncommon, timbers, and with plenty of 



* The advantages, which may aiife from the local lituation of thefe iflands in a war with Spain, were 

 dearly explained to government by Capt.iiii Rogers in the year 1728, y/.. 



