JAM 



609 



JAN 



Gorem- 



i - 



H.I -. 



A* the whole island is calculated to contain upwards 



' of 4,000,000 acres, it appears from this Table that there 



is little more than half of it cultivated. Of the acres in 



cultivation, about 700,000 are under sugar lands, and 



nearly the same quantity in pasture. 



The governor of Jamaica is appointed by the king, 

 and can be recalled at pleasure ; there is besides a coun- 

 cil, and a house of assembly. The former is generally 

 chosen by the crown from amongst the most respect- 

 able inhabitants ; the members are twelve ; they are 

 tx officio justices of the peace, and form a privy coun- 

 cil to the governor. The house of assembly consists of 

 forty-three members, who are chosen by the freehold- 

 ers ; every parish sends two members, except Spanish 

 Town, Kingston, and Port Hoyal, which send three each. 

 The electors must be white, of age, and possess a free- 

 hold of ten pounds per annum in the pariah. The re- 

 presentative most possess a freehold of .i 300 per an- 

 num in any part of the island, or a personal estate of 

 3000. The supreme court of judicature, called the 

 grand court, and combining the jurisdiction of the 

 courts of king's bench, common pleas, and exchequer 

 in England, is held in Spanish Town on the last Tues- 

 day of February, May, and November. Assize courts 

 are held every three months in Kingston for the county 

 of Surrey, and in Savannah la Mar for the county of 

 Cornwall. 



The revenues of the island are perpetual and annual. 

 The former were imposed by the revenue law of 1 782 ; 

 they amount to about 12,000 per annum : the latter 

 are nrmsinnal grants of the legislature. The principal 

 taxes consist of a duty on negroes imported ; an excise 

 on rum, tec. ; a poll tax on slaves and stock ; and a rate 

 on rents and wheel carriages. The revenue generally 

 amount* to about 300,000 Jamaica currency. 



There are nineteen benefited clergymen in the island, 

 each of whom receive* 420 per annum, subject to a 

 deduction of 10 per cent, for a widows' fund. Besides 

 this stipend, there are surplus fees, which in Kingston, 

 Spanish Town, and St Andrews, are very great ; the 

 last has also considerable glebe lands annexed to the 

 living. 



All white males, from the age of fifteen to sixty, are 

 obliged by laWto provide themselves with their own 

 accoutrement!, and to enlist either in the cavalry or in- 

 fantry of the militia. 



Besides the Spanish and Portuguese coins, which are 

 current in the island, there is small silver coin called 

 a bit, of the value of l\d. currency. One hundred 

 pounds sterling amounts to one hundred and forty 

 pounds currency. 



Jamaica was discovered by Columbus in 1 494 ; in 

 1 509. it received a Spanish colony from Hupaniola ; 

 in 1655, all the e*Ubli*hmenU were abandoned t inapt 

 St Jago de la Vega. This year it was conquered by 

 igliih under Penn and Venablrs The first Bri- 

 tish ceioniHi were SOOO soldiers, disbanded from the 

 parliamentary army. These were soon followed l>y 

 150O royalists. Till the Restoration, the government 

 was entirely military. On the surrender of the islnml 

 to the FnclMh. the negro slaves of the Spaniards fled to 

 the mountain* ; their descendant*, exiled Maroons, com- 

 mitted great depredations till 1738, when a treaty was 

 concluded with them, by which their freedom was se- 

 cured, and 1500 acres of land granted to them. They 

 remained peaceable till the year 1795, when a new Ma- 

 roon war broke out ; at first they were rather success. 

 lul, but at last, by a more vigorous system of hostili- 



TOJ. XI. TAUT II. 



ties, and the introduction of bloodhounds from Cuba, Iambic 

 with which they were threatened, though not actually II 

 attacked, they were driven to the mountains, and ulti- Jan Sell 

 mately obliged to submit on condition that their lives """V" 

 were spared. Soon afterwards, 600 of them were con- 

 veyed to Nova Scotia, where lauds were granted to 

 them. 



See Beckford's Detcriplive Account of Jamaica ; Ed- 

 wards' History of the West Indies, 2d edit vol. i. j Dal- 

 las' History of' the Maroon War ; Kenny's History of 

 Jamaica ; Tuckey's Maritime Geography, vol. iv. ; and 

 Parliamentary Reports and Papers on the West Indies, 

 1807 and 1815. (i. s.) 

 IAMBIC VERSE. See PROSODY. 

 JAMES I. II. III. IV. V. VI. See the History of 

 SCOTLAND. 



JANIZARIES. See TURKIV. 

 JAN SEILAN, or JUNK CEYLON, is an island of Asia in 

 the Bay of Bengal, situated on the west side of the Ma- 

 lay peninsula. It is separated from the continent by a 

 narrow sandy isthmus, about a mile long and half a 

 mile in breadth, which is covered at high water, and 

 whereon spring tides rise 9 or 10 feet. This island is 

 between 40 and 50 miles in length, about 1 5 in breadth, 

 with good anchorage around its whole circuit, and it 

 has an excellent harbour on the north called Popra, be- 

 sides others. Its name, Jon Seilan, is of uncertain ety- 

 mology, aud it is frequently called Junk Ceylon by Eu- 

 ropeans. 



The climate here is particularly agreeable, for the 

 heat is moderate. Rains begin to fall gently in July, 

 and continue until November, with frequent intermis- 

 sions of fine weather, attended with cool north-east 

 winds at night There is no considerable river in the 

 island, both from its size, and the hills being low ; but 

 several streams run through flat marshes of mangroves 

 into the sea, 



A great quantity of tin is obtained in this island, of 

 which about 500 tons are exported yearly. The pro- 

 duce was greater formerly ; but it seems to have been 

 reduced by restrictions on the miner, who was obliged 

 to carry all his ore to a Chinese smelter farming this pri- 

 vilege from the government Besides pay ing 12 per cent, 

 for smelting, the miner could only obtain the metal on 

 having delivered a certain quantity of ore, though the 

 extract exceeded what he received, and after all a duty 

 of 25 per cent was payable previous to exportation. 



The interior of the island contains large plains of 

 rice well cultivated, and hither the inhabitants can come 

 up the creeks in their small vessels ; but the skirts arc 

 kept in a state of nature, for the purpose, it is supposed, 

 of obstructing the access of an enemy. Rice is the 

 staple product ; and of other vegetables there are oranges, 

 limes, and most of the tropical fruits and roots. The 

 wild animals are deer and hogs : the domesticated ones 

 are elephants, and a few goats ; but the islanders have 

 neither horses, sheep, dogs, nor cats, and their common 

 poultry is not numerous. 



The population of the whole island has been calcu- 

 lated at 12,000. This number, however, must be de- 

 pendant on a state of peace or warfare, and during tltc 

 latter it is probably lower. The features of the people 

 resemble those of the Malays, intermixed with a good 

 deal of the Chinese aspect. They are well made, but 

 rither tlender : they speak the Siamese language, and 

 in general understand the Malay tongue: and, like Eu- 

 ropeans, they write from left to rignt. Unrestrained 

 polygamy is practised, as every man marries as many 



