4 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



to a flat extended beach. The island is nearly 

 encircled with rocks, many of which are rolled 

 masses at a considerable distance from their ori- 

 ginal situation. The greater part, however, of this 

 rocky belt consists of the substance of the island, 

 extended under the surface of the water in tables, 

 and rising in reefs, or insulated rocks, at no great 



distance from the shore. 



The surface of this island may properly be dis- 

 tinguished into the flat, and the hilly. The low 

 land occupies the northern, southern, and western 

 parts; and rises by precipitous, broken, acclivities, 

 running parallel to the coast, in terraces of flat, 

 open country to the highest land, situate some- 

 thing to the North of the centre of the island. 

 This progressive rise is, indeed, sometimes inter- 

 rupted by the occurrence of valleys j one only of 

 which, termed The Valley, is deserving particular 

 notice. This tract of low land passes from the 

 windward coast of the Thickets between two 

 elevated ridges, denominated 21ie Ridge and The 

 Cliff, through the parislies of Saint Phihp, and 

 Saint George, to Bridge Town; forming the only 

 general interruption to the regular terraced rise 

 from the sea to the highest land. If the sea were 

 fifty or sixty feet above its present level, Barbados 

 would be divided into two islets, of unecjual size, 

 by a narrow strait occupying the site of what is 



now The Valley, 



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