The Indians of Barbados. 49 



hither from St. Vincent's in their small canoes or Perriawgers, even for 

 their pleasure, I concluded, that they might formerly, more probably, 

 come for their interest ; especially at certain seasons of the year, when 

 the fishing or game in the other islands, grew either scanty or shy, by 

 being too often disturbed. 



" These probable conjectures, upon a farther inquiry were corrobo- 

 rated by the suffrage of many aged persons ; several of whom were be- 

 tween eighty and ninety years old, who, not only agreed in their received 

 tradition that there were Indians formerly in this island, but likewise 

 some of them added farther, that their ffequent arrival to, or departure 

 from it, was always in the wane of the moon, for the benefit of light nights 

 and that when a difference arose between them and the English, the 

 Indians retired to their fastnesses in the woods ; and that in their way 

 down to their canoes, they would artfully hide themselves with coverings 

 of green boughs, to elude the search of the English. 



" Now, since the parents of these aged persons, who give this account 

 might be old enough to be eye-witnesses of these things ; such and so 

 early a testimony, where they had no apparent inducement to deviate 

 from the truth must at least, be allowed to carry with it the usual weight 

 and credit in such cases, till these conjectures, strengthened by tradition, 

 and confirmed by apparent facts, grow to such a degree of certainty, as to 

 leave every doubt inexcusable. 



"The method I shall take to prove their former residence in this 

 island will be to make it appear First ; that there are several places in 

 this island called, to this day, after their names. Secondly, that in these 

 very places there are daily dug up such marks of their former resideuce, 

 as were peculiar to Indians. Thirdly, I shall compare these several evi- 

 dences with those confessedly satisfactory ones, in almost parallel cases. 

 I shall begin by observing that the Indians, who inhabited this island 

 could in all probability be no others than colonies from some of the 

 Leeward Islands, most probably from St. Vincent, St. Lucia or Tobago. 

 From either of these, according to their situation, with respect to 

 Barbados, as well as with regard to a safe harbour, they must probably 

 land to the west, or west-south-west of this island. Accordingly 

 as Carlisle Bay is the largest and most commodious harbour, it is natural 

 to suppose that they landed here and made the adjacent part of the island 

 their place of residence. This is evidently confirmed by the buttings and 

 boundings of several tenements near this bay ; which in very old deeds, 

 are said to terminate at or within a certain distauce from the Indian 

 Bridge ; from which the great number of houses built about this con- 

 venient place, came soon afterwards to be called Bridge Town. The 

 above-mentioned bridge was placed over that part of the creek, or narrow 

 neck of the bay, which divides Major Gidney Clark's house fron Colonel 

 John Fuirchild's* The necessity that the Indians, residing on the 



"Now Fairchild Street. Bridgetown. 



