Cupelti- 

 ticn 



II 

 Curacoa. 



C U li 



CUPELEATION. See Essaying. 



CUPHEAj a genus of plants of the class Decandria, 

 and order Monogynia. See Botany, p. 221. 



CUPPING. See Surgery. 



CUPRESSUS, a genus of plants of the class Mo- 

 no-cia, and order Monodelphia. See Botany, p. 3'28. 



CURACOA, or Curassou, one of the West Indian 

 islands. It is situated in the Caribbean sea, to the north 

 of Terra Firina, and of the province of Venezuela, from 

 the coast of which province it is not more than twenty 

 leagues distant. This island lies in latitude between 

 12° and 13° north, and in longitude between 60° and 

 70° west. It is in itself little more than a bare rock, 

 extending from nine to ten leagues in length, and some- 

 what more than three in breadth. It produces some 

 sugar, tobacco, wool, and leather. It is comparatively 

 of little consequence, however, in respect of cultivation 

 or pasturage ; it derives its importance altogether from 

 its subserviency to commerce. 



When the Portuguese recovered from the Dutch that 

 part of Brazil which had been originally taken from 

 them> the republic of Holland would have lost all foot- 

 ing in the new world, but for a few small islands which 

 they still had in possession, particularly this of Curacoa. 

 That island had been held by the Spaniards since 1 527 ; 

 from them it was taken by the Dutch in 1632. What 

 principally induced the Dutch to undertake this con- 

 quest, was a desire to procure for themselves the facili- 

 ties which it would afford for the prosecution of an illi- 

 cit trade with the Spanish main. It was, besides, in 

 the vicinity of the island of Jamaica towards the north, 

 of St Domingo on the north-east, and of the smaller 

 Antilles towards the east, in all of which directions 

 accordingly it was yet farther practicable to prosecute 

 a gainful commerce. Soon after the period alluded to, 

 crowds of Dutch ships, strongly built and well armed, 

 were seen pouring into the island, where they were in 

 the practice of touching cither for intelligence or for 

 pilots, and then to proceed chiefly to the Spanish coasts 

 With a view to trade. This they were able to force with 

 a strong hand, being not only armed but even manned 

 wit!) choice men, whose bravery was animated by the in- 

 terest which they had individually in the success of their 

 operations. They had each one of themselves a more or 

 less considerable share in the cargoes on board, which it 

 was therefore their resolution to defend at the hazard 

 of their lives against all attacks of the guarcla-costas. 

 In progress of time, some change took place in the 

 manner of conducting this forbidden intercourse. Cu- 

 racoa itself became an immense magazine, to which the 

 Spaniards came in their boats with the view of exchan- 

 ging their gold, their silver, their vanilla, their cacao, 

 their cochineal, their bark, their leather, their mules, for 

 negroes, linen and woollen cloths, silks, India stuffs, 

 spiceries, laces, ribbons, quick-silver, axticles of iron 

 and steel, or whatever other commodities were brought 

 into the numerous storehouses formed within this 

 island, either from Europe or the East Indies, or any 

 other parts of the world. In this traffic, the Dutch- 

 man had the advantage of disposing of great quan- 

 tities of various sorts of goods, which were the mere 

 refuse of warehouses and mercers shops, and which 

 had grown unfashionable, and therefore unsaleable 

 eveiy where else. Though vessels were, in the. man- 

 ner alluded to, constantly passing from the Spanish 

 coast and returning, this did not prerent the Dutch 

 vessels from proceeding to the creeks and bays of 

 the Spanish coast. There was a reciprocal feeling 



,07 



C U II 



of wants, a mutual contribution of labour and of exev- Curajoa. 

 tions for supplying them, which produced a just de- ^" 

 gree of activity around these shores. It seemed as if 

 there were an actual competition on foot between na- 

 tions, rivals in commerce, and equally covetous of" 

 wealth. The substitution of register-ships in place 

 of the galeons, caused afterwards some relaxation in 

 this twofold communication ; but it may be expected, 

 that it will always revive when the state of foreign re- 

 lations is in any respect such as to prevent the direct 

 supply of the Spanish coast with those articles of pro- 

 vision that are indispensible to it. 



Tho trade of Curacoa, even in times of peace, jaras 

 said to be annually worth no less than s£'500,000 ; but 

 in time of war the profit was still greater, for then it 

 becomes the common emporium of the West Indies, af- 

 fording a retreat to ships of all nations, and at the same 

 time refusing to none of them arms and ammunition for 

 their mutual destruction. The intercourse with Spain 

 being at such times interrupted, the Spanish colonies 

 have scarcely any other market whence they can be well 

 supplied either with slaves or goods. The French 

 came hither to buy the beef, pork, corn, flour, and lum- 

 ber which were brought from the continent of North 

 America, or exported from Ireland. And besides the 

 other articles of its own native produce, the salt works 

 of the island, which are good and valuable, afford a 

 considerable supply of this article to the English islands 

 and the colonies on the continent. 



It was in ships from Curagoa, together with those o? 

 Carthagena and Porto-Bello, that almost all the negroes 

 that were sent to Peru used formerly to be conveyed 

 to it. This was a very considerable branch of traffic, 

 the Spaniards often taking off not less than 1 500 slaves- 

 at a time. This trade has diminished from the period 

 that the English settlers in Jamaica took part in it ; 

 and were allowed, so to speak, to do it publicly ; but a 

 compensation was found in the traffic which succeeded 

 in European goods. It is impossible to estimate the 

 quantity of goods of this description, which, though 

 contraband, the two towns just named carried off every 

 year from Curacoa, or which the Hollanders themselves 

 distributed throughout the opposite coast of Venezuela, 

 as well as in the river Hache and in New Andalusia. 

 The sugar prepared in Curagoa, and the tobacco grown • 

 there, as well as the wool, leather, and other produce 

 of the island itself, made one part of the cargoes which 

 were taken in return by the ships that brought those 

 commodities when setting out again for Europe. These, 

 however, would have afforded no adequate inducement 

 to draw thither the number of ships that used annually 

 to visit this island; and its trade must have quickly 

 come to an end, had not the rich merchandize of Spa- 

 nish America abundantly compensated the pains that 

 were thus taken for furnishing the magazines of the 

 island with an ample and constant supply of European 

 goods. This traffic, so sure and so rich, has been, for the 

 most part, carried on in five or six large vessels, which 

 were constantly at sea, and in progress from one coast 

 to the other ; those concerned in the management of it 

 being so well aware of its importance, that no more time 

 was allowed on any occasion for remaining in port than 

 while the vessels were unloading and taking in the 

 fresh cargoes, which were always in readiness for them 

 at the island. 



In consequence of the lucrative traffic which thus 

 originated between the Dutch settlers of Curacoa and 

 the Spaniards, it became the policy of the former to 



