92 



THE ISLAND OF 



cofTee, ginger, tobacco, fait, wax, ambergris, various forts of drugs, and 

 dyers wood. What corn they have ripens at fuch different times that it can- 

 not be reaped with any profit. The number of French on this ifland is 

 faid to equal, if not exceed, that of the Spaniards ; though both together 

 are very far fhort of what the ifland is capable of maintaining. In J726, 

 the inhabitants were computed at 30,000 whites, and r 00,000 negroes and 

 mulattos, whofe daily allowance is potatoes, though they have leave to keep 

 hogs. 



The Spaniards^ by degrees, conquered the natives ; and, in battle, and 

 eold blood, deflroyed no lefs than 3,000,000 of men, women and children. 

 While the natives enjoyed their poffeffions, the Spa?iiJ}j inhabitants lived much 

 more happily^ and enjoyed much greater affluence than they have done fince ; 

 for the people cultivated their lands, fupplyed ihem with fifli, and fome 

 fmall quantities of gold, when they could find it ; whereas now the far 

 greateft part of what the Spaniards claim, rather than poffefs, is defert, and 

 yields little or nothing. As this ifland was among the firfl: difcovered by the 

 Spaniards, fo it was the center of their commerce in thefe parts ; and they 

 were for many years fole poffeflTors. During fome- part of that time it was a 

 very flourifhing colony. But after the conquefl: of Peru, and the confiderable 

 additions made to their territories on the continent of North America, they 

 negleded thjs ifland, which encouraged the French, about the middle of the 

 laft century to fix themfelves on the north fide, where they have improved 

 the fettlemcr, ts to fuch a degree, and have become fo flrrong, that it is thought 

 they might long before now have made themfelves mafliers of the whole ifland, 

 did they not reap more benefit from the neighbourhood of the Spaniards than 

 from their expulfion. The frequent defcents both of the Englijh and French 

 on the weft part of the ifland, by degrees, obliged the Spaniards to abandon 

 all that pnr i, of it to the weft of Monte Chrijio, on the north, and cape Mon- 

 gon on . fouth. But though the Spaniards were glad to live upon 

 good teiii^s with the French, yet they always confidered them as ufurpers 

 of a country to which they had no fort of right, till 1697, when the Spa- 

 niards yielde d to them the weft part of it, by the treaty of Ryfwick, The 

 boundaries between them and the French may be feen in the map. The 

 French are c onvinced that in this part of the ifland are confiderable mines 



of 



