WEST INDIES. — BRITISH ISLANDS. 



431 



in all the British colonies, and appropriating 100,000,000 dollars for the payment of an indem- 

 nity to their owners. The whole number, now completely free, was found to be 780,000, and 

 of these about 590,000 were in the West Indies. The annual charge of these islands to 

 Great Britain is 8,000,000 dollars. The following table shows the annual value of the pro- 

 duce and exports of these islands. 



Jamaica 



Bahama 



St. Vincent 



Barbadoes 



Grenada 



Tobago - 



Antigua 



Monlserrat 



St. Kitta - 



Nevis 



Virgin Islands 

 Dominica 

 St. Lucia - 

 Bermudas 



Sugar, 

 cvvt. 



Rum. 



galls. 



Coffee, 

 lbs. 



Exports. 



1,256,253 



2,924,067 



18,268,883 



£ 3,346,359 



45,579 



67,736 



213,017 



93,397 



197 



331,467 



394,527 



2,170 



77,868 



648,446 



194,542 



247,049 



10,332 



315,611 



79,018 



272,787 





139,668 



2.57.177 



71,445 



225 



446,746 



2G;C31 



20,480 





7,212 



105,355 



79,080 



185 



77,432 

 12,169 



59,748 



23,286 





21 .926 



3,478 





54,876 



27,764 



893,492 



135,396 



63,306 



4,707 



96,004 



33,034 







33,909 



The islands are governed by an executive appointed by the crown, styled a Governor, and 

 a council also appointed by the crown. With the exception of Trinidad and St. Lucia, there 

 are also legislatures styled Assemblies, chosen by the inhabitants. The population is about 

 760,000, of whom 70,000 are whites. 



1 . Jamaica. Jamaica is, without doubt, the most important and valuable of the British West 

 India Islands. It is of an oval form, 150 miles in extreme length, and 60 in breadth ; and its 

 area exceeds 5,500 square miles. A lofty range of mountains, called the Blue Mountains, 

 runs through the whole island from east to west, dividing it into 2 parts, and rising in some 

 places to 7,431 feet above the level of the sea. On the north and south sides of these moun- 

 tains, the aspect of the country is extremely different. On the north side of the island, the land 

 rises from the shore into hills, which are of gentle acclivity, and commonly separated from each 

 other by spacious vales, abounding in clear and delicious streams. On the southern side of the 

 island, the scenery is of a different nature, consisting of the stupendous ridges of the Blue 

 Mountains, of abrupt precipices and inaccessible cliffs, approaching the shore. The island is 

 well watered. There are about 100 rivers, which take their rise in the mountains, and run, 

 commonly with great rapidity, to the sea, on both sides of the island. None of them are navi- 

 gable, except for boats. Black River is the deepest, and has the greatest current. The cli- 

 mate of Jamaica, on the plains, is hot ; but the cool sea-breezes, which set in every morning at 

 10 o'clock, render the heat more tolerable ; and upon the high grounds, the air is temperate, 

 pure, and cooling. The year, as in all tropical countries, may be divided between the wet and 

 dry seasons. 



The soil of Jamaica is in some places deep and fertile ; but, on the whole, it is an un- 

 fruitful country, compared with those which have been generally regarded as fertile. There 

 are springs, both sulphureous and chalybeate, in different parts of the island. Sugar, indigo, 

 cotton, and coffee, are the most important natural productions. Maize and rice are also 

 cultivated. Fruits abound in great perfection and variety. The indigenous quadrupeds of the 

 island were the agouti, the pecary, the armadillo, the opossum, the raccoon, the muskrat, the 

 alco, and the monkey. The woods and marshes abound in wild fowl, some of exquisite flavor. 

 Parrots are still found in the groves ; but the flamingo is nowhere to be seen. Jamaica is situ- 

 ated near the limits of the great volcanic region of South America, and it is, in consequence, 

 liable to earthquakes. A succession of hurricanes completely desolated the island, towards the 

 close of the ISth century. 



Jamaica is divided into 3 counties, Middlesex, Surry, and Cornwall. It contains 6 towns, 

 and more than 20 villages. The capital of the island is Spanish Town^ or St. Jago de la Vega, 

 situated on the banks of the river Cobre, about 6 miles from the south coast. It is the resi- 

 dence of the governor, and the seat of the national legislature, and contains about 5,000 in- 

 habitants. 



Kingston is the principal town in the island, with regard to commerce and population. It 



