3s8 The Discoveries 
after they had burnt and plundered fome Plantations in 
the open Country. The Produce of this Ifland is the 
fame with that of Barbadoesy viz. Sugar, Cotton, Gin- 
ger, Indigo, Aloes, Piemento, Cfe. and as it is much 
larger, it has many more Inhabitants, and produces greater 
Quantities of Sugar than Barbadoes. This Ifland was 
replenifhed with Indians^ when the French firft attempt- 
ed to fettle hexty anno 1635, and many Battles were 
fought between them and the Natives, with various 
Succefsi But the Frenchy at laft, overpowered and ex- 
tirpated the ancient Inhabitants, and it is now the Chief 
of all the French Caribbee IJlands, and the Seat of their 
Governor-GeneraL 
Marigalanteh^ fituated in 16 Degrees North Latitude, 
a little to the South-weft of GuardaloupCy and is about 
five Leagues in Length, and four in Breadth : It was 
difcovered by Columbus y in his fecond Voyage to Ame- 
ricay anno 1493, and named by him MarigalantCy or 
the Gallant Mary, after the Name of his Ship. The 
French began to fend Colonies thither about the Year 
1647; and having expelled the Natives, after feveral 
Years Wars, the French remained in the peaceable Pof- 
feffion of this Ifland, the Produce of which is the fame 
with the reft of the Caribbees. 
GuardaloupCy fo named by ColumbuSy from its Hills re- 
fembling thofe of that Name in Spainy is fituated in 16 
Degrees North Latitudcj and 61 Degrees of Weftern 
Longitude, about thirty Leagues North of Martinicoy 
and almoft as much South of Antigua. It is faid to be 
the largeft of all the Caribbee IJlandsy being twenty- 
two Leagues in Length, and half as much in Breadth 
at each End ; but almoft cut in two by a deep Gulph or 
Bay on each Side, fo that the Ends are joined together 
by a narrow Ifthmus. This, like MartinicOy abounds in 
Sugar, Cotton, Indigo, Ginger, and is in a very 
fiourifhing Condition, and, agreeable to the Confe- 
quence it is of to the French, they have taken Care 
to fortify it with feveral regular Forts and Redoubts, 
which were in fo good a Condition, when the Englijh 
Admiral Benbow made a Defcent here, with a confider- 
able Body of Land Forces, anno 1702, that he did 
not think fit to attack them 5 but he deftroyed a great 
many of their Plantations, and open Villages. The 
French began to fend Colonies to this Ifland about the 
Year 1632, but knew fo little what the Soil was good 
for then, that for many Years they were in Danger of 
ftarving j and afterwards the Planters, by their Divifions, 
almoft ruined one another ; fo that this Ifland did not 
make any great Figure till the prefent Century ; fmce 
the Beginning of which it has vaftly increafed, and 
makes more Sugar now than any of the Britijh IJlands, 
except Jamaica. 
TTefiada, or Biferada, the defirable Ifland, fo called 
by Columbus, becaufe it was the firft Land he difcovered 
in his fecond Voyage to America, anno 1493. It is 
fituated about ten Leagues North-eaft of Guardaloupe, a 
little inconfiderable Ifland, not fo fruitful as fome others 
which belong to the French. St. Bartholomew' % is a fmall 
Ifland, about ten Leagues North of St. Chrijlopher's, 
taken by the Englijh, under the Command of Sir Ti- 
mothy Thornhill, in the Year 1689, reftored to the 
French at the Peace of Ryfwick. St. Croix, or Santa 
Cruz, another fmall Ifland, fituate in 17 Degrees 30 
Minutes North Latitude, about twenty Leagues Eaft of 
St. Chrijiopher's, and has been contended for by the En- 
glijh, Dutch, Spaniards, and French ; but it is now in 
the peaceable PoflTeflion of the French Weji India Com- 
pany. St. M.artin'% another Ifland of no great Confe- 
quence, belonging to the French, fituate a little to the 
North-weft of St. Bartholomew's. 
The Ifland of Martinico is the chief of the French 
Settlements ; The Governor-General, and Intendant, re- 
fide there •, it is alfo the Seat of the fovereign Council, 
which has Jurifdidion, not only throughout the Antilles, 
but alfo over the French Settlements in St. Domingo and 
Tortugo. The Number of People in this Ifland, by 
which we are obliged to compute the reft, are affirmed 
to be ten thcufand Whites, and twenty thoufand Ne- 
groes. It appears from hence, that the French are very 
numerous in thefe Iflands, and though they have been 
and Settlements Book t 
expofed to many and great Difficulties in raifing and 
eftablifhing thefe Plantations, yet they are now brought 
to a very fair and flourifliing Condition, carry on a great 
Trade, and are daily improved. The principal Com- 
modity they raife at prefent in thefe Iflands, is Sugar, 
whereas formerly it was Tobacco. Mr. de Poincy,\t-^ 
fore-mentioned, was the firft who taught them the Art 
of raifing the Sugar-Cane, and curing the Juice of it. 
He was a Man of fuch extraordinary Genius, that he 
improved upon the Methods then in Ufe at Brazil, and 
the Madeiras the Mills he caufed to be erefted, were 
ftronger, neater, and better fitted for Ufe ; and his Fur- 
naces likewife were contrived to much greater Advan- 
tage ; fo that he not only introduced it, but carried the 
Art of Sugar- making to a very high Degree of Perfec-^ 
tion. Bcfides Sugar, they raile alfo a great deal of In- 
digo, in which they did not fo foon fucceed as in Sugar j 
which, I find, the French Writers attribute to the into- 
lerable Stench with which the making that Commodity 
is attended. But they were more happy in raifing Cot- 
ton, which requires very little Pains or Labour, 
They alfo cultivate Cacao to great Advantage^ and 
draw confiderabie Profit from the Ginger, Caflia, and 
Piemento, which is what we cdWJamaica Pepper, or All- 
fpice, of which they export confiderabie Quantities. 
They likewife manufafture Rocou, for the Ufe of 
Dyers, and fend home Variety of medicinal Gums, and 
wet Sweet-meats of feveral kinds. Thefe Iflands pro- 
duce alfo feveral kinds of valuable Woods, , which are 
ufed for dying, inlaying, and Cabinet-Work ; ftich as 
Rofe-wood, which, when wrought and poliflied, has a 
very beautiful Appearance, as well as a fine Smell. The 
Indian Wood is alfo of the fame Nature, and the Iron 
Wood, fo called from its being exceffively hard, is 
efteemed preferable either to Cedar or Cyprefs ; Brazil- 
Wood they have in great Quantities, and Brazilleto, 
yellow Wood, or Fuftick, and green Ebony, which is 
both ufed by the Cabinet-Makers and the Dyers. We 
may add to thefe Commodities, raw Hides, and Tortoife- 
Ihell, and then the Reader will have a tolerable Com- 
prehenfion of all the Wealth and Riches of the French 
JVeJi Indies. But to execute our Defign effectually, it 
is necefiary we fliould give an Account of the Com- 
merce of thefe Iflands, which is what we lhall endeavour 
to do in as few Words as poffible, and in fuch a Me- 
thod, as may take in the full Extent of their Trade, a 
thing that has not hitherto been attempted, at leaft in 
our Language. 
II. In the firft Place then, it is to be confidered, that 
though thefe Iflands produce fo many rich and valuable 
Commodities, yet they ftand in need of very large Supplies 
of various Kinds of NeceflTaries, without which they 
could not poffibly fubfift, fuch as Horfes, and Cattle of 
all Kinds ; Corn, Roots, dry Fifh, and all forts of 
Lumber, of which they receive confiderabie Quantities 
from Canada, and the reft from our Northern Colonies, 
in Exchange for Sugar, Tobacco, Indigo, and other 
Goods, which are fent to Canada, and for Melafles 
or Moloffes, to our Colonies, where it is diftilled into 
Rum, of which Kind ofCommercewehave fpoken largely 
elfewhere, and therefore there is no need that we fliould 
dwell upon it here. The Inhabitants of this Ifland ftand 
always in want of Negroes, with which they were for- 
merly fupplied by their own AJrican and Senegal Com- 
panies, which, as we have already fliewn, have been long 
ago united to the French EaJl- India Company, by whom 
this Slave-Trade is now carried on with great Regularity, 
and much Profit. The Negroes are fent to Martinico, 
where they are purchafed by the Inhabitants of the other 
Iflands, at a fettled Price of fo many Hogflieads of Sugar 
a Head, as in the Spanijh Ports they are bought for fo 
many Pieces of Eight. 
Before we fpeak of the diredt Trade between thofe 
Iflands and France, it will be proper to give a fliort Ac- 
count of the Quantities of Sugar, that, according to the 
beft Computations, are raifed in them •, becaufe this be- 
ing the Staple Commodity, it will enable us to form 
fome fort of Notion of the whole Extent and Value of 
their Exports. \x\Martinico it is computed that they make, 
one Year with another, ten thoufand Hogflieads of Sugar, 
each 
/ 
