12 THE SERVICES OE LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
I was a resident in it from tlie time of its being taken to the giving 
up. 
The island is called Guadeloupe from a resemblance which it bears 
to a chain of mountains of the same name in old Spain. To speak with 
exactness, it is rather to be considered as two islands, divided from 
each other by a small river, called the Salt river, which I have twice 
been through. It is deep enough to admit pretty large vessels, but 
the water at the two entrances is not so deep as when you are in, and 
the greatest width is not more than 100 yards at the widest place. 
One of these islands is called Grand Terre, the other Guadeloupe, they 
are together in a circle about 90 leagues. The first is nearly destitute 
of fresh water, and not perfectly cultivated, but it is otherwise with 
Guadeloupe. No part of the world is furnished with more or better 
water, for no less than 50 rivers in that small circuit empty themselves 
into the sea, many navigable by boats, not to mention the numberless 
springs which rise among the rocks, and after a thousand meanders 
lose themselves in the larger streams. I wish I was able to describe 
the beauties of this country as they deserve. No part of the West 
Indies, perhaps of the world, affords more agreeable and more romantic 
scenes. It is full of high mountains, from which torrents of water are 
seen falling from rock to rock till lost in some profound gorge. I have 
often been in these places, and cannot imagine anything half so 
tremendous and yet so enchantingly agreeable. You are obliged to 
step from rock to rock, between which the water in some places is 
deep, and here are to be caught the finest shrimps and crawfish. 
Being in these ravines is being in another climate. The trees on the 
edges of the precipice are so intertwined together that the sun cannot 
penetrate, which makes it most delightf ully pleasant. On the mountains 
a great variety of birds are to be met with, and very good of their 
kind, so that any person fond of romantic scenes and rural amusement, 
may in the highest perfection enjoy them in this country. There is 
one very high mountain not far from Basse Terre, which towers above 
the clouds, and a volcano continually emitting smoke and fire. From 
this mountain considerable quantities of sulphur may be had; with 
several of our officers I went up as far as we could with safety, and 
found at a considerable distance from the great mouth a vast quantity 
of sulphur in lumps and in powder, and large cinders had also rolled a 
great way down the side of the hill. We found it extremely dangerous 
after we were a good way advanced, not only from the difficulty of 
climbing up, which we could only do by depending on small burnt up 
shrubs and protecting rocks, but also from the number of holes in the 
side of the mountain, which seemed to have no bottom, and made one 
shudder to go near them. 
To the northward of Basse Terre, near the river Bouillante, are hot 
baths fit for all medicinal purposes for which such waters are used. 
The land in the valleys is extremely fertile, it produces the usual West 
Indian commodities, sugar, indigo, coffee, cotton, and ginger, with a 
variety of fruits, and the most of them very grateful to the taste. The 
pine apple of this island grows to a prodigious size, and is of the most 
