place, under the penalty of military execution; and the centinels were ordered to shoot them if they paffed in greater numbers. No lights were to be seen in their houses after nine o'clock in the evening, nor was an English perfon to prefume to walk the streets on any account whatever after that period without a lanthorn and candle. Mr. Robert How, an English merchant, and owner of a ship then in the harbour, attempting to go on board after that time, was shot dead in the attempt, and the centinel who did the act, promoted for having, as the governor expreffed it, done his duty.

The town of Rofeau was fet on fire by the French foldiery, which if not done by the governor's orders, was however fanctioned by him, for during the whole night on which the melancholy event took place, he was prefent like another Nero, diverting himself with the fcene, and actually forbid his foldiers to affift in extinguishing the flames, fave only in houfes belonging to the French inhabitants, but he permitted, if he did not pofitively encourage, his men to plunder the English inhabitants in the midst of their diftrefs.

The accumulated diftreffes of the inhabitants ruined a number of the planters, who threw up their plantations, and abandoned them. In 1783 it was again reftored to Great-Britain, and the inhabitants restored to the enjoyment of their former privileges.

This ifland is divided into ten parishes, the town of Roseau, which contains only five hundred houses, exclufive of the cottages of the negroes, is the capital; it is fituated on a point of land on the fouthweft fide of the island, which forms Woodbridge's and Charlotte Ville bays. The island contains many high rugged mountains, feveral of which contain volcanoes, which frequently discharge burning fulphur, and from fome of the mountains hot springs of water iflue. Between the mountains are many fertile vallies, well watered, there being at least thirty fine rivers, befides rivulets in the country.

There are not, however, at this time, more than fifty fugar plantations in work, and one year with another they do not produce more than from two to three thousand hogfheads per annum. There are more

than two hundred coffee plantations, which feem to anfwer well, as in fome years they have produced twenty-fix thousand seven hundred and eighty-five hundred weight. Cacoa, indigo and ginger are alfo cultivated, but in a very small degree, for the chief of those in the lift of exports are obtained from South-America, under the fanction of the free port law.

The

The number of inhabitants, according to the return of 1788, is as follows: white inhabitants of all forts, one thousand two hundred and thirty-fix; free negroes, &c. four hundred and forty-five; flaves, fourteen thousand nine hundred and fixty-feven; and about twenty or thirty families of Caribbees. We fhall close this account with the following table of exports, &c.

ST. VINCEN T.

THIS ifland contains about eighty-four thoufand acres, and is on

the whole well watered; it is, however, in general mountainous and rugged, but the intermediate vallies are exceeding fertile. The country held and cultivated by the British, at prefent, does not exceed twentythree thousand fix hundred and five acres, all the rest of the island being held by the Caribbees, or incapable of cultivation.

The Spaniards, according to Dr. Campbell, beftowed the name of St. Vincent on this ifland, on account of its being discovered on a day devoted to that Saint in their calendar; but it does not appear that they ever got poffeffion of it on account of the number of Indians who inhabited it; but neither the natural ftrength of the island, nor their numbers, could ultimately exempt them from European hofti lities.

When the English and French, who for fome years had been ra vaging the Windward iflands, began to give fome confiftence to their fettlements, in the year 1660 they agreed that Dominica and St. Vincent should be left to the Caribs as their property. Some of these favages, who till then had been difperfed, retired into the former, and the greater part into the latter. There thefe mild and moderate men, lovers of peace and filence, lived in woods, in fcattered families, under the guidance of an old man, whom his age alone had advan ced to the dignity of ruler. The dominion paffed fucceffively into every family, where the oldest always became king, that is to fay, the guide and father of the nation. Thefe ignorant favages were ftill unacquainted with the fublime art of fubduing and governing men by force of arms; of murdering the inhabitants of a country to get poffeffion of their lands; of granting to the conquerors the property, and to the conquered the labours of the conquered country; and in procefs of time, of depriving both of the rights and the fruit of their toil by arbitrary taxes,

The

The population of these children of nature was fuddenly augmented by a race of Africans, whofe origin was never pofitively afcertained. It is faid that a fhip carrying negroes for fale, foundered on the coaft of St. Vincent, and the flaves who efcaped the wreck, were received as brethren by the favages. Others pretend that these negroes were deferters, who ran away from the plantations of the neighbouring colonies. A third tradition fays, that this foreign race comes from the blacks whom the Caribs took from the Spaniards in the first wars between thofe Europeans and the Indians. If we may credit Du Tertre, the most ancient hiftorian who has written an account of the Antilles, these terrible favages who were fo inveterate against their masters, fpared the captive flaves, brought them home, and restored them to liberty that they might enjoy life, that is, the common bleffings of nature, which no man has a right to withhold from any of his fellow creatures.

Their kindness did not ftop here; for by whatever chance thefe firangers were brought into the island, the proprietors of it gave them their daughters in marriage, and the race that sprang from this mixture were called black Caribs: they haye preferved more of the primitive colour of their fathers, than of the lighter hue of their mothers. The red Caribs are of a low ftature; the black Caribs tall and ftout, and this doubly-favage race fpeaks with a vehemence that feems to resemble anger.

In procefs of time, however, fome differences arofe between the two nations; the people of Martinico perceiving this, refolved to take advantage of their divifions, and raise themselves on the ruins of both parties. Their pretence was, that the black Caribs gave shelter to the flaves who deferted from the French iflands. Impofture is always productive of injuftice. Thofe who were falfely accufed, were afterwards attacked without reafon; but the fmallnefs of the numbers fent out against them, the jealoufy of those who were appointed to command the expedition, the defection of the red Caribs, who refused to fupply fuch dangerous allies with any of the fuccours they had promifed them to act against their rivals, the difficulty of procuring fubfiftence, the impoffibility of coming up with enemies who kept themfelves concealed in woods and mountains; all thefe circumflances confpired to difconcert this rafh and violent enterprise. It was obliged to be given up after the lofs of many valuable lives; but the triumph the favages obtained, did not prevent them from fuing for peace as fupplicants. They even invited the French to come and live VOL. IV.

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