towns are Fort Royal, the capital, and St 1810, 96,413, of whom 78,577 were slaves. by the British, and restored to France in 1802. and restored in 1815. Pierre. Pop. of the island in Guadaloupe is about 70 miles long, and 25 at its greatest breadth. It is divided into two parts by a channel from 30 to 80 yards broad. This channel runs N. and S. and communicates with the sea by a large bay at each end; that on the N. is called Grand Cul de Sac, and that on the S. Petit Cul de Sac. The part of the island east of the channel, is called Grand Terre, and is about 120 miles in circumference. The west part is subdivided by a ridge of mountains into Capesterre on the west, and Basse Terre on the east. This part is also 120 miles in circuit. Both parts would be joined by an isthmus 6 miles in breadth, were it not cut through by the river. In many parts the soil is rich, and not inferior to that of Martinico. Its produce is sugar, coffee, rum, ginger, cocoa, log-wood, &c. This island has been repeatedly taken by the British. It was restored to France in 1814. The population, in 1812, was 114,139 of whom 12,707 were whites, and 94,328 slaves. Marie Gallante, a few leagues S. E. of Guadaloupe, is 42 miles in circumference. There are several extraordinary caverns here, one of which is capable of holding several thousand persons. The climate is unhealthy. Grandbourg is the capital. North-east of Guadaloupe is the small dependent isle of Deseada, which is principally a mountain, with a table-land on the summit. It produces considerable quantities of cotton. 6. DUTCH POSSESSIONS. St Martin is about 5 leagues in length and 4 in breadth, and is chiefly valuable for its salt pits. Lon. 62° 55' W., lat. 18° 5' N. St Eustatius rises from the ocean like a pyramidal rock, a few leagues N. of St Christopher's. It is one of the finest and best cultivated islands of all the Carribees. Tobacco is its chief product. Pop. 20,000, of whom 15,000 are blacks. It was taken by the English in 1801, but restored to the Dutch in 1814. Curacao is situated 75 miles from the coast of Caracas, and is 30 miles long and 10 broad. It produces sugar and tobacco, but its soil is not fertile, and it is dependent on the rains for its supply of water. Curacao has several good harbors, and the inhabitants are chiefly engaged in trade with the Spanish possessions of South America. 7. DANISH ISLANDS St John, though a small island, is particularly noted for its fine harbor, which is capable of containing the whole British navy. It has also a number of salt ponds. St Thomas is another little island lying near Porto Rico, and contains more than 5000 inhabitants, about 3000 of whom are slaves. The princi pal town is St Thomas, which stands at the bottom of a deep bay, surrounded by lofty hills. some. Santa Cruz, a few leagues S. of the two foriner islands, is about 24 miles long and ten broad. Its climate is salubrious, but the water is unwholeThe soil is fertile. Almost every spot of ground is in a high state of cultivation; and the number of inhabitants is 31,687, about 28,000 of whom are slaves. The capital of this island is Christianstadt, which is one of the handsomest towns in the West Indies. 8. SWEDISH ISLAND. The only one of these islands belonging to Sweden is St Bartholomew, which is about 15 miles in circumference. It is very fertile, and produces sugar, cotton, tobacco, indigo, and cassava, there is no water, except what is supplied by rains. There are a great but variety of birds in the woods. The coast is surrounded by rocks and is somewhat difficult of access, but it has a good harbor capable of admitting the largest ships. This island was ceded by France to Sweden in 1785. 9. CLIMATE, &c. Most of the Antilles are situated under the tropic of cancer, and there is not much difference in their climate; accurate observations made in any one of them may be applied with little variation to them all. The spring begins about the month of May; the savannas then change their russet hue, and the trees are adorned with a verdant foliage. The periodical rains from the south may at this time be expected; they fall generally about noon, and occasion a rapid and luxuriant vegetation. The thermometer varies considerably; it falls sometimes six or eight degrees after the diurnal rains; but its medium height may be stated at 780 of Fahrenheit. After these showers have continued for a short period, the tropical summer appears in all its splendor. Clouds are seldom seen in the sky; the heat of the sun is only rendered supportable by the sea breeze, which blows regularly from the south-east during the greater part of the day. The nights are calm and serene, the moon shines more brightly than in Europe, and emits a light that enables one to read the smallest print; its absence is, in some degree, compensated by the planets, and above all by the luminous effulgence of the galaxy. From the middle of August to the end of September, the thermometer rises frequently above 90°, the refreshing sea breeze is then interrupted, and frequent calms announce the approach of the great periodical rains. Fiery clouds are seen in the atmosphere, and the mountains appear less distant to the spectator than at other seasons of the year. The rain falls in torrents about the beginning of October, the rivers overflow their banks, and a great portion of the low grounds is submerged. The rain that fell in Barbadoes in the year 1754, is said to have exceeded 87 inches. The moisture of the atmosphere is so great, that iron and other metals easily oxydated are covered with rust. This humidity continues under a burning sun;-the inhabitants, (say some writers,) live in a vapor bath; it may be proved, without using this simile, that a residence in the lower part of the country at this season is disagreeable, unwholesome, and dangerous to a European. In order to make our readers better acquainted with this country, we shall attempt to describe a morning in the Antilles. For this purpose, let us watch the moment when the sun, appearing through a cloudless and serene atmosphere, illumines with his rays the summits of the mountains, and gilds the leaves of the plantain and orange trees. The plants are spread over with gossamer of fine and transparent silk, or gemmed with dew drops, and the vivid hues of industrious insects reflecting unnumbered tints from the rays of the sun. The aspect of the richly cultivated valleys is different, but not less pleasing; the whole of nature teems with the most varied productions. It often happens, after the sun has dissipated the mist above the crystal expanse of the ocean, that the scene is changed by an optical illusion. The spectator observes sometimes a sand-bank rising out of the deep, or distant canoes in the red clouds, floating in an aerial sea, while their shadows at the same time are accurately delineated below them. This phenomenon, to which the French have given the name of mirage, is not uncommon in equatorial climates. Europeans may admire the views in this archipelago during the cool temperature of the morning; the lofty mountains are adorned with thick foliage; the hills, from their summits to the very borders of the sea, are fringed with plants of never-fading verdure; the mills and sugar-works near them are obscured by their branches or buried in their shade. The appearance of the valleys is remarkable; to form even an imperfect idea of it, we must group together the palm tree, the cocoa nut and mountain cabbage with the tamarind, the orange and waving plumes of the bamboo cane. On these plains we may observe the bushy oleander, all the varieties of the Jerusalem thorn and African rose, the bright scarlet of the cordium, bowers of jessamine and Grenadilla vines, and the silver and silky leaves of the portlandia. Fields of sugar-cane, the houses of the planters, the huts of the negroes, and the distant coast lined with ships, add to the beauty of a West Indian landscape. At sun-rise, when no breeze ripples the surface of the ocean, it is frequently so transparent that one can perceive, as if there were no intervening medium, the channel of the water, and observe the shell-fish scattered on the rocks, and the medusæ reposing on the sand. A hurricane is generally preceded by an awful stillness of the elements, the air becomes close and heavy, the sun is red, and the stars at night seem unusually large. Frequent changes take place in the thermometer, which rises sometimes from eighty to ninety degrees. Darkness extends over the earth; the higher regions gleam with lightning. The impending storm is first observed on the sea; foaming mountains rise suddenly from its clear and motionless surface. The wind rages with unrestrained fury; its noise may be compared to the distant thunder. The rain descends in torrents, shrubs and lofty trees are borne down by the mountain stream, the rivers overflow their banks, and submerge the plain s. Terror and consternation seem to pervade the whole of animated nature; land birds are driven into the ocean, and those whose element is the sea, seek for refuge in the woods. The frighted beasts of the field herd together, or roam in vain for a place of shelter. It is not a contest of two opposite winds, or a roaring ocean that shakes the earth; all the elements are thrown into confusion, the equilibrium of the atmosphere seems as if it were destroyed, and nature appears to hasten to her ancient chaos. Scenes of desolation have been disclosed in these islands by the morning's sun; uprooted trees, branches shivered from their trunks, the ruins of houses have been strewed over the land. The planter is sometimes unable to distinguish the place of his former possessions. Fertile valleys may be changed in a few hours into dreary wastes, covered with the carcasses of domestic animals, and the fowls of heaven. 10. INHABITANTS, &c. The white inhabitants of the West Indies are Creoles, Spanish, English, French, Germans, &c. The mixed races are numer ous; and the negroes most numerous of all. The Indians are extinct, except a mixed race of Carribees, blended with negroes in the eastern part of St Vincent. The general classes are those of master and slave, though the population of the free blacks is increasing. In Cuba there are 18 marquises and 22 counts. The Creoles are generally taller than the Europeans, but less robust. They are supple and graceful in their motions. The socket of the eye is, in them, considerably deeper than in the natives of Europe. The ladies are pale and languid; but distinguished for large, brilliant and expressive eyes. The dress is light and loose, and adapted rather to the climate than to European fashions. Several languages are in use in the West Indies, as the English, the French, the Spanish, with other European tongues, and the Creole, a jargon used in Hayti, composed of French and several African dialects. The buildings are generally slight and low. They are devised rather for comfort and coolness than for ostentation. The food is various, but a great part of it is vegetable. The bread-fruit, banana, plantain, sweetpotato, &c. are common. Salt fish is dealt out for the regular rations of the slaves. The plantain is a general article of food, and it is good green, or ripe, boiled, roasted, fried or baked. The slaves are well supplied with food, numerous. and few adults, in Cuba and some other islands, are without a garden, swine, &c. The diseases most fatal to European constitutions are putrid fevers, which often rage in the towns, and shipping. The Creoles give the tone to the West Indian character. Hospitality, generosity and pride, are qualities of the planters. They are frank and very social. There is but one class among them, for all are equals. The poorest white feels himself on a level with his employer, and salutes him by grasping his hands. The Creoles are quick and intelligent, but indolent. They have a great warmth of imagination and flow of spirits. Their faults are not those of meanness, but of the unfortunate system under which they live. In Cuba the planters carry hospitality to its utmost extent. The Monteros in this island are a hardy and honest race of yeomany, often engaged as managers, carters, &c. They are very The negroes form in the West Indies by far the most numerous class. The climate is well adapted to them, but they too generally pass a life of unremitted hardship and toil. They are often overtasked, and without a sufficient time for rest. In Cuba, Doctor Abbot supposes that they are made to perform a third more than in Carolina. Here, however, manumission is much favored by law, and the authorities. A slave may buy his freedom, by paying his first cost, and if he pay but a part, his master must relinquish a proportionate part of his time. In some of the islands the slave population requires renewal once in 15 years, while in the United States it doubles itself in less than 28. At Martinique in 1810, among 77,500 slaves the number of births was one to 62. There can be no better test of the good treatment of slaves, than their increase. The Haytians who have achieved their independence have much improved in their manners and comforts; but generally the African race is in the West Indies much degraded and debas. ed by hapless and intolerable servitude. The most common amusements of the whites are dancing, and gaming. Cock-fighting is very common, and in Cuba there is no village without a pit, which the Rev. Dr. Abbot remarks is a fit emblem of that which is bottomless. The means of education are limited. In Hayti there is a school in almost every village, and a college at Cape Haytien; and in Cuba the means of instruction are improving; but generally, these are so low, that many young men are sent to Europe for education. The religion is various in the different islands. In Cuba and Hayti it is generally Catholic. In Cuba the slaves are baptized, and for this the owner generally pays a certain sum to the ecclesiastic, for the year. In many islands the missionaries have had much success, especially among the slaves, though they have too often been opposed by the planters. Generally the Creoles must be described as somewhat licentious, and little conversant with religious sentiments. The government of Cuba is that of a Captain-General, appointed by the King of Spain. The islanders however are much favored, from the fear that the mother country entertains of a revolt. Hayti is a republic, in which the President is chosen by the Senate for life. The Representatives are chosen once in five years by the people; and the senators, who hold their offices nine years, are chosen by the representatives. Jamaica has a Governor, a council of 12 members, and a House of Assembly, chosen by the freeholders. The government of the other islands are various, but generally somewhat similar. CHAPTER XLV. COLOMBIA. 1. BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT. The Republic of Colombia is bounded N. by the Carribean Sea; E. by Guiana and Brazil; S. by Brazil and Peru, and W. by the Pacific Ocean. It extends from 6° 15' S. to 12° 25′ N. lat. and from 600 to 83' W. lon.; and contains 1,000,000 square miles. 2. MOUNTAINS. The western portion of Colombia is intersected by numerous broad and elevated ridges, generally branching in various directions from the great chain of the Andes. Their greatest height is near the equator, and the elevation gradually diminishes as they extend towards the north. From 60 S. lat. for a space of more than 600 miles, the Andes form a double chain, each of the sides presenting the appearance of walls, and the interval being the elevated plain of Quito. This plain is generally from 20 to 24 miles in breadth. From the sources of the Magdalena and Cauca,` these mountains diverge into three parallel ridges. In the southern part are the celebrated summits of Chimborazo, Cayambe, Antisana, Cotopaxi, Tunguragua, &c. According to the observations of modern travellers, Chimborazo is 21,440 feet in height. It has been ascended to the height of 19,300 feet, which is undoubtedly the highest point of the terrestrial surface yet trodden by man. Capac Urcu, or the Altar Mountain, whose summit has sunk into its crater, is said to been once more lofty than Chimborazo. Beside the Andes the principal chain is that of Caraccas, running along the north coast with summits from 12,000 to 14,000 feet high. The most active volcano is that of Cotopaxi, situated twelve leagues S. E. of Quito, and 140 miles distant from the nearest coast. The form of this volcano is very beautiful. It is a perfect cone of 3,490 feet in height, covered with a dazzling mantle of snow. The crater is surrounded by a small circular wall, which, when viewed through a telescope, appears like a parapet. Its height above the sea is 18,898 feet. The masses of scoriæ, and the huge pieces of rock which have been thrown out of the volcano, and are spread over the neighboring country, would form, if heaped together, a colossal mountain. The eruptions have been frequent and very disastrous; and in connexion with these dreadful phenomena, destructive earthquakes often occur. 3. RIVERS. The Darien, Chagre, and Concepcion rivers fall into the Atlantic; the Tocuyo, Guiges, Aroa, Yaracuy, Tuy, Unara, flow N. to the Carribean Sea; on the coast of the Pacific are innumerable streams descending from the western face of the Andes. In the interior is the Magdalena, a very large stream with numerous tributaries. At its mouth it is two leagues broad; it has a very rapid current, and is subject to great inunda tions. The river Cauca for some distance runs parallel with it, and their confluence below Mompox is very majestic and beautiful. All the other rivers of this immense tract disembogue themselves into the Orinoco and the Maranon. 4. LAKES. The principal lake is that of Maracaibo, which is 150 miles long by 90 miles of greatest breadth. It is deep, and navigable for the largest vessels, but its entrance is obstructed by a sand bar. It abounds with fish, but its shores are sterile and noxious. The lake of Valencia, though small, is a very interesting and pleasing object. It is about 40 miles long and 12 broad. Though fed by 20 rivers, this lake has no visible outlet, and yet never appears to increase in depth or extent. Nothing in nature is more magnificent than the surrounding scenery. The other lakes, which are situated among the mountains and have been but little explored, are Parima, Ipava and Amaca. Parima is famous as having been the seat |