pable of containing five hundred ships. This was originally a most unwholesome situation, and was chosen entirely for its convenience for trade; but is now deemed as healthy as any place in the island. The town, which contains about fifteen hundred houses, would make a figure in any European kingdom, and some contend that it is the finest the British possess in America. The houses, for the most part, are well built, and their rents are as high as those of such houses in London. The wharfs and quays are well defonded from the sea, and very convenient; and the harbour is 'sheltered from the north-east wind, which is the constant trade wind there. But what renders Bridge-town the most desirable situation in the West Indies, is its security against attacks from foreign enemies. It is defended on the west by James fort, which mounts eighteen guns. Near This is Willoughby's fort, which is built upon a tongue of land running into the sea, and mounts twelve guns. Needham's fort has three batteries, and is mounted with twenty guns; and St. Ann's fort which is the strongest on the island, stands more within land. In short there is all along the leeshore a breast work, and a trench, in which at proper places, are twenty-nine forts and batteries, having three hundred and eight cannon mounted; While the windward shore is secured by high-rocks, steep cliffs, and foul ground.

The church of St. Michael in this town exceeds many English cathedrals in beauty, exent, and conveniency; and has a fine organ, bells, and. clock. Here also are a free school for the instruction of poor boys, an hospital, and a college. The latter was erected by the society for propagating the Christian religion, in pursuance of the will of

Colonel Cordington who left about two thousand pounds a year for its endowment, for maintaining professors and scholars, to study and practise divinity, surgery, and physic.

The town of St. Peter's, in Martinico, notwithstanding the fires which have four times reduced it to ashes, still contains about seventeen hundred · houses. It is situated on the west coast of the island, on a bay or inlet which is almost circular. One part of it is built on the strand along the sea side, which is called the Anchorage; and is the place destined for ships and warehouses. The other part of the town stands upon a low hill; and is called the Fort, from a small fortification that was erected there in 1665, to check a sedition of the inhabitants, but it now serves to protect the road from foreign enemies. These two parts of the town are separated by a rivulet, and the Anchorage is at the back of a pretty high and steep hill. Shut up as it were by this hill, which intercepts the easterly winds, the most constant and most salubrious in these parts, exposed, without any refreshing breezes, to the scorching beams of the sun, reflected from the sea, and the black sand on the beach, this place is excessively hot. Besides there is no harbour; so that the ships which cannot winter safely on the coast are obliged to take shelter at Fort Royal. These disadvantages, however, are compensated by the conveniency of the road of St. Peter's for loading and unloading goods; and by its situation, which is such, that ships may go in and out at all times, and with all winds.

COMMERCE, FISHERIES, &C.

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THE principal produce of Cuba is cotton; but this commodity, through neglect, is now become so scarce, that sometimes several years pass without any of it being brought into Europe. In lieu of cotton, coffee has been cultivated; but by a similar negligence, that is raised in no great quantity; the whole produce not exceeding thirty or thirty-five thousand weight, one third of which is exported to Vera Cruz, and the rest to Madrid. The cultivation of coffee naturally leads to that of sugar; and this, which is the most valuable production of America, would of itself be sufficient to give Cuba that state of prosperity for which it seems peculiarly designed by nature. The astonishing fertility of its new lands, if properly managed, would enable it to surpass every other nation, however they may have now got the start of it; yet such is the indolence of the Spaniards, that to the present time they have but few plantations, where, with the finest canes, they make but a small quantity of coarse sugar at a great expence. This serves partly for the Mexican market, and partly for the mother country; while the indolent inhabitants are content to import sugar for themselves at the expence of nearly 220,000l. annually. It has been expected with probability that the tobacco exported from Cuba would compensate this loss; for after furnishing Mexico and Peru, there was formerly sufficient, with the little brought from Caracca and Buenos Ayres, to supply all Spain. But even this trade has declined through the negligence of the court of Ma

drid, in not gratifying the general taste for tobacco from the Havannah.

The Spanish colonies have an universal trade in skins; and Cuba supplies annually ten or twelve thousand, and the number might be easily increased in a country abounding with wild cattle, where some gentlemen possess large tracts of ground, which, for want of population, can scarcely be applied to any other purpose than breeding cattle. The hundredth part of the island is not yet cleared; the true plantations being all confined to the beautiful plains of the Havannah.

All the plantations together are supposed to employ about twenty-five thousand male and female slaves the number of whites, mestees, mulattoes, and free negroes upon the whole island, amounts to about thirty thousand. The food of these different species consists of excellent pork, bad beef,and cassava bread. The colony would be more flourishing, if its productions had not been made the property of a company, whose exclusive privilege operates as a constant and invariable principle of discouragement. If any thing could supply the want of an open trade, and atone for the grievances occasioned by this monopoly at Cuba, it would be the advantage which this island has long enjoyed, in being the rendezvous of almost all the Spanish vessels that sail to the New World. This prac tice commenced almost with the colony itself. Ponce de Leon, having made an attempt upon Flórida in 1512, became acquainted with the new canal of Bahama. It was immediately discovered that this was the best route, the ships bound from Mexico to Europe could possibly take; and to this fite wealth of Cuba, is principally, if not altogether, wing.

Hispaniola, previously to the late war, was said to have produced as much sugar alone, as all the British West India possessions united, besides immense quantities of cotton, coffee, and indigo. The exports from the French part of the island in 1789, were 47,516,531 lb. white sugar; 93,773,300 lb. brown sugar; 76,835,219 lb. coffee; 7,004,274 lb. cotton; and 758,628 lb. indigo; besides molasses, spirits, tanned hides, &c. to a very considerable amount. The coffee is excellent; each tree in a state of bearing will produce, on an average, a pound weight, and is sometimes equal to that of Mocha, Colton of an excellent quality grows naturally, and almost without any care, in stony land, and in the crevices of the rocks. The numerous roots of indigo are the only obstacles to the feeble cultivation of the fields, where it grows spontaneously. Tobacco has here a larger leaf than in any other part of America; it grows every where, and sometimes equals that of Cuba, or the Havannah. The kernel of the cocoa nut of St. Domingo is more acidulated than that of the cocoa nut of Caracca, to which it is not inferior; and experience proves, that chocolate made of the two cocoas has a more delicate flavour than that made of the cocoa of Caracca alone.

The commerce of Jamaica is very considerable, not only with all parts of Great Britain and Ireland, but also with Africa, America, the West India islands, and the Spanish main. The ships annually employed are upwards of five hundred sail. The exports consist of sugar, rum, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cotton, mahogany, logwood, pimento, hides, and sarsaparilla; of which the two, first are the chief commodities. The total exports for the year 1787, amounted to 2,136,4421. 17s, 3d.