sions adopted and confirmed on the restoration of that monarch. By the regulations of this act and the establishment of the internal duty on their produce (to which we have already referred), they thought themselves treated with ingratitude, and they predicted the decline of their population, agriculture, and wealth, from the effects of those measures. How far these predictions have been accomplished, a comparative state of the island at different periods will demonstrate, with which the present account will be concluded.

Barbadoes is situated in 13° north latitude, and in 59° west longitude. It is only about twenty-one miles in length and fourteen in breadth, and contains more than one hundred thousand acres of land, most of which are under cultivation. The soil is naturally fertile, but the inhabitants have decreased with a rapidity seldom known in any other country. It appears too that the annual produce of the island has decreased in a much greater proportion than in any other of the WestIndian colonies.

That the dreadful succession of hurricanes, with which this and the other West-India islands have been visited, has contributed to this great defalcation cannot be doubted. The capital of the island was scarcely risen from the ashes to which it had been reduced by two dreadful fires, when it was torn from its foundations, and the whole country made a scene of desolation by the storm of the 10th of October 1780, in which no less than four thousand three hundred and twenty-six of the inhabitants miserably perished; and the damage done to the country was computed at 1,320,564. i 58. sterling. The prospect has, in some respects, seemed to brighten; but although, since the failure

of their sugar plantations, the inhabitants have found some resource in the cultivation of cotton, it does not seem probable that any encouragement is capable of ever restoring Barbadoes to its ancient splendour and opulence, unless it be relieved from the heavy imposition of 4 per cent. on their exported pruduce.

Barbadoes is divided into five districts and eleven parishes it contains four towns, of which Bridge Town is the capital. Before the fires, this town consisted of fifteen hundred houses, which were

ly built of brick, and it is still the seat of government, and may be called the chief residence of the governor, whose country villa is situated within a mile of it: his salary is 2000. per annum. The form of government of this island so very nearly resembles that of Jamaica, that it is unnecessary to enter into detail, except to observe that the council is composed of twelve members, and the assembly of twenty-two. The most important variation respects the court of chancery, which in Barbadoes is constituted of the governor and council, whereas in Jamaica the governor is sole chancellor. On the other hand, in Barbadoes the governor sits in council, even when they are acting in their legislative capacity, which in Jamaica would be considered as unconstitutional. It may be farther observed, that the courts of grand sessions, common pleas, and exchequer, in Barbadoes, are distinct from each other, and not as in Jamaica, united and blended in one supreme court of judi

cature.

In the year 1792 Barbadoes produced seventeen thousand hogsheads of sugar; one hundred and eighty-eight hogsheads of molasses; five thousand and sixty-four of rum; three thousand and forty

six bags of ginger; and nine hundred and seventyfour thousand one hundred and seventy-eight pounds of cotton. At that time it had sixty-four thousand three hundred and thirty slaves, seven hundred and forty-four of which were imported that year. The amount of taxes was 9,4437.1 98. 3d.

GRENADA.

When the island of Grenada was discovered by Columbus, it was inhabited by a numerous and warlike people, whose manners and habits had never been injured by the invading Spaniards. It was not till the year 1650 that the French governor of Martinique attempted to form an establishment in Grenada. Notwithstanding the French had but newly settled in Martinique, and a great part of that island was still uncultivated, yet Du Parquet, the governor, collected two hundred men, invaded the rights and destroyed the peace of the inhabitants of Grenada. Although the French had no pretence for this attack, yet the commanders administered the sacrament in the most solemn manner to all the soldiers on their embarkation; and when they landed, Du Parquet caused a cross to be erected, compelled the people to kneel before it, and join in devout prayer to Almighty God, for success in their enterprise. Thus has the Christian religion, which breathes nought but peace and good will among men, been prostituted and made the instrument to sanction every cruelty, by the guilty passions of men.

Under pretence of a fair purchase, the commanders gave the natives a few knives and hatchets, a large quantity of glass beads, besides two bottles of brandy for the chief; and in consideration of

these, the value of which could not be more than a few shillings, the French claimed the island as their own, and considered the natives as slaves to their will. Du Parquet having completed the conquest, left a man named Le Compte as governor. Under his reign the Caribbees rebelled, which gave a pretence to him and Du Parquet to take every means of extirpating the whole race. The French historian has attempted to soften the shades of guilt attaching to his countrymen, yet he admits, "That forty of the Caribbees were in one instance massacred on the spot: forty others, who with difficulty escaped the sword, ran towards a precipice, from whence they cast themselves into the sea, and miserably perished. A beautiful young girl, only 13 years of age, who was taken alive, became the object of dispute between two of our officers, each of them claiming her as his lawful prize; a third coming up, put an end to the contest by shooting the girl through the head. Our people," adds this humane writer," proceeded in the next place to set fire to the cottages, and root up the provisions of the savages, and, having destroyed or taken away every thing belonging to them, returned, with the loss of a single man, in high spirits !" By such series of enormities, the whole race of Caribbees that possessed Grenada in 1650 was speedily exterminated. And under the various revolutions and calamities which attended this plantation, and which it would be fruitless to enumerate, but little attention was paid to cultivation; even in the year 1700 the island contained less than eight hundred people, blacks and whites, who were employed on three plantations of sugar, and fifty-two of indigo. Soon after this France began to turn her attention to

wards the West-Indian possessions, and in the course of the next fifty or sixty years the island of Grenada was in a complete state of cultivation ; and in 1762, when the fortune of war made the English masters of this and the rest of the French Caribbee Islands, Grenada and its dependencies are said to have yielded annually eleven thousand hogsheads of sugar, and twenty-seven thousand pounds of indigo.

The crown of England supposed itself entitled by the terms of capitulation to the duty of 4 per cent. upon all produce exported from the newly ceded islands, as paid at Barbadoes; and accordingly in the year 1764, it commanded the duty to be levied. This demand excited much discussion, the crown persisting in its claim, and the people resolutely refusing to pay it. At length the question was referred to a solemn adjudication before the judges of the court of King's Bench in England; and in the year 1774, after the case had been elaborately argued four several times, lord Mansfield pronounced judgment against the claims of the In consequence of this the duty was abolished not only in Grenada, but also in the ceded islands of Dominica, St. Vincent, and Tobago.

crown.

ture.

Soon after this, considerable disputes arose between the catholics and protestants, the latter objecting to the former possessing seats in the legislaThe protestants appealed to the king, whọ refused to revoke his former instructions; in consequence of which the most zealous of the protestant members of the assembly declined to attend, and it was seldom that a house could be formed. Public affairs soon fell into confusion, and in this state of perplexity the island became a prey to the French, who captured it in 1779. At the general peace of