the island, and, to prevent any complaining on the part of the husband, attempted to get him con. victed on a false accusation. After repeated enormities which outraged every feeling of humanity, he was recalled by the government at home; but he refused to obey, and set at defiance every one that attempted to control his operations; at length the people, exasperated at the injuries committed upon them, rose and murdered him, with a number of other persons who adhered to his cause.

Antigua contains about sixty thousand acres of land, of which more than half are appropriated to the growth of sugar. It is divided into six parishes, and contains as many towns. The capital is St. John's. No island in this part of the West-Indies has so many excellent harbours. Of these the principal are English harbour and St. John's; both are well fortified, and at the former the British government has established a royal navy-yard and arsenal, and conveniences for careening ships of

war.

The legislature of Antigua is composed of the commander in chief, a council of twelve members, and an assembly of twenty-five, and it is to its credit, that it first presented an example to the sister islands of a melioration of the criminal law respecting negro slaves, by giving the accused party the benefit of a trial by jury. And it is still more honourable to this island that its inhabitants have encouraged, in a particular manner, the laudable endeavours of the Moravians, who, from the best motives, have undertaken to enlighten the minds of the negroes, and lead them into the knowledge of religious truth. The number of converted negroes, according to the accounts of the

Moravians, in the year 1787, was more than sixteen thousand.

MONTSERRAT was discovered by Columbus at the same time with St. Christopher's, from which it was at first planted, in the year 1632, by a small colony of adventurers who had embarked under Warner. Their separation appears to have been occasioned by local attachments and religious dissentions, being chiefly natives of Ireland, and Roman catholics. The same causes, however, operated to the augmentation of their numbers; for so many persons of the same country and religion came over, soon after the first settlement, as to create a considerable white population, which it has ever since maintained.

Montserrat was invaded by the French in 1712, and suffered so much from their depredations, that an article was agreed upon in the treaty of Utrecht for appointing commissioners to inquire into the damages, which, however, were not made good to the sufferers. It was again invaded and, with most of the other islands, captured by the French during the American war, and restored with the rest.

This island is supposed to contain thirty thousand acres of land, of which almost two-thirds are very mountainous or barren. The produce of Montserrat is sugar, cotton, and provisions. The average crops taken for four years were two thousand seven hundred and thirty seven hogsheads of sugar; eleven hundred and seven puncheons of rum, and two hundred and seventy-five bales of cotton. And the proportion of negroes to whites was at that period about ten thousand to thirteen hundred. The government is administered by a legislature of its own, under a captain-general.

The VIRGIN ISLANDS have been generally supposed to have derived their name from queen Elizabeth; but according to Mr. Edwards, Columbus discovered them in 1493, and gave them this appellation in allusion to a well-known legend in the Romish ritual of the eleven thousand virgins. The Spaniards did not think them worthy of their attention, and no farther notice was taken of them till nearly a century after, when they were visited by the earl of Cumberland in his way to attack Porto-Rico, and the historian of that voyage calls them "a knot of little islands, wholly uninhabited, sandy, barren, and craggy." The whole group comprehends about forty islands, which are divided at present between the English, the Spaniards, and the Danes.

The first possessors of such of these islands as now belong to the British government, were a party of Dutch Buccaneers, who fixed themselves in Tortola and built a fort for their protection. In 1666 they were driven out by a stronger party of the same adventurers, who, calling themselves English, pretended to take possession for the crown of England; and Charles II. if he did not commission the enterprise, made no scruple to claim the benefit of it; for Tortola and its dependencies were soon after annexed to the Leeward island government, and the English title has remained unimpeached from that time to this.

The Dutch had made but little progress in cul tivating the country when they were expelled from Tortola, and the chief merit of its subsequent improvement was reserved for some English settlers from the little island of Anguilla, who had formerly embarked with their families and settled in the Virgin Islands. Their wants were few, and their

government simple and unexpensive. The deputy governor, with a council, nominated from among themselves, exercised both the legislative and judicial authority, determining in a summary way, without a jury, all questions between subject and subject, and when money was wanted for public. use, it was raised by voluntary contributions.

Under this sort of system they continued till 1756, when the inhabitants petitioned to be put on the same footing with the sister islands, by the establishment of a perfect civil government and constitutional courts of justice among them; but in this expectation they were not gratified till the year 1773, when they pledged themselves to grant to his majesty an impost of four and a half per cent. on all goods and commodities the growth of these islands, similar to that which was paid in the other Leeward Islands.

Such was the price at which the Virgin Islands purchased the establishment of a constitutional legislature. The chief and almost the only staple productions of these islands are sugar and cotton. The value of the exports from them in the year 1787 amounted to one hundred and sixty-seven thousand pounds nearly.

THE BAHAMA ISLANDS, AND THE BERMUDAS.

The BAHAMA or LUCAYOS, though very numerous, are but little known. They are said to have been totally deserted, when in 1672 a few Englishmen took possession of the island Providence. But becoming a nest of pirates, a force was sent from England to subdue them, and a small regular colony was established in 1720. The English in the Bahama islands are computed at three or four thousand; half of which are settled in Providence,

where there is a fort and a small barbour.

The

only article cultivated for exportation is cotton, of which the average export is about thirty hundred weight. The soil seems to be naturally barren, which accounts for their comparative insignificance in this grand commercial Archipelago.

The BERMUDAS or SOMMER Islands, were discovered by the Spaniards, but being neglected by them they were again disclosed by the shipwreck of sir George Sommer in 1609. By Shakespear they are described as ever vexed with storms; but Waller, who resided there some time, mentions them in different colours, as enjoying a perpetual spring. They contain about twelve or thirteen thousand acres of very poor land, nine-tenths of which are either uncultivated, or reserved in woods for the supply of timber for building small ships, &c. for sale, which is the principal employ. ment of the inhabitants; and the vessels which they furnish being built of cedar, are light, buoyant, and unexpensive.

Of the land in cultivation, no part was appropriated to any other purpose than that of raising Indian corn and vegetables till the year 1785, when the growth of cotton was attempted, but with no great success. Of these little islands the chief is that called St. George, with a capital of the same name, containing five hundred houses built of free-stone. The number of inhabitants in all the islands is about nine thousand. The blacks are twice as numerous as the whites, and a great part of the trade consists in carrying salt to America.

Thus have we given an historical account of all the principal islands in the West-Indies. Cuba and Porto-Rico belong to Spain, and of their rise,