SIR,
I have lately seen your Proposal concerning an English Atlas, and having read Dr. Heylin’s Book of the Chorography and History of the whole World, his third Edition Corrected and Enlarged, Printed Anno 1666. I find him very short and erroneous in his Description of the Caribbee Islands, especially of this Island of Barbados, wherein I have been an Inhabitant more than eleven years. He saith,
1. The Island is seventeen or eighteen Miles in compass.
2. On the South ’tis furnish’d with a large and commodious Harbor.
3. The chief Commodities are Tobacco, and a kind of course Sugar, call’d Barbados Sugar, which must be quickly spent, or ’twill melt to nothing.
4. That this Island is worth all the Plantations made by the English, and yet that we hold it at the Courtesie of the Spaniard, without whose Leave and Liking, not of Force to hold it.
This Description of Dr. Heylin’s, in it self very false, is also much to the Dishonor of the English Nation, which makes me presume to trouble you with my own Observations, wherein having onely aim’d at the Truth, you shall not have cause to doubt of being misguided.
This Island of Barbados is seated in thirteen Degrees and twenty Minutes, length twenty two Miles, and in breadth fourteen and an half; It is naturally fortifi’d with Rocks and Shoals on the North and East side of it, where no Ship may safely Anchor, onely two or three places small Boats may go out and in to Fish. On the South-East and Westerly part, it is all along a Road when Ships may Ride at Anchor, but more especially in four chief Places, Roads and Bays thereof.
The principal Road or Bay is call’d Carlisle Bay, and lieth on the South-West part of the Island near its Center, and is a good Road, where five hundred Ships of any Burthen may Ride safely from all but South and Westerly Winds, which seldom in these Parts happen, they generally blowing Easterly, whence it is that we call the East parts Windward, and the West parts Leeward. Here lies also the chief Town for Trade, call’d formerly the Bridge-Town, but now St. Michaels, and having two Forts, answering each other, and a Platform between, which Commands the Road, and Defends the Town; the first and chiefest Fort is call’d Charles Fort, standing on Nedhams Point, lying out in the Sea to Windward of the Bay and Town, so that an Enemy keeping out of Command of this Fort, cannot (probably) come to do the Ships or the Town injury, for that they must come full in or against the Wind. This Fort is built strong with Stone and Lime; the Platform joyns to the Windward part of the Town; also the other Fort joyns to the Leeward part of the Town, all which are well fortifi’d and stor’d with great Guns. The Town consists of several Streets and Lanes, being about thirty Chain in length, and fifteen in breadth, and hath many fair and large Buildings, whereof the most are of Stone and Lime.
The second Road and Town is lately call’d Charles-Town, situate on Oysters-Bay, and lies about two Leagues to Windward of St. Michaels, having also two Forts and one Platform; the two Forts stand the one to Windward, and the other to Leeward of the Town and Road, and the Platform in the middle, all well furnish’d with great Guns. And although this Town be not a Place of much Resort for Shipping, yet here are many considerable Store-houses for Trade, wherein Monethly are kept the Court of Common-Pleas for that Precinct, and Weekly Markets.