The third Road and Town is lately call’d St. James’s, formerly the Hall, and is about two Leagues to the Leeward of St. Michaels, hath one very large Platform, and is otherwise well fortifi’d with Breast-works; and although few Ships come to Ride here, yet in this Town is maintain’d a great Trade with the Inhabitants adjacent; here also is kept Monethly the Court of Common-Pleas for this Precinct.
The fourth Road and Town is lately call’d Little Bristol, but formerly Sprights-Bay, which lieth about four Leagues to Leeward of St. Michaels, and hath two Forts well built, and strongly fortifi’d. To this Place come many Ships, especially from the City of Bristol, the which here Ride, unload and re-load, it being the next greatest Place of Repute to St. Michaels in the whole Island.
This Island is divided into eleven Parishes, and hath in it fourteen Churches and Chappels, and being subdivided into divers Plantations, small and great, hath Sugar-works accordingly, with fair and large Buildings made of Stone and Brick, the which generally are pleasant Habitations, and delightfully situated, most having pleasant Prospects to the Sea and Land.
The Inhabitants of this Island are English, Scotch, and Irish, and some, but very few of the Dutch and French Nation, who formerly liv’d here a time of Servitude, and now dwell as Free-men, some by their Trades, and others on Plantations; also some few Jews live here and Trade as Merchants, they having obtain’d Licence from His Majesty so to do; besides Mulatto’s and Negro’s which are here kept, and accounted for Slaves, the number of which some years since, upon search, were found to be sixty thousand Persons, viz. forty thousand Whites, and twenty thousand Blacks.
The standing Militia of this Island that are in readiness to meet together on all occasions, and which at other times are often and well Disciplin’d, consist of two Regiments of Horse, and five Regiments of Foot, wherein several Companies have near two hundred in a Company, and in some Troops more than a hundred Horse in a Troop; by all which you may easily apprehend how little of truth there is in that Saying, That we hold this Island at the Courtesie of the Spaniards, when those few English in Jamaica give the Spaniards such work to defend themselves.
The Growth and Manufacture of this Island and parts adjacent, is Sugars of all sorts, viz. Muscovado, Clay’d, and Refin’d; (I suppose I have seen here as good Sugar made as any is in the World) Gingers, Indico, and Cotton-wool; also Tobacco, Logwood, Fustick, green and yellow, and Lignum-vitæ: Of these four last heretofore much, but now no quantities to be had in this Island, onely to the Leeward great store. The first four mention’d Commodities receive prejudice to their Product by abundance of Rains or Droughts not happening their proper Seasons: also violent Winds lodge the Sugar-Canes, whereby the quantity and goodness is lessned. The chief time for Expectation is from January to September, when comes in the wet Season, that makes the Roads not Cartable, and usually puts an end to Making and Transportation of them. We have two Crops of Corn in a year, Planted usually when the Rains first come in, in May and November, which is gather’d in about October, and in March and April following. Wines of all sorts are here Imported, but of Portuguese and French the greatest quantities, viz. of Madera, upwards of fifteen hundred Tun yearly; of Spanish, upward of two hundred Tun; of French-Wines, upward of seven hundred Tun; besides Brandy and English Spirits; but of these latter now no great quantities Imported or spent, by reason of the general use of the Spirit of Sugar-Cane, call’d Rum, which the meaner sort, as Servants and Slaves, do not onely drink in great abundance, but much also is hence Transported into Virginia, Bermudas, and New-England. Here is also Imported great store of Provisions of all sorts, viz. Beef, Pork, Fish, &c. from Ireland, New-England, Virginia, Bermudas, New-found Land, &c. also Pease, Flour, Butter, Cheese, and Bisquet; likewise Timber, Boards, Pipe and Hogshead, Staves, &c. also Negro-Slaves from Guinee, and live Cattel, as Bulls, Cows, Asinego’s, and Horses, from the Cape de Verd Island, New-England; and from England, Servants, and all other Commodities for Plantations, and for Apparel; of all which great quantities are hither brought and sold.
The Shipping that comes to Trade to this Island belongs generally to England; some few Vessels are here built, and pass to and fro to the Leeward Islands; and some belong to New-England, Bermudas, &c. The number of Vessels which come hither to Trade in one year is found upon search to be about two hundred of all sorts, (some years more, some less) as Ketches, Sloops, Barques, &c. containing in Burthen fifteen thousand and five hundred and five Tun, according as they were here Entred, which is at the least a third part less than their true Burthen, by reason every Ship pays one pound of Powder per Tun, the means ordain’d by this Country for storing the Magazine; the greatest part of which Ships re-load with Sugars for England, and many go for New-England, Bermudas, Virginia, Tangier, &c. not always full loaden with this Countreys Growth. The usual Rate for Tunnage from hence to London, is from 4 l. to 5 l. per Tun; sometime when Ships are very plentiful, it is at 3 l. and less, and at other times when scarce, from 6 l. to 7 l. in the late War with the Dutch, it was at 10. 11. and 12 l. per Tun.
The Government is Constituted by the Laws of England, and Laws not repugnant to them, onely some particular Laws are here made, proper for this Place, by the Governor (or Deputy) and his Council, (which usually are from seven to twelve in number) and an Assembly that consists of twenty two Persons, chosen by the Free-holders, two out of every Parish.
Sect. XXIV.
St. Vincent.
Situation of St. Vincent.