three hundred and forty pounds eighteen shillings and fivepence. But these, like most of the other islands, are on the decline.

With the following tables, which we conceive will afford a comprehensive view of the West-India trade, we shall close our account of the British islands,

Shipping.

ST. CHRISTOPHER's.

Mifcellaneous

Sugar. Rum. Indigo Cotton. Dying Woods, Articles, in

Molaf-
fes.

in Value

Total from St. Christo. 200 23,155 1590 235,528 2 12 334,609 8154 318

Value.

6 33,436 19 4 510,014 05

MONTSERRAT AND NEVIS.

Miscellaneous

Molaf- Indigo Cotton. Dying Woods, Articles, in

102

-

289,077

6651 2

SPANISH WEST-INDIES.

CUBA.

CUBA

is a large and very valuable island, and by far the most important of all the Spanish West-Indies. On the east fide it begins at 20o 21/ north latitude, touches the tropic of Cancer on the north, and extends from 74% to 858 15' west longitude. It lies fixty miles to the west of Hispaniola, twenty-five leagues north of Jamaica, one hundred miles to the east of Jucatan, and as many to the south of cape Florida, and commands the entrance of the gulphs both of Mexico and Florida, as also the windward passages. By this fituation it may be called the key of the West-Indies. It was discovered by Columbus in 1492, who gave it the name of Ferdinando, in honour of king Ferdinand of Spain, but it quickly after recovered its ancient name of Cuba. The natives did not regard Columbus with a very favourable eye at his landing, and the weather proving very tempestuous, he foon left this island, and failed to Hayta, now called Hifpaniola, where he was better received. The Spaniards, however, foon became masters of it. By the year 1511, it was totally conquered, and in that time they had destroyed, according to their own accounts, feveral millions of people. But the poffeffion of Cuba was far from answering the expectations of the Spanish adventurers, whose avarice could be fatiated with nothing but gold. These monsters finding that there was gold upon the island, concluded that it must come from mines, and there. fore tortured the few inhabitants they had left, in der to extort from them a discovery of the places where these mines lay. The miferies endured by these poor crea

or

tures were such, that they almost unanimously resolved to put an end to their own lives, but were prevented by one of the Spanish tyrants called Vasco Porcellos. This wretch threatened to hang himself along with them, that he might have the pleasure, as he said, of tormenting them in the next world worse than he had done in this; and so much were they afraid of the Spaniards, that this threat diverted these poor savages from their defperate resolution. In 1511, the town of Havannah was built, now the principal place on the island. The houses were at first built only of wood, and the town itself was for a long time fo inconfiderable, that in 1536 it was taken by a French pirate, who obliged the inhabitants to pay seven hundred ducats to save it from being burnt. The very day after the pirate's departure, three Spanish ships arrived from Mexico, and having unloaded their cargoes, failed in pursuit of the pirate ship. But such was the cowardice of the officers, that the pirate took all the three ships, and returning to the Havannah, obliged the inhabitants to pay seven hundred ducats more. To prevent misfortunes of this kind, the inhabitants built their houses of stone, and the place has fince been strongly fortified.

According to Abbé Raynal, the Spanish settlement at Cuba is very important, on three accounts: 1. The produce of the country, which is confiderable. 2. As being the staple of a great trade; and, 3. As being the key to the West-Indies. The principal produce of this ifland is cotton; the commodity, how. ever, through neglect, is now become so scarce, that fometimes feveral years pass without any of it being brought into Europe. In the place of cotton, coffee has been cultivated, but by a fimi. lar negligence, that is produced in no great quantity; the whole produced 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 fugar; and this, which is the most valuable production of Ametica, would of itself be sufficient to give Cuba that state of profperity for which it seems designed by nature. Although the furface of the island is in general uneven and mountainous, yet it has plains fufficiently extenfive, and well enough watered, to fupply the confumption of the greatest part of Europe with lugar. The incredible 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 fuch is the indolence of the Spaniards, that to this day they have but few plantations, where with the finest canes, they make but

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