Owing to the elevation of the land and the absence of forests the climate is dry, and the rainy season uncertain in its return. The temperature is less subject to variations than in other islands-the thermometer seldom ranges more than four degrees in the 24 hours. On the hills the heat is moderated by the sea breezes.

The average population of Antigua to the square mile, is 340. The great bulk of the people are employed in agriculture, and the manufactures are confined to sugar, molasses, and rum. The total inhabitants number about 37,000.

Antigua totally abolished slavery in 1834, without waiting the interme diate apprenticeship, as in the other slave colonies. It has since improved, both in physical and moral character, and the value of property is said to have been enhanced.

This island has a Governor, Legislative Council, and House of Assembly. The governor of Antigua is also governor of Montserrat, Barbadoes, St. Christopher's, Nevis, Anguilla, the Virgin Islands, and Dominica. The governor is chancellor of each of the islands, by virtue of his office. The courts of this island are a Court of King's Bench, a Court of Common Pleas, and a Court of Exchequer.

The militia consists of a brigade of artillery, a squadron of light dragoons, and two regiments of infantry, in all consisting of 945 men.

The revenue and expenditure is under £20,000 annually, exclusive of the local revenues.

Between 400 and 500 ships are entered to and depart from Antigua annually. The imports may be valued at from £90,000 to £100,000, and the exports at about £200,000.

ST. JOHN's is the capital of the island. It is regularly laid out, pretty large, and built on the north-west side, at the head of a large, but not deep harbor, the north side of which is partly formed by an elevated rock, called Rat Island, about midway up the harbor, and connected with the main land by a causeway, which is submerged at high water. ENGLISH HARBOR is a very complete dock-yard, on a small scale, surrounded by hills, on one of which, at the north-east, is the Naval Hospital.

With the exception of a few scanty rivulets amongst the hills, the whole island is destitute of running water, and the wells, heretofore dry, have proved brackish; ponds and tanks are, therefore, the mainstay of the planters. The plan of boring for water should be adopted.

BARBUDA.

THIS island, the property of the Codrington family, is situated 36 miles north of Antigua. It is about 20 miles broad, and contains about 1,500 inhabitants. The interior is level, the soil fertile, and the air of great salubrity. It was settled by a party of colonists from St. Christopher's, under Sir Thomas Warner, whom the Caribs compelled at first to retreat, but the English finally returned, and quickly began cultivation. The chief trade of the colonists consists in raising cattle, swine, poultry, horses and mules, for sale in the neighboring islands. There is a good roadstead; but the coast is dangerous.

NEVIS.

THIS delightful little island is separated from St. Christopher's by a strait. about two miles broad, and full of shoals, in latitude 17° 14' north, and longitude 63° 3' west. It was first colonized by a few English, in 1628. Nevis is a single mountain, about four miles in length, three in breadth, and eight leagues in circumference, with an area of 20 square miles, springing, with an easy ascent, as it were, out of the sea, and is evidently of Hot and volcanic origin. The summit has the appearance of a crater. mineral springs are found a short distance from Clarke's Hill, the heat of which varies from 100° to 108° Fahr. At the base of the mountain is a border of level land, extremely fertile, and highly cultivated. A complete forest of evergreen trees grows like a ruff or collar round the neck of the high land, where cultivation ceases.

The island is divided into five parishes, and it has three tolerable roadsteads. CHARLESTOWN, the seat of government, lies along the shore of a wide, curving bay, and the mountain begins to rise immediately behind it, in a long and verdant acclivity. The court-house is a handsome building, with a square in front; it contains a hall on the ground-floor, for the Assembly and the courts of law, and another room up stairs for the Council. Schools and churches are provided for all.

The chief production of this island is sugar, the cultivation of which adds much to the richness of the scenery, when contrasted with the mountain forests. The value of exports is about £60,000, and of imports, £20,000 annually. The affairs of the island are managed by a LieutenantGovernor and Council, and the House of Representatives. The laws and regulations of the island are the same as those of Antigua.

MONTSERRAT.

MONTSERRAT lies in 16° 47′ N. lat., and 62° 13′ 25′′ W. long., 22 miles S. W. of Antigua, N. W. of Guadaloupe, and S. E. of Nevis, respectively. In length about 12 miles, and in breadth about 71⁄2, it contains 47 square miles, and has a circumference of 34 miles.

The isle was discovered by Columbus, and named from its serrated mountainous appearance. It was settled by the English in 1632; in 1664 it was taken by the French, but restored at the peace of Breda, and has ever since continued under the British flag. Like many others of the West India Islands, this is probably of volcanic origin. It is very rugged, and some of the mountains are inaccessible. The same geological features The hills abound mark Montserrat as are found in the neighboring isles. with carbonate of lime, iron pyrites, and aluminous earth. general thin, gravelly, dry, light, and thickly covered with blocks of clay and sand-stone, except in the vallies, where the loamy earth is deposited by the

rains.

The soil is in

The coasts are generally inaccessible; on the south there is no approach, the sea for a mile or two is studded with rocks and shelving banks of coral, which prohibit even the approach of boats.

PLYMOUTH, the capital, is a small, but extremely well-built town; and the houses, constructed of a fine gray stone, have a substantial and comfortable appearance.

The church and schools are supported chiefly by the government, or the Bishop. The executive is embodied in the government of Antigua, but the

islanders enjoy a separate Council and House of Assembly, The militia consists of 184 rank and file. The revenue varies from £5,000 to £6,000 annually.

The principal exports from Montserrat consist of sugar and other general produce. The imports and exports may be stated at £25,000 respectively, per annum. Cotton has been lately introduced, and is now being cultivated with success. The currency of the island is £210 £100 sterling. There is no paper money, and the whole circulating medium is not more than £2,000 sterling.

=

ST. CHRISTOPHER'S.

ST. CHRISTOPHER's, or St. Kitt's, called by the Caribs Licmuiga, or fertile isle, is in lat. 17° 18′ N., and long. 62° 40′ W. In circumference it is 72 miles, and in area about 68 square miles, being shaped somewhat like Italy as an outstretched leg. This singular-looking but beautiful island was discovered by Columbus in 1493, and received the name of the great navigator himself. The island was at that time densely populated. In 1623 the first settlements were formed by the English, and in 1625 a colony of Frenchmen landed here. A war with the natives ensuing, these parties united for the time, and succeeded in subduing the common enemy. In 1627 the French and English agreed to partition the island. The island was divided into upper and lower-the former and most extensive, called Capis-terre, belonging to the French; and the lower, called Basse-terre, alone inhabited by the English. The Spaniards in 1629 destroyed all the settlements, but such was the immigration to the West Indies at that period, that the next year saw 6,000 white inhabitants on the island. The French and English themselves at length disagreed, and war breaking out between the two nations, many severe and protracted battles were fought by the colonists, which ended in the subjugation of the English. The peace of Breda restored to the English their portion of the island, and peace reigned for 20 years. In 1689 hostilities recommenced, and the British colonists were forced into the sea, their property falling a prey to fire. The following year the French were driven from the island, and for many years the whole remained in the hands of the English. The treaty of Ryswick restored to the French their possessions, which they retained until 1702, when the island was captured, and, by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, entirely ceded to the British Crown. Most of the French moved to San Domingo. After this, the island rapidly prospered. In 1782, the French squadron, under De Bouillé, attacked the colony, and captured it before relief could be afforded by the British navy. The treaty of 1783 gave the island again to Great Britain, and it has since remained a colony

of that nation.

St. Christopher's is an irregular, oblong island-through its middle runs a series of mountains from north to south, in the centre of which stands Mount Misery, 3,700 feet in perpendicular height, and, though evidently of volcanic origin, clothed with the finest wood and pasture, almost to the very summit. From the foot of the hills the country has a uniform sloping direction, stretching from a centre to a circumference bounded by a coast every inch of which is in the highest state of cultivation. There are several other peaks in the mountains, varying in height from 200 to 800 feet. There are but four streams in the island. In the lowland, springs are plentiful, but their waters are unfit for drinking, owing to strong

saline impregnations; rain-water is that commonly made use of. The soil and climate is analogous to that of the adjacent islands; but from its smallness and elevation the air is perfectly dry and very salubrious.

The commerce of this island is not large. The import and export trade is nearly balanced, amounting each to about £160,000 annually, and employing, respectively, about 300 vessels, and a tonnage of 135,000 tons. The government consists of a Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and House of Assembly, to which a deputy from Anguilla is sent. Education and religion are generously encouraged. The revenue of the island is derived from customs, licenses, &c., as in other colonies The expenses of government amount to some £6,000 annually.

ANGUILLA.

ANGUILLA, or Snake Island, is situated in latitude 18° north, and longitude 64° west, being 45 miles north-west of St. Kitts, and separated only by a narrow channel from St. Martin's. The island is about 30 miles long, and scarcely three miles broad.

Anguilla was discovered and colonized by the British, in 1650, and has ever since remained with that power, subject, however, to predatory incursions of the French and pirates. The island is flat, without mountains or rivers, and has a deep, chalky soil. Nine-tenths of the country is under cultivation. In the centre of the island is a salt lake, yielding annually 3,000,000 bushels of salt, the chief portion of which is exported to the United States, and other American republics. Sugar, cotton, maize and provisions, are raised in abundance, and numbers of cattle are reared by the farmers. The climate is extremely healthy, and the people strong and active. The colonists have a chief or head magistrate, who is confirmed in his office by the government of Antigua, and a Deputy is sent to the Assembly at St. Christopher's to represent the interests of the people.

TORTOLA, AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.

THE Virgin Islands were discovered by Columbus, in 1493, and named in honor of the 11,000 virgins in the Roman ritual. Excepting Anegada, they are a cluster of lofty islands and rocks, about 50 in number, to the north-west of the Leeward Islands, extending about 24 leagues, east and west, and 16 north and south. Tortola, on which is the capital, is in latitude 18° 20' north, and longitude 64° 39' west. The English, Danes, &c., divide the sovereignty of this group. The English islands are:-Tortola, Virgin Gorda, or Penniston, (sometimes corrupted into Spanishtown,) Jos Van Dykes, Guana Isle, Beef and Thatch islands, Anegada, Nichar, Prickly-Pear, Camanas, Ginger, Cooper's, Salt, St. Peter's, and several other smaller islands.

The Dutch Buccaneers were the first occupants of these islands, having settled at Tortola in 1648. A stronger party of English Buccaneers expelled them in 1666, and they were shortly afterwards annexed to the Leeward government.

Throughout they are rugged, precipitous and rocky. The shores are indented with bays, harbors and creeks, affording good shelter to shipping. The interior is still unoccupied, being almost inaccessible.

The capital, TORTOLA, is situated on the south side of the island of the same name, ciose to the water's edge, on a magnificent harbor, or basin, und forms one long stretch, curving at the base of a projecting point of :and. In front of the town and harbor are a number of small islets, extending far to the southward, and forming the passage called Sir Francis Drake's Channel. The harbor of Tortola is 15 miles long, and 3 in breadth, perfectly land-locked, and has in war time sheltered 400 vessels, waiting for convoy.

Previous to 1773, the government of these islands was entrusted to a Deputy-Governor, with a Council, who exercised in a summary manner the executive and legislative authority. At that date a local legislature, similar to that of the other islands, was conferred on them, with courts of justice. They are now under the government of St. Christopher's, possessing in Tortola, however, a Council and Assembly of their own. The militia consists of about 400 men, of all grades. The revenue and commerce of these islands are insignificant.

The Virgin Islands are celebrated for their great variety of fish, which are taken in vast quantities for market. In Penniston there are between 30 and 40 mines, which have been opened, 20 of which are at present filled up; the mines appear to be principally of copper and black lead,some gold and copper have, many years back, been taken out. They are chiefly situated in the east part of the valley, at a place called Red-Point. None have even been disturbed for 90 years, except occasionally by a few persons, who may have gone there through curiosity to see them, and take a little of the ore. The lead is of a superior quality. There is an arsenic mine on Collins' Hill. The silver mine has been worked until stopped by government. Upon the top of Red-Point Hill, there is a quantity of quartz, and crystals have been taken from this mine. No one alive at this day has been able to state the quantity of gold and silver procured from the mines.

The area of the several Virgin Isles, in acres, is as follows:-Anegada, 31,200; Tortola, 13,300; Penniston, 9,500; Jos Van Dykes, 3,200; Peter's Island, 1,890; Beef Island, 1,560; Guana Island, 1,120; and 40 other islands, with areas varying from 900 acres to five acres each, comprising, in the whole, 58,649 acres. Of these about 3,000 acres are planted with canes; 1,000 with cotton; 33,500 in pasture; 11,400 in forest and brushwood; and of barren land, 7,257 acres. The quantity of stock on the lands is given by Martin, as follows:-horses, 240; mules and asses, 529; horned cattle, 2,597; sheep, 11,442; goats, 3,225; pigs, 1,825; poultry, 44,050; and of fish, caught within the year, about 15,000,000 lbs., the whole yielding, within the year, property to the amount of £100,000 sterling. The total value of property, moveable and immoveable, is esti mated at £1,000,000 sterling.

THIS multitudinous group of isles, reefs, and keys, termed Lucayos, from the Spanish words Los Cayos, (anglicé, the Keys,) or Bahamas, extend in a crescent-like form, from Mantilla reef, in 27° 50′ N. latitude, and 79° 05′ W. longitude, to Turk's Island, in 21° 23′ N. latitude, and 71° 55′ W. longitude, a distance of about 600 miles, not including various sand banks and coral reefs, stretching to a great extent westward.

San Salvador, Cat Island or Guanahani, one of this group, is celebrated as