Barbados

Sources from old books

1685. Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world by Pierre Duval.

BArbadoes is one of the best of the Antilles, and the most considerable of them, which the English possess. They have there above twenty thousand Inhabitants beside the Savages and Slaves, who are full as many again. It has two or three small Hills which are very fruitful, and fit for Culture, to the very top. This Island is divided into a Eleven Precincts or Parishes, in which are fourteen Churches and Chappels, and is throughout beset with Houses, and no great distance from one another, so full of Planters is it; but the principal Towns are St. Michaels, formerly called the Bridge-Town, or Indian-Bridge, scituate at the bottom of Charles le Bay, in the Southern part of this Isle. This Bay is in the form of a Crescent, very capacious, deep, and secure for Ships; being big enough to secure five hundred Vessels at once from all storms. The Town is long, containing several Streets, and adorned with abundance of well built Houses, being the place of Residence of the Governour, or His Deputy, where the Courts of Judicature are kept. It hath two strong Forts opposite to each other for its defence, and the security of the Ships, but the Town is ill seated, the Ground being lower than the Banks of the Sea; Little Bristol formerly Sprights Bay, scituate about four Leagues from St. Michael, a commodious Road for Ships, well frequented, and defended by two strong Forts, St. James, formerly called the Hall, seated not far from Bristol, here is a good Road for Ships also, and is a place of considerable Trade, Also Charles-Town, about two Leagues from St. Michael, where are kept weekly Markets, and Monthly Courts for the Precincts; there are also several good Bays belonging to this Island, as Fowle-Bay, Austins-Bay, Maxwel-Bay, &c. and here are divers Caves, some of which are very deep, and large enough to hold five hundred men, and those Caves are often the Sanctuaries of such Negro slaves as run away, and it is supposed that these Caves were the Habitations of the Natives. The Riches and Commodities of the Island, consist in Indico, Cotton, and Ginger in great abundance, Logwood, Fustick, Lignumvitae, and Sugars, whereof there is so great a quantity, that they freight above a hundred Ships with it every year; the Inhabitants truck it for other Commodities at the rate of thirty shillings the Quintal; this Isle is so very fertil that it bears Crops all the year long. The Trees, Fields and Woods, being alwayes in their Summer Livery. They have here in their Seas several sorts of Fish, as Cavalos, Cong-fish, Green Turtles, &c. which of all other are the most delicious, with several other sorts appropriate to this and the rest of the Caribby Isles; Here are also almost all sorts of English Herbs and Roots, and several sorts of Fowls, and great variety of small Birds; but no Beasts or Cattel, but what are tame and imported as Camels, Horses, Asnegroes, Oxen, Bulls, Cows, Sheep, Goats, and Hoggs in great plenty; here are also Snakes a yard and a half long, Scorpions as big as Rats and Lizzards, but neither of them hurtful to Man or Beast, Musketoes, Cock-Roches and Merry-Wings, which are very troublesom in the night in stinging, and here are Land Crabs in great abundance, which are found good to eat; and a small Flie called Cayo, whose Wings in the night, as it flies, affords a mighty lustre, and the Indians do commonly catch them, and tye them to their hands and feet, and make use of them instead of Comets which are forbidden them; here are also abundance of Fruits, as Dates, Oranges, Pomgranates, Citrons, Lemmons, Icacos, Cherries, Raisins, Indian Figgs, Pine-Apples, the rarest Fruit in the Indies, with several other sorts; and for Trees here are great varieties fit for several uses, as the Locusts, Mastick, Red-wood, the Prickle Yellow-wood, Ironwood-tree, Cedar, Cassia Fistula, Colloquintida, Tamorins, Cassary, Poyson-tree, Physick-Nut, Calabash, the shells of which Tree serveth them for Troughs, to carry liquid things in, and the Roneon, of whose Bark is made Ropes, and also Flax, Lignum-vitae, with several others: The other Antilles Islands which are Inhabited, have Colonies either of English, French, or Hollanders. There are some other Isles along the Coasts of Terra-firma; which are called Sotavento, because that in respect of the others which are on the North-East, and which go under the Name of Barlovento, they are below the Wind which blows commonly from the East to the West. Margareta, and Cubagua, had formerly the Fishing of Pearls, which prov'd very profitable to the Spaniads, having used all imaginable stratagems to Fish there for those Oysters, wherein they found the Pearls. Tobago, which has given its name to Tobacco, or else has received its own from that weed, has a Colony of Zelanders. Tobacco was formerly called the Nicotion Herb, by reason one Doctor Nicot was the first who introduced the use of it into Europe. Those who call'd it the Queens Herb, gave it that name, as having been first presented to a Queen of Spain.