The extent of Antigua--Opinion of some planters--Want of
agricultural labourers--Emigration not always profitable to the
negroes--"Seizar's" letter upon the subject--Return of
emigrants--Soil of Antigua--Geological matters--Petrifactions--
Climate of Antigua--"Yellow fever"--Beautiful evenings--the
appearance of the heavens--Evening visitants.
Antigua, as already shewn in another part of this work, contains
about 60,000 acres: of which, probably, four-fifths are in a
state of cultivation. It was the opinion of many planters, soon
after emancipation, that the mountainous estates must, in great
measure, be neglected, as the steadiness of the negroes is not
always to be relied upon; and from the difficulties of the land,
the plough would be almost useless. These prognostications have
not been fulfilled--at least, no such instance has ever come
under my notice; on the contrary, in my rides through the country
I have seen many spots of land, which once bore only grass or
wild shrubs, planted with canes, and bearing the title of "a
sugar estate," which, I feel assured, had slavery continued,
would never have been cultivated.
Still agricultural labourers are wanted; many of the negroes that
were thus employed, while in a state of bondage, think it a
disgrace to follow such patriarchal occupations now they are
free. They therefore quit the country, take up the business of a
mason or a carpenter, or something of the sort; and the result
is, that not being competent, they are unable to procure work,
and are idling about the street all day, until some vessel from
the southern colonies, looking out for emigrants, holds out the
temptation of _high wages_, which is ignorantly caught at by the
negro; and he leaves his native island, his wife and children,
without remorse, until sickness seizes him, and he is returned
upon the country an emaciated being, unable to work at all.
Emigration is not always profitable to the negro, even if he
retains his health. Many, many of them, would gladly return, were
they not bound for a certain number of years by the captains of
the emigration vessels, (who make a complete trade of it by
selling their indentures,) or else taken so far up the country as
too often prohibit such resolve. A clever letter appeared in one
of the West Indian newspapers some time ago, supposed to have
been written from a negro at St. Kitts to his friend of the same
dye, who had emigrated to Demerara, which I will insert for the
amusement of the reader:--
"Sink Hitts, July ----.
"Deer Pomp Eye,
"You no I tould you how it wood be, but you all ways were a wild
nagur, and wood neber hear reeson, and lubbed to follow your
hedstrong ways. But now you are suffering for it, an I hope
you'll repent, as good Massa Parson says. You no you had no right
to run away and leabe you yong pic'nees here to starbe. It was a
most wicked act, but I 'spose the Capen who took you away will be
made to support 'em as he ought. You are all no better dan
Caraline who sent our fren Mushel's pic'nee widout him knowing at
all 'bout it, to Jimmy Radder (Demerara), having sold him me
magin to de Capen. What you say 'bout de Spaniards is all bery
true, an likely to happen, an me tink wid you our Capens are not
to be trusted, for you no what our fren Fletcher did for which he
get hang--how he carry off Nagers from Nevis, and trowed dem in
de sea and drowned dem. Now me no tink dese Capens will trow de
Nagurs in de sea, but me tink it bery like dat dey will hab
private signell wid de Spaniards, who will way lay an take de
nagurs away at sea--for de Spaniards will gib de Capens two times
as much for de free Nagurs to make slabes of dem, as de Capens
can get in Jimmy Radder. I hab seen de skul of Fletcher, for me
be sumthing of a _free-no-low-gist_ (phrenologist), and I assure
you de skul of dese Capens hab gist de same _bumps_. And not only
dis, Massa Pomp Eye, but dere is de law of Englan dat a vessel
shall carry passengers cording to he size, dat is, so many Nagurs
to so many tun, now dese Capens do break dis law an dese vessels
is lible to be seezed and comphiz catted. Dis law was made as me
told, to make all de peeple cumfurble dat all may hab room to
walk 'bout an lie down, an sleep, an eat, an go safe, an to
perwent de Capens from sack wry facing dem passengers, and no
noting 'bout dere bizness, for see how dey cram de Nagurs in like
toze in de shu, an only de oder day a vessel ful of Nagurs sprung
a plank off Mons' rat an was sinking fast an de Capen noed noting
at all 'bout it until a noder ship met him an told him he was
going down and dat all he poor Nagurs wood be drown. Oh! Pomp
Eye, de Nagurs here be great fool for leabing dis bootiful
country for sich muddy place as Jimmy Radder. Here dey hab plenty
of fish from de sea, an dem dere be sich bootiful riber from de
monting, an sich nice water to drink,--and dere is plenty of wood
to cut, and dere is salt-fish, an pork, an beef, an all so cheap
--an here nagurs be sirvalized, an de men an wimmin were cloze
which dey do not do in Jimmy Radder, an on Sunday dey all go
church an hab fine tings on. I'm told dat in Jimmy Radder dey
can't boil or roast dere plantins widout de wurrums (worms)
crying and crawling out, an dat derefore dey mash 'em up all
togedder in de pot an so eat dem. Brutes! Is de nagur of Jimmy
Radder like our Nagurs? Hab dey any beerds? I heer dey hab scales
like de fishes from lying in de mud an water, an dat dere
shoulder bones stick out like de fins of one fish. An dis is de
reeson our wimmin nagurs go to Jimmy Radder, _for de wimmin
always lobe de monsters_. Don't fret you self Massa Pomp Eye
'bout de dollars for I neber expect 'em. Me no 'tis all de same
in de end, if you be paid one quarter dollar here for working, an
on half dollar dere, for de tings for eat an drink are twice as
deer dere as dey be here, widout being half so good eder. No, no
--me be content--me no like snakes an wurrum an dose tings you
hab in Jemmy Radder--me lobe me fader land, an no like _mud_.
Here we all be Cristan an can reed and rite, an no be naked
savages like aw you. Your poor yong ones send dere lobe to you--
but dey shant want bread to eat, as long as your fren Seizer
libes.--So good bi, an rub you body wid rum to get rid of de
hagur, (ague.)
"Your fren,
"Seizar."
So much for "Massa Seizar's" letter. I am not aware who is the
actual writer of it; but the reasoning he puts into "Seizar's"
mouth is sound, and by the form in which it is presented may not
improbably produce more effect than a graver production.
The soil of Antigua is composed of two distinct sorts; the one, a
rich black mould on a substratum of clay; the other, a stiff
reddish clay, mixed with sand, upon a substratum of marl. The
former of these is very productive when not suffering from those
excessive droughts to which this island is particularly subject;
but the latter is generally overrun with that species of herbage,
known as "Devil Grass," (_Cynodon dactylon_,) which it is almost
impossible to exterminate. Still, Antigua is one of the most
fertile of the West India islands, and produces, in proportion, a
larger crop than most of her sister colonies. The land requires,
it is true, a quantity of manure, which is one reason for estates
keeping such large herds of cattle as they do; but with the
assistance of that, and the blessing of the "o'ercharged clouds,"
she seldom disappoints the hopes of her planters; while her sugar
stands as high as any in the English markets, and her _rum_ has
long been known for its pre-eminent qualities.
The mountains contain beautiful varieties of fossils, and other
geological curiosities. Among these may be found in the
south-west chain, masses of trap, breccia, wacke, porphyry, &c.;
and in the inland parallel chain, splendid specimens of coralline
schist, agate, jasper, chalcedony, amydoloid, cornelian, and
silicified wood are to be met with, of which I need only raise my
eyes to those collected before me to say how beautiful they are.
These are generally found embedded in a matrix of a deep green
colour, which of itself is very pretty, and when well arranged in
buildings with the native free-stone, have a very good effect.
In the northern districts are found fragments of limestone,
containing fossil shells, spars, and crystals of quartz. This
chain, running north and south, is supposed to pass under the
sea, forming a reef, and reappearing at Monserrat: it is said
that the fish found upon this reef are particularly poisonous.
"Church Hill," as it is termed, from the fact of the church being
erected upon it, has been found to be composed of schist,
enveloped in marl, and is particularly rich in its fossil shells.
Thanks to the new flight of steps which have been lately erected,
and the modifications made around that sacred building, (which
has obliged the workmen to blast the rock,) I have been enabled
to collect some fine varieties. Among these are conchs, cockles,
&c., in which the striæ are perfect, and some of them are
beautifully crystalized.
In almost all parts of the island petrifactions are to be met
with. Among the most beautiful of those I have seen, may be
enumerated red cedar, with agate intermixed; roots and branches
of cocoa-nut trees; plantain stalks, with beautiful lines of
agate running through them; a species of palm; a root of the
dagger, (_aloe vulgaris_;) the black mangrove, a branch of a
tree, supposed to be the ceibar, or silk-cotton, with cornelian;
besides many other varieties. Ochres of various colours are also
to be dug in some districts; and in most parts of the island are
quarries of stone; but they are not generally made an article of
traffic.
In some parts of the island are salt ponds, which might be worked
to advantage here as well as at St. Kitts and Turk's Island; but
the Antiguans are not of an enterprising spirit; at least, all
their attention is bestowed upon the cultivation of the
sugar-cane, and if that succeeds, they are perfectly satisfied.
Were it otherwise, there are many productions which might prove
important and beneficial articles of commerce. Tobacco grows
spontaneously about the country; coffee has become naturalized,
and grows wild; it is said to be inferior in quality to that
which grows in the other islands; but would not culture do much
for it? Cotton, ginger, palma Christi,--all are disregarded; even
the pimento is left to decay in its loveliness, and its fragrant
fruit serves but to feed the feathered tribe; except when, at
Christmas, its odorous boughs are gathered to flavour the
plum-puddings of the negroes, or decorate the churches and
houses, as the holly does in England.
Although the islands of the West Indies, being all situated
between the Tropics, are, as regards climate, very similar, yet
Antigua is generally reckoned more salubrious than any of the
others. Possibly, the reason of this may be attributed to the
dryness of the soil, for we have no rivers, and very few marshes,
as in many of the other islands, to exhale any degree of
humidity. The towns are now also kept very clean and wholesome,
particularly the capital, so that island seldom suffers from any
pestilential diseases. The "Yellow Fever," that dreaded scourge
of the West Indies, has, however, frequently raged here to great
extent, particularly in former years. In 1793 it was very violent
in its effects--nearly the whole of the inhabitants of St. John's
fell ill with it, and many deaths occurred. It broke out in the
shipping in the harbour, and was supposed to have been brought
ashore in a blanket, which had been wrapt round a person who had
fallen a victim to it. In 1816 it again appeared, but not to such
extent; but after the hurricane, in 1835, it raged with much
virulence,--snatched many a young and beloved one from the family
circle--separated parent and child--severed the holy bands of
matrimony, and laid its victims in the cold and silent grave.
It was supposed to be occasioned by the different effluvia which
tainted the air after the gale; particularly that from the filth,
which had for so many years been accumulating at the bottom of
the harbour, and which, from the violence of the wind, had been
completely stirred up.
The warmest months of the year are June, July, and August. The
sun, when not obscured by the density of the clouds, shines with
a burning lustre; and did he not
"------ kind before him send
The genial breeze, to mitigate his fire,
And breathe refreshment on a fainting world,"
the heat would be insupportable.
The meridian height of the thermometer, during this season, is,
in the shade, about 80°, and the other parts of the year 70°; but
I have observed the mercury to be, from the end of June to the
end of August, from 86° to 90°, and often even higher. The sun is
vertical at Antigua on the 7th of May and the 5th of August; and
consequently on those days the inhabitants are ascii at noon.
September, and the two succeeding months, are generally reckoned
the most unhealthy periods of the year. At one moment, the sun
darts its rays with an intensity almost insupportable, while the
sea-breeze (that friend to sufferers from "all-conquering heat")
dies away, and a slothful calm prevails; at other times, the sun
is hidden by black portentous clouds; the air is chilly and
unwholesome, and rank and noxious vapours are abroad.
The longest day consists of about 13 hours; the shortest about
ten. In these latitudes, there is scarcely any aurora, or
twilight, so that it is scarcely light until the sun is up, and
soon after he sets, it becomes dark.
Suffering as the inhabitants do, from the great heat of the days,
the delightful evenings are particularly enjoyed. No sooner has
the sun hidden his rays in the bosom of the ocean, than the
land-breeze arises; this, blowing as it were from the centre of
the island, towards the sea, appears to come from all points of
the compass at once. Evening is the time for walking; and often
have I seen beautiful faces, and bright eyes, gleaming in the
moonbeams.
Every author who has written about these "sunburnt isles," has, I
think, mentioned the beauties of a West Indian night, and well
worthy is it to be praised. The sky is of a deeper and more
lovely blue, almost approximating to violet; and the atmosphere
is so much clearer than in England, that many stars are visible
to the naked eye which there require the aid of a telescope. The
larger planets glitter with a refulgence unknown to more
temperate latitudes--
"With purest ray,
Sweet Venus shines,"
and appears almost like another moon. Mars rolls on in eternal
solitude, shewing his broad red face to our wondering gaze.
Bright-eyed Jove, with his "atmospheric belt," almost blinds us
with his lustre; while the galaxy (or milky way) looks like--
"A circling zone, powder'd with stars;"
thus they glide on in their beauty--
"Bright wanderers o'er the blue sky free;"
but oh! when our own attendant planet, the "Silver Queen of
night," rises in peerless majesty, shedding a flood of glory over
all the surrounding landscape, the scene is inexpressibly lovely.
How often, when enjoying her beams, and gazing on her "spotted
disk," have I thought of those lines of Mrs. Charlotte Smith--
"And while I gaze, thy mild and placid light
Sheds a soft calm upon my troubled breast;
And oft I think, fair planet of the night,
That in thy orb the wretched might find rest."
The stillness and calmness of an English summer's evening have
been often and often described by our poets; here, however, no
quietness is to be met with, but on the contrary all is bustle
and noise. Sounds of every description fill the air, as soon as
"evening grey" sets in. Parties of negroes, men, women, and
children, gather together in groups, worthy the illustrative
pencil of Cruikshank, to gabble away their _nancy stories_,
relate their quarrels, or discuss the other business of the day.
Bats of every size and shape fly backwards and forwards in search
of their prey, or pay you an unceremonious visit through the open
_jalousies_ of your houses. Crickets and frogs raise their shrill
pipes, which grate most unmusically upon the ear; cock-roaches
(those disgusting pests of the West Indies) crawl over the
floors, or ceilings of the apartments, or at times take the
liberty of brushing in your face, or nestling in your hair;
mosquitoes hum their monotonous song, or insert their proboscis
into every accessible part of your flesh; while the land crabs
clatter about, just like an old woman in pattens. The houses are
lighted up as if for an illumination, the windows are thrown open
to admit the evening air, and the fair inhabitants amuse
themselves by playing upon harpsichords, or similar musical
instruments, "Blue Bells of Scotland," "Home, Sweet Home," and
other popular melodies.