WEST INDIES. With the exception of Hispaniola or Hayti, which is an independent republic, the islands composing the West Indies are subject to six different European nations —the Spaniards, English, French, Danes, Dutch, and Swedes.
The Spanish possessions are the largest, and comprehend more than half the area of the archipelago ; they consist of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Bique. The English pos sessions are next in extent. They consist of Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, (Tortola, &c.), Anguilla, Barbuda, Antigua, St. Christopher, Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica, Santa Lucia, Barbadoes, St. Vincent, Grena dines, Grenada, Tobago, and Trinidad. The French possess only a few of the Lesser An tilles, namely Guadaloupe, with several smaller islands in its vicinity, and Martinique. The Danes possess three oPthe Virgin Islands, viz. St. John, St. Thomas, and Santa Cruz. The Dutch possessions consist of three Lesser Antilles, viz. St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Martin.
Since the abolition of negro slavery in the British West Indies in 1834, immigrants and liberated Africans have arrived there to assist in cultivating the sugar estates. Their num
ber from 1834 to 1819, was, in— Jamaica . . . . 14,519 Trinidad . . . . 13,350 Grenada . . . . 1,470 St. Vincent . . . 1,197 Antigua . . . . 1,075 Dominica . . . . 732 Nevis • • • • 427 St. Kitt's . . . . 95 32,877 The British produce and manufactures ex ported to the British West Indies in 1849 were valued at 1,521,9541.
The imports from the British West Indies and Honduras in 1849 included— Cocoa . . . 3,159,086 lbs.
Coffee . . . 3,596,839 lbs.
Molasses . . 005,628 cwts.
. Rum . . . 4,329,640 galls.
Sugar . . . 2,897,837 cwts.
The imports from the foreign West Indies and Hayti in 1818 included— Coffee . . . 3,639,108 lbs.
Molasses . . 95,893 cwts.
Rum • . . . 150,185 galls.
Sugar . . . 057,015 cwts.
Tobacco . . . 573,316 lbs.
A few further industrial and commercial statistics will be found under the names of the principal islands.