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BAHAMAS (Lucayos)
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See also:BAHAMAS (Lucayos) , an See also:archipelago of the See also:British See also:West Indies. It is estimated to consist of 29 islands, 661 cays and 2387 rocks, and extends along a See also:line from See also:Florida on the See also:north-west to See also:Haiti on the See also:south-See also:east, between See also:Cuba and the open See also:Atlantic, over a distance of about 63o m., from 8o° 50' to 72° 50' W., and 22° 25' to 26° 40' N. The See also:total See also:land See also:area is estimated at 5450 sq. m., of which the See also:main islands occupy 4424 sq. m., and the See also:population was 43,521 in 1881 and 53,735 in 1901. Some 12,000 of these are whites, the See also:remainder coloured. The main islands and See also:groups, beginning from the north-west, are as follows: Little and See also:Great Abaco, with Great Bahama to the west; Eleuthera (a name probably corrupted• from the See also:Spanish See also:Isla de Tierra), See also:Cat, Watling, or Guanahani, and See also:Rum Cay on the See also:outer line towards the open ocean, with New See also:Providence, the Exuma See also:chain and See also:Long See also:Island forming an inner line to the west, and still farther west See also:Andros (named from See also:Sir See also:Edmund Andros, See also:governor of See also:Massachusetts, &c., at the See also:close of the 17th See also:century; often spoken of as one island, but actually divided into several by narrow straits); and finally the Crooked Islands, Mayaguana and Inagua. The See also:Turks and Caicos islands continue the outer line, and belong geographically to the archipelago, but not politically. The surrounding seas are shallow for the most See also:part, but there are three well-defined channels—the Florida or New Bahama channel, between the north-western islands and Florida, followed by the Gulf Stream, the Providence channels (north-east and north-west) from which a depression known as the See also:Tongue of Ocean extends southward along the east See also:side of Andros, and the Old Bahama channel, between the archipelago and Cuba. The Andros islands have a length of 95 m. and an area of 'boo sq. m.; Great Abaco is 70 M. long and its area is 68o sq. m. ; Great Inagua is 34 M. long with an area of 530 sq. m., and See also:Grand Bahama 66 m., with an area of 43o sq. m. But the most important island, as containing the See also:capital, See also:Nassau, is New Providence, which is only Id m. in length, with an area of 85 sq. m. This island supported a population in 1901 of 12,534. In point of population the next most important islandis Eleu there (8733), followed by the Andros Islands (5347) and Cat Island (4658). The Abaco and Exuma groups and Long Island each support populations exceeding 3000, and there are smaller population§ on Grand Bahama, the Crooked Islands, Inagua, Mayaguana, Watling, Rum Cay and the Biminis, though these last, which are two very small north-western islands, are relatively densely populated with 545 persons.
See also:Physical See also:Gee graphy. The islands are of See also:coral formation and See also:low-lying. The See also:rock on the See also:surface is as hard as See also:flint, but underneath it gradually softens and furnishes an admirable See also: The Mermaid's See also:Pool in New Providence, which is deeper still, is partly filled with water.
See also:Geology.—The Bahamas consist almost entirely of aeolian deposits (cf. See also:BERMUDAS) and coral reefs. The aeolian deposits, which form the greater part of the islands, frequently rise in rounded hills and ridges to a height of roo or 200 ft., and in Cat Island nearly 400 ft. They vary in texture from a See also:fine-grained compact oolite to a coarse-grained rock composed of angular or rounded fragments, and they commonly exhibit strongly marked false bedding. The material is largely calcareous, and has probably been derived from the disintegration of the reefs, and from the shells of animals living in the shallows. When freshly exposed the rock is soft, but by the See also:action of See also:rain and sea it becomes covered with a hard crust. The surface is often remark-ably honeycombed, and the rock weathers into pinnacles, pillars and See also:arches of extraordinary shapes. On the island of Andros there is an extremely fine See also: The See also:town lies on a safe See also:harbour on the north See also:shore of New Providence, sheltered by the small Hog Island. There is a See also:depth of 14 ft. at low-water See also:spring-See also:tide on the See also:bar. The town extends along the shore, and up a slightly elevated See also:ridge behind it. It contains the See also:principal public buildings, and some interesting old forts, dating from the See also:middle and close of the 18th century, though the subterranean See also:works below Fort See also:Charlotte are attributed to an earlier See also:period. From the same century See also:dates the octagonal building which, formerly a See also:gaol, now contains a See also:good public library. The sea-bathing is excellent. The months of See also:February and See also: The rainfall recorded in 1901 at Nassau amounted to 63.32 in. Where a See also:mantle of See also:soil covers the rock it is generally thin but very fertile. A well-defined area in New Providence is known as the See also:pine barrens," from the See also:tree which principally grows iri this rocky soil. Elsewhere three types of soil are distinguished—a See also:black soil, of decayed See also:vegetable See also:matter, where the land is under See also:forest, a reddish See also:clay, and a white soil occurring along the shores. Andros Island and the Abaco Islands may be specially noted for their profusion of large See also:timber, including See also:mahogany, See also:mastic, lignum vitae, See also:iron and See also:bullet See also:woods, and many others. Unfortunately the want both of labour and of roads renders it impossible to turn much of this valuable timber to useful See also:account, although attempts have been made to See also:work it in Abaco. The fruits and spices of the Bahamas are very numerous, the See also:fruit equalling any in the See also:world. The produce of the islands includes tamarinds, See also:olives, oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, pomegranates, pine-apples, See also:figs, sapodillas, bananas, sour-sops, melons, yams, potatoes, gourds, cucumbers, See also:pepper, See also:cassava, prickly See also:pears, See also:sugar-See also:cane, See also:ginger, See also:coffee, See also:indigo, See also:Guinea See also:corn and See also:pease. See also:Tobacco and cascarilla bark also flourish; and See also:cotton is indigenous and was See also:woven into See also:cloth by the See also:aborigines. But although oranges, pine-apples and some other fruits form important articles of See also:commerce, it is only rarely that systematic and thorough methods of cultivation are prosecuted. Cotton has been found to suffer much from See also:insect pests. Sisal is grown in increasing quantity. The Bahamas are far poorer in their fauna than in their' flora. It is said that the aborigines had a breed of See also:dogs which did not bark, and a, small coney is also mentioned. The guana also is indigenous to the islands. Oxen, See also:sheep, horses and other live-stock introduced from See also:Europe thrive well, but little See also:attention is paid to stock-rearing. There are many varieties of birds to be found in the woods of the Bahamas; they include flamingoes and the beautiful humming-See also:bird, as well as See also:wild geese, ducks, pigeons, See also:hawks, See also:green parrots and doves. The See also:waters of the Bahamas swarm with See also:fish; the turtle procured here is particularly fine, and the sponge See also:fishery is of importance. In some islands there are rich See also:salt ponds, but their working has decreased, The portion of Nassau harbour known as the Sea Gardens exhibits an extraordinarily beautiful development of ,marine organisms. See also:Government, See also:Trade, &c.—The See also:colony of the•Bahamas is under a British governor, who is assisted by an executive See also:council of nine members, partly See also:official, partly unofficial; and by a legislative council of nine members nominated by the See also:crown. There is also a legislative See also:assembly of 29 members, representing 15 electoral districts; the See also:franchise being extended to white and coloured men of 21 years of See also:age at least, See also:resident in the colony for not less than twelve months, and possessing land of a value of £5 or more, or being hopseholders for six months at a rental not less than £2 : 18s. in New Providence, or £1 : 4s. in other islands. The members' qualification is the See also:possession of real or See also:personal See also:estate to the value of £200. The See also:average See also:annual See also:revenue and See also:expenditure may be set down at about £75,000, expenditure somewhat exceeding revenue. There is a public See also:debt of about £105,000. 'The average annual value of imports is somewhat over £300,000, and of exports £200,000. The average annual See also:tonnage of See also:shipping, entering and clearing, exceeds 1,000,00.0. The government supports elementary See also:free See also:schools, controlled by a nominated See also:board of See also:education, while committees partly elected exercise See also:local supervision. There are higher schools and a See also:Queen's See also:College in Nassau. Nassau is the seat of a bishopric of the See also: See also:Fox, identified San Salvador, on seemingly good grounds, with Samana (See also:Atwood Cay), which lies about midway between Watling and Mariguana. The See also:chief difficulty is its size, for, if Samana is the true San Salvador, it must have been considerably larger then than now. Watling Island is generally accepted as the landfall.
Columbus passed through the islands, and in one of his letters to See also: But the See also:buccaneers or pirates who had made their See also:retreat here offered heavy opposition; in 168o there was an attack by the Spaniards, and in July 1703 the See also:French and Spaniards made a descent on New Providence, blew up the fort, spiked the guns, burnt the church and carried off the governor, with the principal inhabit-ants, to See also:Havana. In October the Spaniards made a second descent and completed the work of destruction. It is said that when the last of the governors appointed by the lords proprietors, in See also:ignorance of the Spanish See also:raid, arrived in New Providence, he found the island without an inhabitant. It again, however, became the resort of pirates, and the names of many of. the worst of these ruffians are associated with New Providence; the notorious See also:Edward See also:Teach, called Blackbeard, who was afterwards killed in action against two American ships in 1718, being chief among the number. At last matters became so intolerable that the merchants of See also:London and See also:Bristol petitioned the crown to take possession and restore See also:order, and See also:Captain Woodes See also:Rogers was sent out as the first crown governor and arrived at New Providence in 1718. Many families of good character now settled at the Bahamas, and some progress was made in developing the resources of the colony, although this was interrupted by the tyrannical conduct of some of the governors who succeeded Captain Woodes Rogers. At this See also:time the pine-See also:apple was introduced as an See also:article of cultivation at Eleuthera; and a few years subsequently, duringthe American See also:war of See also:independence, colonists arrived in great See also:numbers, bringing with them See also:wealth and also slave labour. Cotton cultivation was now attempted on a large See also:scale. In 1783, at Long Island, 800 slaves were at work, and nearly 4000 acres of land under cultivation. But the usual See also:bad See also:luck of the Bahamas prevailed; the red See also:bug destroyed the cotton crops in 1788 and again in 1794, and by the See also:year 1800 cotton cultivation was almost abandoned. There were also other causes that tended to retard the progress of the colony. In 1776 See also:Commodore See also:Hopkins, of the American See also:navy, took the island of New Providence; he soon, however, abandoned it as untenable, but in 1781 it was retaken by the Spanish governor of Cuba. The Spaniards retained nominal possession of the Bahamas until 1783, but before See also:peace was notified New Providence was recaptured by a loyalist, See also:Lieutenant-See also:Colonel Deveaux, of the South Carolina See also:militia, in June 1783. In 1784 and 1786 sums were voted in See also:parliament to indemnify the descendants of the old lords proprietors, and the islands were formally reconveyed to the crown. The Bahamas began again to make a little progress, until the separation of Turks and Caicos Islands in 1848, which had been hitherto the most productive of the salt-producing islands, unfavourably affected the finances. Probably the abolition of the slave-trade in 1834 was not without its effect upon the fortunes of the landed proprietors. The next event of importance in the history of the Bahamas was the rise of the See also:blockade-running trade, consequent on the closing of the See also:southern ports of See also:America by the Federals in 1861. At the commencement of 1865 this trade was at its highest point. In January and February 1865 no less than 20 steamers arrived at Nassau, importing 14,182 See also:bales of cotton, valued at £554,675. The extraordinary difference between the normal trade of the islands and that due to blockade-running will be seen by comparing the imports and exports before the closing of the southern ports in 186o with those of 1864. In the first year the imports were £234,029, and the exports £157,350, while in the second year the imports were £5346,112, and the exports £4,672,398. The excitement, extravagance and See also:waste existing at Nassau during the days of blockade-running exceed belief. Individuals may have profited largely, but the Bahamas probably benefited little. The government managed to pay its debt amounting to f43,786, but See also:crime increased and sickness became very prevalent. The cessation of the trade was marked, however, by hardly any disturbance; there were no local failures, and in a few months the steamers and their crews departed, and New Providence subsided into its usual state of quietude. This, however, was not fated to last long, for in October 1866 a most violent See also:hurricane passed over the island, injuring the orchards, destroying the fruit-trees, and damaging the See also:sponges, which had proved hitherto a source of profit. The hurricane, too, was followed by repeated droughts, and the inhabitants of the out-islands were reduced to indigence and want, a See also:condition which is still, in some measure, in See also:evidence. See the valuable General Descriptive See also:Report on the Bahama Islands, by Sir G. T. See also:Carter (governor, 1898-1904), issued in See also:place of the ordinary annual report by the Colonial See also:Office, London, 1902; also Governor R. W. Rawson's Report, 1866; See also:Stark's History and See also:Guide to the Bahama Islands (See also:Boston, See also:Mass., 1891) ; Bahama Islands (Geog. See also:Soc. of See also:Baltimore), ed. G. B. Shattuck (New York, 1905). For geology see A. See also:Agassiz, " A See also:Reconnaissance of the Bahamas and of the Elevated Reefs of Cuba in the See also:steam yacht' Wild See also:Duck,' January to See also:April 1893," See also:Bull. Mu.c. Comp. Zool. Harvard, vol. See also:xxvi. no. 1, 1894. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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