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BARBADOS, or BARBADOES

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 381 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BARBADOS, or BARBADOES , an See also:island in the See also:British See also:West Indies. It lies 78 m. E. of St See also:Vincent, in 130 4' N. and 590 37' W.; 15 21 M. See also:long, 141 M. at its broadest, and 166 sq. m. (106,470 acres) in extent (roughly equalling the Isle of See also:Wight). Its coasts are encircled with See also:coral reefs, extending in some places 3 M. seaward. In its configuration the island is elevated but not mountainous. Near the centre is its See also:apex, See also:Mount Hillaby (I too ft.), from which the See also:land falls on all sides in a See also:series of terraces to the See also:sea. So See also:gentle is the incline of the hills that in See also:driving over the well-constructed roads the ascent is scarcely noticeable. The only natural See also:harbour is See also:Carlisle See also:Bay on the See also:south-western See also:coast, which, however, is little better than a shallow roadstead, only accessible to See also:light See also:draught vessels. See also:Geology.—The See also:oldest rocks of Barbados, known as the See also:Scotland series, are of shallow See also:water origin, consisting of coarse grits, See also:brown sandstones and sandy See also:clays, in places saturated with See also:petroleum and traversed by See also:veins of manjak. They have been folded and denuded, so as to See also:form the See also:foundation on which See also:rest the later beds of the island. Upon the denuded edges of the Scotland beds lies the Oceanic series.

It includes chalky limestones, siliceous earths, red See also:

clay, and, at the See also:top, a layer of mudstone composed mainly of volcanic dust. The limestones contain See also:Globigerina and other See also:Foraminifera, the siliceous beds are made of See also:Radiolaria, sponge spicules and diatoms, while the red clay closely resembles the red clay of the deepest parts of the oceans. There can be no doubt that the whole series was laid down in deep See also:waters. The Oceanic series is generally overlaid directly, and unconformably, by coral limestones; but at Bissex See also:Hill, at the See also:base of the coral limestones, and resting unconformably upon the Oceanic series, there is a Globigerina See also:marl. The Coral See also:Limestone series lies indifferently upon the older beds. Although of no See also:great thickness it covers six-sevenths of the island, rising in a series of steps or platforms to a height of nearly 11oo ft. Even the Scotland series probably belongs to the See also:Tertiary See also:system, but owing to the want of characteristic fossils, it is impossible to determine with any degree of certainty the precise homotaxis of the several formations. See also:Jukes-See also:Browne and See also:Harrison ascribe the Scotland beds to the See also:Eocene or Oligocene See also:period, the Oceanic series to the See also:Miocene, the Bissex Hill marls to the See also:Pliocene, and the coral limestones partly to the Pliocene and partly to the See also:Pleistocene. But these correlations rest upon imperfect See also:evidence. See also:Sandstone, and clays suitable for See also:brick-making, are found in the See also:district of Scotland, so called from a fancied resemblance to the See also:Highlands of See also:North See also:Britain. The only other See also:mineral product is manjak, a See also:species of See also:asphalt, also found in this district and to some extent exported. See also:Climate, &c.—The climate of Barbados is pleasant.

The seasons are divided into wet and dry, the latter (extending from See also:

December to the end of May) being also the See also:cold See also:season. The temperature ranges from 7 0° F. to 86° F., rarely, even on the coldest days, falling below 65° F. The See also:average See also:annual rainfall is about 6o in., See also:September being the wettest See also:month. For eight months the invigorating N.E. See also:trade winds See also:temper the tropical See also:heat. The See also:absence of swamps, the porous nature of the See also:soil, and the extent of cultivation See also:account for the freedom of the island from miasma. See also:Fever is unknown. The climate has a beneficial effect on pulmonary diseases, especially in their earlier stages, and is remarkable in arresting the decay of vital See also:power consequent upon old See also:age. Leprosy occurs amongst the negroes, and See also:elephantiasis is so frequent as to be known as " Barbados See also:leg." See also:Industries.—The cultivation of See also:sugar was first introduced in the See also:middle of the 17th See also:century, and owing to the cheapness of labour, the extreme fertility of the soil and the care bestowed on its cultivation, became the See also:staple product of the island. See also:Cotton growing has recently become of importance. The few other industries include See also:rum distilleries and factories for chemicals, See also:ice and See also:tobacco. A railway 28 m. long runs from Bridgetown partly See also:round the coast. The island is a See also:place of See also:call for almost all the steamships plying to and from the West Indies, and is a great centre of See also:distribution.

There is See also:

direct communication at. frequent intervals with See also:England, the See also:United States, See also:Canada and the other West See also:Indian islands. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The greater See also:part of the inhabitants belong to the See also:Church of England, which exceeds in See also:numbers the combined See also:total of all other denominations., The island is the see of a See also:bishop, who, with the See also:clergy of all See also:creeds, is paid by the See also:government. The See also:chief educational See also:establishment is See also:Codrington See also:College, founded by See also:Colonel ChristopherCodrington, who in 1710 bequeathed two estates to the Society for the See also:Propagation of the See also:Gospel. It trains See also:young men for See also:holy orders and is affiliated to the university of See also:Durham. Harrison College and The See also:Lodge are secondary See also:schools for boys, See also:Queen's College for girls. There are several second grade and a large number of See also:primary schools. The See also:colony possesses representative institutions but not responsible government. The See also:crown has a See also:veto on legislation and the See also:home government appoints the public officials, excepting the treasurer. The island is administered by a See also:governor, assisted by an executive See also:council, a legislative council of 9 nominated members, and a See also:house of See also:assembly of 24 members elected on a limited See also:franchise. Barbados is the headquarters of the Imperial Agricultural See also:Department of the West Indies, to which (under See also:Sir See also:Daniel See also:Morris) the island owes the development of cotton growing, &c. The See also:majority of the population consists of negroes, passionately attached to the island, who have a well-marked See also:physiognomy and See also:dialect of their own, and are more intelligent than the other West Indian negroes. They outnumber the whites by 9 to I.

Barbados is one of the most densely populated areas in the See also:

world. In 1901 the numbers amounted to 195,588, or 1178 to the sq. m., and in 1906 they were 196,287. There are no crown lands nor forests. Towns.---Bridgetown (pop. 21,000), the See also:capital, situated on the S.W. coast, is a See also:pretty See also:town nestling at the See also:foot of the hills leading to the uplands of the interior. It has a See also:cathedral, St See also:Michael's, which also serves as a See also:parish church. In See also:Trafalgar Square stands the earliest See also:monument erected to the memory of See also:Nelson. There are a See also:good many buildings, shops, See also:pleasure grounds, a handsome military See also:parade and exquisite beaches. See also:Pilgrim, the See also:residence of the governor, is a See also:fine See also:mansion about a mile from the See also:city. Fontabelle and See also:Hastings are fashionable suburban watering-places with good sea-bathing. Speighstown (1500) is the only other town of any See also:size. See also:History.—Opinions differ as to the derivation of the name of the island.

It may be the See also:

Spanish word for the See also:hanging branches of a See also:vine which strike See also:root in the ground, or the name may have been given from a species of bearded fig-See also:tree. In the 16th-century maps the name is variously rendered St Bernardo, Bernados, Barbudoso, Barnodos and Barnodo, There are more numerous traces of the Carib See also:Indians here than in any other of the See also:Antilles. Barbados is thought to have been first visited by the Portuguese.38~ Its history has some See also:special features, showing as it does the See also:process of peaceful colonization, for the island, acquired without See also:conquest, has never been out of the See also:possession of the British. It was touched in 1605 by the British See also:ship " See also:Olive Blossom," whose See also:crew, finding it uninhabited, took possession in the name• of See also:James I.; but the first actual See also:settlement was made in 1625, at the direction of Sir See also:William Courteen under the patent of See also:Lord See also:Leigh, afterwards See also:earl of See also:Marlborough, to whom the island had been granted by the See also:king. Two years later, a See also:compromise having been effected with Lord Marlborough, a See also:grant of the island was obtained by the earl of Carlisle, whose claim was based on a grant, from the king, of all the Caribbean islands in 1624; and in 1628 See also:Charles Wolferstone, a native of Bermuda, was appointed governor. In the same See also:year sixty-four settlers arrived at Carlisle Bay and the See also:present capital was founded. During the See also:Civil See also:War in England many Royalists sought See also:refuge in Barbados, where, under Lord See also:Willoughby (who had leased the island from the earl of Carlisle), they offered stout resistance to the forces of the See also:Commonwealth. Willoughby, however, was ultimately defeated and. exiled. After the Restoration, to appease the planters, doubtful as to the See also:title under which they held the estates which they, had converted into valuable properties, the proprietary or patent See also:interest was abolished, and the crown took over the government of the island; a See also:duty of 41 % on all exports being imposed to satisfy the claims of the patentees. In 1684, under the governorship of Sir See also:Richard Dutton, a See also:census was taken, according to which the population then consisted of 20,000 whites and 46,000 slaves. The See also:European See also:wars of the 18th century caused much suffering, as the West Indies were the See also:scene of numerous battles between the British and the See also:French. During this period a portion of the 42 % duty was returned to the colony in the form of the governor's See also:salary.

In the course of the See also:

American War of See also:Independence Barbados again experienced great hardships owing to the restrictions placed upon the importation of provisions from the American colonies, and in 1778 the See also:distress became so acute that the British government had to send See also:relief. For three years after the See also:peace of See also:Amiens in 1802 the colony enjoyed uninterrupted See also:calm, but in 1805 it was only saved from falling into the hands of the French by the timely arrival of See also:Admiral Cochrane. Since that date, however, it has remained unthreatened in the possession of the British. The rupture between Great Britain and the United States in 1812 caused privateering to be resumed, the trade of the colony being thereby almost destroyed. This led to an agitation for the See also:repeal of the 44 % duty, but it was not till 1838 that the efforts to secure this were successful. The abolition of See also:slavery in 1834 was attended by no See also:ill results, the slaves continuing to See also:work for their masters as hired servants, and a period of great prosperity succeeded. The proposed See also:confederation of the Windward Islands in 1876, however, provoked riots, which occasioned considerable loss of See also:life and See also:property, but secured for the See also:people their existence as a See also:separate colony. Hurricanes are the See also:scourge of Barbados, those of 1780, 1831, and 1898 being so disastrous as to necessitate relief See also:measures on the part of the home government. See Ligon, History of Barbados (1657); Oldmixon, British See also:Empire in See also:America (1741); A See also:Short History of Barbados (1768); Remarks upon the Short History (1768); Poyer, History of Barbados (1808); Capt. Thom. See also:Southey, Chron. Hist. of W.

Indies (1827) ; See also:

Schomburgk, History of Barbados (1848); J. H. S. Moxby, Account of d West Indian See also:Sanatorium (1886); N. D. See also:Davis, The Cavaliers and Roundheads of Barbados (1887); J. H. See also:Stark, History and See also:Guide to Barbados (1893); R. T. Hill, See also:Cuba and See also:Porto Rico (1897). For geology, see A. J.

Jukes-Browne and J. B. Harrison, " The Geology of Barbados," Quart. Journ. Geol. See also:

Soc. See also:London, vol. xlvii. (1891), pp. 197–250, vol, xlviii. (1892), pp. 170-226; J. W.

See also:

Gregory, " Contributions to the Palaeontology and See also:Physical Geology of the West Indies," ibid. vol. li. (1895), pp. 255–310; G. F. See also:Franks and J. B. Harrison, " The Globigerina-marls and Basal See also:Reef-rocks of Barbados," ibid. vol. liv. (1898), pp. 540–555; J. W. See also:Spencer, " On the See also:Geological and Physical Development of Barbados; with Notes on See also:Trinidad," ibid. vol. lviii. (1902), pp.

354-367.

End of Article: BARBADOS, or BARBADOES

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