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 BROWNE. he proceeded to Jamaica, where he occupied the greater part of his time in collecting and preserving curious spe cimens of the plants, birds, shells, &c. of those luxurious soils, with a view to the improvement and elucidation of its natural history. During the time he remained in Ja- maica, his residence was chiefly at Kingston, and it was he who first pointed out the absurdity of continuing Spanish Town the port and capital, while reason plainly pointed out Kingston, or in bis own words, " the defects of a port of clearance to leeward and in consequence of his writing to the governor and council on the sub- ject, they represented the matter so strikingly to Earl Granville, the then president of the council, that the im- mediate adoption of the measure ensued, and Kingston became the port of clearance to the great enlargement of commerce in general; as, prior to this arrangement, when vessels were clearing out of Kingston, and ready to weigh anchor, they were obliged to send near seven miles Spanish Town, by which they often suffered great incon- venience and delay. At this time he also collected ma- terials, and made the necessary observations (being a good mathematicjan and astronomer) for a new map of the island of Jamaica, which he published in London, in August 1755, engraved by Dr. Bayly, on two sheets, and by which the Doctor cleared the sum of four hundred guineas. Soon after this (March 1756) he published his "Civil and Natural History of Jamaica," in folio, ornamented with forty-nine engravings.of natural history, a whole-sheet map of the island, and another of the harbour of Port- Royal, Kingston Town, &c. Of this work there were but two bundred and fifty copies printed by subscription, at the very low price of one guinea, but a few were sold at two guineas in sheets, by the printer. Unfortunately all the copper-plates, as well as the original drawings, were consumed by the great fire in Cornhill, on November 7, 1765. This disastrous circumstance prevented, in his life-time, a second edition of the work, for which he made