Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/529

 JAMAICA 511 South Negril W., is 145 m. ; and its maximum breadth, from Riobueno N. to Portland Point S., 53 m. It has an area of 4,250 sq. m., or with the Caicos and Turks islands (annexed to Jamaica by act of parliament in 1873), 4,473 sq. m. The population in 1871 was 506,154, of whom 13,101 were white, 101,346 colored, and 391,707 black, the last being mostly liberated slaves and their descendants. Some thousands of coolies have been imported from Calcutta. The coast is deeply indented in many parts, especially at the eastern end, forming from 50 to 60 bays and creeks, which afford more or less shelter to shipping, and about 30 harbors. The principal ports are Kingston (the largest), at the head of a fine and narrow bay, defended by two forts, but the entrance to which is considerably narrowed by sand banks ; Morant, on a bay of the same name, also a good port, but having a still nar- rower channel than Kingston, and being ex- posed to the S. and W. winds, here sometimes very violent ; Port Royal, on the extremity of a tongue of land bordering Kingston bay, with a naval arsenal and hospital, and being the station for British ships of war ; Black River and Savana-la-Mar, on Bluefields bay, all of which are on the S. coast ; and Montego bay, Falmouth, St. Ann, Port Maria, and Annotto bay, and Port Antonio, on the N. coast. All the ports here mentioned are free. S. E. of Jamaica are the Morant keys, and due S., at a distance of some 40 m., are other keys, and Pedro bank, little inferior in length and area, and parallel to the island. Although the sur- face is extremely irregular, only the E. por- tion of the island can be called mountainous. Three small ridges of mountains from a com- mon knot in the west trend divergently east- ward to about the middle of the island, beyond which point the middle ridge alone extends to the extreme east, rising to an average eleva- tion of 6,000 ft, and ramifying to such an ex- tent as to cover almost the whole of this end, being collectively designated as the Blue moun- tains ; the culminating point attains a height of nearly 8,000 ft. The middle range is re- markable for the edge-like form of its crest, rarely exceeding three to four yards in width, and the sections of country it separates present very different aspects. That to the north, with a surface gradually rising from the coast, is intersected by low hills clothed with pimento groves, and beautiful valleys watered by num- berless streams ; while to the south the moun- tains in many places reach down to the very coast in frowning and inaccessible cliffs, by which shipping is more thoroughly sheltered here than in the ports on the N. coast. The valleys, though numerous, are of inconsiderable extent, and occupy little more than one tenth of the area of the island. The largest is the plain of Liguanea, 30 m. long by 5 m. wide, extending on the S. side from a few miles E. of Kingston to some distance W. of Old Har- bor. Other plains are those of Vere and Mile 446 VOL. ix. 33 Gully on the same side, mostly devoted to pas- ture grounds. To the north and east are the fertile plains of Thomas in the Vale and the Vale of Bath, both covered with sugar planta- tions. In the west are the plains of Savana- la-Mar, Pedro, and others, chiefly swampy; but those of the northwest are dry and fertile, and bordered by low hills clothed with a luxu- riant forest vegetation. Large caverns occur in various localities. The chief rivers are the Black and the Minho, both on the S. side ; the former is navigable by small flat-bottomed craft and canoes some 30 m. from its mouth. Numerous other streams descend from the mountains to the sea on all sides, many of which form fine cascades ; and not a few are utilized for irrigation and to furnish motive power for a large number of mills. Limestone, containing numerous shells, is the predominant geological formation of the island, although quartz, rock spar, and micaceous schist occur in several directions. There are records of the Spaniards having in early times worked silver and copper mines; but mining is at present entirely neglected, although lead is known to exist in large quantities, with perhaps some iron and antimony ores. The climate in the low regions is essentially tropical, the average temperature being 72 F., and the maximum 100 ; but the sea breeze (called " the doctor ") during the day, and the land breeze at night, temper to a considerable degree the excessive heat. In the elevated districts the thermome- ter ranges from 45 to 70, and the atmosphere is mild and agreeable. In few parts of the world does so slight an elevation produce so great a modifying effect upon the heat as in Jamaica ; at about 2,500 ft. above the sea, the fevers, dysenteries, and other maladies which usually prevail along the coast are unknown. The rainy seasons, comprising the months of April, May, September, October, and Novem- ber, are usually preceded by the cessation of the day and night breezes, when the atmosphere becomes oppressive, and almost insupportable for Europeans. Heavy rain falls every day during these seasons, and is often accompanied by terrific thunder and lightning, and violent gusts of wind from the north. The annual rainfall is about 50 inches, though the aver- age is becoming gradually less as the work of felling the forests advances. Yellow fever, smallpox, cholera, and typhus fever are par- ticularly fatal on the coasts, and in the low grounds generally, the first returning every year. Hurricanes, in the summer months, be- tween the rainy seasons, are of frequent occur- rence, and commonly of great violence. Not- withstanding the absence of volcanoes, although there are some signs of their former existence, Jamaica has been visited several times by tre- mendous earthquakes, one of which, in 1692, extended over the whole island, rending the surface and swallowing up large numbers of people, and engulfing many of the houses of Port Royal with their inmates to a depth of 50