fittest state to reflect images; and to this effect the great height and vicinity of the inclosing ridges very much contribute [b]. It is ftrange, indeed, that the experiment, tried upon it so long ago by Sir William Beefton, has not corrected this popular error; for he found, that with an infufion of galls the water acquired a deep green inclining to black []. But the moft certain teft of an intermixture of copper is made with the cauftic volatile alkali, as fpirit of fal ammon. combined with quick lime-water; these, if the fmalleft particles of copper be diffolved, would cause the whole to affume a beautiful blue colour. This experiment was tried fome years fince by Doctor Browne, without producing any fuch effect. Now, as the teft of an iron impregnation is the black or dusky colour it strikes with the vegetable aftringents, fuch as tincture of galls, and as the fofile alkali will give a greenish cast, it seems probable that this river is impregnated with no other metal than iron, and with a copious admixture of a calcareous earth, or lime. The purgative quality of the water, when drunk immediately from the river, is very properly conjectured by Doctor Browne to proceed from the clay with which it is in general copiously charged; because it loses this quality when fettled in jars and cleared of its load; which would not be the cafe if it proceeded from falts, or a folution of metals; and because many other waters, of fimilar appearance, poffefs the like qualities in their turbid ftate, though known to be not impregnated with metallic fubftances. Agreeably to this opinion, it is found by the inhabitants of the town, who keep this water in large jars, that, after standing for fome time till the fœculencies have subsided, it entirely loses the effect just mentioned, and becomes as clear, foft, and pleafant, in its depurated state, as any water in the world. In this state it was tried by an hydrostatical apparatus, and found equal in lightnefs to Bristol Hotwell water. We may therefore fafely conclude, that it has been very unjustly ftigmatized; and that, if the Spaniards fuppofed it impregnated with copper, they adopted this mistaken notion Some [So Virgil calls the river Tyber cæruleus, azure, or fky-coloured. En. viii. v. 64. have conjectured, that the original name was Rio Cobra, from the Portuguese cobra, which fignifies a fnake, and might with great propriety allude to the ferpentine courfe of this river. [i] An infufion of galls in water, impregnated with copper and quick lime, struck an orange colour inclining to reddish. through through ignorance of the means by which its contents might be discovered. In Old Spain the water is remarkably light, pure, and wholesome: to this, and the ferenity of the air, it is attributed that the Spaniards are free from the fcurvy, notwithstanding their indulgence in pork, the least perspirable of all animal food. The Spaniards in America are therefore (from a national prejudice) particularly nice in the choice of their water, which forms the chief of their daily beverage. It is not improbable, what I have heard fome of the oldest inhabitants of St. Jago relate, that the Spaniards formerly here used to be at the trouble of procuring water, for their common drink,. from the Bridge river, fix miles Westward from the town; and that all of them kept their drinkingwater in large jars, so many in number as to have always one fufficiently clear for use, while others were in the course of depuration. The river Cobre, having a free current from the town to the harbour of Kingston, uninterrupted by rocks or falls, and flowing through a pretty level, open country, might undoubtedly be made navigable up to it by means of locks; but the expence of fuch an undertaking, and the fhort diftance of land-carriage, are. objections that may probably restrain the inhabitants from ever attempting it. The river abounds with excellent mullets, mudfish, eels, calapever, jew-fish, craw-fifh, and prawns. It has only one bridge, which croffes it in the road leading towards Sixteenmile-walk. This bridge is flat, and compofed of planks on a frame of timber-work, which refts upon two fexangular piers, and two buttreffes projecting from the banks, conftructed with piles, and braces interlaced with masonry. In great floods, the river has been known to rise several feet above the floor without injury, notwithstanding the vaft preffure of fo large a column of water. This is afcribed to the refiftance of the water below or under the flooring, which enables it to fuftain this weight above. In the year 1699. an arched bridge of brick was conftructed fome miles below the town, in order to keep open the communication by land with Kingston; but, for want of a proper foundation, it was soon swept away by a flood, and never fince re-built. Attempts have lately been made to get an act paffed for building one at the publick expence, and more conveniently fituated; but, through VOL. II E the fame spirit of jealousy which I have before noticed, and the difinclination of many to confider it as a matter of general benefit to the ifland, the scheme was laid afide [k]. So that perfons, travelling by land to and from Kingston, or the Eaftern divifion of the island, are obliged to ford or ferry over the river, and very frequently at the peril of their lives. Ridiculous as the prejudices of faction are in fo small a community, yet they are capable of producing mischievous effects. Publick fpirit, and a liberal way of thinking, naturally tend to the ornament and improvement of every country where they refide. The contrary, or a perverse and selfish principle, excludes every thing that is great and generous from its narrow view, and wages eternal war against the public welfare. I am forry to say the latter rule of conduct has been too predominant in this island; but we will hope for a time when good fenfe and rectitude of heart fhall triumph over this falfe and groveling policy. The streets of the town, I have remarked, are rendered inconveniently narrow by piazzas added to most of the houses; the worft effect arifing from their want of due breadth is a great increase of heat during the fultry months of the year, the wind not having space enough to circulate freely through them, and difperfe the confined air, which becomes very disagreeable from the reflection of fo many brick walls. They are repaired with pebbles brought from the river-courfe, which prevents their being clogged with mud, as fome other towns of the Weft-Indies are, and answer the end of a regular pavement, by not admitting the rain-water to ftagnate. They are kept tolerably clean by a publick scavenger, paid by an annual affeffment on the houfes; and the filth collected from them is removed to certain places appointed on the outside of the town. The church-yard, being fituated in the windward' part of the town, is very injudicioufly allotted for the common burial-ground. Dry weather occafions numberless chasms in it; and the wet, which ufually fucceeds, infinuating through these apertures into the graves, [k] It is true, an act was paffed in 1767, and trustees named for carrying it into execution. But, as this act only empowered them to receive 5000l. from any perfons inclined to contribute towards it by voluntary fubfcription, it seems to have given no other power than what might have been exercifed without it. !! there there is reafon to believe, that noxious exhalations muft arife from them, which cannot fail of rendering the atmosphere unwholesome to fuch houses as lie in a proper direction to receive them. In the hot months, particularly June, another annoyance happens froin the duft; which, by the power of the fea-breeze, generally violent at that time of the year, is blown into the houses in fuch abuu-. dance, as to be exceedingly troublesome, and occafion fore eyes: the particles are so subtle, that it is very common to fee a dining-table, which has been perfectly clean before the cloth was laid, appear entirely covered with a fine powder upon removing it. The inhabitants, if they fhut their doors and windows, are almost fuffocated with heat; and, if they fuffer them to continue open, they are in danger of being ftifled with duft; but, neceffity obliging them to the latter expedient, they swallow it copiously with their food. These annoyances might attract compaffion, if they were not easily remediable: the first, by taking in a new burial-ground a little to leeward of the town; the next, by making use of water-carts, to fprinkle the streets, once or oftener in the day, during that time of the year when the dust has been found most troublesome: fo fine a river gliding under the town feems, indeed, to point out this experiment to them fo obviously, that it is astonishing they have hitherto neglected it. The air of the town has always been esteemed healthy. But it is on the decrease with refpect to inhabitants. It appears, from the register of marriages, births, and burials, that, from 1670 to 1700, the town and parish contained above four times more white perfons than at prefent. They have even diminished fince the year 1746, as will appear by the following average-table of burials from that year to 1756: Average per 61 15 Free Blacks and Total. 16/1/ 104 annum of Deaths, According to the above table, the whole number of Whites, exclufive of Jews, was probably about two thousand, or near fix hundred more than the prefent. From the beft accounts it appears, that the average of marriages, baptifms, and funerals, ftands thus: Marriages, Funerals, 141 80 per annum. 100 Of the baptifms, not above one-third are Whites; the marriages include all ranks and complexions; but the foldiers, paupers, tranfients, and free Blacks and Cafts, make up the greatest part of the burials. Hence it appears, that the marriages, and confequently the births, are in no proportion to the deaths; and the decrease of people may from this cause be very naturally accounted for. The number of the inhabitants in this parish may be thus estimated, viz. Refiant Chriftian Whites in the Town. 700 Deaths annually, in 24 Chriftian Whites, Ditto in the White Paupers Soldiers, including Jews. Free Blacks and Tranfients. Wives and Children. Country. and Caits. 900 1 in 26 1 in 26 700 4176 5806 9982 like most of the others in the They are, however, tolerably The registers in this parish have, ifland, been very incorrectly kept. perfect from 1669 to 1702, and from 1746 to the present time. The want of due regularity prevents them in general from being useful for grounding calculations of this fort. If the several rectors had been obliged to enter attested copies of their registers once a year in the secretary's office, we should have poffeffed very competent information upon this fubject. The Jews here are remarkably healthy and long-lived, notwithstanding their diet is frequently falt-fish, and fuch kind of aliment, not generally esteemed very wholesome; and that the greater number of them deal in damaged falt-butter, herrings, beef, cheese, and |