When
the earthquake destroyed Port Royal, Jamaica
was already becoming known as a great sugar-producing
country. Many sugar estates were being cultivated,
and sugar was being sent away to be sold in
England. Cocoa was also grown, and sarsaparilla.
Horses, cattle and pigs were plentiful.
There
were three classes of people in the island. The
first class were the white men, who owned property,
or who had professions and trades. They were well-off
and spent their money freely. They were not careful
in their habits, and so they died at an early
age, as a rule.
The
second class also consisted of white men; but
these were almost slaves. It was the custom in
those days to send to the American colonies people
who in Great Britain had been convicted of some
crime. These were "deported" for five,
seven or ten years, and were bought for those
years by planters who wanted men to work. They
were treated as slaves; but, if they lived long
enough, they regained their freedom after they
had served their time. Free men in England could
also sell themselves for a number of years to
planters in Jamaica, and during those years they
were little better than slaves.
The
third and largest class of persons in Jamaica
were the slaves brought over from Africa. They
had to work very hard; they were given poor food;
and very few of them could ever hope to be free.
But, as time went on, they were treated less harshly.
In 1696, four years after the destruction Port
Royal, there were 47,365 people in Jamaica.
Rallying
to the cause of the slaves were the Maroons who
were descendants of ex-slaves who had fled to
the hills following the British take-over of the
island in 1655. One of their outstanding leaders
at the beginning of the 18th century was Nanny,
a Chieftainess of Nanny Town in the Blue Mountains.
"Grand Nanny", as she was fondly called,
was known by both the Maroons and the British
settlers as an outstanding military leader who
became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of
unity and strength for her people during times
of crisis.
In
1693 the year after the destruction
of Port Royal, the city of Kingston was laid out.
The ground on which it now stands was then covered
with trees and grass-pieces, and was a large private
property. It was marked off into streets and lanes,
and buildings began to be erected. Kingston soon
became an important town.
In
1694 England and France being at war,
a French fleet under Admiral Du Casse attacked
Jamaica. During a whole month this fleet landed
men on the north and east sides of Jamaica and
plundered the plantations there. On July 19, 1,500
Frenchmen landed at Carlisle Bay in Clarendon.
Here they were opposed by two hundred colonists
and some slaves. Later on, several hundred colonists
arrived on the scene, and after a few days fighting,
the French were driven back to their ships. They
had destroyed fifty sugar estates and fifty plantations,
and they captured and took away over 1,300 slaves.
In
1702 Admiral Benbow sailed from Port
Royal in search of the French fleet under Du Casse.
He caught sight of it near the coast of Colombia,
and attacked it at once. For five days the fight
continued, the English ships pressing the Frenchmen
hard. On the fifth day BenbowÆs leg was
broken by a shot. He wanted to go on fighting,
but two of his captains, named Kirby and Wood,
persuaded the English ships to withdraw. The English
ships returned to Port Royal where the two captains
were tried for their conduct and shot. Benbow
died a few months after. He was buried in the
Kingston Parish Church, where his bones still
lie.
In
1704 Colonel Handasyd became Governor.
He retired in 1711. All during his government
there was trouble in Jamaica Maroons were very
active and made attacks on the estates and their
owners. The members of the House of Assembly quarrelled
with the Governor. Agriculture did not prosper,
and there was general distress.
In
1711 Lord Archibald Hamilton became
Governor. In that same year a great storm swept
over the parish of Westmoreland and destroyed
a vast amount of property and took many lives.
The next two Governors, Peter Heywood and Sir
Nicholas Lawes, were planters and appointed from
Jamaica. Heywood served from 1716 to 1718.
In
1718 Sir Nicholas Lawes became Governor.
He introduced coffee into Jamaica three years
later. Dung his time pirates worried the planters
on the coast lands very much. Sir Nicholas Lawes
did a good deal to suppress them.
In
1722 the Duke of Portland arrived as
Governor. During his administration the parishes
of Portland and Hanover were formed. The first,
Portland, was named for him. In this same year,
but before the DukeÆs arrival, a terrible
hurricane swept over Jamaica, and caused great
destruction of life and property.
In
1728 Major General Hunter arrived as
Governor. During his time the Maroons were very
troublesome. Two regiments of soldiers had to
be brought from Gibraltar to protect the Jamaican
planters and their estates against them. They
were commanded by a Maroon named Cudjoe, and as
they knew the country perfectly, they always managed
to escape when pursued. Bloodhounds were imported
to hunt them down; but it was not until 1734,
that any victory was won over them. In that year
a body of soldiers attacked a Maroon village called
Nanny Town and destroyed it. A good many Maroons
were killed. Many Maroons threw themselves down
the precipice which their town overlooked rather
than become prisoners.
But
the Maroons were not crushed. They rallied again,
and when another expedition of 200 sailors and
400 militia men was sent against their new town,
they surrounded these forces and attacked them.
The Maroons were hidden among the rocks and
trees, and thus could not be seen. Twenty men
were killed and many wounded on the English
side before the troops managed to escape.
In
1738 Edward Trelawny became Governor.
He governed the island for nearly fourteen years,
and was one of the ablest Jamaican administrators.
On his arrival, he tried to bang the Maroon war
to an end. A determined effort was still being
made to subdue these people. Mosquito Indians
from Nicaragua were employed to hunt them down,
along with the Jamaican militia. But a colonist,
Guthrie by name, conceived the plan of main the
Maroons the friends of the Government. His idea
was acted on by Governor Trelawny and a treaty
of peace and friendship was drawn up between the
Maroons and the Government. The Maroons were given
land in different parts of the country, free of
taxes. They were allowed to govern themselves.
They were to be tried and punished by their own
chiefs, but no chief could pass the sentence of
death on any of them. They were to capture all
runaway slaves and take them back to their owners.
They were also to assist in suppressing any rebellion
among the slaves.
In
1741 war having broken out again between
England and Spain, Jamaican troops took part in
Admiral VernonÆs disastrous attempt to capture
Cartagena. Governor Trelawany personally led a
regiment to the Isthmus of Panama the next year,
but soon returned, unsuccessful.
In
1744 October, 20, Jamaica suffered
from storm and earth-quake. Port Royal and Kingston
were severely affected and Savanna-la-mar was
destroyed. Twelve persons were drowned.
In
1746 an insurrection of the slaves
broke out. This led to the passing of laws inflicting
terrible punishment on those joining rebellions
against their owners.
In
1751 Governor Trelawny justify the
island. His relations with the House of Assembly
had been cordial and he was liked and respected
by the people.
In
1752 Admiral Knowles became Governor.
During his administration (in 1754) Kingston was
temporarily made the capital of the island. Four
sessions of the House of Assembly met in this
city
In
1760 a formidable insurrection of the
slaves took place in St. Mary under a leader called
Tacky. They seized the town of Port Maria, armed
themselves, murdered all the white people that
fell into their hands, and were preparing for
further outrages when they were met by the troops
sent against them. They fought desperately, but
in the end they were defeated. Four hundred were
killed in battle and six hundered were deported
to British Honduras. The ringleaders were put
to death.
In
1762 William Henry Lyttleton became
Governor. In that same year an expedition against
Cuba justify Jamaica. Troops had been raised locally,
composed of coloured freemen and slaves who were
promised emancipation. Havana was captured, but
was afterwards restored to Spain when peace was
made between that country and England.
In
1764 the population of Jamaica was
estimated at 166,454. Of these, 140,454 were slaves.
In the following year, the House of Assembly wanted
to limit the number of slaves to be imported in
the future, but the Governor would not agree.
In
1766 Mr. R. H. Elletson was appointed
Lieutenant-Governor. In that same year a hurricane
swept over the west end of the island.
In
1767 Sir William Trelawny became Governor.
At first he quarreled with the House of Assembly,
but afterwards and till his death, there was peace
between the House and the Governor. When Sir William
Trelawny died, in 1772, the House of Assembly
voted a thousand guineas for his funeral. It was
in his honour that the parish of Trelawny was
formed and named. Lieutenant Colonel John Dalling
acted as Governor after Trelawny's death.
In
1774 Sir Basil Keith arrived as Governor.
In that year the House of Assembly again passed
Bills to restrict the importation of slaves into
Jamaica. But the British Government would not
allow these Bills to become law. There were now
209,617 persons in the island. Of these, 192,787
were slaves. Sir Basil Keith died in 1777.
In
1778 war was declared between England
and France during the Revolution of the thirteen
colonies in North America against England. A French
fleet sailed for the West Indies, and most of
the small British West Indian islands were taken.
Jamaica was thrown into a state of excitement.
Martial Law was proclaimed. Colonel Dalling was
again acting as Governor and he vigorously prepared
for the defense of the colony. Fortificatons were
strengthened and the Militia was improved by drill
and discipline. Horatio Nelson, who was then on
West Indian service, was made Governor of Fort
Charles in Port Royal in 1779. The French fleet,
however, did not attack Jamaica.
In
1780 an expedition against the Spanish
colony of Nicaragua justify Jamaica. Nelson went
with it. San Juan was taken. Nelson returned to
Jamaica, and for some time lay seriously ill at
Port Royal.
A
terrible hurricane devastated the parish of
Westmore-land: 40,000 pounds were sent from
England for the relief of the sufferers. The
misery caused by this calamity was very great.
The town of Savanna-la-Mar was again completely
destroyed.
In
1781 General Archibald Campbell became
Lieutenant-Governor.
A
humane law was passed by the House of Assembly.
Up to that time it had been legal and customary
to mutilate slaves convicted of grave offences
by cutting off ears or hands. The law now passed
rendered such mutilation illegal and punished
it. There was another severe hurricane during
1781.
In
1782 Rodney won his celebrated victory
over the French Admiral, the Count de Grasse who
had intended to invade and capture Jamaica. The
colonists were in a state of fear and trepidation
until the news of Rodney's victory was received.
The great battle was fought off Dominica on April
12. The French AdmiralÆs plan was to avoid
meeting Rodney until he could join his allies,
the Spaniards, whose fleet lay off Haiti. Rodney
was determined to prevent this junction. He followed
the French as fast as he could, and in spite of
the wind being against him at first came up with
them at the islets called the Saintes near Dominica.
A bloody naval engagement followed. The French
were completely beaten. Some 3,000 out of the
6,000 men intended for the invasion of Jamaica
were killed or wounded. Rodney brought the captured
ships to Port Royal, and the grateful colonists
voted 3,000 lbs for the erection of a marble statue
in his honour. The statue now stands in Spanish
Town Square. The British Government made Rodney
a peer. His victory saved Jamaica from a French
invasion.
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