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CHAPTER X. Leeward and Windward Islands—The Caribs of Dominica —Visit of Père Labat — St. Lucia — The Pitons —The harbour at Castries —Intended coaling station — Visit to the administrator —The old fort and barracks — Conversation with an American — Constitution of Dominica —Land at Roseau.
all the West Indian Islands I had been curious to see Dominica. It was the scene of Bodney's great fight on April 12. It was the most beautiful of the Antilles and the least known. A tribe of aboriginal Caribs still lingered in the forests retaining the old look and the old language, and, except that they no longer ate their prisoners, retaining their old habits. They were skilful fishermen, skilful basket makers, skilful in many curious arts. The island lies between Martinique and Guadaloupe, and is one of the group now called Leeward Islands, as distinguished from St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, &c, which form the Windward. The early geographers drew the line differently and more rationally. The main direction of the trade winds is from the east. To them the Windward Islands were the whole chain of the Antilles, which form the eastern side of the Caribbean Sea. The Leeward were the great islands on the west of it — Cuba, St. Domingo, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. The modern division corresponds to no natural phenomenon. The drift of the trades is rather from the north-east than from the
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Not to be confounded with St. Domingo, which is called after St. Domenic, where the Spaniards first settled, and is now divided into the two black republics of St. Domingo and Hayti. Dominica lies in the chain of the Antilles between Martinique and Guadaloupe, and was so named by Columbus because he discovered it on a Sunday. K