ANTIGUA AND THE ANTIGUANS: A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE COLONY AND ITS INHABITANTS FROM THE TIME OF THE CARIBS TO THE PRESENT DAY, Interspersed with Anecdotes and Legends. ALSO, AN IMPARTIAL VIEW OF SLAVERY AND THE THE STATISTICS OF THE ISLAND, AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE PRINCIPAL FAMILIES. "Sworn to no party, of no sect am I."-POPE. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. PREFACE. ALTHOUGH in the present day the writing of a preface may be considered almost a work of supererogation on the part of an author, since it is that portion of a work seldom or ever looked into, still, as custom demands the form, and there may be some among my readers who may desire to learn what first led me to undertake this work, I am induced to follow the fashion, more especially as on one or two points I am desirous of offering a few words of comment and explanation. Not being a native of the West Indies, and visiting that part of the world for the first time at an age when all looks bright around us, the novelty of the scenes which passed before my eyes struck me forcibly, and induced me to make notes of the impressions I then received. Pursuing the same practice at subsequent visits, and during prolonged residences, in process of time my memoranda expanded to a considerable bulk. The increasing interest I took in everything relating to Antigua, led me to inquire into its early history, and to search out the origin of the numerous ancient families whose descendants have resided in the island from the period of its colonization, |