MONTSERRAT, one of the Caribbee Isles belonging to Great Britain. It is a very small, but very pleasant island, so called by Columbus from its resemblance to the famous mountain near Barcelona in Catalonia. It lies in W. Long. 61.0. N. Lat. 16.50, having Antigua to the north-east, St Christopher's and Nevis
Montserrat to the north-west, and Gaudaloupe lying south-south-east at the distance of about nine leagues. In its figure it is nearly round, about nine miles in extent every way, 27 in circumference, and is supposed to contain about 40,000 or 50,000 acres. The climate is warm, but less so than in Antigua, and is esteemed very healthy. The soil is mountainous, but with pleasant valleys, rich and fertile, between them; the hills are covered with cedars and other fine trees. Here are all the animals as well as vegetables and fruits that are to be found in the other islands, and not at all inferior to them in quality. The inhabitants raised formerly a considerable quantity of indigo, which was none of the best, but which they cut four times a year. The present product is cotton, rum, and sugar. There is no good harbour, but three tolerable roads, at Plymouth, Old Harbour, and Ker's bay, where they ship the produce of the island. Public affairs are administered here as in the other isles, by a lieutenant-governor, council, and assembly, composed of no more than eight members, two from each of the four districts into which it is divided. The wonderful effects of industry and experience in meliorating the gifts of nature have been no where more conspicuous than in these islands, and particularly in this, by gradually improving their produce, more especially of late years, since the art of planting hath been reduced to a regular system, and almost all the defects of soil so thoroughly removed by proper management and manure, that, except from the failure of seasons, or the want of hands, there is seldom any fear of a crop. In 1770 there were exported from this island to Great Britain 167 bags of cotton, 1670 l.; 740 hogheads of rum, 7400 l. To Ireland 133 ditto, 1330 l.; 4338 hogheads 232 tierces 202 barrels of sugar, 79,507 l.; in the whole 89,927 l. To North America 12,633 l. There are a few ships employed in trading to this island from London and from Bristol. As to the number of inhabitants, according to the most probable accounts, they consist of between 1200 and 1500 whites, and from 10,000 to 12,000 negroes, tho' some say not so many.