
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
A vivid portrait of mid‑17th‑century Barbados unfolds in this meticulously restored account, offering listeners a window into the island’s early colonial life. The narrator, fresh from his travels, describes the island’s striking landscape, its principal trees and plants, and provides a detailed map that brings the geography to life. Readers also gain a rare glimpse into the mechanics of sugar production, with clear explanations of the grinding, boiling, curing and distilling rooms that powered the colony’s economy.
Interwoven with the factual narrative are personal letters that reveal the author’s relationship with his patron and the challenges he faced, including a stint in prison that shaped his perspective. The text balances scholarly observation with candid reflections, making the history feel both authoritative and intimate. Listeners will come away with a richer understanding of Barbados’s natural bounty, its early industry, and the human stories that accompanied its development.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (427K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United Kingdom: Humphrey Mosley, 1657.
Credits
Sonya Schermann, John Campbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
Apr 7, 2023
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
d. 1662
Best known for his vivid 1657 account of Barbados, this 17th-century English writer turned personal experience into one of the most frequently cited early descriptions of the island and its sugar economy. His work is still read for the window it opens onto colonial life, labor, and empire.
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