The History of the Island of Dominica: Containing a Description of Its Situation, Extent, Climate, Mountains, Rivers, Natural Productions, &c. &c.Atwood, Thomas
History
The History of the Island of Dominica: Containing a Description of Its Situation, Extent, Climate, Mountains, Rivers, Natural Productions, &c. &c.
Atwood, Thomas
Black people -- Dominica; Dominica -- Description and travel; Dominica -- History; Natural history -- Dominica; Slavery -- Dominica
The wild game of the woods, as pigeons, doves, and partridges,
which, though at times, in the seasons for killing them, are very
plentiful, yet bear a most extravagant price; a wild pigeon will
cost 3s. a dove or partridge 1s. 6d. and other small birds of the
country are at a very high rate. This is entirely owing to the
want of laws for regulating the prices of those necessary articles
in the island; as those who make a trade of them have the liberty
of fixing what price they please; thereby being guilty of great
extortion, to the sensible inconvenience of the inhabitants.
Eggs and milk are tolerably reasonable, and the latter is in
general very good; but those who chiefly supply the market with it,
adulterate it.
Notwithstanding fish of all sorts are caught in great plenty in all
the bays of the island, yet that article bears a much higher price
in Dominica, than in most other English settlements. This is also
owing to the want of proper regulations in the fish market; for
though there is an act for obliging every fisherman, who catches
fish within a certain distance from Roseau, to bring it there
for sale, yet the major part of the inhabitants, who are Roman
Catholics, fast the greatest part of the week upon fish; and the
fishermen, being all of the same religion, they contrive to evade
this act, by sending the best part of their fish to their friends,
and bring only what they cannot otherways dispose of to the market.
By this means that article is often scarce, as well as dear; and on
particular fast days, in Lent especially, the English inhabitants
are frequently obliged to fast without fish.
It has often been wondered at, that in Dominica there are no
English fishermen; and that a business, which is known to be
so very advantageous, should be entirely carried on only by
the French inhabitants. This neglect of the English is the more
remarkable, from the great inconveniences they labour under, from
not having a fishery of their own; but though a thing of the kind
was attempted by Mr. Beves, a respectable English inhabitant,
in the time of the French government of the island, it failed,
through the malice of some of the French inhabitants; and that no
other Englishman, since the return of the country to its former
government, has thought it worth while to repeat the trial, is a
matter of much surprize.
The present price of fish in the market of Roseau is as follows,
viz.
_s._ _d._
River fish 1 6 per pound.
Sea ditto, caught with hook and line 1 0 per ditto.
Seine and pot fish 0 4½ per ditto.
Turtle 1 6 per ditto.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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