CHRISTOPHERS, St, one of the West India islands, was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, who bestowed upon it his own Christian name. It is about fifteen miles in length, and in average breadth about four; but towards the eastern extremity it is only three; and between that and the main part of the island there is a strip of land three miles long and only half a mile broad. It is computed to contain 43,726 acres of land, about one half of which is under cultivation. This island has a beautiful and picturesque appearance. In the interior are several mountains, one of which, Mount Misery, an extinguished volcano, towers to an elevation of 3711 feet above the level of the sea. These eminences, in general rugged, bleak, and precipitous, are amply redeemed by the luxuriant vegetation of the plains, which have been cultivated to the very utmost. The soil is rich, and yields abundant crops of sugar, the principal product of the island. The average produce of this article for a series of years is 16,000 hogsheads, of sixteen cwt. each. Only one half of the cane land, however, or 8500 acres, is annually cut (the remainder being young canes), so that each'acre of ripe canes thus yields yearly about thirty cwt. of sugar.

Basse Terre, the capital town, is situated at the southeast end of the island, and at the mouth of a river which disembogues its waters into a bay called Basse Terre road. It possesses many good houses, and a large and handsome square. It is the mart of commerce, and carries on a considerable trade. There are a few other small towns and several villages and hamlets, in general pleasantly situated in the bosom of exuberant villages. The island is defended by several fortresses, one of which stands on Brimstone Hill, and is occupied by the garrison.

The first settlement of St Christophers presents one of [7:6:632]those dark pages which are but too often to be met with in the history of colonization, and which lessen in the eyes of mankind the value of those bencfits which must ever accrue to a savage people from close and every-day intercourse with Europeans. In the year 1623, a party of English under one Warner first settled the island. Shortly afterwards a party of French also arrived under M. d’Esnambue. The English lived for some time on friendly terms with the natives, but having unwarrantably seized on some of their lands, and being apprehensive that the Charaibes would retaliate upon them, they treacherously surprised them during the night, murdered above one hundred, and expelled the rest, reserving the most handsome of the young women for slaves and other degrading purposes. The colony, however, after this inhuman outrage, was far from being in a flourishing condition, and the two leaders were compelled to return to their respective countries for recruits. Warner returned with about 400, and a plentiful supply of necessaries; but the greater part of D’Esnambue’s recruits perished miserably at sea. The wretched remains of the force were well received by the English, and the boundaries of possession which each party was to enjoy were fixed by a treaty. The island was afterwards seized by the Spaniards; but these invaders departed in a short time, and the tranquillity of the settlement was restored. In the numerous wars between the two mother countries, St Christophers suffered severely, and was repeatedly laid waste by the French. So completely had they done their work in 1705, that the parliament of England was obliged to distribute L.100,000 amongst the unhappy sufferers. At the peace of Utrecht the island was wholly ceded to Britain, and the French possessions were sold for the benefit of the English government. In the year 1782 it was taken possession of by a French armament, but again restored in the year following. The population of St Christophers in 1823-4, according to Humboldt, amounted to 23,000, of whom 3500 were free persons. Long. 62. 49. W. Lat. 17. 17. N.