Port Maria as seen by James Hakewill in the 1820s
Some observations on St Mary and Port Maria by Edward Long c 1774
The chief ports are Anotto Bay, Port Maria, Auracabessa, Saltgut, and Rio Nuevo; which are good anchoring-places, though no security to ships in time of a hurricane, as they are all exposed to the North.
The hamlets at Rio Nucvo, Port-Maria, and Saltgut, have from eight to twelve houses each, inhabited principally by wharfingers, store and shop-keepers.
Port Maria is famous for having given, as it is supposed, an asylum to Columbus, when his ship was near foundering with a leak ; and somewhere hereabouts authors have placed the town of MelilIa, the first which the Spaniards founded.
The weather in this parish is extremely wet during great part of the year, and so cold, that few if any of the houses are unfurnished with a chimney. Its chief productions are sugar and rum, a little indigo, coffee, tobacco, and corn. The land in general from its richness bears too luxuriant a cane: 1 have seen some here of enormous size and length; but such are unfit for making sugar, and are only ground for the still-house The great plenty of water and provisions are extremely favourable to the breeding of hogs, of which there is great abundance; but sheep and poultry do not thrive here so well, owing to the rankness of the pasturage, and moisture of the atmosphere. This parish, having been frequently disturbed with insurrections of the Ncgroe slaves belonging to it, has four barracks, at two of which there usually a small cantonment of soldiers.
Fort Haldane, at Port Maria, stands on an eminence commanding the entrance of the harbour, and is capable of making a good defence. The barracks are large enough to recieve sixty men.
Trinity Estate, St Mary, by James Hakewill in the 1820s
Christmas in Jamaica
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the worthy frog
joy lumsden 2006.
