Memoir on the topography, weather, and diseases of the Bahama islands / by P.S. Townsend.

  • Townsend, Peter Solomon, -1849.
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memoir on the topography, weather, and diseases of the Bahama islands / by P.S. Townsend. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    been by lime consolidated into a homogeneous substance, with an obviously laminated structure, as may be seen on different parts of the shore. The island of New-Providence being but nineteen miles long by seven broad, has no rivers, and only here and there a small run, which scarcely deserve the name of creeks; some of these serve as outlets to the stagnant swamps, and decomposed vegetable matter from bushes, weeds, and other plants at their source. There are besides several healthy ponds of brackish transparent water, of which one or two are some miles in extent, and several fathoms in depth, with hard rocky bottoms, covered with sand and shells, and with subterraneous communications to the sea, the tide in them ebbing and flowing about six inches. Clusters of mangrove trees are seen in every di- rection growing out from the surface of these la- goons, and appear like little green islands. In the crevices between the rocks, and in small patches on their surface, there is a thin dry reddish loam, which, scanty as it is in quantity, gives suste- nance and support to a luxuriant crop of bushes, such as the bay cedar, prickly pear, cocoa plumb, samphire, cock spur, bay lavendar, &c. grow- ing chiefly near the sea; the alder, the hercules club, wild thyme, &c. in the interior; and to the roots of numerous lofty fruit and ornamental trees, which to judge by their dimensions and abundant and ample foliage, must have obtained their nourishment from the warm and sunny atmosphere in which thoy breathe, rather than