Jamaica in 1687
The Taylor Manuscript at the National Library of Jamaica
Seiten
2010
University of the West Indies Press (Verlag)
978-976-640-236-5 (ISBN)
University of the West Indies Press (Verlag)
978-976-640-236-5 (ISBN)
This remarkable description of Jamaica in the 1680s was written by a contemporary English observer, John Taylor, who spent some months on the island. He offers an image of the island before the general spread of sugar cultivation, citing some creatures now extinct n Jamaica; he also makes many suggestions about the medical use of natural products.
This remarkable description of Jamaica in the 1680s was written by a contemporary English observer, John Taylor, who spent some months on the island. The original manuscript is held by the National Library of Jamaica, and has rarely been used by scholars. It contains information about Jamaica under the Spaniards, about the English invasion of 1655 and about the formation of the subsequent society, including the treatment of slaves. There are sections on the island’s settlement and architecture, including a particularly full description of Port Royal. John Taylor sets out fifty current laws, many of them unknown to other such collections. He also carefully explains the nature of Jamaica’s birds, beasts and plants.
Taylor offers an image of the island before the general spread of sugar cultivation, citing some creatures now extinct in Jamaica; he also makes many suggestions about the medical use of natural products. His world is still one in which certain places are enchanted, though he also describes an island whose main features will be entirely familiar to modern Jamaicans. His language is a piquant mixture, drawn from medieval England, from North America and even from the Orient, reflecting the fact that this was the first period of major English commercial expansion.
This remarkable description of Jamaica in the 1680s was written by a contemporary English observer, John Taylor, who spent some months on the island. The original manuscript is held by the National Library of Jamaica, and has rarely been used by scholars. It contains information about Jamaica under the Spaniards, about the English invasion of 1655 and about the formation of the subsequent society, including the treatment of slaves. There are sections on the island’s settlement and architecture, including a particularly full description of Port Royal. John Taylor sets out fifty current laws, many of them unknown to other such collections. He also carefully explains the nature of Jamaica’s birds, beasts and plants.
Taylor offers an image of the island before the general spread of sugar cultivation, citing some creatures now extinct in Jamaica; he also makes many suggestions about the medical use of natural products. His world is still one in which certain places are enchanted, though he also describes an island whose main features will be entirely familiar to modern Jamaicans. His language is a piquant mixture, drawn from medieval England, from North America and even from the Orient, reflecting the fact that this was the first period of major English commercial expansion.
David Buisseret is former Professor of the History of Cartography, University of Texas, Arlington and former Director of the Center for Cartography, University of Chicago, and chief editor of the Oxford Companion to World Exploration. His books include From Sea Charts to Satellite Images: Interpreting North American History Through Maps and, with Michael Pawson, Port Royal, Jamaica. He has taught at a variety of institutions, including the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, served as editor of the Jamaican Historical Review and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Erscheint lt. Verlag | 28.2.2011 |
---|---|
Verlagsort | Kingston |
Sprache | englisch |
Gewicht | 625 g |
Themenwelt | Reiseführer ► Nord- / Mittelamerika ► Karibik |
Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918) | |
Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte | |
ISBN-10 | 976-640-236-1 / 9766402361 |
ISBN-13 | 978-976-640-236-5 / 9789766402365 |
Zustand | Neuware |
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