Anderson & Barbados

Alexander Anderson wrote natural histories of several islands that he visited; one was Barbados. The manuscript, which is held by The Linnean Society of London is undated so it is not known when he wrote it but it is likely in the very late-1700s to very early 1800s.

The document is not long. Transcribed it runs to just over 3,700 words (so 9-pages); untranscribed it is 12-pages in length. Anderson mentions the parish of St Lucy (St Lucia in the manuscript). He notes the following: "The Soil Rich more tending to the blue argilla from the red & of deeper stratum than on most other parts of the Island. it contains a number of fine sugar Estates. it is the most beautifull & fertile parish in the Island. it is separated from the rest of the Island by a high & precipitous range of Rocks. on the N:E part of the Island & adjoining to St. Lucia is the Parish of St. Andrew more generally known by the name Scotland. It has a very different appearance from all other parts & seen as not belonging to them either in structure or composition."

He then mentions an area todays called Animal Flower Cave noting that: "some miles N:W from Bridge Town at the bottom of a Ledge of Rocks is the mouth of an Horizontal cave about 200 yards from the opening it communicates with others runing in all directions like a subterraneous building containing a number of departments, but for want of light. I was unable to trace them to any considerable distance. This place seems be little known. I was direct’d to it by some country people ...in the parish of St. Lucia regarded as a carnosity called the Shoot. This is a Cave open to the sea and at its termination under the Rock it opens on the surface at some distance form the sea this being a windward coast the waves of the sea rush in and forces the water up through the external opening like a jet d’eau. when the waves are much agitated it sprouts up a great height. Hughes mentions the Vorticella or animal flower as a great curiosity in Barbados".

Hughes mentioned here is Rev Griffin Hughes (1707-c.1758) who was appointed rector of St Lucy's in 1736. He wrote about the natural history of Barbados, publishing in 1750, and clearly Anderson had access to this work. This site today is no longer 'little known' and has become a tourist attraction open for visitors most days with a cafe and staggering views from the cliffs, as you can see below in the photo I took in May 2024.

Unfortunately the site was closed when I visited but you can swim in the cave and see the magnificent colours that stian the rocks

Image from WikiCommons