New Providence Island 1715

[Captain Jack Sawford]

Much has changed on New Providence Island since 1715. Ecosystems have shrunk or been lost completely, species have gone extinct at the local level or been replaced by invasive newcomers, and a bustling city has sprung up where once stood the burned out shell of a town bustling with hundreds of English pirates. This is my attempt, based on many hours of research to visually reconstruct what New Providence was like during the early 18th century.

(PHOTOS ARE GROUPED WITH RELATED PHOTOS AS BEST AS POSSIBLE)

A coppice is an area of many trees growing close together, with heavy shade. The Bahamas are home to two types of coppice, the Blackland Coppice, and the Whiteland Coppice.

The Blackland Coppice Biome is no longer much represented on New Providence, but it was still holding on during the early 18th century. They grow in island interiors, their tall canopy casting a gloom on the nearly bare forest floor, where wind and light seldom penetrates. Trees that grow in such a biome include Mahogany, Horseflesh, Mastic, Pigeon Plum, and Cedar.

The Whiteland Coppice Biome consists of trees and shrubs that are rugged and durable. Flora found in this biome include Brasiletto, Haulback, Mahogany, Sea Grape, Balsam, Clusia, and the painful to touch Manchineel. Also thriving in this biome are the somewhat silly sounding dildo cactus, as well as the prickly pear cactus. This biome is often in close proximity to the sea. As such, a few species of land crabs make their homes in the soil, including the Giant White Land Crab, and the Black Land crab.

Photo descriptions are below, and match up with the order the photos are uploaded.
 

1) New Providence Island in the 18th Century

2) Coastal Waters

3) Hawksbill Sea Turtles were prized for their shells, which were used to make combs and costume jewelry.

4) Monk Seals lived in the Bahamas, including New Providence, until about 1930.

5) American Alligators were last seen in the Bahamas in 1804, and lived in the area during the Golden Age of Piracy. It has been suggested, in the paper at the following link, that reports of alligators in the Bahamas were actually referring to American Crocodiles. http://www.tribune242.com/.../tough-call-crocodiles-bahamas/

6) The West Indian Manatee was last seen in the Bahamas in 1975, but was frequently seen there in the early 18th century.

7) American Crocodiles were once common in the Bahamas and the West Indies, until hunted to extinction locally. The reports of alligators in the Bahamas may actually refer to these crocodiles, as well. For more information, take a look at this paper on the subject: http://www.tribune242.com/.../tough-call-crocodiles-bahamas/

8 ) The Shoreline.

9) The Red Footed Booby is the smallest member of its family, averaging less than 2 pounds with a wingspan slightly over 3 feet. There are a few different color morphs of this species, which can occur in one population. Generally, however, one tends to dominate over the others. Shown above is the white morph. There is also the black tailed morph, the white tailed morph, and the brown morph. The diet of these birds consists of small fish and squid collected near the surface. They catch their prey by dive bombing them from the air at high speeds. They nest in large colonies ashore and lay a single blue egg. While not breeding, they are seldom seen on land and spend most of their time at sea.

10) Goats Foot is a creeping vine that is normally one of the first plants to colonize a dune system. It is exceedingly salt tolerant, and uses ocean currents for seed dispersal, and in this way has colonized beaches around the globe. In Brazilian folk medicine, goats foot is used to treat inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders.

11) The Brown Noddy is the largest member of the tern family. They nest in colonies, generally in nests built off the ground, whether in cliffs or in trees and shrubs. They lay one egg each breeding season. There are 4 subspecies, the first, native to the Caribbean and Atlantic, being described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

12) Sea Oats are found on beaches along the American Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, into Mexico, and in the Bahamas as well as the coast of Cuba. It is found primarily on foredunes and dune crests. Their seeds can be dispersed far and wide. The plant forms dense surface roots and deep penetrating roots, which serve as homes to mycorrhizal fungi. In Florida, their roots systems have been shown to be popular nest sites among pygmy burrowing owls.

13) The Double Crested cormorant can be found along inland and coastal waterways across North America, extending to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and down into Mexico. During the breeding season, males grow two feathery crests atop their heads. Unlike the other subspecies, the one native to the Bahamas sports two white crests, rather than black ones. This species swims low in the water, often with only it's head and neck exposed, and dives from the surface, propelling itself with it's feet, in search of prey.

14) Sea Lavender is an evergreen shrub that doesn't normally grow more than 5 feet tall, and can in fact be much smaller when exposed to the salt spray from the ocean.

15) The Masked Booby. The largest booby, this species can attain a wingspan of 65 inches, and a weight of 5 pounds. They are diving birds, diving diagonally into the water from mid flight at high speed to catch fish. They nest in colonies on beaches, laying two eggs in a shallow depression in the sand. In most cases, one chick will kill the smaller, weaker chick in an act of siblicide. Though normally silent, Masked Boobys make a range of hissing and quacking sounds in their small breeding colonies. 

16) Bay Cedar is a small tree or shrub that can be found in coastal regions in the tropics the world over. Bay Cedar produces an aroma when crushed, like that of cedar, hence the common name. It doesn't typically reach heights of more than 7 feet. The shrub blooms yellow flowers which , after fertilization, dry up, form clusters of drupes (a hardened fruit), and fall off. They are salt water resistant, and have allowed this species to colonize coastlines the world over. 

17) The Lesser Bahama Pintail. A dabbling duck, the White Cheeked or Bahama Pintail feeds on small aquatic plants and animals it finds in lakes, estuaries, and mangrove swamps. 

18) Purple Seaside Bean is a member of the pea family. It is a trailing vine that forms mats of foliage and can be found on tropical coasts throughout the world. 

19) The Brown Pelican is one of the smallest pelicans, though with a wingspan reaching up to 8 feet, and a weight of 12 pounds, it is hardly a small bird. Very gregarious birds, Brown Pelicans live and nest in large flocks. Fish make up the majority of their diet, with a single Brown Pelican being able to eat up to 4 pounds of fish in a given day. 

20) Sea Purslane is a sprawling perennial plant that grows on coastlines around the world. It can be found growing in coastal limestone, sandstone, sandy clay, and in tidal flats and salt marshes around the world. 

21) The Neotropical Cormorant is smaller and more slender than it's double crested cousin. The average wingspan is about 39 inches, and they generally weigh no more than 3.3 pounds. These birds are monogamous and breed in colonies. Their nests are comprised of a platform of sticks with a depression in the center. They lay between 3 to 5 eggs, but the average hatch is 2. Like other cormorants, they swim low in the water and dive for food. They are also cooperative hunters, with some birds beating their wings on the water to drive fish towards the mouths of their fellow cormorants. 

22) Rocky Coppice Biome. Rocky Coppice occur on rocky limestone outcroppings, between mangroves and the pineyards. They may be flooded during high tide. 

23) Sabal Palms, sometimes called Cabbage Palms. 

24) The Bahamian Hutia is a large rat-like rodent that can grow to about two feet in length, and is one of the few endemic mammals in the Bahamas. They tend to be nocturnal, sleeping during the day, and emerge primarily at night. Opportunistic eaters, they feed on everything from nuts, shoots, bark, and leaves to insects and small reptiles. Though once found throughout the Bahamas, including New Providence, they are now limited to six specific locations throughout the islands and are considered a vulnerable species. 

25) West Indies Mahogany tree.

26) Barn Owl. Although still occasionally seen in the Bahamas in modern times, there is evidence that they were much more common in the past. Without barns to roost in, they likely made their homes in some of the islands caves. 

27) Spanish Cedar

28) A Spiny Olive tree, sometimes called a Ming Tree. 

29) Bahama Pineyards Biome. Bahama Pineyards are found extensively throughout the Bahamas, including New Providence, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands.
 They are dominated by the Bahamian Pine, a tree that requires lots of sunlight to grow, and once full size, is resistant to wildfire. Without wildfires, the pineyard ecosystems are overtaken by broad-leafed trees. 

30) West Indian Woodpecker.

31) Bahamian Pine.

32) Bahama Swallow. An insectivore that feeds on flying insects it catches in marshes and fields. However, it breeds exclusively in the Bahamian pine forests. 

33) The Pine Pink orchid can be found in many different ecosystems throughout North America, from the pineyards of the Bahamas, to the swamps of Central America. 

34) The Hispaniolan Boa is a boa native to the West Indies. 

35) The Bracken Fern has spread around the world, due to the lightness of its spores, which have been found to be carcinogenic. 

36) Blackland coppice. The Blackland Coppice Biome is no longer much represented on New Providence, but it was still holding on during the early 18th century. They grow in island interiors, their tall canopy casting a gloom on the nearly bare forest floor, where wind and light seldom penetrates. Trees that grow in such a biome include Mahogany, Horseflesh, Mastic, Pigeon Plum, and Cedar. 

37) The Bahama Parrot, or Bahama Amazon, is a subspecies of the Cuban Amazon. Though in modern times the Bahamian Subspecies has been extirpated throughout much of it's range, New Providence once seems to have had a population of these birds. In the winter, they tend to gather into flocks, breaking off into mating pairs during the breeding season. They eat primarily fruit and seeds, favoring the fruits of the West Indian Mahogany tree, as well as those of various species of palms. They tend to stick to dry forests, such as the Blackland Coppice and the Bahamian Pine Forests, though they have been found periodically in a range of habitats. 

38) A false mastic tree, of the Blackland Coppice Biome, found on an islands interior. 

39) A male and female Western Spindalis. They are found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and occasionally southern Florida. Their preferred habitats are moist subtropical forests, either lowland or montane, depending on where they are found. 

40) Guaiacum sanctum, also known as lignum vitae. It was used in boat building, in parts of the ship most susceptible to wear, such as the pulley-blocks, the rowlocks, and the rudder posts. It is the hardest of all the trade woods, and its sap was used to treat the spirochetes of syphilis. 

41) The Red-footed Tortoise. Though extinct on New Providence Island today, this species still lives on many other Bahamian and Caribbean islands. This photo was taken of one in Barbados. It is unclear if these populations are natural or if they were brought from mainland South America, but it is clear that wild populations were established by the 17th century, perhaps after being introduced as a food source, or as pets. They are often found in or near transitional areas between forest and savanna, such as forest clearings, edges, or along waterways 

42) A Horseflesh Mahogany tree, of the Blackland Coppice Biome, found on an islands interior. 

43) The flower of Guaiacum sanctum, also known as lignum vitae. It was used in boat building, in parts of the ship most susceptible to wear, such as the pulley-blocks, the rowlocks, and the rudder posts. It is the hardest of all the trade woods, and its sap was used to treat the spirochetes of syphilis. 

44) A false mastic tree, of the Blackland Coppice Biome, found on an islands interior. 

45) A Spanish Cedar hammock, trees like this are found in the Blackland Coppice Biome, found on an islands interior. 

46) The Lucayan Juniper is now considered a vulnerable species, with it now in decline in most of its former range, and extinct in Haiti. In the Bahamas, including New Providence, the Lucayan Juniper grows in coppices on rocky, limestone slopes. It grows to about 40 feet in height. 

47) Spanish Cedar, of the Blackland Coppice Biome, found on an islands interior. 

48) The Whiteland Coppice Biome. The Whiteland Coppice Biome consists of trees and shrubs that are rugged and durable. Flora found in this biome include Brasiletto, Haulback, Mahogany, Sea Grape, Balsam, Clusia, and the painful to touch Manchineel. Also thriving in this biome are the somewhat silly sounding dildo cactus, as well as the prickly pear cactus. This biome is often in close proximity to the sea. As such, a few species of land crabs make their homes in the soil, including the Giant White Land Crab, and the Black Land crab. 

49) A Black Land Crab, a native of the Whiteland Coppice's limey soils. 

50) The Brasiletto tree, found in the Whiteland Coppice biome. 

51) The Caribbean Hermit Crab, a native of the near shore Whiteland Coppice biome. 

52) Clusia rosia, also known as the autograph tree, is related to the Ficus, and is found in the Whiteland Coppice biome. 

53) Dildo Cactus.

54) A Giant White Land Crab, native to the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

55) A Giant White Land Crab, native to the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

56) Haulback, a species of shrub, once thought to be related to the acacia, partially because of its long spines, in the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

57) Haulback, a species of shrub, once thought to be related to the acacia, partially because of its long spines, in the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

58) The Florida Burrowing Owl. This species of Burrowing Owl can be found across Florida and the Bahamas. They are active both nocturnally and diurnally, unlike most other owl species. Often living in breeding pairs, they can also be found in small, loose colonies comprised of multiple families. The diet of burrowing owls ranges from grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles to lizards, frogs, rodents, and small birds. 

59) A Mahogany tree, found in both the Whiteland and Blackland Coppice. 

60) The Manchineel Tree. A nasty resident of the Whiteland Coppice biome. Contact with the sap will leave one covered in blisters. The sap has the ability to blind a person if it makes contact with the eyes. Standing underneath one during while it's raining can cause blisters. Burning the wood produces a caustic smoke which causes blindness. Eating the small apple like fruits can cause painful oral swelling, bleeding of the throat, problems breathing, enlargement of the lymph nodes, and possibly death. 

61) The Manchineel Tree. A nasty resident of the Whiteland Coppice biome. Contact with the sap will leave one covered in blisters. The sap has the ability to blind a person if it makes contact with the eyes. Standing underneath one during while it's raining can cause blisters. Burning the wood produces a caustic smoke which causes blindness. Eating the small apple like fruits can cause painful oral swelling, bleeding of the throat, problems breathing, enlargement of the lymph nodes, and possibly death. 

62) The Manchineel Tree. A nasty resident of the Whiteland Coppice biome. Contact with the sap will leave one covered in blisters. The sap has the ability to blind a person if it makes contact with the eyes. Standing underneath one during while it's raining can cause blisters. Burning the wood produces a caustic smoke which causes blindness. Eating the small apple like fruits can cause painful oral swelling, bleeding of the throat, problems breathing, enlargement of the lymph nodes, and possibly death. 

63) A "death apple", from a Manchineel Tree, a nasty resident of the Whiteland Coppice biome. Contact with the sap will leave one covered in blisters. The sap has the ability to blind a person if it makes contact with the eyes. Standing underneath one during while it's raining can cause blisters. Burning the wood produces a caustic smoke which causes blindness. Eating the small apple like fruits can cause painful oral swelling, bleeding of the throat, problems breathing, enlargement of the lymph nodes, and possibly death. 

64) The Queen of the Night Cactus, during a rare nocturnal blooming event. It is native to the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

65) A seagrape tree, a near shore member of the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

66) Vachellia acuifera, another species of shrub, once thought to be related to the acacia, partially because of its long spines, in the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

67) Cyclura cychlura, also known as the Bahamian Rock Iguana. The Bahamian Rock Iguana. Once common in the Bahamas, the clear cutting of its habitat and the introduction of rodents, raccoons, and cats to the islands by early colonists, helped to eliminate them from all but 6 islands in modern times. in the late 17th and 18th century Bahamians would sail to uninhabited islands with trained dogs to hunt and capture live iguanas. They would then sew their mouths shut, bind their limbs, and toss them in the hold. Once the hold was filled, they set sail for Charles Town where they would sell them for their meat.

68) The Prickly Pear Cactus, found mainly in the Whiteland Coppice Biome. 

69) Nassau Town. The map in this image shows Nassau Town in the years shortly after the Golden Age of Piracy, and so not a perfect representation of the city in 1715. It is used here in order to give the viewer a sense of the towns lay out. There are other less detailed maps of the town from the tenure of Governor Phenney among the following images.

70) Fort Nassau as it appeared in various stages during and after the GAoP. The illustration on the bottom left is how Governor Phenney found it when he arrived in Nassau in 1722, and as such, much how it looked in the 1710's. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

71) This illustration, done in 1701, has no title, but based on a variety of factors, it has been narrowed down to one of a few ships, the H.M.S. Phoenix among them. The H.M.S. Phoenix sailed into Nassau Harbor on February 23, 1718, with Vincent Hearse at her command. Benjamin Hornigold and the others were informed that Woodes Rogers had been appointed governor, and that he would be in Nassau that summer with pardons, and Pearse offered to give each man that wished it a signed certificate of pardon in the meantime. Starting on February 26th, a stream of boats rowed out to the Phoenix, through the rain, filled with men wanting to accept the Kings Pardon. The mood changed on March 1st, when Pearse raised all the Phoenix's signal flags, in celebration of the birthday of King Georges eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales. This was not taken well by some, and some Jacobite pirates set an English merchant ship on fire, in response. On March 22nd, Pearse and his men led a failed attack against Vane and his crew, and retreated to the Phoenix. On April 6th, the ships carpenter accidentally set her on fire while boiling tar, though it was quickly put out. On April 8th, the Phoenix was run aground on the harbor bar as she and her crew left Nassau, but eventually made it off. 

72) The Western portion of Nassau Harbor, as illustrated in 1723 under Governor Phenney. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

73) The Eastern portion of Nassau Harbor, showing the two forts, Hog Island, and about where Nassau itself would sit. Illustrated in 1723 under Governor Phenney. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

74) A map of Nassau Harbor, showing the fort, Hog Island, and the tip of Silver Key dated to December 24th, 1723. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

75) A close up of the legend for the December 24th 1723 map of Nassau Harbor. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

76) A close up of the fort from the December 24th 1723 map of Nassau Harbor. Found by myself in the Greenwich Maritime Archives, purchased, printed, and digitized for the purposes of this collection.

77) "The Harbour of Providence" taken from A map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish settlements adjacent thereto circa 1733.