In 1735 The principal station for the shipping is the Port of Castries, one of the safest and most extensive in the Antilles.* It is adorned with an excellent quay, and possesses a sufficient depth of water to allow the largest vessels to come to anchor close to the wharf. Its entrance is one third of a mile between the headlands of the Tapion and the Vigie ; and it is a mile and a half in receding depth. From the invariable direction of the trade wind, and the consequent difficulty of approaching the bay, no more than one vessel can enter at a time, whilst the largest fleet might safely ride at anchor within the basin, and stand out to sea at an hour’s notice.
The entrance to Port Castries is guarded on the south by theTapion and Half-moon batteries, and on the north by the Vigie. These defences command every approach to the bay, and with the aid of their natural ally, the trade-wind, can oppose an insuperable barrier to the ingress of any hostile fleet.
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