Nouveau Voyage aux Isles de l’Amérique

LABAT, Jean-Baptiste {Père}. Nouveau Voyage aux Isles de l’Amérique, Contenant l’Histoire Naturelle de ces Pays, l’origine, les mœurs, la religion & le gouvernement des habitans anciens et modernes. Les guerres & les événements singuliers qui y sont arrivez pendant le long séjour que l’auteur y a fait. Paris, 1722. 6 vol. in-12
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He [Père Labat] landed in Martinique, 29 January, 1694, and was entrusted with the care of the parish of Macouba, where he remained two years. In 1696 he went to Guadeloupe, and on his return was appointed procurator-general of all the Dominican convents in the Antilles. Owing to his scientific knowledge, the French government appointed him engineer, and in this capacity he visited the whole chain of the French, Dutch, and English Antilles from Grenada to Santo Domingo. He served for two years as engineer in Guadeloupe, and when the English attacked the island in 1704 took an active part in the defense, firing several cannon with his own hand. He also invented new methods for the manufacture of sugar, which are still in use in the colony.