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African slaves living on Montserrat by 1654. Although the island soon became known as “Irish island” or “the emerald isle,” English and Anglo-Irish Protestants continued to dominate. The British landowners used their servants and slaves to grow cash crops such as tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar. Slaves were the main labor force in the cane fields until their emancipation in 1838. Freed slaves went on to become subsistence farmers and laborers for their former owners. Although English has been the official language since its settlement, there is a unique form of English Creole spoken on Montserrat. 

Among the most important elements in the cultural landscape were the man made structures, including simple buildings constructed of reed walls and roofs of palm, plantain, or cane leaf layers, most likely adapted from Amerindian homes. There was also a road system, several forts, a church (most notably the Anglican Church of St. Anthony), prison, custom house, court house, sessions house, breastwork, and beacons which served the community needs and were built in the 1670s by public funds. At first, stones were the primary choice of material used in buildings because of its resistance to the fierce winds from hurricanes, but after an earthquake in 1672 timber was seen as a less dangerous material. 

Every structure built before the 1950s contained thick stonewalls with mortar made from volcanic-derived beach sand and gravel, burned seashells, molasses, and water. This ancient recipe was still used in buildings as recently as 1990 because commercial mortars chemically attacked the native stones. The gravel was made in house yards by the hand of elderly women and young children, through the use of small sledgehammers. 

The volcanic rocks on the island of Montserrat serve countless purposes in the every day life of its people. Their wooden homes are built in small groups surrounding large boulders. These boulders provide places to sit, eat, and converse, work spaces for food processing and dish washing, or catching rainwater. The very stones used for crushing grains and plants for food or medicinal purposes are found here. Prior to drugstore prescriptions and government medical care, home remedies were plant based, but volcanic rocks also served as a sulfur salve for curing fungus-caused skin rashes. 

During the twentieth century, farming became less important to the economy. Now agriculture was associated with a low status and income. Human changes to the landscape have been eclipsed by the volcanic eruptions that began in the Soufriere Hills in July 1995. In the following years, the southern two-thirds of the island’s landscape and lifestyles were changed dramatically, with the very shape of the land changing and vegetation and animals being destroyed and killed. There were some plants, such as cassava, that did survive the disaster. Cassava, the source of tapioca and meal for making bread remains a staple part of the Montserratian diet. Fruits such as the sweetsop and the soursop are still used in preparing drinks, preserves, and ice creams. 

Prior to the volcano, many people of Montserrat supplemented their civil service or tourism-related incomes by growing crops, grazing cattle and goats, and gathering fruit, fiber, timber, and volcanic products on th本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。