Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

212 / Appendix D.
At Stewart Castle the entire accumulations, including the layers of ashes, are
more consolidated. I am indebted to Mr. Bowrey, the Island Chemist, for making
chemical analyses of the ashes. Those from Stewart Castle are bluish- grey
in colour, and composed of carbonate of lime, a little iron in both the ferrous
and ferric condition, a slight quantity of carbonaceous matter, and a mere trace
of silica. The soluble alkalies are almost entirely removed. The mass, which becomes
hard on exposure, has now practically the chemical characters of a limestone.
The ashes from Weireka are light grey, more powdery, and contain a greater
amount of carbonaceous matter and soluble alkalies, sufficient of the latter being
present to change the colour of litmus.
These differences between the two may be due to the former deposit being
much older than the latter, or, perhaps the greater depth at Stewart Castle to
which the ashes extend, and the consequent compression and [7] infiltration,
may account for the variation in chemical character. In all cases where ashes
have occurred, fragments of charcoal were found distributed amongst them.
Implements
Celts. From practically all the deposits odd broken or fragmentary stone implements
are met with, but more particularly at Weireka and Norbrook. They are
of similar type and composition to the more perfect petaloid or almond- shaped
celts, so commonly found all over the island.
Mealing- stones. Portions of flattened smooth stones, much resembling the
upper part of mealing- stones have been secured from Weireka. In no case has
a perfect example of either the celt or the mealing- stone occurred. Evidently
those met with are only the useless discarded examples thrown on to the refuseheaps.
Flaked fl ints (Fig. II.). In most shell- heaps flaked flints are found. They are
generally small fragments, an inch or so across, broken off some large block, but
now and then a core is met with, showing where flakes have been struck off. The
flint is of the same character as that occurring abundantly in the White Limestone
in most districts of the island. The significance of the flakes is somewhat
doubtful, as shaped flint implements are not known in Jamaica. Most probably
they were used as knives or scrapers.
Shell implements (Fig. III.). From the Stewart Castle mounds two shell implements
were secured, made apparently from the recent shell of Strombus gigas.
Another has also lately been obtained from Weireka by Mr. R. N. Goodwin,
and a broken one from the Botany Bay district. These are practically the only
implements known in Jamaica which are made of shell; though, fashioned from
the fossil Strombus gigas, they are extremely common in Barbados, and are not