Karl,
From the perception of the family or friends in Britain or Ireland it
was
probably nearly equivalent to a death sentence in that they were unlikely to
ever hear from the transportee again. Generally it seems that the mortality
rates for immigrants from the British Isles increased progressively as you
went south into areas with what we consider pleasant climates. I know that
early Virginia colonists tended to die quite quickly of disease or from
fighting among the colonists (only rarely from Indian attack except for the
1622 and 1644 massacres organized by Powhatan's successor). Partly the
disease deaths were probably due to not being adapted to the warmer climate
and its diseases and partly not knowing how to live there (not knowing that
British methods of food storage which were adequate in a cool climate were
deadly in Virginia or warmer places). A contributing factor was that
Virginia was coming out of a long period of drought and famine and that the
surviving Indians' food supplies were not adequate for them and the
colonists. I suspect the change in climate and tropical diseases in
Barbados would have been too much for many folk used to the British climate
who had already endured capture, a time as prisoners, and a long voyage as
prisoners.
Harold Hahn
ChristianObs(a)jnpcs.com
Harold Hahn