iii6 LORD A N S O N ’S V O Y A G E
be owing to the highlands on the fouthward of the bay, which
checked its current, and thereby abated its violence; for we had
reafon to fuppofe, that a few leagues off it blew with confiderable
ftrength, fince it fometimes drove before it a prodigious fea, in.
which we road fore-caftle in. But though the northern winds are
never to be apprehended, yet the fouthern winds, which generally
prevail here, frequently blow off the land in violent gufts and
(quails, which, however, rarely laft longer than two or'three minutes.
Th is feems to be owing to the obftruftion o f the fouthern
gale, by the hills in the neighbourhood of the bay ; for the wind*
being colleftedby this means, at laft forces its paflage through the
narrow vallies, which, like fo many funnels, both facilitate its
efcape, and increafe its violence. Thefe frequent and hidden
gufts make it difficult forlhips to work in with the wind off ffiore,
or to keep a clear hawfe, when anchored.
The. northern part of this Ifland Is compofed o f high craggy*
hills, many of them inacceffible, though generally covered with*,
frees. The foil of this part is loofe and (hallow, fo. that very large:
trees on the hills foon periffi for want o f root, and are then eafily
overturned; which occalioned the uufortunate death o f one of our
(ailors, who* being upon the hills in fearch o f goats, caught hold :
of a tree upon a declivity to affift him in hisafcent, and this giving
way he immediately rolled down the hill ;, and though in his fall
he fattened onanother tree Of confiderable bulk, yet that too gave
way, and he fell amongft the rocks, and was dallied to pieces.- M r ..
jBrett likewife met with an accident, only by reding his- back ,
againft a tree, near as large about as himfelf, which flood'on a.
flope;: for the tree giving way, he fell to a confiderable diftance,
though without .receiving any injury. Our prifoners (whom, as-
will be related in the fequel, we afterwards brought in here) remarked,
that the appearance o f the hills, in fome part of the Ifland, ,
refembled that of the mountains in Chili,- where the gold is found; .
fo that it is not impoffible but mines* might be difeovered here.-
W e obferved, in fome places, feveral hills: o f a peculiar fort o f red i
earth,:..
earth exceeding vermilion in colour, which, perhaps, on examination,
might prove ufeful for many purpofes. The fouthern, or
rather the S. W . part of the Ifland, as diftinguilhed in the plan,
is widely different from the reft, being dry, ftony, and deftitute o f
trees, and very flat and low, compared with the hills on the northern
part.'This part of the Ifland is never frequented by (hips, being fur-
rounded by a deep ffiore, and having .little or no freffi water; and,
belides, it is expofed to the foutherly wind, which generally blows-
here the whole year round, , and in thé winter folftice very hard.
The trees of which the woods on the northern fide of the Ifland
arecompofed, are.moftof them aromaticks, and of many different *
forts; there- are none of them of a fize to yield any confiderable '
timber, except the myrtle-trees, which are the largeft on the Ifland,-
and fu’ppiied us with all the timber we made ufe o f ; but even-
thefe would not work to a greater length than forty feet. The top '
of the myrtle-tree is circular, and appears as uniform and regular
as-if it had been clipped by art: it bears on its barkan excre-
fcence like mofs, which, in tafte and fmell, refembles garlick,
and was ufed by our people inftead of it. We found here too the
piemento-tree, and likewife the cabbage-tree, though in no great
plenty. A n d , befides a great number o f plants o f various kinds,
which we were not botanifts.enough either to defcribe or attend
to, we found here almoft all'the vegetables, which are ufually
efteemed to be particularly adapted to the cure o f thofe fcorbutick
diforders,, which are contreaed by fait diet and long voyages; for •
here we had great quantities of water-creffes and purflain, with
excellent wild forrel, and a vaft profufion of turnips and Sicilian
radiffies : • thefe two laft, having fome refemblance to each other,
were confounded by. our people under the general name o f turnips.
W e .uffially preferred the tops of the turnips ftp the roots, which
were often ftringy ; though fome of them were free from that exception,
and remarkably good. ■ Thefe vegetables, with the fiffi
and fleffi we got here, and which I (hall more particularly defcribe
hereafter* were not only extremely, grateful to our palates, .after
the