water. I mud own, that before I had fèen this fpot, I did not
conceive that the abfenceof running water, o f which it is entirely
deftitute, could have been fo well replaced by any other means, as
it is in this Ifland s fince though there are no ftreams, yet the water
o f the wells and fprings, which are to be met with every where
near the furface, is extremely good; andin the midfl: of the Ifland
there are two or three confiderahle pieces of excellent water, the
turf of whofe banks was as clean, as even, andas regularly difpofed,
as i f they had been bafons purpofely made for the décoration of the
place. It muft however be confeffed, that with regard to the
beauty of the profpeéts, the want of rills and ftreams is a very
great defeft, not to be compenfated either by large pieces of Handing
water, or by the neighbourhood o f the fea, though that, from
the fmalnefs o f the Ifland, generally makes a part of every exten-
five landlkip.
As to the refidence upon the Ifland, the principal inconvenience
attending, it is the vaft numbers of mufcatoes, and various other
tpecies of flies, together with an infeét called a tick ; this, though
principally attached to the.cattle, would yet frequently fallen upon
our limbs and bodies, and if not perceived and removed in time*
would bury its head under the fliin, and raife a painful inflammation.
We found here too centipedes and fcorpions, which we fup-
pofed were venomous, though none of us ever received any injury
•from them.
But the tnoft important and formidable exception, to this place-
remains Hill to be told. This is the inconvenience of the road,, and
the little fecurity there is in fame fealbns for a (hip at anchor. The
only proper anchoring place for (hips of burthen is at the S. W ,
end of the Ifland. As a direction for readily finding it, there is annexed
a very accurate view of the S. W . fide of the Ifland, where
fa ) is the peak of Saypan, feen over the northern part of Tinian,,
and bearing N .N . E .^ E . And f è j -h the anchoring place, difilant
eight miles from the obferver. And as an additional aflift-
ance, there isalfo added a near view of the anchoring place itfelf,
which