to 5000, fome of whom manufacture a kind of coarfe
earthen-ware, with which they fupply all the iflands. They
have likewife built two fmall fhips lately, of wood which
grew in their own ifland.
I flatter myfelf that the above particulars, though infuf-
ficient to give a perfeft idea of the Açores, will not be unacceptable
to my readers, efpecially as thefe iflands, being
feldom vifited by Europeans, are little known, notwithftand-
ing their fhort diflance froiruus.
We palTed the Sunday in vifiting feveral churches, and
accompanied captain Cook, in the afternoon, to the different
convents. Each of them has a church annexed to it, where
we commonly faw two pulpits, oppofite to each other. It
is ufual here, at certain Hated times, to allow the devil to
defend himfelf in one of thefe pulpits, whillt he is arraigned
in the other ; but at the fame time it may be fuperfluous to
mention, that Satan is always fure to be defeated, though
his opponent were the moil ignorant monk that ever was
fattened-!n a convent. Moll of the altars are made of cedar
wood, and perfume the whole church very agreeably. In
the evening we faw a great proceffion, at which all the
clergy in town aflifted, and where moll of the principal inhabitants
likewife took part, by walking in black gowns
before the Hoft. The commercial intercourfe with the
North-Americans feems to have abated the fpirit of perfecu-
tion, of which the church of Rome is fornetimes accufed
in other countries., When the hoft palfes, no perfon is in-
fulted, who does not choofe to perform an atft of adoration;
and ftrangers in particular are treated with a degree of civility
on this fubjetft, which they do not meet with in the
polite but llavilh metropolis of France.
We took a walk the next morning upon the hills to the
northward of the town, which furnifhed fome of the moll
beautiful profpedls. All the roads were lined with tall
fhady trees, and on both Cdes were corn-fields, gardens,
and orchards. We were able to overlook the whole plain,
in which the village of Nolla Senhora de la Luz is fituated,
and beyond it viewed a ridge of hills, which lead to the
higheft part of the ifland. There is a deep circular valley,
as I was informed by the inhabitants, on the fummit of
'one of the hills, about nine miles from the town. This
cavity is about two leagues in circumference, and its fides
Hope uniformly down, covered with a rich herbage, where
many fheep are grazing in flocks, which, though belonging
to private perfons, are almoft entirely wild. Rabbits
and quails likewife are plentiful on its fides, and at the bottom
there is a lake of frelh water, well flocked with wild-
ducks. The water is faid to be about four or five feet deep
all over it. This excavation, called La Caldeira, or the
Kettle, from its figure, feems to be the crater of a former
volcano ; which becomes fo much the more probable, as
we know that fome other volcanos have exifted in the
V o l . II. 4. H Acores.
*775*
Ju l y.