179=- The refidence of the friars is called a Million. We foon arrived at the
1 - _ '■ Prefidio, which was not more than a mile from our landing place.- Its
wall, which fronted the harbour, was vilible from the Ihips .but inltead.
o f the city or town, whofe lights we had fo anxioufly looked for on the
night of our arrival, we' were conducted into a fpacious verdant plain,
furrounded by hills on every fide, excepting that which fronted the
port. The .only objeft o f human .induftry. which prefented itfelf, Was
a fquare-area, whofe fides were about two hundred yards in .length, en-
clofed by a mud wall, and refembling a pound for cattle. Above this
wall the thatched, roofs of their low fmall houfes juft made their appearance.
On entering the .Prefidio, we found one o f its fides ftill
unmclofed by the wall, and very indifferently .fenced in by a few
bulhes here and there, faftened to flakes in the ground. The un-
finilhed Hate of this part, afforded us an opportunity of feeing the
ftrength of the wall, and the manner in which it was conflructed. It is
about fourteen feet high, and five feet in breadth, and was firft formed
by uprights and horizontal rafters o f large timber, between which dried
fods and moiftened earth were prelfed as clofe and as hard as poffible.;
after which the whole was cafed with the earth made into a fort of
mud plafter, which gave it the. appearance of durability, and of being
fufficiently ftrong to proteft them, with the alfiftance of their fire-arms,
again!! all the force which the natives of the country might be able to
collefh.- .
The Spanilh foldiers compofing the garrifon amounted, I underftood,
to thirty-five ; who, with their wives, families, and a few Indian fer-
vants, compofed the whole o f the inhabitants. Their houfes were along
the wall,, within the fquare, -and their fronts uniformly extended the
fame diftance into the area, which is a clear open fpac.c, without buildings
or other interruptions. The only entrance into it, is by a large
gateway; facing which, and again!! the .centre of the oppofite wall or
fide, is the church; which, though fmall, was neat in comparifon to the
reft of the buildings. This projefiis further into the fquare than the
houfes, and is diftinguilhable from the other edifices, by being white-
.walhed with lime made from fea-fhells,; as there lias not yet been any
limelime
ftone or calcareous earth difcovered in the neighbourhood. On No^ ^ cr
the left of the church, is the commandant’s houfe, confifting, I believe, 1----,—
of two rooms and a clofet only, which are divided by maffy walls, fimi-
lar to that which enclofes the fquare, and communicating with each
other by very fmall doors. Between thefe apartments and the.outward
wall was an excellent poultry houfe and yard, which feemed pretty
well flocked; and between the roof and ceilings of the rooms was a
kind of lumber garret: thefe were all the conveniencies the habitation
feemed calculated to afford. The reft of the houfes, though fmaller,
were falhioned exaéïly after the fame manner; and in the winter, or
rainy feafons, mull at the beft be very uncomfortable dwellings. For
though the walls are a fufficient fecurity again!! the inclemency of the
weather, yet the windows, which are cut in the front wall, and look
into the fquare, are deftitute of glals, or any other defence that does
not at the fame time exclude the light.
The apartment in the commandant’s houfe, into which we were ufher-
ed, was about thirty feet long, fourteen feet broad, and twelve feet high;
and the other room, or chamber, I judged to be o f the fame dimenfions,
excepting in its length; which appeared to be fomewhat lefs. The floor
was of the native foil raifed about three feet from its original level,
without being boarded, paved, or even reduced to an éven furface: the
roof, was covered in with flags and rulhes, the walls on the infide had
once been white-walhed ; the furniture confifted of a very fparing aflort-
ment of the mol! indifpenfable articles; Of the rudeft falhion, and of the
meaneft kind; and ill accorded with the ideas we had conceived of the
fumptuous manner in which the Spaniards live on this fide of the globe.
It-would, however, be the higheft injuftice,- notwithftanding that
elegancies were wanting, not to acknowledge the very cordial reception
and hearty welcome we experienced from our worthy hoft; who
had provided a refrelhing repaft, andfuch an one as he thought likely
to be mol! acceptable at that time of the day; nor Was his lady lels
alfiduous, nor did Ihe feem lefs happy than himfelf, in entertaining her
new guefts..
On