1785. being ill that is in his power, all other neceflaries being furnifhed
u °ber_'. by a Portugueze merchant, who refides within a quarter of a mile
rfrom the beach.
-Every thing for our difpatching bufinefs being fettled, I had the
pleafure of going on fhore with our Captains. An old Negro (a
native of the Ifland) revived us on the beach ; he could fpeak a
little broken Englilh, and on underftanding our bufinefs , went along
with us to the merchant’s houfe, and proved very ferviceable, for
none of us knew, a word of Portugueze, and he could fpeak no
Englilh, fo that the old man ferved as an'interpreter.
We were received with great civility and politenefs, and treated
with fome excellent Madeira, Capilaire, oranges, &c. We paid a
guinea for each veflel, as a kind o f port charge, and entered their
. names in a book kept for that purpofe, together with their delti-
nation, and from whence they came.
Captain Portlock agreed with this gentleman for fbme beef, and
a few other neceflaries ; but our interpreter informed us, that the
country people would furnifh us with many things we wanted, on
cheaper terms than this gentleman.
On going to Praya we found a kind of market held there, a
number of people being aflembled from various parts of the Ifland,
with different articles to fell, fuch as hogs, fheep, goats, fowls,
turkies, &c. together with oranges, lemons, limes, cocoa-nuts,
bananas, a few pine-apples, and fmall quantities o f clayed fugar,
which they make up in parcels like our bafkets of fait. The fruit
©f every kind was fine, and peculiarly acceptable to us, not only
becaufe
i> l' i i
25
Becaufe they ferved in a moft agreeable manner to quench, thirfl:,
hut likewife as they are.excellent anti-fcorbutics...
1785.
Odtober.
O f their live Rock, the hogs and turkies are by far the heft;
their goats and iheep being very thin and fpare, and their bullocks
(for fo it feems they call them} not fo large as an Englilh year-old
calf;, yet.fo poor are the people, that none of them could furnifh.
us with any beef, the merchant,, it feems, being the only perfon
Here able to carry on that traffic. We found old cloaths and toys -
in greater eftimation than cafh amongft thefe people, efpecially in
exchange for their lefs valuahle articles, fuch as goats, fowls, fruit,
&c. This was a lucky circumftance for us, as Englifh coin is not
current here ;, however, it was necefiary to have fome eafh, which
we got by applying to the merchant, who exchanged our guineas
for Spanilh dollars, giving us four dollars, equal here to five fhil-
lings each, for a guinea; fo that the courfe of exchange here i s .
nearly fifteen per cent, againft us. The. belt way for any Captain t
who propofes to touch at this place for a fupply of provifions, &c..
would.be, to bring a few articles o f hard-ware, fuch as knives,,
buckles, razors, &c. &c. thefe would fetch a good profit, and fur- -
nifli him with whatever cafh he might want..
I have not time to add more at prefent, but will finifh. my account
of . this place in my next.. Thine, &c.
W .B , .
Eort-Pea v a , (St. Jago,) I
26th October.. S s