17&5- I judge the foil to be much the fame with that of tropical iflands
Dfiober. , • . .. . „
m general5 indeed were it capable of improvement equal to that of
England, the people are too-lazy to cultivate it; I have before
mentioned the principal articles this place produces»- Thefe in
general require little or no labour,, except the cultivation of Indian
wheat, and the manufacturing the fmall quantity of fugar-cane
which the ifland affords : from this they make a kind of fpirit,
which is here called rum, but by failors aqua dente. This they
make into punch, and render it palatable by infufing plenty of
lemon, or lime-juice, and fugar,
This ifland abounds with goats,, and their milk feems to be a
confiderable part of the people's fuftenance 3 for I obferved in all
the huts I went into, bowls filled with it, and generally a number
of cheefes. I am the more apt to believe this, as I could fee no
preparations for cooking victuals in any of the houfes, not even fo
much as a fire, though I vifited many of them at different times of
the day.
The heat o f the climate requires but little cloathing, and in this
refpect fuits the purfes of the inhabitants; for the few cloaths
they have (the foldiers excepted) feem to be purchafed at fecond-
hand, from fhips that touch here for refrefhment. I ought not to
include the women, however, (the fa ir Jex I had like to have laid)
in this remark : they wear a loofe wrapper, of cotton manufacture,
the produce of the ifland, generally ftriped with blue, after various
patterns, as their fancy fuggefts; this wrapper, with a light petticoat,
and a cap, chiefly conftitute the women’s drefs. By way of
ornament, their ears and neck are decorated with beads, or fbme
toy of trifling value, and from the neck a crofs is generally fufpend-
ed. The Portugueze look the picture of ill-health j their countenances
tenances are wan, meagre, and fallow: whether or no this is pecu- 178s.
liar to the people of that nation, or occafioned by the climate, I L _ j
cannot fay : the natives, however, in general are healthy looking
people. Their government I can fay nothing about, but I fhould
iuppofe it in fome meafure fimilar to that of Portugal. .
So much for St. Jago. Our time will not permit us to flay
longer than is neceffary to complete our water, and let the people
have a little recreation on,fhore, which is very neceflary for the
prefervation of their health : moft of this being already done, I
expert every minute to hear “ All hands up anchor a-hoy” vociferated
by the Boatfwain, with all the noify bawl that a good pair of
lungs can afford ; fo that I fhall finifh with the words of Hamlet’s
father, “ Farwel!---- remember me ! Thine ever,
W . B.
St. Jago, \
:28th Odtober. J
L E T T E R IX»
I H A V E before obferved, that I correfpond with thee as much
for my own amufement as thy information— I beg pardon 3—
I meant to fay the gratification of thy curiofity : fo that thou art
not to wonder at feeing my letters frequently dated at fea; for, in
committing our daily occurrences to paper, I am totally governed
by good weather and opportunity. Indeed-I know thee to be fo
ready to make every kind allowance, that this preamble was fcarcely
neceflary,