Volume 1

A new general collection of voyages and travels. Consisting of the most esteemed relations, which have been hitherto published in any language; comprehending everything remarkable in its kind, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

Date:: 1745-1747

Credit: A new general collection of voyages and travels. Consisting of the most esteemed relations, which have been hitherto published in any language; comprehending everything remarkable in its kind, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Source: Wellcome Collection.

733/764 (page 673)

$San vicenu ing Sal. Here is alfo good Store of Goats and or st. V:n- Ailes, and almoft as great Plenty of Nitre as at {yrym\jSt. John's, but not fo good. The Author tried both by Fire, and found the firft always left fome fixed Salt; whereas the latter burnt clean away, except what was generated near the Sea-Side a. Fijb. These of Mr. Gennes'sFleet, who touched at the firft Port in 1695, caught great Numbers of good Filh there : One Sort of which, called a Bourfe, or Purfe, was very beautiful, having Rays darting round from its Eyes like a Glory, and fpeckled all over with hexagonal Spots, of a very bright blue Colour b. The whole Refreshment of the St.Jofeph's Crew, while Frezier was here in 1712, was Fifh, of which they took Plenty in the Bay : But there is only one Creek lying between two little Points towards the Eaft South-Eaft, where the Seyne can be ufed ; in other Places the Shore is rocky j but they made Amends with the Hook. There are Mullet, Rock-Fifh, Mauchorens, Pilchards, Grunters, white Tooth, long Beaks, and a Sort which have a Rat’s Tail, and round Spots all over them. He gives the Figure of one which was fix Foot long, and very like the Petinbuabo of Brafil. He fays like wife, that there are fome- times taken Bourfes, or Purfes, deferibed by Froger c. Zun’e. They guefled there was great Plenty of Tor- toife, by the infinite Quantity of Shells and Skeletons that lay along the Shore. The Inhabi¬ tants of St. Anthony come hither a Turtling every Year, for they both trade with, and feed on them d. FROGER affirms, that the Coafts of this Ifland abound with Turtles of different Sorts, fome weighing three or four hundred Pound Weight. Theie Creatures lay their Eggs afhore, covering them with the Sand, which alone hatches them in feventeen Days; but it is nine more be¬ fore the young Ones are able to crawl down to the Sea, by which Means about three Fourths of them become a Prey to the Birds e. While he was here, a Veflel from Newts, bound for Mar- tInico, came-in to lade Turtle for that Ifland f. Frezier fays, there are great Numbers of Whales in the Bay of St. Vincent g. Soil barren. This Ifland is very mountainous, and has very little frefh Water or Wood h. The Crew of the St. JoJepb, after being difappointed ofSanVl'cer.tr, Water at the Rivulet, penetrated a little farther,Vm' and met with feveral Salt Marfhes; and, at length, upon the South Point of the Bay, found a little Gut of Water, which ran down from the Craggs to the Sea. They dug to make it run the better, but had much ado to get it aboard, the Sea being very rough: And though perfectly frefh Water, yet it flunk in feven or eight Days. About two hundred Paces from this they got Wood, which was a Sort of Tamarind eafy e- nough to fell, and near the Shore *. SAI NT VINCENT is uninhabited : But Mr. No Gennes found about twenty Portugueze from St.tantl> Nicholas, who had been there two Years em¬ ployed in tanning Skins of Goats, with which the Ifland abounds. They have Dogs trained-up for the Purpofe, which kill a Dozen or fifteen each, every Night k. Frezier tells us, that they found at the Bay a few Cottages, the Doors of which were fo low, that there was no going-in but up¬ on all four : All the Furniture here was only fome Leathern Budgets and Tortoife - Shells, which ferved for Seats and Veflels to hold Water. The black Inhabitants 1 had quitted them on Sight of the French, though they put out EngliJ]) Colours. They faw two or three of them ftark naked in the Woods, but could not come to fpeak with them m. They found no Game there, not fo much zsGame Fcwi, a Beaft, except wild Afles and Goats on the Mountains, hard to come at: Some few Pinta- does, and no other Birds n., The Soil is fo bar- Or Fruits* ren, it produces no Fruit, only in the Valleys there are little Tufts of Tamarind-Trees, befides a few Cotton and Lemon-Trees: However, he found fome curious Plants, as the Tiihymallus Ar- borefeens, or Branched Spurge; the Abrotanum mas, or Male Southernwood, of a moll fweet Scent, and a beautiful Green ; a yellow Flower, the Stem whereof has no Leaves; the Palma Chrijli, or Ricinus Americanus, called Piiierilla by the Spaniards in Peru } who affirm, that the Leaf of it applied to the Nurfe’s Breaft brings Milk, and laid to the Loins draws it away : The Seed of it is exa&ly like the Indian Pine-Apple Kernel; in Paraguay they make Oil of it : A- bundance of Houjleek of feveral Sorts; fome of which have thick round Leaves like a Hazle-Nut a Roberts's Voyage, p. 448. b Froger, ubifupra, p. 57. « Frezier, ubifupra, p. 12, (A feq. d Ibid. p. 13. c Froger, ubi fupra, p. 52. f Ibid. p. 55. g Frezier, ubi fupra, p. 13. h Froger, ubi fupra, p. 52. Dapper fays, that on the South and no where elfe is a little frefh Water. There is frefh Water, but not very pleafant, in Wells. A Brook runs from the highefl Mountain with frefh well-tailed Water. All the rell are fulphurous and brackifh. 1 Frezier, ubi fupra, p. 12. k Froger, ubi fupra y p. 52. 1 In all Probability thefe Blacks were no other than Men employed there to tan Skins, like the Portugueze before-mentioned : Nor does it appear from Authors, that this Ifland ever was inhabited. It was quite deflitute of People when Jannequin was here in 1639. See his Voyage de Lybie, p. 200. m Fre- zier, p. 11. n Ibid. p. 13. Vol, I. N° 33, 4 R Colt-$