IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ 7^ ^ <• V^^." %^.^ 4^ ^ ^ 1.0 I.I bilM 125 ■u lii 1 2.2 ■ 2.0 140 IL25 11 1.4 6" ^^ % V'*' /^ V^V'^ 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^.^' 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M5S0 (716)673-4503 ■^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Instituta for Historical I^Microreproductions / Institut Canadian da microreproductions historiquas :\ \ Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notat tachniquas at bibliographiquaa Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographlcally unlqua, which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. 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This item is filmed at tha reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est fiimi au taux da rMuction indiqu^ ci-dessous 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 12X - ' 16X 20X 74X 28X 32X Th« copy filin«d h«r« has b««n r«produc«d thanks to tha ganarosity of: Library of tha Public Archivas of Canada L'axampiaira film* fut raproduit grlca A la ginArositi da: La bibiiothAqua das Archivas publiquas ^lU Canada Tha Intagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality possibia considaring tha condition and iagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacificatlons. Laa imagas suivantas ont AtA raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da l'axampiaira filmA. at an ccnformitA avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copiaa in printad papar covars ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illuatratad impras- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Laa axamplairas originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast ImprimAa sont filmAs an commandant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous las autras axamplairas originaux sont filmAs an commandant par la pramiAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfieha shall contain tha symbol —^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whirhavar applias. Un das symbolas suivants apparattra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microfieha. salon la caa: la symbols — ► signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols V signifia "FIN". Maps, platas, charts, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba entiraiy includad in ona axposura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams illustrata tha mathod: Las cartas, pianchas, t&biaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmAs A das taux da rAduction diffArants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul clichA. 11 ast filmA A partir da I'angia aupAriaur gaucha. da gaucha A droita. at da haut 9n bas. an pranant la nombra d'imagas nAcassaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 .* A€iria Ji^ex dl turn ^i«*^' ] V r^-t- t/'^IVt Lbdl ^ ^iife Li^r."^ I'iftfUfiuirta, ^Ib^^ad^^ -^^ F \y If F I i1 I 1^-% .*. ^-^-■**-- VOYAGES T O CALIFORNIA, NEWFOUNDLAND, AND 8 A L L E E, fl \ ' « . \ i it ■I CONTENTS. T7 O Y A G E to Mexico — -^ ▼ Aftronomical experiments and obfcrvations — . Arrival at Vera Cruz — . ^ Defcription of the harbour and town of Vera Cruz — — Route through the Province of Mexico Defcription of the City of Mexico — Paffage from San Bias to California — Natural Hiftory of Mexico — -, Page X 9 15 16 27 40 55 77 Voyage to Newfoundland — — -_ Trial of a lock to afcertain what way a fhip makes — — Method of curing and fairing the green cod — 109 112 I20 Defcrijnion fl ,.«f 1! '^\ CONTENTS. Pefcription of Saint Pierre — — Manner of preparing and drying the cod — — — — — Cautions as to the ro.id of St. Pierre Obfcrvations on the Time Keepers ac that place — — — — Voyage from St. Pierre to Sallee — Defcription of Sallee ^— — — . of the tower of Aflan — Voyage to Cadiz — — — — Account of Cadiz — — — — Obfervations on the Time Keepers at that place — — — — Voyage from Cadiz to Breft — — r> age 138 145 154 158 160 j68 «'/9 201 209 212 ;'j;i. :.{ ly VOYAGE :'*m f . k ?'^ I f .'age 138 145 '54 158 160 j68 201 i05 I ADVERTISEMENT. THESE Voyages were un- dertaken on important oc- cafions, and executed by Gentle- men eminent in their refpedivc walks of Science, for the public utility. The performances were fo well approved by the French nation, that they went through feveral editions, and tlic Tranf- lator hopes that they will be re- ceived with equal plealure by every Englifli reader. — Many of the remarks and obfcrvations contained in them, muft be al- lowed to be very intcrefiing to the Public, and the whole con- tents entertaining and inftruc- tive. C O N- I *, I 1} > e A / / I ) /? VOYAGE T O MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA. 1 Set out from Paris September i8, 1768, for Havre de Grace, where I was to em- bark/ I was attended by a fervant, and * Mr. Chappe's Journal begins but at his de- parture from Cadiz to Vera Cruz. All the fafls I relate in the beginning of this account, previous to that period, arc colleaed from his own letters, and from the accounts of his fel- low travellers. B by *. 2 VOYAGE TO MEXICO by throe other perfons, who had engaged to go along with me to California, and to fiiare the labours and dangers of (o long a voyage. Mr. Pauly, the King's Engineer and Geographer, from whofe talents I cxpeded great afliflance, was to fecond me in my agronomical and geographical operations : Mr. Noel, a pupil of the Academy of Painting, was intended for our drav.ghtfman, to take draughts of fea coafts, plants, animals, and whatever we might meet with that was curious : laftly, Mr. Dubois, a watchmaker, was intruded with the care of preferving my inftruments, and repairing the little mifchiefs they too often fuftain in fuch long voyages. ■■*.'■''■■ y Whoever confiders the prodigious ex- tent of a paffage of feveral thoufand leagues, fuch as 1 was going to undertake ; and refleds that one unlucky moment, the kafl: intervening cloud, might in one day defeat all our hopes, and render fruitlefs *^ AND CALIFOiPvNIA. [o much toll ?*".d expence, will not wonder at my taking tbefe precautions, to draw other advantages from this voyage : that in cafe we (hould be fo unfortunate as to fail in oui main purpofe, we might in fome meafure mai^e amends to the learned world for this lofs. Aftronomy, geogra- phy, phyfic, and natural hidory, were the objects I propofed. If the apparatus and materials requifite for that purpofe were bo'h cumberfome and coftly, I was fully repaid by the pleafing hopes of improving my voyage to more purpofes than one. I arrived at Havre de Grace on the zid of September, and found the fhip Le Noiiveau Mercure, commanded by Cap- tain Le Clerc, ready to fail for Cadiz. I embarked the 27th with my company and inflruments, and we fct fail the next day. We had a very rough paflage^ a hard gale that we met with north of Cape Finifterre, left the fea very tempeftuous for B 2 near >,«r^ 1 l\ I u ! 'i 4 VOYAGE TO MEXICO near a week after. The winds were zU inuft always contrary, fo that we were one and twenty days going from Havre to Cadiz, which is commonly done in half the time. We arrived at Cadiz October 17. The Spanifh fleet which was to convey us to Vera Cruz, had already been in the road a whole month, and feemed ready to fail. This gave me joy at firft, little knowing how didant that departure was, which to me feemed fo near -, iWW lefs did I forefee the difficulties I was to encounter, joined with the tedioufnefs of a delay, which a thoufand times made me defpair of getting in time to California. s. The very moment I landed, I haftened to wait on the governor of Cadiz, the in- tendant of the navy, and the Marquis de Tilly, general of the fleet. Thele gen-> tlcmcn received me with the grcatef^ civi- lity. K S" :o ere aU e were Havre in half The y us to e road to fail, lowing ich to brefee joined ich a etting tened le in- lis de gen- civi- lity. AND CALIFORNIA. g lity. Mr. de Tilly having (ignified to me the orders of his court, by which he was enjoined to take me on board his fleet, with only a watchmaker and a draughtfman, I was in the utmoft aftonifliment to find that flo mention was made of Mr. Paul}', my fecond. I reprefented to M. de Tilly that this omifiion, falling juft upon the very man I could lead fpare, mud be merely owing to a miftake : he was very fenfible it was fo, and aflbred me that on his part I (hould meet with no difficulty in the affair. But unfortunately, the em- barking of the paflengers was not wholly in his power ; it principally concerned the Marquis de Real Theforo, prefident of the ContraBatioJi, and to him we were to ap- ply. Then it was that I met with fred^ pbftacles. In the orders of the court, communi- cated by the intendant to the prefident of the contradlatlon, no mention was made B 3 but • V , fi t r I:; , i; ■f-. t Hi I • 1 6 V Y A G E TO M E X I C O but of me. The latter confequently, far from allowing Mr. Pauly to attend me, would make out no order but for myfelf alone, and only one inftrument. ^ ';:".~r. " conccr what I fuffered from thefc uiicxpcdled difappointments. At firfl: fight, they appeared to me fuch as might eiifily be removed by only ex- plaining the matter, but I was foon con- vinced nothing was to he expeded that way. I tiieicfljre difpatched a courier to the Marquis d'OiTun, our ambaffador at Madrid, to acquaint him of my fituation, and defirc him to procure from the court of Spain fuch precife orders, as (hould leave no room for any more cavilling. The courier returned in about a week, and all was at length fettled to my fatis- fadion. I therefore fent my inftruments on board the commodore, and impatient- ly waited for the moment when I could myfelf embaik with all my attendants. Ihad *•: f ; AND CALIFORNIA. 7 I had already lingered a whole month at Cadiz, and the time of our departure was ftill uncertain. When I calculated the time it would take to reach Vera Cruz, then to travel t'lree hundred leagues by land to San-Blas, and afterwards to crofs the Vermeille fea to California, I forefaw it was morally impofliblc we ftiould get there in time for our obferva- tion, if we were retarded ever fo little longer. I wrote to the Marquis d'OfTun, requeuing, that in cafe the fleet did not fail immediately, I might be permirted to embark on board the firft fliip, no matter which, provideii we might be conveyed to Vera Cruz without lofs of time, and fail as fwift as poflible. The court of Spain, fenfible of the neceffity of taking fuch a ftep, readily ac- quiefced, as our requeft could only be dictated by a zeal for the undertaking. Orders were illued, in cafe the fleet (hould B 4 be 8 VOYAGE TO MEXICO be delayed, Inftantly to fit out a Bilander, or light veflel to tranfport me to Ve^a Cruz, together with Meflieurs Doz and Medina, two navy officers, and aftrono- mers to his Catholic Majefty, deftined to obferve the tranfit of Venus jointly with me, and at the fame place. This frefli order from court foon chang- ed the face of affairs. At lad: I faw the wifhed-for moment that had i'o long deluded my hopes. A vefTcl with only twelve Kands, was fitted out in a trice. I was flill more expeditious in removing my inflruments that were on board the Commodore (hip. The frailty of the vefTel I was going to venture in, and on which account fome people endeavoured to intimidate me, was in my eyes but one merit the more. Judging of her fwiftnefs by her lightnefs, I preferred her to the iinefl fhip of the line. At length we fct fail, and at that inflant I felt a tranfport of AND CALIFORNIA. 9 of joy, which was not to be equalled till I landed in California. ■ ■ '>!> ' . ^ , . -, I (liall not trouble the reader with the journal of our paflage from Cadiz to Vera Cruz ^ as it offers nothing but what is common to all long voyages. Every kind 9f weather, calms, (lorms, winds, fome- times fair, fometimes contrary; flich is in few words the hiftory of molt voyages j and as to ours, we may add, a continual toiling of our little nut-fliell, which was ih very light as to be the fport of the fmalleft wave. it I. I fpent the whole time of our voyage in making phyfical and aflronomical ex- perime»)ts and obfervations ; fuch as, comparing the height of the different * Here begins Mr. Chappe's regular journal. I thought it beft to fupprefs the particulars of a tedious navigation, as it muft be tirefome to the reader, and contains nothing that is curious. ther- '^ f KU V'l to VOYAGE TO MEXICO thermometers, fomc plunged into the fea at different depths, others in open air; I afcertained the declination and inclination of the magnetic needle in different latitudes ; laflly, I made feveral obfervations relative to the diftance of the moon from the ftars. I will not conceal the difHculties I met with when J endeavoured to make ufc of the wega^ meter for thefc obfervations.' I tried feveral times to ufe this inftrument, and never could fucceed hut once, when the fiiip was quite fteady ; that time, I got the moon full in the lens, which I never could when the fea was in motion. Per- ' It is proper to take notice, that the follow- ing reflexions on the feveral inftruments for taking obfervations at fea, and afcertaining longitudes, are taken almoft word for word from Mr. Chappe's own journal ; I have never allowed niyfclf to add any thing in matters which might be of fome moment, efpecially where the author has notions peculiar to himfelf. ml^' haps ii:^ the AND CALIFORNIA. n haps this was for want of pra<^ice ; however, 1 was obliged to have rccourfc to the odant, which I employed with much more eafc and fuccefs. I attempted in vain to obfcrve Jupiter's fatellites with the new telefcopc propofed to the academy by Abbe Rochon. Irdeed the field of this telefcope was rather too fmall 5 I favv Jupiter plain enough, but could not lee the fatellites. All thefe trials fuggefted to me that it will be a hard matter to fucceed ia inventing inftrumcnts of eafy ufe at fea, if they reft upon nothing more than the hand of the obferver. One remark more I fliall make on the determination of longitudes by diftances of the moon from the (lars. The tedious calculations which this method requires, with the accuracy and attention requifite in the obfervation itfelf, make it doubtful to me whether it will ever be fit for the ufe of trading veflels. It % ^■^ *! !| 12 VOYAGE TO MEXICO It muft be confcfTcd, it requires no fmall degree of refolution, even in perfons bcfl: acquainted with thtfc (luilies, to add to the fatigues of the fea, ihofe of a nice obfervation, and of the tedious calcula- tions confequent upon it. This convinces me that tl>e ufe of time-keepers; from its extreme eafe, will be found to be of more general fervicc in the navyj it requires no inftruments but what feamen are accuflomcd to j no nicety is wanted in the obfervation ; laftly, the calculation is /liort and eafy ; a n. jft important advan- tage this, in many cafes, and particularly at fea. Thefe feveral operations, to which I devoted the whole time of our pafTage, made it appear lefs tedious, and helped me to pafs away with fome pleafure the feventy-feven days it lafted. I muft fay that the fea-faring life is tirefome and uniform to fuch only as have not ac- cuflomed #■ AND CALIFORNIA. 13 cuftomed themfelvcs to look about them, and who behold all nature with an eye of indifference 5 but to an attentive fpcc- tator, the fca offers objcdts very capable of entertaining the mind, and excrcifing all the intelledlual powers. Nature has beauties even in her horrors; nay, it is there perhaps that (lie is mod admirable and (ublime. The calmncfs of a fine day is in fome meafurc lels interefting than thofc moments of diftrefs, when the waves, lifted up by the winds, feem confounded with the Iky, Deep gulphs are opening every moment. At this inftant, man fhudders at the fight of a danger that appears inevitable; but anon, when he fees the calm fuccced the tempefl, his admiration turns upon him- felf, upon thevefleJ, upon the pilot, who are come off conquerors over the moft formidable elements. A fecret pride then rifes in his mind ; he fays within himfelf <* If man, as an individual, is but a fpeck, "an atom in this vaft univerfe, he is, by I . <« his 14 VOYAGE TO MEXICO *« his genius and his daring Ipirit, worthy *« to embrace its whole extent, and to ** penetrate into the wonders it contains." :ii 'Ml, ■'ill li ■''i Nothing indeed gives a higher notion of the Lompafs of the human mind, than that art, now brought to fuch perfed:ionj of fleering fafely over the tracklefs ocean, and on ii floating manfion, to traverfe immenfe fpaces, in fpite of two combined elements* Who tnat refleds on the numberlcfs dangers of the fea, but muft cry out with Horace : Illi robur Sc xs triplex Circa pedus erat, qui fragilein truci Conimiiit pel ago ratem. This is what I repeated a thou fan d times on our voyage, thinking on Chriftopher Colomb, Gryalva, and ail thofe firll intrepid mariners, who, in quefl of a new world, upon a mere furmife of its cxlflence, fuggefled by their own genius, dared ■^ \ ^m it *^' AND CALIFORNIA. 15 dared to undertake near three hundred years ago, thofe very voyages which at this day we iflill account dangerous, though affifted with a thoufand helps that were wanting in the days of thofc great men. We arrived at Vera Cruz on the 6th of March, 1769, about two in the after- noon. We caft anchor within a league and half of the coaft, intending next morning to double the breakers that defend the entrance of the harbour, but could not reach them till the 8th, when we entered the canal. Then it was, that finding ourfelves furrounded on all fides by threatening rocks, we made a fignal for a pilot, and hoifted French colours, but this was the ready way to get no afliftance. Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina had wifely advifed our captain to hoift Spanifh colours, but he would not, and from this we had well nigh perifhed. It k » I Tlll-i' 'fir V'l'i 11 'M. it! '\i- l6 VOYAGE TO MEXICO It feems the entrance into the port of Vera Cruz being prohibited to all foreign fliips, our fignal had been anfwered by the firing of a gun, to compel us to anchor in the canal -, this was devoting us to certain dellrudtion. The canal leads to the harbour among rocks which rtand fo clofe, that there is but juft room for one fhip to get through. The wind then blew from the north, and bearing full upon the rocks, made it exceedingly dangerous to anchor in fuch a narrow pafs. Yet we were forced to comply, from an exprefs order fcnt us by a floop* So critical was our pofition, that of a hundred veflels which anchor there, not two efcaped, as we were told afterwards. There we remained, in the cruel expec- tation of feeing ourfelves every moment daihed again ft the furrounding rocks, till the Governor of Vera Cruz being informed that our (liip though a French bottom, came CO port of foreign ered by us to evoting J canal i which ^ room »e wind rearing ?dingly 1 arrow 3ii"»ply, floop* • of a e, not vards. xpec- )ment ;, till rmed :tom, :amc M It fyj* ¥- AND CALIFORNIA. 17 came thither by order of the court of Spain, fent us leave to come in. This mcflage was as joyfully received as it had been impatiently expcdted. We weighed anchor, and at laft entered the harbour of Vera Cruz, after a paffage of feventy- {even days, having failed from Cadiz the 2 1 ft of December. It Was high time ouc voyage (hould be at an end, for our whole provifion was reduced to one (heep, five fowls, and water for a week at moft. The hurry with which our vefTel was equipped at Cadiz, did not allow us to take all the neceflary precautions for fo long a voyage. Half our live provifions died within the firft fortnight, and great part of the others had been thrown overboard. In other refpedls, we had a tolerable paffage, till thefe laft moments; which indeed were cruel ones, as we faw our- felves ready to perifti at the very mouth of the harbour, thanks to our flag that C ou^ht i8 VOYAGE TO MEXICO ought to have proteded us, confidering the alliance between both nations. s i . ii.; M ii;h! Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina went afhore firft, to confer with the governor, who fent me a boat two hours after. I ftepped in with Mr. Pauly my fecond. That north wind, which we had fo long dreaded in the canal, increafed hourly, and already blew fo vehemently as to make our land^ ing difficult 5 however, we got fafe afliore, but another boat that came after us, had four of her men blown overboard, who with much ado faved their lives by fwim- niing afhore. I had no fooner entered the town, but it blew a mod furious hurricane. All intercourfe with our fhip was then cut off. She had barely time to run for (lielter behind the caftle of St. Juan d'Ulua, the only place where a ihip can be fcreened from the north wind. For three days ->mK .a w. CO ifidering afhore r, who stepped That readed Iready land- /hore, had who wim- biit AJI cut for lua, be ree ayj AND CALIFORNIA. 19 days that this florm laded, I was in th« greateft anxiety for my inftruments, and for my people whom I had left behind, as it was impofliblc to land them, and I well knew their fafety depended entirely upon the ftrength of the cables with which they were moored. Had thefe cables broken or given way, they muft inevitably have periflicd before our eyes, without a poflibility of giving them the lead afliil- ance. Every year affords but too many inftances of the like difafters, which make the port of Vera Cruz very formidable. We were fo lucky as not to add to the dreadful lift. The calm returned, and I eagerly feized the firft moments to land all my effeds and my attendants -, then it was that I felt the tranfporting pleafure of being all once more together in a place of fafety, and delivered from thofc anxie- ties which are unavoidable upon fo incon- flant an element as the fea. The paffage C 2 that ■V--* :i (!■ "ii;!!: •ft i 20 VOYAGE TO MEXICO that ftill lay before us to California, was to be more fatiguing but lefs dangerous. The governor of Vera Cruz was juft dead, and the deputy Governor adted in his flead, till the Viceroy fhould appoint another : he it was who received us, and he loaded us with civilities the whole time we ftaid there. This was not long ; only as much as was neceffary to prepare for our next voyage. The place ofTcrs nothing that was worth ftaying for. La Vera Cruz is fituated by the fea fide, in the fouthern part of Mexico. It is furrounded on the north with barren fands, and on the well: with bogs that have been drained 3 this makes the fitua- tion both difagreeabh and unwholefome. What J have already faid, fufficiently fhews how dangerous a harbour it is ; the gufls of north wind, fo frequent in the gulph of Mexico, are much to be dreaded here. f^ >;,i : f - Mi.* a, was •ous. - i as juft led in ppoint ■ f 5, and .Mi whole f long; •epare offers e Tea . It irren that tua- •me. ntly is; the ded ;re. AND CALIFORNIA. 2t here. Neverthelefs, this port is much frequented, efpecially once in two years, when the Spanifli fleet comes thither, to unload he European goods, which are afterwards to be fold, and diftributed all over Mexico, and to bring home that fjlver and thofe immenfe treafures, the third of which, coft the lives of fo many thoufands, and made the wretched fub- jeds of Montezuma the fad vid:ims of the infatiable greedinefs of the Europeans. La Vera Cruz contains no grand edifice. The Governor's houfe has nothing that diftinguiOies it from the reft, which are all built after the Spanifh manner. There is one church and three monafteries. The ftreets are tolerably ftrait, and of a com- mon breadth. The town is encompaffed with walls, and has four gates, each flanked with two towers. There are two baflions at the ends of the wall next the water fide. Thefe fortifications are in a C 3 fad 22 VOYAGE TO MEXICO i'' (.1 fad condition ; the bed defence is the fortrefs belonging to the caftle of S. Juan d'Ulua. It is built on a rock which rifes in the middle of the harbour, facing the town at fome diftance. A deputy lodges and commands in this caftle, and is inde- pendent of the governor of Vera Cruz, who comrtiands in the town. The day we landed, the governor's fubftitute wrote to the viceroy to inform him of our arrival : the latter foon fent orders to facilitate our further voyage, and that we fhould be furnifhed with as many men and mules as we Wanted, to carry our baggage and inflruments. From Vera Cruz to St. Bias (where we were to embark, in order to crofs the Vermeille fea) We had to travel about three hundred leagues, partly through defart lands, and by the worft roads imaginable. It is ealily conceived, what trouble •♦: s' • ■ :,, i •.is*> N»i o Trl '^'• ^ ■^ AND CALIFORNIA. 23 trouble we had in preparing for fuch a long and inconvenient journey. Firft, we were obliged to unpack all our things and to make them up in fmall loads, fit for mules to carry ; confequently, we wanted a :eat many beads ; the more as we w re utidcr a neceflity of carrying our beds and tents along with us, being to halt in places deftitute of habitations. Next came the care of providing food : We were told we fhould find few re- fources that way along the road. The Indians feed upon poor breads made of the meal of Indian corn ; they grind it the heft they can between two ftoncs, and tempering the coarfe flour with a little water, they make it into cakes, which they bake upon a flat ftone, clap- ping it on the middle of a great fire. Thefe loaves, which they call tortillas^ are not much better than fea-bifcuit, of which we had made a fmall provifion, C 4 As i n,!, ,i't 24 VOYAGE TO MEXICO As to the other niefles that the Indians feaft upon, they put in (o much pimento, and pour fuch bad oil over them, that it is impoflible, efpecially fur a French- man, to touch a bit. Wc therefore bought at Vera Cruz a great quantity of hams, and fait pampano. I muft: not emit fpeaking of this fil]). The pampano is very plenty in the fouthern part of the gulph of Mexico ; it is caught from February to April ; after that, there is no more to be found. This fifli is commonly a foot and a half long, and about fix inches wide ; it has no fcalesj the fkin, which is perfedly fmooth, is of a flate colour, inclining to a pearly white, and grows yellowifli towards the belly. The pampano has no teeth ; the flcdi is exceedingly nice : the Spaniards extol it above all other fea fifh. Indeed we found it excellent good, frefli j but when faked it is very indifferent. We took 'I •'A I" AND CALIFORNIA. 25 took forne to cat upon the road, only for v/ant of Ibmething better ; and could not even preferve it long, the weather being very hot. Two other kinds of fifh abound in the rivers about Vera Cruz ; the one is called Jiirgo^ in Spanifli, and appears to me to be the fame as our turbot ; the other is called corobo^ which in SpaniHi lignifies hump backed^ and is expreflive of its Ihape. As thefe fidi are very common, it is necdlefs to dcfcribe them. The quadrupeds found at Vera Cruz and in Mexico are the fame as in Europe: but among the infeds, there is one that deferves particular notice, and this is the nigua. The nigua is black, fomevvhat like a flea, and as Imall. It commuitly tatiens to the feet or hands, and by degrees works itlelf 26 VOYAGE ToMEXICO 'ffT. M is! ilfclf into the flefh, which it gnaws, and at laft caules violent itchiiigs. It wrap6 itldf up in a bag of the fize of a pea, and there lays its eggs. If it is left too long in the wound, or if in picking it out you happen to burft it, the part is found full of the animaFs eggs, and you are forced to cut awny all the fie(h that is infefted with this vermin. But the worfl is, that the wound, they tell you, proves mortal if any water is fuffered to touch it. And indeed, the firfl: thing perfbns do, after they have extradcd the nigua^ is to fill lip the hole with tallow. This infe(5t is very comn>on about Vera Cruz ; the Indians have their feet fadly mauled by them, and all diftorted by the incifions they are forced to make whenever they are flung. It appears that this infeft is likevvile found in a province of Peru. Frezici*, in his account of a voyage to the * Account of n fouih fca voyage to the coafts of Chili and Peru, p. 214. fblith . ■■■ :*\ i Ni ':vi :o •s, and t wraps :a, and )0 long >ut you ind full 5 forced infeOed is, that mortal . And 0, after to fill infedt is ; the led by ncifions r they fed is Peru. to the :oafts of foiith AND C A L I F O R N I A. 27 fouth fca, gives nearly the fame particu- lars, but calls the infc(fl pico, I fhould think this muft be Icfs venomous than the nigua of Vera Cruz, for he fays no- thing of the deadly efFcdt of water. - We left Vera Cruz the i8th of March in the evening, and took the road to Mexico. We had hired two litters, one for Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina, the other for Mr. Pauly and myfelf ; the reft rode on mules, and went before, with the Indians who drove our baggage. We kept along the fea Ihorc for two hours, advancing to the north weft, and then turned off to the inland country through immenfe woods. In three hours we came to a river, on the other fide of which is a village called P'ieja Fera Cruz. This is the fpot where Vera Cruz formerly ftood. The river that runs at the foot of tliis old Vera Cruz is about as broad as the Seine j you crofs it in a large ferry- boat, 28 ROUTE THROUGH THR i 11^ Il*!!iil''!! Il^:i:'- boat, railed in on both fides with beams about iv°n foot high. We faw nothing remarkable in this foifaken town, which is now but a very fmall village, inhabited by none but Indians; but what made this place very comfortable for us, was, the good refrefliments we found there, and particularly wheatcn bread, far better than what we had enjoyed at New Vera Cruz. We were told we (hould meet v/ith no more fuch all the reft: cf the way, fo we laid in of it for four or five days. This was fuch luck as travellers muft make much of. p: I ' The following day we fet cut for Xalapa, the next town, and diftant from Vina Vera Cruz about two days journey. We found upon the road only a few little hamlets, confifting of two or three houfes each, fcmetimes but one, and in thefe a traveller can hardly get water to quench his thirft. From Vieja Vera Cruz to the hermitage 1 beams nothing which ihabited t made IS, was, i there, ar better EW Vera Id meet t cf the ir or five raveliers out for nt from ourney. ew httle ; houfes thefe a quench z to the :rmitage PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 29 hermitage of las Animal which is about fifteen leagues, not one fpring or brook is to be met with, to quench that in- tolerable thirft occafioncd by the vehement heat, and the dufl raifed by the mules. Sometimes indeed, you meet with Indian women, flationed on the road, who fell milk to travellers. They commonly keep at fome diftance from the road, and even hide behind a tree or bufh ; fo that you muft be acqiiainted with their tricks, or you would be never the better for them. They will let travellers go by, efpecially if they be foreigners, without ever offering them any of their milk ; but our Indian guides gave us notice whenever they fpied any of thefe women : we made up to them, and they condutfted us to a little hut made of fhrubs, where we found a cow, and there we quenched our thirft at a very fmall experxe. We did not meet with this good luck fo often as wc wifhed. In i 30 ROUTE THROUGH THE IM!< ii ':Mi! In the fine countries of Europe, where conveniencies of every ikind abound upon the high roads, the traveller perceives a change of climate only by a change of enjoyments ; but with us k was far other- wife. Exceflive heat, frightful roads, and the flownefs of our mules of burden, hardly fuffered us to travel at the rate ef ten leagues a day, which made our journey very tedious and tirefome. Nothing in- terefting to make us amends. We tra- verfed on uncultivated lands or forefts, and faw nothing but rude nature. I con- fefs flie is not without her beauties -, but in time the eye grows weary of them j uniformity grows infipid, variety only has charms, and this the traveller fecks when he goes from country to country. We arrived at Xalapa the 21ft of March. This town, which ftands clofe to a moun- tain, is divided into two parts -, the one is at , ■:if .,^. ^'mp where upon eives a [ige of other- is, and hardly ef ten journey ing in- Ve tra- forefts, I con- 5 ; but them; nly has s when I March. moun- one is at PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 31 zt the foot, the other on the flope of the mountain. The houfes are of ftone, and pretty well built, but there is no remark- able edifice. A confiderable trade is car- ried on at Xalapa, which, every two years brings thither a great many Spaniards and Indians, who come towards the month of March. Then it is, that for the fpace of fix weeks, a famous fair is held, where all the merchandizes brought to Vera Cruz by the Spani(h fleet, and from thence by land to Xalapa are fold, and afterwards retailed all over Mexico. Thefe European commodities confift of cloth, filks, mullins, linenofall forts, but chiefly fine clear lawns from Britany, toys, fleel, iron work, &c. The Mexicans give in exchange cochineal and money, for as to gold or filver bul- lion, no body is allowed to have any, and the exportation of it is flridlly prohibited. A breach of the regulations refpeding the mines, is the greatefl crime that can be committed 4 i 32 ROUTE THROUGH THE committed in Mexico. A falfe coiner, is hanged, a murderer is only imprifoned or banilhed. ' ' ' " '. 1 had feveral letters of recommendation, which had been given me at Cadiz for fomc merchants fettled at Xalapa, but as we came in very late, and were defirous of fetting out early the next morning, I put off delivering them till my return. The environs of Xalapa exhibited what we had fcldom feen fince we left Vera Cruz, cultivated grounds, trees of all forts, thick groves, a'l which befpoke a fertile foil ; and indeed very good Indian corn grows about Xalapa. Jufl without the town we found a hand- fome caufeway, walled in on both (ides, which led to the top of the mountain. It is a hard road, and would be a very pleafant one if not fo fleepi indeed the mountain is extremely ■f i" THE PROVINCE OF MKXICO. 33 oiner* is bned or idatlon, idiz for but as defirous •ning, I return. :ed what sft Vera all forts, a fertile ian corn a hand- th fides. 1. It is a ■ ^1,-' fant one .^'- ntain is ;trcme]y 1 1% extremely high. When we got to the top, wc enjoyed a ffioft fingular profpedt ; for we flood fo high that the clouds were our horizon. At fome di (lance from Xa- lapa, I begun to obferVe iron lying in blackifh llrata along the road. Soon after, the foil (hewed evident tokens of an extinguKhed volcano. In fome places, a light mofs hardly covered dry ftones and lavas that lay acrofs the road j which feemed to me to indicate that this volcano, wherever it Vvas, had not been long ex- tinguished, as thefe lavas were not yet covered with earth. Nature, in this placc^ bore the marks cf the greatest diforder. From Xalapa to Las-Bigasy the next hamlet, diltant about fix leagues, we did nothing but go up and down hill, croffing a ridge of mountains that extends in breadth ": both thefe place?. The ham- let of L^^B/^^J, like thole we had mei with before we got to Xalspa, ccnliffs D only Fffi! II; ,1 till k I'll 1 ,i-i-l| 34 ROUTE THROUGH TH» only of two or three houfes, but thsy ara- better built. From Vera Cruz, the In- dian huts are made with reeds, placed^ perpendicularly, and even at fome dif- tance apart^ \o that they are but poorly iheltered from the weather j befides, all along the houCe, between the roof and the top of the wall that fupports it^ they kave a fpace or opening for an outlet to the fmoke, their fire being made in the middle of the room. But beyond Xa- lapa, as tbe ground is higher, and higher, and confequcntly the temperature of the air colder, the dwellings arc much tighter and clofer. The walls are of ftone, and in many places of llone calcined in fome volcano. Thefe calcined flones are very common in thofe regions. The inhabitants of Las-Brs:as are mu- laitoes; the women go half naked, and fhevv a moft frightful neck. The ufual drefs of the Indian women confills of two pieces .' ^ f I' (i.';' they aro- the In- , placed )nie dif- t poorly des, all oof and it^ they DUtlet to in the nd Xa- higher, ; of the i tighter ne, and in fome ire very. re mu- d, and le ufual of two pieces PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 35 pieces of ftuff, one that Is fixed about their waift, and hangs half way down their legs in the fhape of a petticoat -, and the other, like a tablecloth, wraps over their (houlders, and covers them down to the waift. This kind of a cloak, which they call pagfiorok.^, they feldom wear but when they go abroad j at home they com- monly pull it ofFj and fo remain half na- ked. As to the men, they wear linen troufers, much like ihofe of the failors, and over ihefe another pair made with fkin. Their body is covered with a waifl- coat without fleeves, or elfe they throw a woollen thing over their fliouldcrs, like the women's pagnorobos. In fome places fjr remote from any town, they go almoft totally naked. The Indians arc of an olive complexion, have black eyes and hair, ilout legs, and a flat nofe. The women are of the fame colour, and no very plcafing figures : they 1) 2 commonly I '**' 36 ROUTE THROUGH THE commonly marry at nine or ten years okij, and bear children till they are thirty-five or forty, but they feldom can rear a large family. The fmall pox and meafles carry off a great many children, efpecially when the Indians, in order to cure them, put them into a fweating bath, which almoft inftantly kills them. '!tl(! :"'ir<\ The ill treatment thefe poor Indians re- ceive from their mailers, contributes as much as ficknefs to dedroy the race ; and the mines where they make them work,^, yearly prove fatal to an infinite number of thefe poor wretches. The immenfe la- bours they have gone through at Mexico in draining the lake, have likewife been the death of many thoulands ; infomuch that the province of Mexico is now but a vafl: defert, compared to what it was in the time of Montezuma. The "/.v s oldi ty-five large s carry when , put iimoil ns re- tes as ; and work,., ber of fe la- exico been nuch but a as in PHOVINCE OF MEXICO. 37 The Governor of Vera Cruz had writ- ten to the Viceroy of Mexico before we left the place, to inform him of the route we intended to take. The Viceroy, in confequence of thi* information, had done us the favour to fend us equipages from Mexico. We met them at PeroUe, a hamlet, about forty leagues from the ca- pital. '^ We were four days going from Perotte to Mexico. The road, which is pleafant, a-nd moftlv fmooth, is carried on between two ridges of mountains, which in fome places come pretty clofe together, and in others leave room for very exten^ve plains. A little beyond Perotte, we began to fee the famous mountain oiOrifaba, faid to l)e the highefl in Mexico. When we got to the hamlet of Sant-Tago, we were but two leagues from this mountain, which tken exhibited a moft pleafing prolpedl. ^' ii H)*! The D 3 Its ui |i,"! '.1^. ' 'm\ m M m< liH, ^;!| 38 ROUTE THROUGH THE Its top was wholly covered with fnow, whilft the foot difplayed the lovely vcr^ dure of rich cultivated land. This moun- tain of Orifaba is feen from Mexico, which is no Icfs than twenty leagues dif- tant. Along this road from Perotte to the ca» pital, you find large quantities of calcined flones fcattered about in many places. The village of Hapa efpecially is fur- rounded with it, and all the houfes are built with this flone. Wc arrived at this village on Good Friday evening. This day of fad folemnity for the Roman church, is not lefs fo to the Mexicans thaii to us, but they have an odd way of keep- Vi. ing it. As we entered the village we met a very numerous proceHion i at the head went a llatue of the holy Virgin, carried by young women in malks : a great croud pf people followed, likewife piafls^ed; fome : ^ ''Hill!" ■:; liili'^i ''" -^ [now, vcr- fxico, dif. PROVINCE OP MEXICO. 39 'fome with guitars, fome with bafToons, who played the mod grotelque mulic ; infomuch that we fhould rather have taken this proccffion for a carnival maf- ^queradc than a religious ceremony, had it not been for the ,prie(ls who attended it, and whoie gravity made tlie moft ridicu- lous contraft. Is this to be wondered at ? J^orce of arms could make but very bad chriilians of rhefe people, and theii ftupi- dity has made them improve upon the ignorance and fuperflitious abufcs laid to the charge of the Spanifh monks, who are moflly entrufted with the care of the Indian pariflies. I'd We arrived at Mexico on Eafter Day, March 26, at noon. Before we entered the city, we met the Marquis de la Torre, Infpedor of infantry. The moment he faw us, he went and gave notice of our arrival to the Viceroy, who fent orders that D 4 we ii'Iiil fiii.!f'i||j 1.1 j;' !" >i ■■ .:|;:i: im M I ill, i, ' ;''!:f!li 'H.;!':V,;. 40 DESCRIPTION OF the wc fhould be fufFered to enter the city without anv fcarch, and condudlcd to the houfe of the Jefuits, where a lodging was prepared for us. We had no fooner alighted there, but four gentlemen came to condu(ft us to the palace. I am at a lofs for words to exprefs the frienddiip and politenefs (hewn us by the Marquis de Croix, Viceroy of Mexico, and by his whole court. He left nothing undone to procure us whatever we wiflied for, and to make our (by at Mexico agreeable to us. We had no table but his own for the four days we continued in the town, and he was fo obliging as to fend a cook to drels vi^fluals for our attendants after tht5' French fafliion. The next day after our arrival, he lent us one of his coaches to go about the town, Mexico, the capital of the province which bears th^t name, is fituated on the hank? # !i mm] ■•1:1 ^,' j'w ' CITY OF MEXICO. 41 ic city I to the ng was fooncr 1 came im at a bip and juis de by his lone to )r, and able to wn for town, cook after y after caches ovince Dn the * hank? banks of a lake, and built upon a fen, eroded by a multitude of canals, confe- qucntly the houfes are all built upon piles. I'he ground gives way in many places, and many buildings are obfervcd to have funk upwards of fix feet, without any vi- ^ fible alteration in the body of the build- ing : one of thefe is the cathedral, which I (hall fpeak of hereafter. The ftreets of Mexico are very^.Ide, perfectly ftrait, and almoft all interfed): each other at right angles. The houfes are tolerably built, but not much orna- fiiented either within or without 5 their make is the fame as in Spain. There is no very remarkable edifice at Mexico. The Viceroy's palace is in a fpacious and pretty regular fquare, with a fountain in the middle. The only merit of this palace is, that it is built very folid. No decorations are to be found there. Within i i U. ' t' 42 DESCRIPTION OF the Within its circumference are three hand- fome court- yards, with each a founi lin in the middle. The mint ftands behind this palace, and is a noble building. Upwards of a hundred workmen are conftantly employed there in coining piaftres for the King of Spain, out of the enormous maiTes of filver brought thither by the owners of the mines, who exchange them for coin. It is faid, about fourteen millions of piadres are ftruck yearly in this mint. '1 ' 'ii ■"■S''<: i The mofl fumptuous buildings are the churches, chapels, and convents. There are a great many in this city, which are very richly ornamented, and among others the cathedral. The rail round the high altar is Iblid filver -, and what is ftill more coftly, there is a filver lamp, fo capacious that three men ^et in to clean it : this lanrkp is enriched with figures of lions* heads, and oiher ornaments of pure gold. The CITY OF MEXICO. 43 The Infidc pillars are hung with rich crimfon velvet, enriched with a broad gold fringe. This profufion of riches in the churches at Mexico is not very fur- prifing to whoever has feen the cathedral of Cadiz, and the immenfe treafures contained in it. Gold and precious ftones are there lavished upon the facred veffcls and 01 /laments ; and the images of the holy Virgin and other faints are either folid filver, or ckd in the richefl: garments* The outfide of the cathedral of Mexico is unfinirtied, and likely to continue foj they are afraid of increafing the weight of the building, which already begins to fink, as before noticed. I (hall fay nothing of the other churches ; I believe there are as many as there are faints in the calendar. The city of Mexico contains three fquares j the firfl is the Maior or great fquare. lift !•> ,. ''Ki A. .,,[ .y. I'M , ' ' ^S: m 44 DESCRIPTION of the ■■*; fqaarc fronting the palace, the cathedral, and the market-place, which is a double (quare furrounded with buildings: This fquare is in the center of the city. The : fecond, adjoining to this, is the fquare called del Voladory where the bull-feafts are held. The third, is that of Santo Domingo, Thefe fquares are tolerably regular, and each has a fountain in the middle. To the north of the town, near the fuburbs, is the public walk, or Alameda. A rivulet runs all round it, and forms a pretty large fquare, with a bafon and jet d'eau in the middle. Eight walks, with each two rows of trees, ter- minate at this bafon like a Oar ; but as the foil of Mexico is unfit for trees, they are not in a very thriving condition. This is th€ only walk in or near to Mexico ; all the country about it is iwampy grmind, and full of canals. A few paces oft, and facing the Alameda, is the ^emadero ; this is the place where they burn the Jews Si ■ y,<- CITY OF MEXICO. 45 Jews, and other unhappy vidims of the awful tribunal of Inquifition. This Que- madero is an enclofure between four walls, and filled with ovens, into which are thrown, over the walls, the poor wretches who are condemned to be burnt alive J condemned, by judges profefling a religion whofe firft precept is Charity. The (hort (lay we made at Mexico did not permit me to take a fuller furvey of the place. I was told there was a Spaniih play-houfe, but I was not tempted to go. I had enough of one at Cadiz. I found a Frenchman at Mexico who fpoke the SpaniQi and Mexican languages tolerably well, and was perfedly ac- quainted with all this country, having lived in it many years. I took him for my interpreter, as I thought he would be very ferviceable to me for the remainder of cur journey, and cfpecially in California. As '*;i ^if. t •«,' J, }''ij. ' ,■ >■«'■' ^■■;'»». •:'*■ mm mm I:ii 46 DESCRIPTION OP THg As we went further on, we were to meet with Indians more favage than before j the Viceroy therefore thought proper to give us a guard of three fcldiers, to defend us againft the robbers who infeft thofe parts. Troops of fierce and unconquered Indians, called by the Spaniards Indios bra'VQSy attack travellers when they find themfclvcs ftrongeft, murder them, or at lead, after Gripping and tying them to the neighbouring trees, they carry off their mules and baggage to fome bye places, known to none but themfelves, where they fliare the money, and hide the refV of the booty. Our guides told us, that fome of the forefls and mountains we paiTed by, conceal immenfe treafures hoarded up by thefe banditti : they are eafily known by a handkerchief which they hold between their teeth to hide their faces. When a traveller fees an Indian thus mafked, the fafefl way is to be beforehand with him, and to kill him if ^^i ^ CITY OF MEXICO. 47 if poflibk. We were fo lucky as to meet with none. Having provided ourfelves with neceffaries for our journey, we fet out from* Mexico the 30th of March, 1769. Mr. Doa and Mr. Medina had hired a wheel carriage, but for my part, as 1 had been told we fhouid meet with bad roads, I chofe to go on horfe-back. *'Tis true I did not ride the cafier for it, but I efcaped a thoufand mifchances which befell our two Spanifh officers, and which retarded us more than once. From Mexico to San-Blas, where we were to embark to crcfs the Vermeille fca, they recKon about one hundred and ninety leagues. The farther you go from Mexico, the fewer habitations you meet with, and the road is often very rough, dangerous, and full of precipices. In mod places where we flopped, we hardly found bread, and every thing in that part of the country wears the face of the moit pinching penury. Forty ■.-'-'If fs, i 'it, ■!' m i k 'f fi)i' . ■■'H|. 48 ROUTE THROUGH THE Forty leagues from Mexico we found the little town of ^eretaro, remarkable for a very famous manufactory of cloth. This town is pretty well built j it ftands againft the flope of a mountain, which is joined to another, 'farther off and higher, by a noble aquedudl, which conveys the water from the upper to the lower one, from whence it flows to all parts of the town. This aquedudt is a very folid piece of workmanship. Thefe kind of works are very common in Mexico, and are the only remarkable performances in the way of building. It was near Queretaro that I had the fatisfadlion, repeatedly to fee a phasnome- non realized, which I had oftener fufped:- ed than feen in France ; I mean the lightning riling from the earth inftead of ifluing from the cloud, as it is commonly thought to do. On PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 49 On the 3d of April in the evening being then near MoUnOy a little hamlet about thirty-fix leagues from Mexico, I obferved to the fouth a great black cloud, at a moderate height above the horizon : the whole hemifphere about us had a fiery afpeifl. This cloud was fupported, as it were, with three columns at equal dif- tances, and their bafis almoft met the ho- rizon. All the while it remained in this ftate, frequent and fmart flaflies of light- ning appeared in three places of the cloud over thefe columns j and at the fame time dreams of electrical light darted from the correfpondent points of the ho- rizon below, as in an aurora borcalis. Soon after, the cloud came lower down, and then it was that we faw inceflant lightnings rifing like fo many flcy rockets, and flafliing at the top of the cloud. I was the more convinced that I was not miftaken, as in this obfervation, the firfl: who took notice of the phaenomenon were, E all it . V. 'Mr 'if'^}i i>. .*I'??V 50 ROUTE THROUGH THE all my attendants, the interpreter, the fol- diers, none of whom could be under the influence of any fyftematic prejudice. Once only the lightning feemcd to ifllic from the cloud. Two days after, we faw the fame thing again, and plainly diflin- guiOied the lightning rifing from the ground, nor was its motion fo fwift but what we could difcern its origin and direc- tion. The reader may fee what I have faid on this fubjedt in the Memoirs of the Academy for the year 1764, and in my Journey to Siberia. Eio;ht davs after we had left Mexico, we arrived at Guadalaxara* This is a confiderable town, and a bi(hoprick. We refted two days in this places it was what I great'y wanted, after a journey of a hun- dred leagues, upon forry mules, and in bad weaiher and deteflable roads. The " I PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 51 The ninth wc went from Guadalaxara, and lay at a fiigar houfe called MutchitUti^ This place is furroundcd with mountains, piled up, as it were, one above another, which make it a mod frightful fituation. From the middle of a rock, on the loftieft of thefe mountains, a fpring guflies out, which falling two hundred feet perpendi- cular upon another rock below, forms a cafcade or fheet of water, which flrikes the beholders with terror and admiration. It is impoflible to conceive a more fright- ful and dangerous road than that which we travelled for near five leagues after we left Mutchitilte ; this road, which is hardly four feet wide, is cut on the flope of a mountain that rifes almofl perpendicular; the road is about half way up, fo that on one fide you are hemmed in by the moun- tain, and on the other in danger of falling down fuch deep precipices, that in fome places you hardly difcern the tops of the E 2 tailed ■'?':. ''t^^l 5^ ROUTE THROUGH THfc tallcft fir-trees in the vale below. To mend the matter, in this narrow pafs we unluckily met a caravan of muies going the contrary way. What to do we did not know, and were much afraid for our mules that carried our larger inftruments ; however, we got clear of them, and foon came to si pretty good road, which brought us to the little town of Tepiky where wc only flopt to eat our dinner, and haficned to San-Blas, where we arrived the next day, April 1 5, after fpending twenty-eight days in crofling Mexico. . r 4'i ti San-Blas is a very fmall hamlet, fituate on the weftern coafi: of Mexico, at the mouth of the river aS. Pedro. It is but within thefe few years that the Spaniards have made a fettlement there, for the conveniency of tranfporting the troops and provifions they fend into California. m^{ The ' I PROVINCE OP MEXICO. 53 The marquis de Croix, viceroy of Mexico, had •long before fent orders to the commandant of San^Blas to hold a veflel in readinefs to carry us over to California immediately upon our arrival. None of the paflage boats happened to be in the harbour when he received this order, fo that he had a little packet boat built on purpofe with all expedition, and it was expeded to be caulked and launched within ten days after our arrival 5 but we could not afford to wait fo long. The paflage from San-Blas to Cape San-Lucas is indeed but about lixty leagues, but it fometimes proves a very tedious and dif- ficult one, owing to the calms and cur-» rents fo frequent on the Vermeille fea. We had no time to fpare, as we were to make our obfervation the 3d of June. Very luckily for us, a packet boat came into the harbour the very evening of our arrival, which was immediately allotted for our fervice. We fixed upon the E 3 fourth ,1 I m ^ii '1 .i\ >■■>*:' if] 54 VOYAGE to CALIFORNIA. fe (ilMV 1 1, J -i'-A fourth day for our departure, allowing ourfclves but juft time to pfovide viduals, and whatever clfc wc were likely to want, in a country where nothing is to be got. The Spanidi ofikers (hipped n>aterials on ■board the veflcl for ereding a complete obfervatory j for my part, I only took wherewithal to make a tent, and a great beam of cedar on which to hang up my clock. ' • ^ •», . V The pilot gave us but poor encourage- ment, by telling us how, the year before, he had been one and twenty days going over from San-BIas to San-Lucas, and that, at a better feafon of the year. This ftartled me, and I was in fome doubt whether it would not be more advifeable to remain on the continent of Mo.ico, than to run the venture of being out at fea at the time of the ob(ervation -, but I foon found I muft give up this fcheme, on being told that the ilated rains were going (• I VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 55 going to fct iot, before the end of May, and would continue with little or no interruption till the end of June. The bed thing we could do was to put to Tea, and endeavour to reach the oppofite fliore of the Vermeille fea, where we might hope for a clearer (ky. We failed out of the harbour on the I9ih of April, and foon found what the pilot had foretold. The firft fortnight we were tantalized with calms, contrary winds and currents. At laft, the 4th of May, for the firft time, we fleered full north, bearing for the cape j but there was fo little wind, and that little was fo often interrupted with calms, that wc were near five days getting up to the port of Mazatan, about thirty-five leagues north of San- Bias. If we had gained a little in latitude, we hal made very little progrefs in longitude. We then b^gan to defpair of getting to California in time for E 4 the V ... f_»„ ) r '■ ^. ...•■■ P 56 VOYAGE to CALIFORNIA; m the obfervation, which wcrtild have been a mofl cruel difappointment. •I. Our pilot thought he could perfedlly account for the contraricwy of the winds, by imputing it to the wrath of Heaven for our fins. This he endeavoured to avert by an offering to S. Francis Xaverius, which he laid upon the binacle, befeeching him to fend us a fair wind. The devout pilot's remedy did not prefently take effedt, for the following days we had a fucceflion of calms and contrary winds. r , ' ; ■ ♦ - . - * r - - Then indeed our fituation became every day more deplorable : our provifions begun to run (liort, efpecially the water : we were obliged to ftint ourfelves to a pint a day, and even this was deteftable water, having been put into vinegar cafks. All thefe trifles would have been nothing, could we have flattered ourfelves with fom.e gleam of hope. We were in the 25th VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 57 25th day of our paflage, and only eighteen remained to the tranfit, and we were yet a great way from the place of our deftina- tion. It is true, that having gone pretty far noruj, the currents and the prevailing winds were now rather in our favour. From this time, it was my fixt refolution to land at the firft place we could reach in California ; I little cared whethei it was inhabited or defart, fo as I could but make my obfervation. . At 1 aft, by the help of fome favourable gales and currents, we got fight of the land of California, which we judged to be near Cape S. Lucar, diftant about eighteen leagues : we drew near the next day with a gentle wind. The i8th at night we were but five leagues from land. I was ftrenuous for landing at the neareft place, but as I was fingular in my opinion, the whole day was fpent in altercations. The Spaniards wanted to go and land in the '» ■m '.ii .VfiV ■♦' \ wi' i 58 VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. the bay of San-Barnabe, which was £ftecn leagues farther, confequently this would have prolonged our navigation perhaps for feveral days -, for in order to get at this bay, we had to encounter the north and north-weft winds, which blew almoft conftantly. Thefe ^'entlemen objeded to me that we ventured the lofs of the (hip in landing at Cape San-Lucas; I made anfwer that I was confident his Catholic Majefty had rather lofc a poor little pitiful velTel, than the fruits of fo important an expedition as ours ; that bcfide:., we were not the firft that had landed at the Miflion of San-Jofeph. The mafter, whom we appealed to, was of my opinion ; he told us that indeed the landing would be more difficult and tedious at this place than at San-Barnabe, but that he believed he could anfwer for the fafety of the fhlp and paiTengers. In conftquence of this decilion, which he gave us undei his hand, it was determined that VOYAGE TO CAUFQRNIA. 59 that we (hould land at San-Jofeph. Wc accordingly caft anchor the I9ih of May, half a league from the coaft, oppofite the mouth of the little river belonging to that Mi (lion. But though we were at the end of our voyage, we were by no means at the end of our fears. A frefh gale fprung up from the caft. A fortnight fooner, this wind would have been of ilrvice to us, but now it was very dangerous, and we were afraid of being ftranded upon the coaft. Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina begun to upbraid me with having infifted upon landing at San-Jofeph, and lo did the pilot. This wind, they (aid, would have been for us in the bay of San-Barnabe. It is an eafy matter to judge by the event 5 befides, the day before, I had fimply pro- pofed my opinion, and thefe gentlemen, no doubt, thought it a good one, or they would not have agreed to it. The event vindicated me in my turn ; for the wind abating, ?! ...» ... »t-^.;.,| J', 'i'.':w i lv> l«iv:iffi %!JM 6q voyage to California: abating, we got and eagerly feized a fa- vorable moment for landing. . „ « The pilot immediately lent out the long boat, to reconnoitre the coaft, and to look out the moil convenient place for landing. I durft not venture my inftruments in this firft attempt, and only put fome of ray fmall efFedts into the boat. They landed them with great eafe. I then fent away my moft material inftruments by the fe- cond turn, along with Mr. Pauly and Mr. Noel, and referved myfelf for the third. The fecond landing was not fo fuccefsful as the firft : Mr. Pauly wrote me word from the water-fide that they had been in great danger, the boat having been feveral times under water, but happily they came off with no other harm than their fright, and being very wet, as were all the cherts. This lad circumftance made me extremely cautious in removing my clocji, which I had kept by me, and for which I dreaded the VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 6i the fea water. I therefore wrapped it up very clofc, and fat down upon it myfelf, to keep it dry in cafe the waves (hould chance to wafli us. Our fate now depended entirely upon the dexterity of the mafter, and the exa<5l- nefs of the failors in executing the ma- neuvre. In the two former turns, they had marked the track we were to keep, by means of a buoy, or floating cafk. Our mafter, with his eye fixt upon this mark, guided the boat that way, through a mul- titude of billows, which with a horrid roar- ing dafhed againft the fliore, or amongfi: rocks all covered with foam. The failors on their part, attentive to the word of command, now rowed with all their might, now again ftood flock ftill, either to avoid a wave ready to break over the boat, or to keep in the way of another that might waft us afliore. It was by this maneuvre, executed with the utmoft dexterity and fuccefsj > ,»..^^»> ■TV- 'V.'*' 51" lit,1 > '■*.f '•' t,'K-^:i Doubtlefs the reader will fee with concern that Mr. Chappe's account ends here, where it would have been moft interefting, by the informations he might have given us, relating to California ; but here, as in many other places, it has not 64 VOYAGE to CALIFORNIA. not been in my power to fupply the want of the author's own account j thofe who attended him not being able to give me any diflindl informati'^n. / 11 they have retained of that fatal lounU/ is the melan- choly event of Mr. Cha^ ^ - d tie^th ; what they have related concerning it is this. An epidemical diftemper raged at San-Jofeph, and had already fwept away one third of the inhabitants, when Mr, Chappe came thither. They might have efcaped the contagion by going on to Cape San-Lucas, and this was what the Spanifli officers propofed, but they were within a few days of the tranfit, and a fccond removal would have loft them fome very precious moments. Mr. Chappe, jefs apprehenlive of endangering his life than of miffing the obfervation, or making an imperfect one, declared he would not ftir from San-Jofeph, let the confequence be what it would. In VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 65 ■ In the mean time, the numbers that were daily carried off, too plainly (hewed the danger he was in, but every day brought him nearer to the objc(ft of his win:ies, and Mr. Chappe cared for nothing elfe. The joy he felt when they were accomplidied, was foon damped by the mournful fpedacle to which he was witnefs. M - n On the 5th of June, two days after they had obferved the tranfit of Venus, Mr. Doz, Mr. Medina, and all the Spaniards belonging to them, to the number of eleven, fickencd at once. This occalioned a general confternation ; the groans of dying men, the terror of thofe who were feized with the diftemper, and expedled the common fate, all confpired v to make the village of San-Jofeph a fcene of horror. Whoever was intimately ac- quainted with Mr. Chappe, always ob- ferved in him \ wo leading fentiments, the F love I E':5 IF. ■■* ^'*(f I \4 ■■■'■' 66 VOYAGE to CALIFORNIA- love of glory, and humanity. What a iU tuation was this foi a heart like his ! Air nioit the only one among them all, who was yet free from the infcdion, he de- lighted in airiuing all around him, but too foon he \vas himfelf leized widi the tlidempcr. Reduced to want that aflift- ance he had afforded the rell: but juft bcr tore, J^ot one was left that was able to adminifter it. Mr. Pauly and Mr. Noel had Ikkcned before him, and lay at the point of death ; the only trufty fervant was in the fame condition : in a word, every one, Indians, Spaniards, and French? men, all were cither dying or haflening tow-ards death. Mr. Chappe had brought with hin> fioni France a little chefi of medicine^ and fonie phyiical books. In this emer- gency he was an occafional phyfician. He examined the fymptoms of thedifeafe^ then qonfulting bis books, he endeavourec} to ■n^ 'I- V- VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA, dj to find out the proper remedies. But he foon found himfclt as much at a lofs as thofc who formerly confulted the oracles, whofe ambiguous anfwers frequently ad- mitted of two oppofite meanings, and left them as much in the dark as before. Mr. Chappe had a violent pain in his fide, and was delirious at times j in this cafe his books recommended bleeding, but then they exprefsly forbad it, and advifed purgatives, where the diftemper proceeded from a colledlion of bile. This was what he could not diftinguifh. Mr. Chappe, at all events, determined for purgatives. In the intervals of the paroxyfms, he was forced to prepare his own medicines j he durft not truft the only healthy man among them, becaufe a few days before, he had like to have poifoned Mr. Noel, by miftaking one drug for another. Such was Mr. Chappe's dreadful fitua- tion. After three fucceffive fits in three F 2 days, ,» t '^n^i ,. . • • V'' ^ ■f;;., ■ ; ' it. I ♦. ^i IK". M 68 VOYAGE to CALIFORNIA. day?, he took two dofes of phyfic, and found himfelf greatly relieved. But too much emboldened by this fuccefs, fpurred on by a blamcablc, becaufe an imprudent 2eal, he would needs obferve the eclipfe of the moon ttie i8th of June, the very day he had taken his fecond phyfic. km ^M It will be matter of admiration to look over the account of this obfervation. It is inconceivable how Mr. Chappe, low as be was, labouring under his malady, weakened by the fever fits he had gone through, could lend as clofe an attention to this phasnomenon, as the ableft obferver could have done in full health. Indeed he had much ado to hold out to the end of the obfervation . He was taken with a fainting fit, and a pain in his head, which continued till his death. The ftrength of his conftitution ftill held out, but this only ferved to prolong his fullering?. He dcilrcd to be let blood i his m VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 69 his interpreter, a furgeon who had never pradlifed much, and who was himfelf fick, tried to bleed him, but mifled ; how- ever, encouraged by Mr. Chappe, he tried again, and fucceedcd. This did but en- crcafc the diforder. In the evening he com- plained of an obftrudlionj he tried to/je out on horfeback, and found himfelf rather eafier j but foon after, his fever returned, and he lay in a moft deplorable condition; fufFcring the (harpefl: pains, and dcftitute of all afliftance. The village of San-Jo- feph was by this time a mere dcCcrt : three fourths of the Inhabitants were dead, and the reft had fled to fcek a lefs infec- tious air J but the contagion had already fpread far and wide. Thus totally for- faken did Mr. Chappe fpend his laft mo- ments. He expired on the firft of Auguft, furrounded with Mr. i auly, Mr. Noel, and the reft of his attendants ; but they Wvre all fo languid, that they had hardly F 7 ftrength ;■ •.^' .4« Kff} H ': ""?': /■ 70 VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. ftrength to crawl to him, and reach out their arms to catch his lafl breath. Mr. Chappe faw death approachiijg, with the fteadinefs and ferenitv of a true philofopher. The intent of his voyage was fulfilled, and the fruits of his obfer- vation fecured : he faw nothing more to wifh for, and died content. The public and his friends are the only lofers by his death. Their tears are the heft encomium en his memory, and the moft flattering reward of his labours. The reader will douhtlefs (liare them at the recital of fo affeding a fcene. jHti'y n '.t.f' f-M 'if' .Mi Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina did their beft to pay their lafl refpcds to Mr. Chappe. The pricil: or miflionary of San-Jofeph was long iincc dead, as were almod all the inhabitants. The Spaniards, the French, and every one of the furvivors, then collcLted what little flrength they had VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. 71 * had left, and performed the mofl melan- choly of all offices, and this cruel moment roufcd all their fears, with the dread of the like tremendous fate. Of the Spa- niards, Mr. Medina was in fuch a weak and languid ftate, as left him little hopes of furviving Mr. Chappe much longer. Of the French, Mr. Dubois was not leis dangeroufly ill. As for Mr. Doz, Mr. Pauly, and Mr. Noei, they were recover- ing apace. Though they were all im- patient to get away from San-Jofeph, they were forced to wait there two montb.s longer for the veflel Mr. Chappe had been promifed from San-Bla?, to fetch and carry them over to Mexico. Even the (ick did not more ardently .wiQi for the recovery of their health, dian for the arrival of that Hiip. At laO: we were told llie was come to an anchor over againlt St. Ann^- in the little bav o^ Ceraho. Mr. Doz and Mr. Medina, with all their attendants, except three that were dead. H ,» }! /> r t'kt.. ,is v ■ . ■ ' * ' ... Y'l ' F 4 went ■■ V.J *:«;i M, m 72 VOYAGE to CALIFORKflA. a I .7 r, ■ went tlicrcfore to St. Ann's, together with Mr. Pauly, Mr. ^"oel, and Mr. Chappe's leivant. As to the poor watchmaker, he was not in a condition to be removed. They left him at San-Jofeph, recom- mending him to fome Indians who dill remained in the place, in Cv-^fe he fliould recover. Mr. Pauly however, a few days before he embarked, lent to fetch him if it was poffible to remove him, but he was no more. No doubt the grief of feeing himfelf forfaken in an unknown country hadencd his death. Our travellers had now nothing more that could detain them in California. They crofled the Ver- meillc fca, where they met with very f^ormy weather, and were in real danger, but landed at lad at San-Blas. There Mr. Medina found himfelf exceedingly ill. lie hnd been very low from the firft moment he was taken ill at S. Jofeph. The fight of Mr. Chappe's death, the fatigue of removing to St. Ann's, and then crofTing V£k': IP VOVAGE to CALIFORNIA, y^ croffing the fea, had made him worfe, and brought him to his grave. He died foop after the departure of Mr. Doz, who was obliged to leave him, and to go to Mexico. Mr. Medina, having fhared the dangers, the labours, and the unhappy fate of Mr. Chappe, well deferves to (hare with him the encomiums and regrets of the public. The Spanifli aftronomers were not lefs fuccefsful than Mr. Chappe in their obfervation of the tranfit of Venus. He on one (ide, and they on the oiher ; they vied with each other in exerting their utmoft care and fkill in the cbfervation of that phaenomenon. A noble emulation kept them afunder at that moment, to difpute a fuccefe which could only turn out to the benefit of the public. May the competition of nations never propofe any other end ! N A T U^ 1M ^1 ' W^'- I' ■'Sit'-. 1 I • i •• I SI. f. ■t' mn JIMS \V"l lii !:bR m NATURAL HISTORY M OF THE PROVINCE O F X I o, y- :i)t ■ W' 'ii', ' • \i % '*Ji %^m ^mk'^, I'L ;•■ ^''-■ ■*:■:■.*> :*■: I 1' ff* M' WMfW' ->,■% tri." ^J ('■■. '1' i %m \%' ,x .4 4^4 f'-l fii mm iu'^ m :*', I 1 NATURAL HISTORY, &c. 77 * "HP' ExtraB of a Letter from Mexico addrejjed to the Royal Academy of Sciences at PariSi by Don Jofeph Anthony de Alzate y Ramyrez, now a Correfpondent cf the faid Academy^ containing fomc curious particulars relative to the "Natural Hijlory of the Country adjacent to the City of Mexico '. Gentlemen, J, H E departure of Mr. Pauly for Paris procures me a favourable opportunity of fending you feveral of the curiofities of ' This letter, written in Spanifh, was deli- vered to the academy by Mr. Pauly, together with Mr. Chappe's papers : Mr. Pingrc was defircd to tranflate it into French, in order to its being read at one of their private meetings. Every thing is here left out that is foreign to natural hiftory, or of little or no confequencc to the public. this '■■■ ;*■ <«''t\, ■ ;■- .?>« **• % * '% : I 1 I. -*' ;♦* , \ FT ' "'■ ■ , ' 1 ' 'A,. S 'I, ^i ■•■.;": ^ 78 NATURAL HISTORY of the this country '. I think it will not be amifs to fubjoin an explanation, which how- ever I fubniit to your judgment and learn- ing. I have been greatly affeded by Mr. Chappe's death. New Spain has loH in him a man whofe talents vvoi'1^ have been of great It rvice^ to make know !?, a thou- sand natural curiofities which h ;'' lie buried in oblivion. Thofe who are fittefl: to refcue them from it, either difregard them, or are not able to communicate them to the publu:. *■ The chert containing the Specimens of na- tural hiftory, mentioned here hy Don Alzate, did not come to hand till long after this letter. The academy then appointed M. de Jufficu and M. Fougeroux de Bondaroy to examine them, and to make their report. Mr. Fougeroux has favoured me with his obfervations on the fpeci- mens, and has given me leave to infert the fol- lowing notes, for the better underftanding of Ppn Alzate's letter. By PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 79 By what I can colled from Mr. Pauly^s account, Mr. Chappe mufl: have died of an epidemical diftemper, which we call here, in the Mexican language, Mat- lazahualty but at Vera Cruz, Carthagena, and clfewherc, goes by the name of the black vomit. This diftemper is the fcourge of Mexico. In 1736 and 1737 it fwept away above one third of the inhabitants of the capital; and in 1761 and 1762, it made yet greater devafta- tions, and depopulated this kingdom. At lead: twenty five thoufand died within the walls of this city; it is true this time, befide the contagious diftemper, an epidemical fmall-pox raged here, which contributed not a little to the havoc that was made. -V M', ' i ; -v. .*;■'• The Matlazahualt feems to me to pro- ceed ejitirely from the bile mixing with the blood. Thofe who are feized with it look pale, and moft of them bleed at the nofe ! H p 1 *.' ^':M mh So NAl URAL HISTORY of the nofe and mouth, which happens when a crifis is coming on\ A rclapfc is more dangerous than the fird, and moft of the fick do relapfe. In the contagion of 1 76 1 , (the only one I have had an opportunity of obferving, as I was born during the courfe of the former.) I took notice that purgatives and bleeding were very danger- ous, infomuch that perfons who were let blood or took phyfic for other diforders, were diredly feized with the Matlaza- hault. This difeale chiefly attacks the Indians, and always begins by them. , In 1761, above nine thoufand patients were admitted into the Royal Hofpital (which is only for Indians) in the fpace of twelve ^ Mr. Chappc had no vomiting. His com- plaints were violent fever fits, great pains in his head, a load upon his chc/l, which he called an ob.lru^Slion, This by no means anfwcrs to the dcfcription given here by Don Anthony dc Ai- zate. months. tM PROVINCE OP MEXICO. St months, and no more than two thoufand recovered. ^ 1 4> Few plants afford fiich botanical cu- riofities as the Maize, or Indian corn. It fliews in the cleareft riip'^ner, and with the greateft: certainty now the feed feeds in the plant, and how, when the grain is replenifhed, the plant remains infipid, and confequently that the juices it contained at firfl:, have been cxhauiled to nourifh the feeds, after they had been brought to perfc6lion in the plant. This is fo true, that the plants of maize that bear no feed, (and ihefe arc very numerous here) are al- ways extremely fwect. They are brought to market at Mexico, and the children are as fond of them as they are of fugar canes, and indeed they call them ca^rs, I have prelTed fome of thefe plants, and boiled up the juice, and it adually yielded real fugar. in Mexico, when they have fowed the maize, they let it grow with- G out '•..f. .J i'' ^j: ;... ■}■ t ■t 1 i>t '\ ' ' 'ti. ," .[4^ ;:i,^ >'H p % , i * ■•■J, ■M : ' ' v'vf , \,m ' *, ■ »v iMi .tt: P^nPif IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ ^ 1.0 1 1.1 11.25 iU L£ 12.0 ■1Mb Hiotographic Sdaices Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREST WEBSTER, N.Y. I4SM (716) 873-4503 V r<\^ <^ '^ O^ «^ 82 NATURAL HISTORY of rut out any culture, and then it turns to canes, and bears no fruit at all. Though feveral authors have given very good defcriptions of the Maguey^ the phnt from which they draw the pulco^ a kind of drink which fupplies the want of vrine, I think none has taken the pains to enquire what quantity of liquor may be extraded from this plant ', A Maguey will yield two arobes of liquor in the four and twenty hours, and continues to yield as much every day for fix or eight months together **. I fend you likewife a (imple, which I think the bed that has hitherto been ufed ' The inhabitants of XachimiJco undcrftand bcft how to cultivate the Maguey, and it grows larger there than any where cHe, '^ The arobe is about twcnty-fwe pounds, fo that we may reckon at the rate of four Probes to the hundred weight. for PROVINCE oT MEXICO. 8j for dying in black. It is called Cafca^ htte '°. It is a large tree, and grows only in very hot countries. The leaf is fmall, and very much refembles the Huifiachey which I (hall (peak of next. It bears a yellow flower. The growth of this tree is as flow as that of the oak, or flower* I need not defcribe the fruit, as I fend you a fpecimen of it. Galls are not to be had here but at the apothecaries ; they make ufe of them in their mcdicinej, and get them from Europe. We could not dye '° The cafcdlotte is a fpecies of acacia j its fruit is a long and broad pod, often crooked : it confifts of a thin woody fhcll, covered over with a thick rind. It is a little reddiih on the outfide, and when dry, is eafily reduced to a fine powder. The pod contains many flattifh i^c^s^ of a light and bji*ht yellow. It is well known that the pods of almofl all the acacias yield a black colour ; they may like- wife be ufed in the tanning of leather. Sloane fays the acacia indica is ufed in making ink. (Hift. Jamaica.) G 2 black •L;' ' V ■ .. ; . ■yA ; *■' ■•' to •■f ^ .. .its 84 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE black here, if nature had not furniflied us with the cafcalotte. The dye that is procured from this fimple is better, becaufe lefs corrofive, than any other ; and indeed black is moft generally worn here, as it has been found by experience to be the moft lafting. Even the moft common hats lofe nothing of their iirft luftre, and wear all to pieces without the leaft altera- tion in their colour. ,* . The Huifiache^^ is likewife ufed for the black dye, but it is not fo good as the Cafcalotte. Its chief ufe is for ink. This tree requires warmth, yet they have the bad cuftom of planting it in a cold foil, fuch as that of the town of Mexico, " The Hulftache Is likewife a kind of acacia, not unlike the Inga or fugar pea of America, dcfcribed by feveial botaniCis. The fhell of this pod is hard, thick, and black } it contains fcvc- ral feeds, each in its own cell, the fhell being di- vided into fo many partitions. where PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 85 where there are feven growing, befides thofe that are within the enclolurc of the baths. I fend you an exad drawing of the monftrous tree of Attifco, called Abue- huete ; its dimenfions are taken with the greateft exadnefs. This tree is always extremely large. I fend likewife fome of the feed or nut, and the leaf*. Now '* The figure of this tree, fent by Don Alzate, afFording no crit!:rijfi whereby to afcertain its fpecies, I have had recourl'e to the fruit and a leaf, which were found in the fame parcel, and upon infpeding them, I am of opinion they may belong to the cuprejftis lufitanico patula^ fru^u ml' nori. (Inft. page 587.) The fruit is made up of fcales, and the feeds within are placed as in the pine apple ; fo that it mufl: be a true cyprefs, no way like the cupreffits fol'ih acacia deciduis^ in which every fcale of the fruit covers a kernel. Befide, the leaf found with the Ceeds of the mexican tree is made up of little leaves, that are not oppofite, as in the aca- cia-leafed cvprefs. It refults therefore from this G 3 cxami- ( « !^ 4% 'v. 86 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE Now that I am upon the topic of monftrous trees, it will not be improper to mention i\\GjlihinOy which ftands in the church-yard of Popoita, a village about half a league from Mexico. Its trunk meafures fix teen varei and a half round. (Our vare is not quite three feet '\) \ There is another tree in the yard of the parfonage houfe, which exhibits a fingular phaenomenon. It is cuftomary to tic the I horfes to one of the boughs, fo that the bark is all ftript off, and nothing is (^tn but the bare wood. Notwithftanding this, the branch preferves its verdure, and bears f. / examination, that the tree Don Alzatc fpcaks cf \^ not the acacia-leafed cypref^ ; nor is it that of Portugal, though the ahuehuete really relcm- bles this in its fruit. It is therefore a new and undefcribed fpecles of acacia, and which would ncccflarily come into the genus of cyprefs. '^ The trunk of this tree miift ihep mcafurc about fifty feet in circumference. fruit PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 87 fruit juft as if the bark was on. It is a fine tree, and bears very pleafant fruit. It is what we czWJdpote bianco, I fend you a feed of what we call Chta\ we put it to infufe for a couple of hours, fwecten it with fugar, and drink the liquor. It is from this feed that we extracfl the oil which our painters ufe for mixing their colours, and which gives our pidures fuch a beautiful glofs : perhaps in time it may be put to fome other ufe. The way tliey draw the oil is by roafting the feed, and then prefling it '*. I recoiled a plant which I believe has not its fellow amongfl: the known plants, " ;■' .J '+ The feeds fent us by Don Algate belong to the plant vfWich h\nu7c\is czWs Sahia Hifpanica, This feed is come up here, and we have long had the very fame plant. The Italians cultivate it too. Mr. Harduini has given a defcription of it with a plate. G 4 I mean w '^. M 88 NATURAL HISTORY op the R l^ I mean the Cacakuatc '\ We know of many plants that feed us by their roots, but that a plant ihould produce its fruit . in the very root, is, I think, a property pe- culiar to this I am fpcaking of. I fend you the plant and the fruit, and will tell you how it is cuhivated. It is fown in hot countries, and will fucceed in the tem- perate. They fow the fruit at a foot dif- tancc, and let the plant (land till it is about half a foot high; then they buiy that branch (which they call Fijlolillo) fo as that both extremities, the root and the top, lie under ground till it is gathered in. " This plant ii the Arachinna, or Arachis^ of Linnaeus, an American ground piftacho. It bears a pod which is very tender and brittle, efpecially when it is dry. Within this pod are two almonJ^j of a very picai'ant taltc, which gives them tiie name qf ground piftachoes. It is common in all the hot countries of America, It has been raifed here in hot houfes, and has borne fruit. It fmks its piltil into the ground, jaijd there the fiuit ripens. At * 1 # Li PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 89 At harveft time, they pull up the branches of the plant to take ofF the fruit, which is found in great plenty. Though they do not fow it over again, the field will al- ways yield a frefli crop from what was left behind. It is incredible what quan- tities are confumed in this kingdom, efpe- cially for their collations. They road it over a (low fire to prepare it for eating. It is alfo put to other ufes to iupply the want of almonds. This fruit is unwhole- fome, and particularly hurtful to the throat. I mufl obferve here that the plant bears its fruit, not in the original root, but at that end which was turned down into the ground. I muft add one circumftance more, which is, that this plant appears beautiful when the fun Hiines, but withers when it withdraws. i, I fend you fome viviparous fcaly^^^J, of which I had formerly given you an acr 90 NATURAL HISTORY of the account '"'. What I have obferved in them this year is—" If you prefs the belly with your finger?, you force out the fry before their time, and upon infpeding them through the microfcope, you may difcern the circulation of the blood, fuch as \t\ '• Don Alzatc has fent thofe fifties prefervctJ in fpirits ; their fkiri is covered with very fmall fcalcs ; they vary in length from an inch to eighteen lines, and they are feldom above five, fix, or feven lines in the bioadcft part. They have a fin on each fide near the gills, two fmall ones under the hcllv, a finale one behind the anus, which lies between the fin and the fingle one; the tail is not forked ; laftiy, this fifh has a long fin on the back, a little above the fin, vrhich is under the belly. We know of fomc viviparous fifties in our feas, fuch as the loach, &c. mofl- of thefe have a fnnooth Ikin without any fcales. The needle of Ariftotle is viviparous, and yet covered with broad and hard fcales j I have caught »ome that had young ones ftill in their womb. As to thefe viviparovis fifties, it is a particular and new fort, and wc arc obliged to Don Alzate for making: us acquainted wit'i it. It breeds in a lake ot frcfli water r.car ihc city of Mexico, « It PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 91 it is to be when the fi(h is grown up." Jf you throw thcfe little fifhcs into water, they will fwim as well as it they had been long accudomed to live in that clement. The fins and tail of the males arc larger and blacker than thofe of the females lO that the fcx is cafily diftingui(hed at fir iT: fight. Thefe fifh have a fingular mam er of fwimming ; the male and the female fwim together on two parallel lines, the female always uppermofl, and the male undermoft ; they thus always keep at a conftant uniform difiance from each other, and preferve a perfecft parallelifm. The female never makes the leaft motion, cither fideways or towards the bottom, but diredly the male does the fame. Among ft the fingular infers, the black fpidcr of this country deferves to be taken notice of. It greatly refembles, in (hape, the tarentpla of the kingdom of Naples. It '^: . .' .' \ 92 NATURAL HISTORY of the It m.iy be about eight lines long j it is hairy, and of an afh colour. It is never feen in the day time, and by night only in fair weather, but it forebodes approaching rain. It is an unerring barometer. This obfervation was communicated to me by s virtuofo, and 1 have ^vcr known it to fail. Whenever I have fccn thefe fpiders, the weather conftantly changed to rain within four and twenty hours. The Maripofa flateada^ or filvered butterfly, appears to me, gentlemen, to merit your attention, as you have none of this kind, at leaft it is not defcribed by Mr, de Reaumur '^ The bngs which I fend '' We have naker'd butterflies, which only differ from thofe of Mexico and America in fizc. Ours are fmaller, and fomcwhat fainter coloured j thefe varieties may be owing to the climate. The naker'd butterflies here fpoken of, and ours are both diurnal butterflies. Mr. de Reaumur and Mr. GcofFroy have defcribed the latter, and both fay they are not acquainted with the caterpillar that ' 1' PRuv INCE OF MEXICO. 93 I fend you are of a curious ftrudlurc. I do not believe any fuch are to be found in that produces them. It might be inferred from analogy, that thefe caterpillars, being of the clafs that produce diurnal butterflies, malcc no bean, but that the chryfalis fr.ftens to the boughs of trees, and are there metamorphofed. If Don Alzatc's obfervation is juft, and if the naker'd butterfly he fends us really came out of this fingular bean, we might gather fomc ufeful hints from this difcovery. i. As we have found in thefe beans the caft-off fkins of prickly caterpillars, wc might conclude that the naker'd butterfly comes from a caterpillar cf that kind. 2. Now that we are acquainted with the bean of the naker'd butterfly of Mexico, we might the better find out the bean and caterpillar belonging to that butterfly, fo common in our own climates. But I have fome fufpicion that the naker'd but- terfly, fent us by Don Alzate, did not really come out of that bean which he fent along with it, and it were to be wifhed this obfervation could be further verified. The grou.;d of my fufpi- cion is, that Mrs. Mcrian has defcfibed the ca- terpillar belonging to this diurnal butterfly ; flic looks upon it as one of thofe that do not turn to a bean ; and fays, that the chryfalis is fufpend- ed like moft of the fame clals. (See Infects of Surinam, vol. i. pi. 25.) However I ,» k tt f ' \ t\ .i .1; 94 NATURAL HIStORY of the in Europe. You can beft explain how the little butterfly, when he is juft born, opens the lid or door of his bean, when you have examined how curioufly it is adjufled. I get a multitude of thefe beans every year, and could never yet find out how the butterfly works itfelf out, nor by what induflry the caterpillar weaves its {hell fo fkilfully, nor yet how the filkSj being of fuch a glutinous texture, do not cling together before the woik is com- pleted. I have much to fay concerning our butterflies, but it fliall be for another opportunity. s»5^>j|j;^l^'' I thiiik 1 told you, gentlemen, in a former letter, that I did not kr ow of any petrifadtions in this kingdom. I have fjnce been informed tncre arc fome in a However this be, the bean fcnt by Don AI- zate will ftill be a ciiriollty, on account cf the liJ whicli the infed^ contrives, and which he lifta lip at will. little W t.1 ' III *(1 PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 9J little place called Chalma ; I intend to gO thither, to acquire a thorough knowledge of thefc petritadlions. I have (een fome very precious (hells which were found at Souvra j they are of the fame matter that is ufed for extracting filvcr and gold. I have been affured that in digging a mine in the province of Roucra^ they found petrified human bodies, out of which they extraded a great deal of filver ; among others the body of a woman holding her child in the aturude of fuckling. The two bodies are perfectly petrified, and have yielded a confiderable quantity of filver. As this relation appears to me to (land in need of confirmation, I chofe it (hould be certified by the depofition of eye witnefies, and have accordingly written to fome perfons of that province, and I wait with impa-* tience for th*''ir anfwer. I gave Mr. Chappe a grinder of fuch an exorbitant fize, that it weighed up- wards m i.' I. ' •1 -,?' <.■',,■'■? ». '' '''■ *A ■■ , TV • i»t if I ^6 NATURAL HISTORY of THfi m wards of eight pounds, was above ten inches long, and the reft in proportion. What animal this tooth had belonged to, I am at a lofs to guefs. It had been given me as a giant's bone. All I can affirm is, that the enamel of the tooth was in a great mcafure preferved. A virtuofo of this country has in his pofTeffion a leg bone, which unfortunately is not entire j fome part of it is wanting;. The head of the femur meafures a foot and a half in dia- meter. This bone was found near Toluca. The Indian of whom it was bought, made ufe of it to bar his door ; this is no wonder, as the remainder of the bone is ftill above hve feet Jong. I am told the prieft of the village of Tecali has lately difcovered fome bones of an enormous fize, and, what is ftill moTP. furpriilr.g, he has found tombs proportionable to thefe bones. I (hall carefully enquire into this fad, and fhall tranfmit to you, gentlemen, whatever I can difcover. In mi t^ PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 97 In your memoirs of 1744, mention is mciJe of de?d fi(h having been found in the wells of Mexico, in confequcnce of the eruption of a volcano at Vera Cruz. This whole (lory is deflitute of all foun- dation. All the enquiries I have made, have not procured me the lead intelligence about it. Not a foul at Vera Cruz knows any thing of fuch a volcano. At Mexico, nothing can be found in the wells ; there is one to every houfe, but they never ex- ceed fix feet in depth. The water is found at three feet from the furface at moft, and moft frequerjtiy at one foot. How then (hould dead fi(h be found there, when the very nature of the foil makes all fubterraneous communication im- poflible I (hall here take notice of a Angularity in the royal domain of the mines of Pa- chucay in the immediate dependency of the ^iepartment del Salio. It is «« moun- H tain ... ^*^» II i. % I • ilp!;''»|i'i '!:.- l-l 9*3 NATURAL HISTORY of the ^M tain made up of (tones of all imaginable (hapes. Stones of any (hape or fize that can be wanted, are to be had there, ready cut, for the trouble of fetching, and lifting them off the heap. Thefe Hones are not in horizontal but in perpendicular rows, and fuch as is one of them, fuch, you may be well aflured, are all thofe above and below it *•. What 1 am going to delate, thotigh n6t of the fame kind", is perhaps not lefs cu- rious. I mean a iflone, how large I can* not tell, as the greateft pkrt 6f it lies ftink in the ground. The outward furface is above th'-ee feet over j the colour that of blkck marble, except a fpot, or rather an incruftation of a different fubdance faften- cd to it. The fingularity of this ftone confifts in this, that the llightcft ftrcke '• This ftone feems to he the bafaltes, the fame with the Giant's Caufeway in the county of Antrim in Ireland. upon I*'.. PROVINCE OF MEXICO. 0() upon it with the finger, caufes a found ^ith long vibrations ; they call it the bell- ftone, from the great refemblance of its found with that of a bell. It ftands in the bed of a river that is fometimes dry, and which runs through the town of Cuantia^ the capital of that diftrid: which we call AncilpaSi about eighteen leagues to the fouthward of Mexico* ■i,t* The following is a fa6t which I am witnefs to, and fo will you, gentlemen* for I fend you fome of the petrifadlions of the royal domain of the mines of Huajan- nato, which are inimitably beautiful. All the ftones that arc taken out of one of thefe mines have this property, that in whatever diredion you divide them, they always exhibit an exadt imitation of a Cedar. It is remarkable that in fome of thefe flones, that part which forms the image of the cedar is pure filver, and the Ha reft 100 NATURAL HISTORY op the rtrt of the mine abounds in the fume metal. 1 Iiis mine is known by the name of the cedar mine, both from the reprefen- tation on the (tones, and from a fine cedar tree that adually (lands at the entrance of the mine '^ The '' In the cheft fcnt by Don Alzatc to the A- Cudcinv, we found a piece of filver ore, fingular by the fpathcux cryftalt; it contains. Thefc cryf- tals coiififl of tliin l.imina of a beautiful white, and not very hard. Wiien expofed to the fire, they calcine and turn to pluifter. This plaifter is \civ fine i^nd white, but rather coarfe to the touch i bu: wc favv nothing that looked like a Cf dar. 'I here is a filvcr mine in Peru, the ore of which runs into the form of a feather, or of fern, pcflibly tlic a.^thcr had that in view. Bcfide thcfe articies, Don Alzatc's chefl con- tained other feeds that wete worm eaten, and are net come up; fiagincnrs of plants that could rot be knov.H, and to which thev have afcribed certain proi eiiic^ in tli:it country. We likevvifc found fome buds oi a Luge magnolia, or tulip- laurel, calltd there To'.ofochll. Don Alzate fays this flower emits a very fragrant fmell, even when it is dry, raid that tqe tree on which it grows thrives '. PROVINCE OF MEXICO. loi The natural vitrifications, which iht Indians call pelijles^ are to be found all ovei the kingdom. They iib. uiul at Mexico, chiefly in the northern part, but the place where they are found in the greateft plenty is the village oi Zuiapequaxo near Valladolid. '1 here are whole moun- tains of it in that part. Hence the village takes its name, which is that given to thrives beft in hot countries, where it grows very lurge. Mr. Noel, a young painter, vho accompanied Mr.Chappe, has put into our hands feveral draw- ings which he took as they paffed through Mex- ico and California. Thefe drawings exhibit, in the vegetable clafs, a taper on which are found a monftrous excrefcence, the flowers of a coral- lydendron, or immortal wood of America, and thofe of anoth>;r plant, which we are unacquaint- ed with ; in the animal tribe, fishes, zoophytes, the fea hand, &c. a .lizard, which we think a fingular one, and is called a chameleon in that country, and a quadruped which does not feem to belong to any of the clafles that are either de- fcribed or known. . I' '"y a' t '':'(*%': .1' <*. h- 1 ■■.^r' 4 ^^i *'. t-r . t ■ ■' ■.,:#■ $Lfi ^; fH .■.i:j».T''» H 3 thefe ) . 1 '• 1 • fill loa NATURAL HISTORY of th$ thefe vitrifications in the idiom of Michoacan*". The woollen threads I fend you are called in the Indian language toctomites^ They weave them into libands, Tije Indians dye them in a method peculiar to thcmfelves, and very different from what is pradiied in Europe. For that purpoie they only buy the fcarlet feed j the other ingredients they mix with it are very infignificant. Thus they dye all their woollen things red at a very trifling *® The vitrifications fcnt by Don Alzate to the Academy are, im iah'ier o'e volcan^ a frue glals compii6l, heavy and black : it is the Itonc of Galinace of the Spaniards, and probably the true obfidian ftone of Pliny. The lar^^cft piece? found in Don Alzate's chcft :mp mcftiv three inches or three inches and a half over, and about three lines thick. His account (hews, tbar there has formerly been a volcano on or near the fm)^ vhcre the city of Mexico now ftands. I^he y/hole face of the country bears the marks of an- ticnt volcanoes, and no doubt tjierc h^vc bcci^ niany in ihofe parts. ex- PROVINCE OP MEXICO. 103 cxpence. As to their method, they keep it an impcqe^rgble fccrct **, HV. ,. I ftjall conclude, gentlemen, by a fin- gnlar fa(5t, which in my opinion is analogous to eledlrical tA'periments. On an eftate belonging to the late Don Alonzo de Gomez, fecretary to the vice- roy, fituate in the jurifdidion of Siri' gluluca^ to the north eaft of the capital, at the diftance of about twenty-two leagues, one of the fcrvants was lame with both arms ; whether he was born fo or not, I cannot tell. He was employed in tending the afles. Coming home one night from the fields, he was overtaken by a violent thunder ftorm, and got under a tree for fhelter. There the lightning ''■■^itA " There is commonly no great difficulty in dying woo! ; it is not fo with cotton. Yet even for dying of wool, fome preparations are requihte, and it would be very odd if the Mex- icans could do without them to dye thefe tocho- niitcs red. H 4 ftruck 104 NATURAL HISTORY of the ttruck him, and left him infenfible for fome time. He received no other hurt, on the contrary, when he came to him- felf, to his great furprife and joy, he found himfclf reftored to the free ufe of his arms and hands. The fadl is certain -, I have it from a divine of undoubted veracity, who was eye witnefs to it, and his tefti- mony is the more to be credited, as he i^ totally ignorant of elecl^ricity or cled:rical matter. He barely relates the fadl for its fingularity, without pretending to ac- count for it. Such are, gentlemen, the obfervations I have the honor to c. mmunicate to you ". . . .&c. ** The letter out of which this extra£l is taken, was read before the Academy, and was heard with great attention, and fi)und to be very inte- refting. We are farther obliged to Don Alzate for a very accurate map of Mcx'co, which he has delineated from the heft accounts of fuch tra- yellcrs as he is within reach of confulting in that country. PROVINCE CF MEXICO. 105 (Country. He has alfo fent tis a map, drawn up in Cortcs's life time, by which it ib cviilcrjt that in thofe early times they already knew California to be a peninfula, and the extent of it was as well afcertaincd as it has fince been by Liter difcove- rics. Had this map been publirtied in his time, it v;ould have faved many difputes about Cali- fornia. The rcadincfs of Don Al/>atc y Rami- rez to comm.:"icate to us whatever might bein- tercfting in a country fo new to us, toi^ether with his talents and pcrfonal qualities, have de- fcrved the encomiums, and excited the gratitude cf the members of the Academy, who have tef- tified their fcnfe of his merit, by admitting him to be one of their correfpondents. <.%*■;-■ VOYAGE }-h^ r. VOYAGE T Q » I- NEWFOUNDLAND AND i':.i> U m: M:-..V S A L L E E. ]0 . *' ("""H - r VOYAGE T O NEWFOUNDLAND AND S A L L E E, By M. DE CASSINI, TOWARDS the middle of May, 1768, I received an order from th» dukede Praflinto repair to Havre-de-Grace, there to begin the experiments upoa Mr. Le Roy% time-keeper. The frigate /* Enjou^e, on board of which I was to embark, rf t*. 110 V O V A (i £ to embark, was preparing to fail towal-Jj the end of the month, fo that I had but little time left to rej^ulatc the watches before they were (hipped* I fet out from Paris with my father on tlie 2oth of May, and arrived at Havrc^ de-Glftce oft the 23d. The Weather being favorable, we began our obferva- tions the fame day. We were foon able to fet them nearly at the mean-motion^ and by the 30th of May in the mornings after (even days obfervation, they were regulated, and fent on board the frigate* The derail of all thefe operations will be given in their proper place* i We thought to fet fail on the 30th of May^ at the evening tide, but were pre- vented by contrary winds, for feveral fucctffive days. Thefe, and the infuffi- ciency of the tides, detained us in the hatbour l» Hi Newfoundland and St. PiJ^rre. hi harbour till the fnring tide o^ the new moon. My father returned to Paris, and I remained at Havre-de- Grace with Mr. Wallot (an a ii6 \' O Y A G E TO I t It, ft the weather was very hot : at noon Reau- mur's thermometer was at twenty-one degrees, the highcft it had yet fliewn j about one o'clock the fog thickened, the air grew cooler, and by three, the fame thermometer was come down to thirteen degrees above O. The winds became very favorable, and drove us apace in a good track. This fingular advantage did not lafl long, for at midnight the wind fell, and we had a dead calm till noon the next day, July lo. As we deemed that we were very near the bank, we had kept founding for fcve- ral days part. At laft on the i ith of July, at half paft five in the evening, we founded, and found eighty-four fathom, Whild they were luunding, one of our failors cait a line at a venture; it was hardly down before it caught a cod. The fifh and the plummet came up almoft at the NEWFOUNDLAND and St.PitRRE. I I 7 the fame time, and botli confirmed our arrival at the bank '\ ■<*' The bank of Newfoundland is famous for the quantity of cod that it affords, and for the fifliery that \?. annually carried on there by the Englifh and French, who are fole pofleflbrs of that branch of trade in thofc parts. This fand bank extends from the 411]: degree of latitude to about 4^-^-, and its greateft breadth may be about 80 leagues*^ Cod is generally found through- ^•♦^ No cod is to be found in open fea ; they always keep in the fliallows. ^^ From about 49^ deg. of latitude to the caftward cf Newfoundland, quite to tlr co.i']: of New England, you find a fucceilion o[ lani banks. That of Newfoundland, io called from the neio-libourino; ifland. is the Jarcjcfl: of all, and indeed larger than any fand-bank thai wc know of, whether in the ocean, or in any oiIht leas; it is therefocc juftly culled the great bank. It is 8o leagues wide in the broadcfl part. How- ever, the limits cannot be perfectly cxjcl ; for it is no eafy matter to delineate a faiid-bank upon a map, efpccially in a latitude where the iky will admit of taking obfcrvations. I 3 out Is; !♦** ' ■'id ■J*?: .'I >\ : : i 1.8 VOYAGE TO ^m out this immcnfe extent, but the firt)6r- mcn obfervc that the greatcft plenty is commonly about that part of the bank which lies between the forty-third and forty-fixdi degrees, cipecially towards the eaftern fhorc. The veiTels deftined for this fifhery fail from France from the end of February to the end of April. Happy thofc liowever who can get there by the middle of April. From that time till i:bout the 15th of June, the fifhcry is moft plentiful ; alter that, the capelans "" going \) depofit their tggs along the fevcral coafts tit Newfoundland, draw away the cpd., vvhich, purfuing after them, forfake the Great Bank, till the middle of September, when, flill greedy after their prey, they are brought back to it by the fame fi(]5, which now (crfakes the fliore, and returns v* The cnpclnn is a (ana]] fiCo^ about the fizc of a [^ilchard, but foipcv-hat rounder and n?,r- rov^'cr, Tlie cod dtv!:jurs it sirccdily, to Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 119 to the ocean. The fifhery again yields ahnofl as much in September and Odtobcr, as it did in May and June. Many fliips confequently go twice a year to the Great Bank, and employ the interval when the cod is gone to the coafts, in returning to France to difpofe of their cargo, and re- cruit their provifions and fait. Few fliips indeed, except thofe from Olonnc ^^ go twice a year to Newfoundland ; the reft are ftationed there for fix or (even months together, and never come home till they begin to be in want of provifions, unlefs they have made a fpeedy and plentiful capture, which is feldom the cafe. The fiQiermen all complain that the fifliery grows worfe and worfe. Before, and after the war of 1744, prodigious fhoals of cod flocked to the bank of Newfoundland, *^ The principal ports in France where veflels arc fitted out for the cod fifliery are, Saint Ma- Ices, Granville, Honflcur, Saint Jean de Luz, Olonnc, and B.iyonnc. I 4 and "' '.it > I . r- • ' ^ - ♦ i- ;¥'■■,: '■ :. s : 120 VOYAGE TO and made the fortune of fillicrmcn and privateers ; hut iinec the laft peace, the produce of the filhcry is reduced to one third of what it was before ; doubtlefs bc- caiife the bait of a Imall fortune has in- creafcd the number of vefl'els, and portionably divided the profit. pro- Thc cod that is caught on the bank of Newfoundland, is that which is known ia France by the name of green or frefl-^ cod. It is falted on board the fhip as fo6n as caught, and keeps in fait the whole filL'ng feafon, and till they return to France. Tl)e curing and falting of the cod, requires a great deal ot care. The following is the method of curing and faltin" of the ereen cod. ijv*r^« As foon as the fidicrman has caught a fidi Vv'ith his line, he pulls out its tongue, and gives the fifli to another man, whimi they call the behcader. This man, with ?s f^^n-cdecd knife like a lancet, flits the filh NEWFOUNDLAND and St.PlEHRE. 121 filli from the anus to the throat, which he cuts acrofs to tlic bones of the neck ; he then lays down his knife, and pulls out the liver, whi'.h he drops into a kind of tray, through a little hole made on pur- pofe in the fcafFold he works upon; then he guts it and cuts off the head. This done, he delivers the fii'h to the next luati who (lands over againft: him. This man, who is called the (licer, takes held of it by the left gill, and refis its back againft a board, a foot long and two inches high ; he pricks it with the dicing k;iife on the left fide of the anus, which makes it turn out the left gill -, then he cuts the ribs or great bones all along the vertebra?, about half way down from the neck to the anus, he does the fame on the right fide, then cuts aflant three joints of the vertebras through to the fpiiial mairow; laftly he cuts all along the vertebrae and fpinal marrow, dividing them in two, and thus ends his operation. m ■v'l ■ ' . i I I.: 1-1 rr m •\ ' .-.if < "■'j\ ••.r>, t'mL* ■ ' '■"If ''•r 122 VOYAGE TO ry ,.; ^i I '(la li.'ii" If-'-- 1 !' "^A^ A third helper then takes this fidi, and with a kind of wooden fpatulc, he fcrapcs all the blood that has remained along the vertebra) that were not cut. When the cod is thus thoroughly cleanfed (fometimes wafhed) he drops it into the hold, through a hole made for that purpofe, and the fa/Ur is there ready to receive it. He crams as much fait as he can into the bdly of the fifli, lays it down, the tail end lowed, rubs the fkin all over with fait, and even covers it with more fait; then goes through the fame procefs with the reft of the cod, which he heaps one upon another till the whole is laid up. The fi{h thus faked and piled up in the hold, is never meddled with any more till it is brought home and unloaded for fale. It is difficult for one who never was there to form an idea of the life the fifliermen live at the Great Bank. It muft be as > powerful I» Wl Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 123 powerful a motive as the thiifl: after gain> that can prevail upon thofe poor wretches to fpend fix whole months between the fky and the water, in a climate almoil always excluded from the fight of the fun, and conftantly breathing fo thick a fog, that they can hardly fee frorq one end of the (hip to the other. This gain is fometimes very trifling, efr pecially now, fince the fcarcity of cod at the Great Bank. The fait fi(h landed at Bourdeaux, Rochelle, or Nantz, fells dearer or cheaper, according to the plenty or fcarcity of the capture, the time of its arrival, and the fize of the fi(h. Thofq who are (6 lucky as to bring in the firfl: cod, may make three hundred and fixty livres of the great hundred, which contains an hundred and twenty-four large iifh. The fecond may be worth two hundred ^i>d fixty livres, but the lad feldom fetches more . ^TV i nil 'f \ '' ' ' ; ■^ • ■til'' • ■ /• 1 124 VOYAGE TO more than fifty crowns. So much for what concerns the owner. As to the profit of the fidiing failors, it differs ac- cording to the cuftoms of the port where the vefiel was fitted out. At Olonne, S. Jean dc Luz, and Bayonne, the crew commonly come in for one third of the lading ; in other places, as at Granville, ihey have but one fifth ; but every failor, on his return, is entitled to a gratuity of one hundred to two hundred and forty livres, according to the dexterity he has lliewn in fifliing. Elfevv'here, as at S. Maloes, the failors are hired for the whole feafon, as high as four hundred livres per man. I do not think this a very good fcheme for the owners the fidierman, fure of his own profit, is lefs folicitous whether the fifhery turns out good or bad, and confequently lefs dili- gent. 5-. The I, f i. Newfoundland and St.PiERRE. 125 The cod fiiliery, independent of its uti- lity in trade, of which it is no inconfider- able branch, is an excellent nurfery for failors. It has been obferved, that the feamen who have been employed in this navigation, are more expert, more able- bodied, and fitter to endure hardfl;iips than others. The very next day after we reached the bank of Newfoundland, the fog and the calm overtook us ; this is the weather that commonly prevails there ''\ As the ^^ At and about the Great Bank, thefe horrid fogs infcft the air moft part of the year, and will laft eight or ten days fucccfiively, fometimes longer. In autumn and winter they are not fo frequent J but from the middle part of fpring ti-li December, they are almofl: conftant : they ?re fo thicV that one cannot fee at ten fathom dif- tance. An inccflant rain drops from the Hiils and rigging. The fea is feldom rough about the Great Bank. The failors commonly atT< thofe. who come from the open fca, ** Hoiu :s the wca- " ther abroad " ? calm '*;.„if ■■! j-i : i> S iis $ Ik ''> ■"■■ 4'Mvt^ im J26 VOYAGE TO calm continued the whole day, we em- ployed the time of this inadion, in fi(h- ing. The cod is caught with a harpoon fixed to a line ;, the beft bait is that little fi(h mentioned above, which they call capelan ; for want of this, thty make ufe of the inteftines of the cod itfelf. Though this fi(h is extremely voracious, it requires both cuftom and fkill to allure him. We caught no great quantity, and though we were fo many, the fi{h always went to the fame perfons, who were more dextrous, and confequently more lucky than the reft. Un. The fourteen days we fpent from our arrival at the Bank to our landing, were one continued feries of foss, which made us very uneafy. The great number of {hips that crowded about the Bank, kept us in continual apprelienfions of running foul of feme of them in the fog. Befides, having been for feveral days unable to obferve Newfoundland and St.PiERRE. 127 obferve the latitude, we durft not advance, for fear of ftriking againft the bars of Cape Raze *'. Our charts placed us about the longitude of thofe rocks, and the computed latitude brought us pretty near thetn. The.":; lafl: days of our firfl run, were the worH: we had yet met with, arwl indeed the worft of the whole voyage. Tranfplanted into a horrid climate, con- ilantly choaked with fogs, we feemed to be forever excluded from the fight of the fun ; nor could we hope to land, whilH: this fog intercepted the coaft. It was dangerous to go in fearch of the (hore, even when the mifl: feemed to be dif- perfing. It is no uncommon thing in this latitude to fee the Hneft clearing fucceeded by a prodigious thick fog, and this within half an hour. Then the pilot repents '' Thefe are fankcn rocks, finiated on the weftern coaft of the Great Bank, in 46 degrees 20 feconds latitude, and about 54 degrees longi- tude, his ■'VI! Hi Vl« >, ■*, ■1.', -lit Wjt; M % • -.■*i^' f ■ ■ <^''' ' 'I 'v' • '■M 4 12S VOYAGE TO k his having approached the land, mifled by the appearance of a clear flcy, elpe- cially if he has not had tinie to take a furvey ofitj how cuii he get clear if the wind is not very favorable ? What track n^all he pnrfue to efcape running aground? Such are the inconveniencies and hazards of navigation in the latitudes we were then in ; and we were not long before we experienced how critical our (ituation v.^as. We only waited for the inftant when the weather fliould clear up, to go and reconnoitre the land, from which we deemed we were not fur diftant. We thouiijht we had at lall attained the fum- mit of our wiihcs. On the 22d of July, the fineft flcy imauinable filled us with hope and joy. The horizon, though not quite fo clear as we could have wifhed, fecmed neverthelels to promife a fight of land at five or fix leagues diftancc. Upon the Newfoundland and St. Pi£rre. 129 the ftrength of this dclufive appearance, we run diredtly towards the landing place, with a bride wind j but how great was our amazement, when, without difcover- ing any land, we fuddenly perceived, at a fmall diftance before us, the dafhing of the Waters, which could only be occa- fioned by the coaft, or by rocks or breakers, which the fog concealed from our fight. No time was to be loft ; we tacked about, and made all the fail ^e could to get away from a coaft where it is dangerous being wind-bound, on ac- count of the violent currents, which may drive the veftel aftiore, if fhe has the misfortune to be becalmed^". Happily for us, the wind favored our flight, and I ^° The ifland of Newfoundland is furrounded with the mofl: violent currents ; they have no fixed dire(5lion, fometimes driving towards the fhore, fometimes towards the main fea. This uncertainty requires the grcateft caution. v:f. 4;.;! .-•■'r ••V ..■:V";.:|SJ K we .»' .(**■■ ■.■I ■'( , ..a ^'i^ VOYAGE TO I If I we made for the Great Bank, there to wait till a lefs fallacious change of weather fhould permit us to go lafcly in queft of land* • • - '• '• ' ' • • This we had an opportunity of effedling two days after, by the fineft weather imaginable. Nothing is more gloomy than the Ity darkened by that thick and damp fog, as nothing is more beautiful than that very fky, when a north caft wind drives away the fog, and exhibits a well terminated horizon. The fun was Dot yqt rifen, when the mift, which had been conftant all the 23d, difperfcd in an inflant ; a clear fky and a fair wind determined us to make diredlly for land. We fet fail at two in the morning, at eight we difcovered a fmall eminence rifing in the moft diftant horizon. At noon the figure of this and feveral other points 'vhich appeared as we drew nearer^ made us conjedture that the land we faw was Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 131 was thecoaft of Newfoundland, and that this fiilt eminence Was the Red-hat, However, we were ftill too far off to judge with any certainty, but at four in the afternoon, being but four leagues diflant, we plainly faw we were not n^"^.ken. The Red-hat, and in general tiie whole coafl: of Newfoundland, is very fteep, and rifes far above the level of the fea; We firft difcovered it at near fixteen leagues diftance. The {hips that fail ia this latitude, commonly take notice of this mountain, its form being very dif- fctinguifhable. It is Huci there are fome fpots from whence it really appears like a flapped hati • -'- ' We had fleered toward the Red-hat till noon, the winds not permitting us to bear more to the weft, and after taking the elevation of it, we were adually going to tack about, to get more fea room, K 2 when 111 Hi i I I. V. ',"■ ■'■■'*., » » • I ■■•-J; #. *tL: m ^2 VOYAGE To »• when the wind (hifted by degrees, and wc made towards the ifland of Saint Pierre, which wc difcovered at fix. Our fir(! intention was not to anchor there that day, but confidering how feldom we could cxpedt fuch clear weather as we then enjoyed, we directed our courfe flraight to it. About eight o'clock, judging we were very near land, we fired a gun for a pilot j we were anfwered. We fired repeatedly to (hew our impatience, nor was it ill grounded. The wind was flackening more and more, night was coming on, and the weather feemcd to threaten a fog for the next day. Our fignals were indeed anfwered, but the wi(hed-for pilot did not appear. We could plainly fee the light of the guns that anfwered us, and by the interval between the light and the found, we cftimated the diftance of the ifland, and found Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 133 found to our forrow that wc were farther from it than we had imagined. To com- plete our misfortune, a calm came on, and for fome hours we were afraid of being driven afliorc by the currents j but the wind foon rofe. Seeing no pilot come, we kept aloof^ firing a gun every half hour, and each time we were an- fwered by two. Never did a night appear fo long ; the weather was overtaft, and foretold an approaching fog. At three we begun to fufped land, and about five we plainly diftingui(hed the illand oi Saint Pierre^ and particularly another little ad- jacent ifland, called the Pigeon-houfe^ which lies at the entrance of the road. Having attained to this certainty, we tacked about, and failed before the wind, fteering for the Pigeon-houfe ; we were ftill near five leagues off, and the fog was coming ©n. We fpied a little boat making to- wards us I at firft we were in doubt K 3 whether 1: . 11 .m .:*!•' I 'li. ' i X. • '#+■■•■* 134 VOYAGE TO J' whether we hnd bed wait for it, but find- ing we loft fight of the land more an».| more, we determined to lay by, in cafe it (hould be the pilot. We were not dif- ^ppointed j it was the captain of the harbour of Saint Pierre, who had bcert rowing about the ifland all night, unable to find us. He leaped on board j and was fo perfetftly acquainted with the place, that he did not mind lofmg fight of the land, and in a (hort time brought us fafe to the entrance of the road. We had fcarcely reached it, when the wind failed at once, and fell to a dead calm, fo that we were obliced to anchor before the road of Saint Pierre, and then to tow the fiiip to the right anchorage. This laborious operation took us up from fix in the mcrning till the next day July si6. Thus after forty-two days failing we poncluded what may be called a pretty ". -^ t' .^ •» good 111 ■4Mi^\ r NEv/FoufJDr.AND and St. Pikrre. 135 good palligc, fometimcs indeed obftru6lcd by the fogs and winds, but this was no mo.'e than what we were toexpcdl at that time of the year. Wc had met with no accident, no fqualls nor Aorms, and had almoft always a fine fmooth fea ", We were no fuoner come to an anchor at the entrance of the road of Saint Pierre, but a prodigious thick fog robbed us of the fight of th land that furrounded us, and this for two days together. In- deed one muft have been fix weeks at fea, to lament being deprived of fuch a profpe(5t as the barren coafts of this road affords, and in general the whole ifland of Saint Pierre ; but for feamen tired with the uniform fpedacle of the fea, the mofl hideous rocks have their charms 5 1 was '' Only on the 2d and 5th of July, when vvc met with a very rough fea. ;■ If j> <4 »• I, '0% \'.,"'^.A\ ■ ■!:> K4 therefore ■i-.:'^ •*,i| J36 VOYAGE TO \t l\ "■S" t pi therefore heartily glad to get on (hore. The very next day after our arrival, I fkipped into a canoe with Mr. Tronjoly and fome officers, and we made for the coaft, through the mift. Long before we reached the fliore, an ofFenfive fmell made us fenfible what we were to expeift. The ftench increafed as we drew nearer, and was at the height, when we landed near a kind of wooden houfe, which pro- jcds iniio the fea, and is bpilt upon piles. As our fjrll bufinefs was to wait on the governor, we poftponed our inquiries jibout this building and its ufe to anoihei: pppurtunity. We made the beft of our way to the governor's houfe, through a field cor vered with nothing but white pebbles or flat (tones, overfpread with an innumerable multitude of cod. Mr. Dangeac, governor c:t the illand, came to meet us Vv'ith his family. They vvclcoriied us with fuch politenefs. Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 137 politenefs, and during our ftay there, were fo attentive and obliging, that wc were foon convinced that the delights of an agreeable fociety will compenfate for the hardfhips of the worft of climates. Mr. Dangeac was no fooner apprized of the dbjed: of my miffion, but he made it his whole ftudy to procure me all nccef- fary conveniencies for my operations. I was loaded with his favours, and the manner of conferring them doubled the obligation. He compelled me to accept of the houfe, and even of the apartment where his fons lived. Accordingly I fixed my abode on the (hore, with MefT. Leroy and Wallet; and die apparatus v/as fet up, to be in readinefs for the firft moment of fair weather. I was fo prepoffefTed that the fight of the fun was an uncommon phacnomenon in thefe parts, that I was ^Joiofl: difcouraged j but happily for us, that ■M .i^lQ: i/ ■ -'. "4 .'I ^ .< m < .1 '.i, .«^-. i 13^ VOYAGE TO . r;^'^ ^*ir'- that was not the cafe while we remained on the ifland, for in ten days I had four which were fit for obfervations. I fpent the Intervals between my agro- nomical obfervations, in furveying the ifland, and enquiring into the nature of the place, its inhabitants and trade. The iflands of §aintPierre and Miquelon are the only fettlements the French pofTefs at piefent in this northern part of America, which includes Newfoundland and the coafl: of Canada. Saint Pierre is a very fmall ifland j its utmoft length may be two leagues. Mi- quelon is fomewhat larger, and may be about five leagues long. S. Pierre how- ever is the chief place of the colony ; the fafety of its harbour draws a greater num- ber of (hips, and probably for this fingle ' i reafon, i Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 139 reafon, the governor has fixed his refidence there '* j for I am told Miquelon is a much pleafanter fpet, They talk much of a line plain, a kind of meadow, a league long, which makes a very pleafant walk. You have no fuch thing at Saint Pierre, where all is barren mountains, or rather craggy rocks, here and there co- vered with dry mofs, and other weeds, the fad produce of a ftony foil. 1 fometimes penetrated far into the ifland to acquaint myfelf with the place, and examine its productions j all I found was mountains, not to be fcaled without danger -, the lit- '^ The fiftiing veflels are very fafe in a pretty large Barachois^ which anfwers the purpofe of a harbour. What they call here Barachois, is a little pool near the fea, and only leparaad Irom it by a bank of pebbles. The road of Saint Pierre is a tolerable flieltcr for fhips of burden, but care mull be taken to examine che cabl. s very often, otherwife they will foon be damaged by the lio.iy bottom. ■f tie " 'ir < ' ' 4 '' '' , J ■ . ■*■ u;if' lilili'l^ .?. \: i42 VOYAGE TO I % '% V*: m flaip finds means to convey a few head of oxen or other cattle, it is by eluding the Vigilance of a number of vtffels of their own nation, flationed there merely to prevent this contraband trade. Our arrival at Saint Pierre was celebrated by the death of a bullocic ; this was the iioblefl reception they could beftow. Prom this account, one would be apt to conclude, that the iiland of Saint Pierre could only be confidered as a (belter for fifhermen driven thither by ftrefs of wea- ther, yet we have made a fettlement there. The iflands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon were ceded to France by the Englifli on the following conditions : " that no forts (Ijould be built on either -, that no more than fifty men of regular troops (hould be kept there, difperfed on both iflands j and that they fliould have no military florcs, or cannon, capable of making a defence." Accordingly they are allowed but .1(1. v«yt'v Newfoundland and St. I'ierre. 14^ but five or fix fmall pktct of cannon^ which are rolled to the water- fide without carriages, and are only u fed for fignak td the (hips that want to come in. France, at the taking pofleffion of thefe iftands, appointed a governor. Such of the Canadians as did not chufe to become Britifh were permitted to go and fettle there; many went at firil, but the diffir culty of fubiifting in ftich a barren coun- try, foon determined them to quit it; the greateft part defircd leave to remove to France -, it was granted, but they were no fconer there, than they regretted the iiland of Saint Pierre and wanted to go back. A cargo of near three hundred arrived there jufl: before us. Their unex- ped:ed return put the colony in fome confufion ; thofe who were left behind had feized upon the habitations which the others had forfaken j they had pulled down fome of the wooden houfe?, and made 1* ^M * '.•I t: "*f ^- ■' '^■■ '4:-' '■. 144 VOYAGE TO made ufe of the materials. The nevr comers were fent to Miquelon, whicb^ with this addition, may contain five or fix hundred inhabitants s Saint Pierre about half as many. , . ,. I obferved above, fpeaking of the New- foundland fifhery, that towards the latter end of June, the cape/an flocked from the main to depofit their eggs along the coaft of that and the adjacent iilands -, and that then all the cod about the Great Bank came in fhoals to thefe coads : this is the critical time for the fifhermen of Saint Pierre. The ifland is adjoining to a fand bank where the cod comes in great plenty. Whatever is caught there, is brought to Saint Pierre, where it is cured and dried. This is what is fold in France by the name of morue/ec/je, or more properly t7jerhicbe, Merluche or moruefrakhe is therefore one and the fame iilli, only cured in a different manner. Some Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 145 Some (hips likewife bring the fifh they have caught at the Great Bank, to dry at Saint Pierre, but thefe are few ; moft of the cod that is fiflied at the Bank, is brought home to Europe, and fold for ?norue vente^ or barrel cod, Immenfe labour and care are requifite for this operation of faking and drying the cod, though but an ordinary di(h at laft. T/je manner of preparing and drying cod. The cod intended for drying, is caught and beheaded in the fame manner as the other, but it is cut up differently *'. The Jlicer^ inflead of cutting the bones along the vertebra) only half way down fromi the throat to the anus, lays open the fifh at one ftroke, quite to the tail, all along the vertebrr, which he divides up to the throat, leaving each half of thefe vertebras * P. 120, &c. L and '4 ■u. '^i -¥1 ;»^ : .'I ( 1 ■ • /ft' ■^^il M X' :^.t *'''-.;?■ ■«..!- Hi i; ii '■*%. '■fl i46 VOYAGE TO and the Ipinal marrow in the flcflv ot the cod. kW When ihcjliar has thus diffatchcd a fifli, he drops it Into a fledge tliat holds about half a hundred weight j a boy then drives the fledge to the place where the Jalter lalts and fpreads the fifli of the day. The falter lavs down the fifli flat with the flefli uppcrmofl, and placing fevfal of them flde by fide, he forms a layer of fix, eight, twelve, or fifteen feet long, and three, four, or five broad ; then he takes a great wooden fliovel, about two feet fquare, and fpiinklcs fait all over the lavcr of cod. Care mufl be taken that this fait be laid on very even. When this layer is fufficiently faltcd, he fpreads another over ir, Hdts it in the fame manner, and fo on. Wlien Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 147 When there are large, middling, and fmall cod, they arc kept apart, for a different depth of fait is requifite tor dif- ferent fizes. Too much fnlt burns up tiic fi(hy and makes it brittle when it comes to dry, and too little makes it greafy, and difficult to dry. The cod is left in fait two days at lead, and fomctimes above a fortnight ; then it is vvaflied. For this purpofe they 1o:kI it on hand barrows, and empty it out into a laver not unlike a great cage, by the fea-fide ; there they flir it about in fea- water with paddles, to cleanfe it from the ialt and ilimc that it is daubed with, and when it is wafhtd white, they put it again on the barrows, and carry it upon the caravel where it is to be fpread. They hrfl: pile it up five or fix feet high j the top of the heap terminates like a roof, that the fiih may drain rnd liardcn. L 2 Two, Mjjljfrfll 4. I* 14 411' I'i & 5.-,/' ■■'- s( J 48 VOYAGE TO i'. » 1 *3 Two, three, or four days after, as the weather permits, they undo the pile, and fpread the fifli upon the gravel one hy one in rows, with the flefh uppermpft. When it has lain thus in the morning fun, they turn it about two in the afternoon, the fkin uppermofl, and in the evening if they find that the wind and fun have dried them enough, they lay five or fix of them one upon another, and a large one at top, to flielter them from die rain. The cod being thus difpcfed in little heap?, the ikin upwards, they wait for the firft fine day to fpread them again on the gravel, fiifi: with the fkin uppermoft, and at noon they turn them, and when they have been thus ^xpofed a fecond time to the rays of the fun, they are again heaped up, fifteen or twenty in a heap, and left till the next fine day, when they once more fpread them upon the gravel. If after this they find the fifli thoroughly dry, they place the fmall ones in round fharp piles like Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 149 Jikc pigeon - houfes, the middle Hzed in heaps of a hundred weight, and the large ones in fmaller parcels. I'he former, when they have undergone a fourth fun- ning, that is, when they have been fpread upon the gravel for the fourth time, are laid up in round piles -, as to the larger ones, they muft be fpread in the fun live or fix times at lead, before one can ven-^ ture to pile them up like the others. When they have ftood fo for three or four days, they fpread them all at once upon the gravel in the fun, and then pro- ceed to a new pile, laying the largeft fifli for the ground-work, the middle fized next, and the fmalleft at top j becaufe the larger they are, the greater preflure they require, to fqueeze out and throw off their moiflurc. This pile is left (landing for a fortnight, and then the cod is again fpread in the fun, after which the pile is eredkd once more, but reverfed, fo that what was at the bottom is now put at the top. L 3 This • ■ •^ V li.. lU '■1 "}-^ J 5° VOYAGE TO ■■'■ \>'^ This pile may be let alone for a month, after which time the fifli is once more cxpofed to the fun, and then piled up for the lafl time. fi When all this is done, they make choice of a fine day to fpread out thefe fifhes, only an arm full at a time, and lay them on the gravel : they examine them one by one, and Jay apart thofe that flill retain fome moifture ; the dry ones are piled up, and the moid ones are dried again in the fun, and then put on the t( p of the other piles, that they may be at hand to be looked after, and dried ligain if they (liould want Ir. To conclude, the whole procefs, jufl before they are (hipped, they fpread them by arms full upon the gravel, to air and dry them thoroughly. In order to fl^ip this cod, they clean piU the hold, and lay a kind of floor, ei- ther of flone or wood, on which they place Newfoundland andSt.PiERRE. 151 place the fiO), the firft layer with the flc(h uppermoft, and all the reft with the Ikin uppermc.ft. They dont fill the hold from one end to the other, without interrup- tion, but raife feveral piles, both to keep the good and bad apart, and likewife to diftinguiili the different fizes of the fifli. The large ones make the groundwork of the cargo, the middle fized come next, and the fmall ones are l-iid at top. They Jine the bottom and fides of the hold wldi fmall twigs with their leaves on, but dried firft for feveral days. The cod being thus laid up in the hold, they cover it with fails, and never meddle with it more till they unload it for fale in Europe, For thefe particulars about the curing of cod in the Ifland of St. Pierre, I am beholden to M. de R**, lieutenant of a frigate, who is perfecftly acquainted with thefe matterS;, having been for a longtime employed in that buiinefs on the ifland. L 4 Slitting, tit- t5i» ■ » ■). •;Vv. ^' t«i ■ L Jlii.;- '■■% '1 1 . , 152 VOYAGE TO Slitting, faking, and drying the cod, are three diftindl operations, the lafl: of which is fometimes very tedious and difficult. The fun is feldom fecn at Saint Pierre, and the want of funfliine is the lofs of thoufands of cod, which rot in the danips and fogs. m On the right hand of the harbor or road, is a houfe built upon piles in the fea; it is made of boards, and the roof of long poles interwoven j half this roof is covered with turf from one end to the other, and tlie remaining half is left open : they call this houfe a chafaud. Tliis is the place where they flit and fait the cod. The floor conflfts of long poles, placed fo as to let the inteftines of the fifli drop down between them iuto the fea. Half the roof is left open to let in the rain and frcfli air, which carry ofl^part of the naftinefs and (tench of the place, that Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 51 that would otherwife be intolerable, and the fifli is cured in that part which is thatched. The fifliing boats that are commonly employed in catching cod about the ifland, and bringing it to this chafaiidy are fmall craft, with a fquare fail. The crew never exceeds two men, commonly attended by a dog, their iaithful fervant and com- panion. From their boat they ftioot goe- lands and other lea-birds, with which they make their foup. The dog fwims and fetches the bird, without any inter- ruption to his matter's fifhery. The mofl: common birds on the coafts of Saint Pierre and Newfoundland are the madre^ the gode^ and the calculo. The eggs of the madre are white Ipeckled with black ; thofe of the gode are greenidi fpeckled with black, and thofe of the cakuco ^vv ■iiC>f !«*« -A- .>'-■■■■■ ■J ■ M'^' m t '■ ti 154 VOYAGE to calculo are brown with darker fpots, Thefe eggs are larger than hen eggs, and yet the birds are not much bigger than pigeons. Behind the chnfau^y appear the mafls of fliipping ; thefe fhew the fituation of the barachoisy where the fidiing fmacks are (haltered. This barachois is large, and tolerably fenced from the winds. It reaches to the walls of the governor's lioufc, and may be about three hundred furlongs wide in the broadeft part. It meafures four fathom water till within twenty-five or thirty furlongs of the fhore ; however, it has feme fliallows where there is not above eight feet water, which muft be carefullv attended to. At low water you have not above five cr fi?: feet water over the bar that parts the barachois from the road. In neap tides you have nine or ten feer, but Newfoundland and St. Pierre. 155 in high tides, it rifes to fourteen feet. The tides are very irregular at Saint Pierre, from the variety of winds, and the different degrees of their vehemence ; however, the fpring tides are commonly at the new and full moon about eight o clock. In going into the road of Saint Pierre by the eaftern pafs, you mu(l beware of two dangerous rocks, called the black- rock and bajjejaune^ the firft fituated eaft, |he other eaft-fouth-eafl: of the point of the ifle of Dogs, at about 7 of a league diftance : but they are only dangerous by night or in a fog ; by day light you can plainly fee the black-rock above water, and alinoft always the v/aves dalhing over the bajjejaune. The great road begins at the little rock Saint Pierre 3 a flilp may fafely fail on either iide of this rock, and will find anchorage '''■•1' . ' WW, ^•1 ill i fm ■J» tl i'-f if:*:* ' 'Ai 156 VOYAGE TO anchorage in any part of the road within thirty fathom of the fliore j but left a fide wind fliould rife, they confimonly allow more room, and anchor at one third diftance from the coaft of Saint Pierre, and two thirds from that of the ifle of Dogs. As to the fouth-eaft pafs, where merchantmen commonly go in and out, it is much more difficult than the other, and is hardly practicable but for (hips of two or three hundred tons burden at moft. There would be depth enough at high water for frigates, but the pafs is very narrow, as is likewife the channel that leads to the good anchorage. The pilot muft be cautious of the rocks that lye near the barachois, fome points of which advance under water into the channel, but may bs avoided by (leering nearer the fhoreofthe ifle of Doi»s than that of Saint Pierre J he mufl likewife be careful to keep clear of the ifle of Maffacre, and of the innermoil point of tne ifle of Dogs, where a fhip Newfoundland and St.PiERiiE. i^;^ fliip might ftrike if fiie was to come too near. The duke de Praflin's intention was that we (hould make no longer ftay at Saint Pierre than was requifite for the verifying of the time-keepers. The wea- ther proved fo favorable, that in a week's time, I had a fufficient number of obfer- vations to anfwer my purpofe. I foon informed Mr. Tronjoly that I had no farther need to detain him there. This news was received by every one with as much pleafure as I felt in imparting it. We were all heartily fick of this horrid country, and tlie expectation of that delightful climate we were going to, made us long to get there. I (hall now briefly give the refult of the obfervations J. made in this firfl: ftation towards verify- ing the time-keepers. Before n %f %^ ('■■'^^ il 'luff lif 1*4 1S8 GBSEPvYATlONS on the m H i Before we got to the ifland of S. PierrCj 1 had fome fufpicion that one of the clocks was a little out of order. The obfervations I made when afhore, plainly (heWed, that which ' <:al' the fecond (from the date of its coiHu'U'Hl:>n) had adually undergone fome variau^n is nir pafTage. I thought it muft be owing to the damps and fogs we had been expofed to, at the very time when I fiiTt perceived that the clocks did not agree. Mr. Le Roy afked my leave to open the clock, that he might the better find out the caufe of this diforder, which he was of opinion, muft proceed from fome fridion, which was difcernable by the ear, in the pieces of the machine. At firfl I would not confent, but fearinjr left my refufal fl-iould deprive Mr. Le Roy of the fureft means of difcovering the de- feds of his work, and amending what might be amifs, I confented to the open- ing of the clock, which was done in the nrefence of Mi\ Trorjoly, Mr. W allot and TIME-KEEPERS AT S. PIERRE. 159 and myfelf. Mr. Le Roy flopped the movement, examined it a while, and found nothing apparently amifs j then, without touching it with any inftrument but his fingers, he reftored it to the fame ftate with regard to the other clocks, that it was in before be flopped it. Mr. Le Roy gave me in writing the demand he had made of my confent to open and examine hi.' time keeper, and I drew up a verbal pr^- cefs of the whole tranfadion. The difagreeable imprefRon this diforder of one clock had made upon my mind, was foon removed by obferving the per- fedion of the other ; not the leafl altera- tion had happened, and with regard to the mean motion it was, within a few tierces, the fame as at Havre de Grace. This is very furprifing after fixty days trial, and in fuch fogs as we had been expofed to'*. We ^* The verification I made on the ifland of Saint Pierre was not indeed abiblutely complcar, the r I if' f ;^ 4 I;' i6o VOYAGE FROM S. PIERRE w We fet fail the 3d of Auguft, and got out of the road of S. Pierre at fevcn ill the morning with a clear iky -, there had been a fog the day before, and that was the laft we had to encounter. A fair wind foon carried us beyond the Bank of Newfoundland ; we loft the foundings Auguft 9, to enter upon a finer climate. Clear weather, fair winds, a fine fea 5 fuch in few words is the hiftory of our run from the ifland of Saint Pierre to Sallee, and makes any farther account necdlefs. The melancholy infpired by tlie fogs and contrary winds in our former pafTage, was now exchanged for joy and hope, the efFed of fair weather and favor- able winds. We were not long in fearch of the coaft of Africa, and came within the longitude of this ifland not being cxadly determined, but that equality of motion which I had obierved in one of the clocks was a ftrong prejudice in its favor, which has been v-onfirmcd by the fequel. foundings 4, ,H TO S A L L E E. i6i foundings on the 26th of Auguft at feven in the morning. The founding fhewcd we were not fnr from land, but a mid raifed by the heat, prevented our feeing the (hore j it dilpcrfed at noon, and we then faw New Marmora at four leagues diftance (Iraight before us. We kept along the coaft declining fouthward, to get near Sallcc, which was now but five leagues off; but upon the moment of landing, we were ftopt fhort by contrary winds. We then anchored near the coaft, and the next morning we weighed, and came to an anchor over againft the town of Saliee, at the diflancc of about a league to the (ouih weft, after a run of twentv- four days. '4 .:.t /■4 We furefaw fome difficulties in landing, nn account of the fand bank which lies acrofs the entrance of the harbour o^ Sallcc, and durll: not venture in without a pilut from tlie place. A xebcque from M l*rovence 'A i62 VOYAGE FROM S. PIERRE m "^i/ i,*^' f^mAi Provence lay at anchor long fide of us > her captain came on board, and the in- foriniuions he gave us as to the fituation made us fl 11 more cautious. The next day after oar arrival, a boat of that coun- try Cuming to bring goods on board his fhip, Mr. Tronjoly 1:>:' Wm-i "■^^SX wc were detained near four days without a poflibility of getting at the ihip. For my own part, I was comforted by the opportunity this gave mc of examining things, of which I fliould have had but a faint notion, had I flaid at Sallce but half a day. The civilities we met with from the conlul, made us amends for the little intercourfe we could have with the Salletincs ; his kindnefs in procuring us a fight of whatever might fatisfy our curiofity, and giving us an. accour of what we had not time to fee, made our {lay at Sallee very cnictaining and pleafant. The town of Sallce is fituated on the weflern coaft of Africa, in 34 deg. 4 min. latitude '^, and 9 ile^. 6 min. longitude. It ^^ I hal it rfjot in my power to verify this latitude : as to the lungitude, i give it fuch DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 169 It is one of the mofl confiderable towns of the kingdom of Fez, under the domi- nion of the king of Morocco. A river called Guerou dividcb it from caft to weft into tWD parts, diftinguifhed on the maps by the names of Old Sallee to the north, and New Sallee to the fouth ] but the latter is more properly called Rabath*°. The mouth of the river Guerou forms a harbour for trading Ihips, between the two towns of Rabath and Sallee, but the entrance is difficult, on account cf the famous bar, or fand bank, that extends fuch as I was able to deduce by the time- keepers, from feme particular obfervations taken on board the (hip, in the road of iSailee. *° Probably this name of Rabath, given to the fouth fide of the town of Sallee, has ind ccd fome geographers to call the river Rtoeta^ iiillead of its right name Guerou, m' ft r ■* ', W ,„. .■ 4 ; % I • 'Hi . '•^■5[. 111. ' "' »■ ', ,.,^1 all 170 DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. m:^ all along the coaft of Africa, and againft which the fea, beating with incredible violence, rifes in fuch billows as are ex- ceedingly dangerous to pafs. The bar of Sallee is the worft of all. It requires next to a calm to make it paflable 5 the leaft gale from the fea renders it difficult, and confequently the favorable moments iTiUft be Icized to get in or out of the harbour. The one is eafier than the other ', for, provided the fea does not break too violently over th. bar, you can eafily get in, obierving always to prefent the ftern to the wave, which of itfelf will drive the (liip into the harbour. It is cafieft getting in at high water, for then the waves are not fo furious. But to get out of port, the bed way is to endeavour to be beforehand with the fea breeze, which may occafion a fvvell, and then it is eafy to conceive how difficult it muft be to keep the veflel upright, and to conquer i^ :■ ' DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 171 conquer five or fix great billows that follow one another with vaft rapidity j the firft lifts up the (liip, the next whirls her acrofs, and (he infallibly becomes the fport of the others, which fwallow her up, without a pofilbility of affording her the leaft afllftance. Some fatal in- ftances have made the natives extremely circumfpe(5t in pafling this bar. I could almoft tax them with being over cautious, if an excefs of prudence was not ex- cufable in fuch a cafe as this. From this account of the bar of Sallee, it is evident that fuch a local inconveni- ence muft be very detrimental to trade. A merchant (hip of fome burden, that draws too much water to fail into the harbour, muft anchor on the open coaft, where flue is not very fafe, and may be compelled, by the (liifting of the wind, to ' .1 1'. a>^, ;,., ■ :... 1 '€h i72 DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. \) ^.m forfake her ftation *' j fo that much time is loft before (he can take in her lading. If once the bar grows rough, all commu- nication is cut off. The dirtance of the anchorage will hardly admit of two turns a day *% and each of thefe is very expen- iive, becaufe the Europeans chufe to em- ploy the natives and their boats, for fear of lofing their own *\ The chief trade ♦* The north weft winds are very dangerous ; a ftiip muft not ftay till they blow l)?*rd, to weigh anchor and get fea rooir. Towards the latter end of September and in OiSVoher you have fre- quent gufts of foutheriy wind, that oblige you to remove from the road. It is cuftornary in the roaa of Sallee to caft but one anchor , that the vclTel may remove with greater difp.itch in cafe of need ; or clfe they only fatten with a grappling and a fmall anchor for fear the bottom ftiouid cut their cables ** The bell anchorage is about three quarters of a league from the mouth of the river, to the north weft, leaving the tower of Aflan to the fouth eaft. *^ The captain of a trading vcflel loft his long boat and his floop on the bar of Arache, the next port to Sallee ; and at Sallee, one of their own boats pcriihed, and only a finglc Moor efcaped. that DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 17- that can be carried on with the Salletines, is in oil, wool, honey, wax, and Morocco leather ; they take nothing in exchange but warlike (lores, fuch as ammunition, great and fmall guns, fabres, &c, but they prefer money to all commodities, are very fond of getting it from abroad, and fufFer none to go out **. ■4- -■1 If .: t The bar may indeed be of fome fer- vice to tlie poople of the country, as it makes any approach to their coaft ex- tremely difficult 5 but then this very d€* fence fometimes turns againft themfelves. We faw an inftance of it during the fort- night we lay at anchor in the road of Sal- lee. A fmall xebcque, unable to get into ** French money is not cur'ent at Sallee ; the coin of the country confifts of gold ducats, worth 10 French livres; the ounce worth 13 fols 4 deniers ; the flus, 24 of which go to a bJanqtiille -^ and the alaquais, of whith 8c make lut a blan- (juille. the 'vl "H 1^, I I (, 1 '*'•■/ ' '.^*»' , 'I 'f r m I i?^*' tm 174 DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. the harbour, the bar being then anpai& able, came to an anchor not far from us* We faw her make many fignals the whole day ; at laft we fent fomc of our people on board, who found her to be a prize that a Sallee rover had taken from the Portugueze, and was fending in with a party of his own crew. The poor wretches, having met with contrary winds, and not coming home fo foon as they ex- peded, had been for feveral days in want of provifions, and efpecially of water* They made fignals for immediate afTifl:- ance from land, but in vain. Some boats attempted to fupply them, but there was no getting over the bar, and fo it conti- nued for four days fucceflively, that the wretched crew muft probably have perifhed for want, within fight of the harbour, if we had not been at hand to afTift them with all they wanted. Ex- cepting DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. lyg cepting this bar, there is nothing remark- able in the harbour of Sallee. '" ft; During my ftay afhorc, I refided at Rabath. I was told there was nothing worth feeing at Old Sallee, which is only inhabited bv th'* lower fort, fo that I had no curiofity to go thither. What I am going to fay of Rabath, may however be applied to both towns, which I fliall fre- quently comprehend under one and the fame name. The houfes in Sallee are flat on the top ; they feldom exceed a ground floor, and have no windows, or any light but from the door of each room -, no orna- ments either within or without, except in the houfes of the foreign confuls -, thefe have both windov/s and furniture. The Moors fit on the ground, and have no other carpets than mats, or cufliions that they call eft our mis. There 'i .A '. ft *' 1. i >i : i' W i8o DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. :¥4 w height may be about an hundred feet. It is about forty-fix feet fquare on the out- fide. You afcend to the top of this tower by fuch an eafy flight of fleps, that it would be no hard matter to go up on horfeback. The brick arches that fup- port thefe flairs, begin to yield to the in- juries of time, and the upper ones are al- mofi all fallen in. The walls are built with very fine flone, and are (even feet thick. Within thefe walls is another fquare, containing one room in every flory, each of which has an opening that locks out upon the flairs. I fhould have taken thefe rooms for prifons, had J not obferv- cd in one of them fome remains of paint- ings a frefco, in the manner of mouldings. The Moors make no u(e of this tower, nor have they any notion what it may have been intended for in former times. The m DESCRIPTION OF S ALLEE. 1 8 1 The tower of AfTan is fituated at the end of a fpacious piece of ground, encom- pafled with walls, but only the ruins of them now remain 5 it was probably the place where fome pabce or temple formerly flood, for the remains of feveral rows of pillars arc ftill vifible, fome of which arc partly ftanding. I was defired to take no- tice of the flone thefe pillars are made of; this ftone, they told me, was taken from the water fide, where it is fo foft, that you may cut it v/ith a knife, fo Jong as it is wafhed by the fea water, but when ex- pofed to the dry air, it grows exceeding hard, and is excellent for building. The tower of Affan is the only antiquity ob- fervable in the neighbourhood of Sallee. Below the tower of Aflan, is a round tower, lower than the former, and pierced with feveral port holes j behind this tower flands the old citadel, of which it makes a N 3 part. ■i yii i\ ■««■ ,1 t f *4o ! -4 i82 DESCRIPTION or SALLEE. part. This citadel is rather a heap of ruins than a fortrefs, yet any but the Moors might make fomcthing of it. Its fitua- tion, juft at the entrance of the harhour, is very advantageous, its extent confider-* able, for it would lodge four thoufand men with cafe. This citadel was built by the Portugucze j it is falling to decay, and the Salletines are too \?^y to repair it, They have planted fome cannon on the tottering walls, which crumble now and then, and bring dowri both carriages and batteries along with them 5 you fee the broken pieces lying among the rocks vvhere they have rolled down, and no body takes the pains to pick them up. To the right of the tower of AfTan, (lands a pretty high turret ; this is a mofque, and the pavilion on the top ferves to give notice of the hours of prayer, }3elow this mofque there is a battery of tV/enty- DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 183 twenty-two pieces of cannon, in better order than that of the citadel ; nnd laftly by the water fide, a new one of fourteen guns, almoft clofc to the ground. This is the only one to be feared on that fide. A good way from this battery, on the right, and by the fca Ude, is a fmall fort, defended by three or four guns ; the vici- nity cf the fca has been fatal to it j for whether by a ftorm, or as fome fay by an earthquake, the rock on which it is built was fplit, and the walls fcparated. The rocks at the foot of this fort form a little creek, by means of which it is fometimes pofllble to have a communication with the land, when the bar makes the en- trance into the harbour impradicable ; but this is not to be hazarded without great caution. I took notice, as 1 went along, that out of fifty guns which make up the whole defence i f the town of Sallce, not above twenty are fit for fervice. They N 4 are r ■'% ■'i. ^: 'If J 3+ DESCRIPTION OP SALLEE arc placed at random, without any regard to their ditlercnt fizes, and mounted on fuch forry carriages, that they would in- fallibly be rtiaken to pieces, if the guns were lired often. Between the city walls and the fca fhore, you fee little pavilions fcattered about ; thefe are the tombs of holy muf-r felmen, and the ground between them is full of land marks, that point out the graves of private perfons. There is nothing remarkable on the fide of the river, but a little turret, which is alfo a mofque, and a handfome new l)attery of twenty-two guns, credled by |he fea fide. « Without the town are the gardens, lands and pofTefTions of the inhabitants. ^\)e gardens are very extenfive, for this ••r DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 185 plain rcafon, the land is the property of the firft occupier 5 each takes as much ground as he thinks he wants and can till ; if he grows tired of it, he forfakes it, and goes and fows in the next field, if no body has been beforehand with him. In general, there is no fuch thing as abfoluie property, all the land belongs to the Em- peror J but in this ft ate of poverty and general want of land, every one thinks he has a right to feize upon the monarch's property, as long as his majefty is pleafed to make no ufe of it, nor to claim it, which happens fometimes, when a favor- able opportunity offers, and a piece of ground has been improved by the labour and induftry of the fubjedt. The greateft ornament and riches of thefe gardens, con- iift in great plenty of orange, lemon and cedras trees ; they likewife produce large quantities of pomegranates and figs. Thefe Jrees are planted as in anurfery; and, without il •, I ■^f I i86 PESCRIPTION of SALLEE, without any art, form pleafant groves, where you breathe a cool and fragrant air. Tliefe gardens likcwife abound with water melons, calabaflics, meringcns, to- matoes, and other procludions peculiar to hot climates. The orange tree {hrivcs bed in a hot fun, which alone can bring its fruit to perfcdt maturity ; however, it re- quires watering, and water isllarcc in Africa, as fometimes it does not rain for fix ti>onths together ; therefore, in the higheft part of every garden, there is a well, out gf which the water is raifed through a ftring of earthen pots, which move up ai^.d down by means of a wheel that turns a mill- llone. The water is thus conveyed into a refervoir, from which ifTue fcveral pipes, which, (lanting downwards, are i'o con- trived as to difperfe it all over the garden, through fimplc drains under ground, each of them terminating at the foot of an orange tree. The oranges, lemons, ce- dras, DESC ^TION OF SAI.LEE. i?; dras, and every kind of fruit and vei^-- table thnt grows about Sal'ee arc cxcdk-iit ; in fliort, 1 know of notliing thiat is want- ing In the foil, but the indufliy of the huf- bandman, who may be rewarded b:yond his labour. It would be a great miftakc to imagine chat Africa, and its burning foil, mufl be but a vaft trad^ of barren and dry ground, unfit for vegetation. The interior parts indeed, by the account of travellers, are an immcnle extent of de- ferts and burring fands, but it is well known that the parts bordering on the fea are very fertile. A good wil', and induftry, are what the Moors are wanting in, and hence partly proceeds that air of drought and barren nefs which prevails throughout their country. ^ The kingdom of Fez is one of the mnft fertile cantons of Africa, yet half the ccu:i- try lies fallow. Half a league beyond gallee, it is almoft a defert. Nuthn.g is to ^ i88 DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. Wg"*''' v*! to be feen but immenfe and naked plains, unadorned with a (ingle plantation -, not one tree is to be met with on the roads that lead from one town to another, and the weary traveller finds no (helter from the fcorching fun. He muft carry tents along with him to fcreen him from the incle- mency of the weather by night, and alfo the provifions neccfTary to fuflain life ; for he may travel through a vaft trad: with- out meeting one fiiigle Moor. Thefe people, except in towns, do not live in houfcs ; they have no fixt habitations ; ever wandering about the country., they remove fometimcs one way, fometimes another, live in tents, and with their fami- lies form themfelvdS into litdr focieties, or moveable villages, which they call a^oU' arres. Thofe who thjs inhabit the de- fert?, are halffavages, make as it were a feparate nation, and have litde or no in- tcrcourfe with the inhabitants of towns. The DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 189 The inhabitants of Sallee may be di- vided into four claiTes ; the true Moors, the Negroes, the Jews, and the Rene- gadoes. The Moors are fubjeds of the King of Morocco, born in the religion of Ma- hornet. The Negroes are natives of th« fouthern and middle parts of Africa, fa- vages who have been made Haves by the Moors. ' '4< .;i, The Jews are that wandering people, fo well known by their calamities, de- fpifed of all nations, never able to form one of their own, and detefted by the very Moors, notwithftanding many conformi- ties in their outward worfliip j but fuch is the fatality of their lot, that I verily be- lieve a Jew is more defpifed and abhorred by the Moors than a Chriftian. Never- thelcfs, there are almoft as many Jews as Moors in Sallee, and notwithftanding ths contempt ■ R tgo DESCRIPTION of SALLhE. contempt with which they are treatedj they go on exercifing their talent of cheat- ing ; but they muft be very cautious, for the leaft mifdemeanor, if deteded, would coft them a baftinado. If a Jew happens to (land in the way of a Moor, the latter will ftrike him with his fift, or hit him a flap on the face, and the poor wretch has no right to rcfent the affront as it deferves^ A Jew who ftrikes a Moor has his hand cut off without any trial j if he had a complaint againft the Moor, he '.uight have carried it before the governor : it is true he would have ftood but a poor chance at that tribunal. The Jews are not allowed to fet their feet in the burial places. By way of diftindion they wear a cap and a black garment 5 black is the colour to which the Moors iiave ths greateil averfion. The Renegadoes are Chriftians of differ- ent nations, who have embraced the reli- gion DESCRIPTION ot SALLEE. 191 gion of Mahomet from various motives of intereftj lome iiaving fallen into the hand^ of the Moors, have abjured Chriftianity to cfcape the miferies of ftavcry ; others frorti la.vinefs and a lov^e of plunder, have been induced to affoeiate i^ith a people noted for both. Thefe Renegadces are for the moft part worthlefs perfons, who having rendered themfclves obnoxious to the Jaw» at home, found no fafety but in flying into a country where they are out of reach. Thefe mlfcreants arc moftly Ita- lians and Spaniards ; the Moors have fenfe enough to defpife them. I admired the anfwerof a Salletine, who had been Ion:? a prifbner on board the French gallies : We afl^ed him how he came not to turn Chriftian ; *' a good- Moor, faid he, can '' never become a good Chriftian, and a ^* good Chriftian," (pointing contempt- uoully at one of thefe Renegadoes) " can *« never make a good Moor." The Moors, however, are too happy in h.wing thefe Rencj^adocs ■■¥C ■■♦ f. M 1, n 192 DESCRIPTION op SALLEE* Kenegadoes among them -, it is of them they have learnt the little they know of fhip building and navigation. Some of thefe Renegadoes are fo bafe as to com^ mand Sallee rovers, and go a cruifing againd their ovtrn nation, and bring away their countrymen, loaded with chains, to deliver them up to the worft of llavcry s but whatever obligations the Moors may be under to thefe apoftates, they value them no more than they deferve, and will not acknowledge them as Moors ; they never call them but by the oppro- brious name of Renegadoes. The ufual drefs of the Salletines confifts of a long narrow piece of white fluff, which they call eckque, Tlie men and the women wrap it round their body in a different manner. Moft of the men wear it only round their waift, and leave their arms, (boulders, and legs, bare. This whitw^ Description of sallee. 193 white habit makes the Moors look like Co many ftatues j thofe who are employed in any work that requires freedom of mo* tion, wear no eckque, but a waiftcoat without fleeves, and large trowfers, that reach from above the waift down to the ankles. The Moors all wear the Turk- i(h turban, which is a kind of white hand- kerchief, twifted, and bound round and round their forehead 5 the top of the head is covered with a red cap or caul. They let their beards grow, but cut off their hair; the women however wear their hair. The women wear the eckque, as well as the men ; they wrap themfelves up in it from head to foot. Thev are not al- lowed to (hew their faces when they go abroad ; an opening or two are contrived in the ftuff, or in the folds of the eckque, O through ■i- i .,r^i 0) - fr « n |W 1 n '•I " I ft ,rt 194 DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. through which they enjoy the benefit of feeing every thing, without the pleafurc of being feen, which is no fmall denial to the fex. The hufbands are exceffively jealous; their wives arc always (hut up within doors, and are not fuffered to fpeak with any man but their near relations ; you feldom meet any in the fireets of Sallee, except a little before fun-fet, when they fomeiimes go to pray in the burying grounds, but then they are fo well wrapped up, that you cannot pofTibly fee any thing but two large eyes, which rather excite than gratify your curiofity. The freedom of the Jewidi women is quite a contrafl: to the perpetual captivity of the Moorifli wives. They wear no eckque, and go with their faces uncovered. This only relates to the common drefs of the Sal- letines; I fa w no other worn, except by the Governor. The day he received us in form, he was not in his mandrilla, but in DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 195 in the right Turkirti drefs. As for the women, they are (6 little fccn, that I had no opportunity of obferving what other clothing they may wear under the cckque. « ,, The police of the town is in the hands of the Governor ; whi?) is at once m^gif- trate, judge, and ibmetimes executioner. In the morning he goes to the flcfh mar- ket, which is kept by the river fide. Who- ever has a bullock to difpofe of, brings it to this place, kills it, cuts off the beft piece, and carries it to the Governor, who upon the apparent goodnefs of the meat, determines at once how many pounds the dealer rtiall fell for a blanquille. The red: of the day, the Governor rides about the town, mounted on a mule, and fol- lowed by a fervant armed with a (lick. If he meets with any one that is guilty of a trefpafs, he directly condemns him to a O 2 ceitain % » •f •'i •••t , 1 id ■% 196 DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE, certain number of ftripes, as many as he thinks proper^ and his fervant is ordered to inflid: them upon the fpot with his (lick, unlefs Mr. Governor chufcs to take that trouble himfelf, or if his arm be not too much tired with the bufinefs. The fufFerer can get no redrefs, there being no appeal to any fupreme court of judicature,, and it is taken for granted that what he fufFered he had well defer ved. Capi- tal crimes alone are referved for the cosni-. zance of the Emperor. The principle this prince goes upon is to puni(h by the amputation of the offending member. The culprit is brought before him, the crime is laid open, fentence is immediately pafled, the executioner is any one who happens to have a knife about him. He performs the operation jaft as he pleafes. It is eafy to conceive what a poor wretch muft fufFer in the hands of fuch a bungler, who with cutting, fawing, and breaking, I at DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 197 at lad gets the limb off, and applies no other dreffing to the wound, than a little ftreet dirt, and then pours melted rofm over it. I have been aflfured many fur- vive this operation. There is no other tribunal but the Em- peror's, no law but his will j he advifes with no one j in fliort, he exerciics the moil unlimited defpotifm. From this ac- count we may eafily guefs what muft be the confequence of a government founded on caprice, injuftice, and cruelty, and form a juft idea of the Moorifli nation j a peo- ple void of indoftry or true courage, lazy, profligate, ftupid, fuch as vile flaves muft be cxpeded to be. It now remains to fpeak to that article which ftruck me moft in the fuperftition of the Moors, it is that of their faints. If among the meaneft of the vulgar there is O 3 found i t ffl 1 1. 4% i iff A 198 DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. : found fome oddity, who either from natu- ral defedl or from affedtation, has any thing whimfical or ridiculous in his beha- viour, he is diredtly accounted a faint; all fall down before him, run to kifs his hand, and beg his protection ; all from him is refpedable ; they court his friend- ship, dread his anger; his enemy becomes the enemy of the people, and frequently the vidlim of blind fuperftition **. The crafty (liint, who perhaps has put on the appearance of madnefs, only for the ad- vantage he reaps from it, grows more ex- travagant and more holy than ever; he then becomes more powerful, and all his wants are fupplied ; they let him take whatever he has a fancy for, and kils the hand that robs them. Jt is aftonifliing how far the bljndncfs of mankind will ^o. *''' It would be in the power of one of thefe faints to canfe jiny man to be ftoncd to death, wha iljould chance to dirplcafe him. and DESCRIPTION OF SALLEE. 1:9 and how great is the power of fuperfti- taon, which can fometimes make them fo inconfiftent with themfelvts, and will fi- Icnce their warmeft feelings ! Is it credible that the moft heinous affront, reproach and injury that can be offered to a Moor, (whofe ruling pafiion is the mod furious jealoufy) (hould be accounted by him a glory, a merit, an honor, when it is be- llowed by one of thefe faints, who defirc no better than to enjoy in this world the forctafte of M.ihomet's paradife. The following fa6l is pofitively affcrted : A bride, with her hufl'^and, and fcveral per- fons that had attended the weddine, were orofling the river in a boat -, one of thefe faints happened to crofs over with them j he took a fancy to the bride, his holinefs lignified his will and pleafurej it was heard with adoration ; and the beatified bridegroom promoted his fandification, by covering the faint with his own cloak ; O 4 the ' r * • r I V r, I- ■I .1 < \ S^ 1 ■ *» 2O0 DESCRIPTION of SALLEE. tlic company cried oul, oh bleflcdncfs! oh felicity ! and the Moor received the compliments of all prefent upon his pre- ferment to this holy dignity. However, \ am told the faints are not all fo lucky as to acquire thefe extenilve privileges. \Vhcn a faint dies, they ere6t over his grave one of thofe little pavilions mentioned above. I had the good fortune to fee and fpeak with one of thefe reputed faints, and perhaps I may be thought to overcharge the picture, but I really do not. The particular whim of this man was to imi- tate with his lips the exploHon of bombs and cannon. He v^ent bellowing about the ftrcets all day long, and muttering like the ancient fybils. As he entered the room where we were, he began to breathe his divine effluvia all over it, going into every corner to let off his bombs and great guDS with his mouth 5 he then partook of V OY A G E TO C A D I Z. 2ot of fome fruits and other eatables which we gave him, and I was a (lured it would have been no hard matter to have pre- vailed upon the faint to drink wine, but for the many foreigners, and dill more for the other Moors, who ' were prefent ; al- though it is a capital crime in a Maho- metan to tade wine ; but in all countries it Is enough that a man thinks he has fome conne6lion with the deity, to allow himfelf many privileges. The wind that blew hard at fea, and kept us prifoners in Sallee for feveral days» abated at lad, and fuffered us to crofs the bar fafely. We eagerly fcized this mo- ment, and once more got to our (hip, fully refolved not to hazard fuch another delay. We were de(irous of going im- mediately to Cadiz: the length of our firft voyage had greatly lowered our pro- vifions, fo that we had no time to lofe. We I:- y\ 'I 1 ■ % ZQZ VOYAGE TO CADIZ; We therefore got ready on the loth of September, after lying at anchor fourteen days before Salke. In vain did they en deavour to detain us ; they made a fignal from land the day before we fet off; we fent diredly to enquire what was the meaning of this iignal, but there was no getting afhore; the bar was then unpaflable, fo we could get no information ^\ The next day, the wind being favorable, we thought it bed not to mifs the opportunity, fo we failed for Cadiz, where we arrived in four days, on the 13th of September, at feven in the evening. As we had touched upon the coaft of Africa, we were of courfe to perform qua- *^ During our flay at Cadiz, vre received a letter from Sallee, by which we learnt, that the meaning of this fignal was, they wanted us to come afhore, .0 receive a confiderable prefent cf provifions and refrefliments, which the King of Morocco had ordered to be offered to us, upon his being informed of our arrival at Sal- Ice. rantinci VOYAGE TO CADIZ. 203 rantine j however, the phyficians of health came and examined us, and as they found no fick on board, we were allowed to come alhore the very next day after our arrival. I waited on the Governor, to afk his confent, before I entered upon my operations ; and then proceeded to the Marquis de la Victoria's to get leave to make my obfervations at the marine ob- fervatory, which was granted. Mr. Puy- abry, the French conlul, was fo obliging as to take upon him all the neceffary forma- lities for entering my inftruments and the clocks into the city j this was no eafy mat- ter. All the permiffions obtained for that purpofe could not exempt us from a ftridl fearch at the cuftom houfe, and it was not till after many removals and much trouble, that my inflruments were conveyed to the obfervatory. The clocks did not ioiTtii' the lead injury from all this (liaking : uw deed Mr. Le Roy bene his whole attcn- tiuu m %-'-i 1 A ?'l ^ I 204 VOYAGE TO CADIZ. tion that way ; but it may fafely be affirm- ed, from the trial they have undergone in this voyage, that thefe clocks are very eafily carried about, and that, with a lit- tle attention, they are not liable to (lop or be difcompofed, which is more perhaps than can be faid of many others. I was foon informed that fo far from being of- fended at the iearch my indruments had undergone, I might think myfclf well off if I were not fearched at lead as ftridtly, every time I went in or out at the city gates **. This cuftom appears the more ridiculous ^' This fearch is made in the moH ridiculous and indecent manner imaginable -, no part of the clothing is exempt : their aim is to prevent the exportation of piaftres, and confequently no one is fufFercd to go in or out of the town with more than five piafl^res about him, nor even with any confiderable ium of French money. Tobacco is likewife prohibited ; not long ago, this ab- furdity was carried fo far, as even to throw away what DESCRIPTION OF CADIZ. 205 ridiculous to ftrah^crs, asit exrfts no where but at Cadiz. The city of Cadiz is too well known to need a minute defcription ; hefides, there are but few monuments to excite admira- tion. The only remarkable edifice, or rather that will be fo in time, if ever it is finifhed, is a church all built with marble. In fifty years, they have raifed it to the height of thirty feet. The fortifications on the fide of the land gate are very fine. The only walk about Cadiz rs by the fea fide, towards the road j it is called the Lameda ; it is expofed to the fcorching fun in the day time, and at night to thc^ cold air of the fea, and to the leaft wind J* n i what fnuft' you had in your fnuff-box, and only leave enough for the day. The friars alone are- exempted from the fearch ; no doubt they are fuppofed to be incapable of making an ill ufe of the rcfpect (hewn to, and thc.conlldence repofed in them. that '^ 2o6 DESCRIPTION of CADIZ. that blows. This difagreeable fituation prever ts any trees from growing there above fifteen feet high. The profped of the road, and the (hips continually going in and out, is in my mind the only plea- fure of the Lameda ; however, as it is the only walk about town, the moft brilliant company meets there every evening. Long cloaks and flapped hats mufl not appear there till the hour of ihe j^ngelus, but from that moment you do as you pleafe. The foot walk is railed in on both fides with Itone, and on the outfide the coaches drive gently round, drawn by the prettiefl mules in the world. I might have faved myfelf the trouble of removing my inftiuments to Cadiz; I found a great many, and of the heft con- ftrudlion, in the marine obfervatory. This obfervatory was eredled under the direc- tion of Mr. Godin. It is advantageoufly fituated k DESCRIPTION OF CADIZ. 207 fituated by the fea-fide, en the top of a very high tower. The inftruments are aH placed in a very fpacious fquare faloon, with windows on all fides, that command the whole compafs of the horizon j this faloon opens into a gallery towards the fea, whence you have a full view of the whole fky, and (iill better than from the platform , of the faloon. The death of the laft diredlor had occafioned feme negle<3: in the obfervatory, fo that when I came there, the apparatus was not quite in or- der ', but Mr. TofinOj, a lieutenant in the fervice, who had been juft appointed to fuc- ceed him, was preparing to reftore and put it to rights, and to enter upon a courfc of obfervations, which will be the more ufeful, as very few good ones have been hitherto made in this city. I had been di- re<^ed to enquire what obfervations had been made relative to the determination of the longitude of Cadiz, concerning which I I? m I /,•) ^ i. I 2cB DESCRIPTION o> CADIZ. ivhich there are great doubts ; I made all the enquiries I |X)fIib]y could, but was not able to find in the obfervatory, either ob- fervations, or the leaft iign of there hav- ing been any made, or any journal kept of fuch obfervations. The eclipfe of 1764 was the only thing that appeared to have been accurately obferved. I had it in charge to collect thefe obfervations, and Mr. Tofino obliged mc with them. I found at Cadiz, Mcflieurs Doz and Me- dina, two lieutenants and aflronomers, ap- pointed by the Court of Spain to go to California, there to obferve the tranfit of Venus, jointly with Mr. Chappe *. They were in hourly expectation of failing, but the fleet being retarded, I had the fa-< tisfad:ion, during the whole time I (laid at Cadiz, of having thofe gentlemen clofely attend my obfervations ; they were even fo kind as to make feme with me relative to my objcdt. A (lay • See page 8. OBSERVATIONS, 5cc. 209 A flay of twenty days at Cadiz, ena- bled me to go through all the operations relative to my purpofe, and I thought I might flatter myfelf with having thoroughly verified the time keepers in this place ; it may well be fuppofed I was eager to draw up the refults. The difFcrent afpeds in which they may be viewed, would require, long and minute difcuflions: I (hall there- fore confine myfelf to give the fubftancc of them, fufficient to convey an idea of the fuccefs of the trial. The refult of the firft obfervations I made at Cadiz was this : f That a (hip which fliould have been at fca an hundred and nine days, would have been mifled by one of thefe watches, only c^b minmes of a degree at her landing at Cadiz, which makes an error of about P fourteen I 210 OBSERVATIONS ok fourteen leagues in longitude **. By the other watch, which is that which had been opened at the ifland of Saint Pierre, the error would have been of i degree 45 minutes, that is, about twenty-fcvcn leagues. . Now, the moft experienced and fkilful navigators make no fcruple to own that in a run of two months, and fometimes lefs, they are apt to miftake by fifty or fixty leagues. How advanlageous would it be then to the navy, to have a watch that, at the end of four months, would bring the longitude right, within fourteen leagues. *» In this determination, I fuppofe the longi- tude of Cadiz to be 8 deg. 21 min. but there is reafon to think this city lies 12 minutes farther weft than it has been placed hitherto, which lef- fens the error of the time keepers by juft fo many. They both agreed in plac'ng Cadiz more weilward than it ilano^ in the maps. Doubtlefs THE TIME-KEEPERS. 211 Doubtlcfs the fuccefs of this time keep- er would have been perfedlly fatisfadtory, had it not undergone a greater alteration than I could have wilhed, during my (lay at Cadiz. The feries of obfervations I made at that place, affords an inftance of the compenfations of irregularity that may happen in the movement of a watch, and fljcw the neceflity of intermediate verifi- cations, to judge of its march with any certainty in long voyages. Having taken a fufficient number of ob- fervations, I fent my watches and inftru- ments on board, and only waited for a fair wind to let fail, but was detained twelve days longer. This delay, the fcantinefs of our provifions, and the ad- vanced feafon of the year, determined us to give up goinc^ to Lifbon, and it was re- folved that we (huuld go diredly to Brcft. m ^. p c We 2iz VOYAGE FROM CADIZ We failed out of the road of Cadiz on the i^th of Oduber ; an caftcrly wind drove us out to lea, and the next day wc paffed Cape St. Vincent, We then be- gun to fleer our courfe northward j but the winds prefently failed us, and we had almoft a conftant calm for a whole week, which was the more difagreeable, as wc had a high and rolling fca. We im- puted this f\/el], which even a calm could not abate, to fome guft of wind that had lately blown in this latitude 3 this was the inore probable, as we had obferved the water very rough in the road, one day while we were yet at Cadiz, and it feemed to be very foul weather at fea. This re- conciled us to the difappointment of hav- ing been wind bound. It was about the latitude of Lifbon that we were becalmed 5 happily for us, what little wind there was, brought us on in our way, but this was fo trifling, that it v/ould have TO BREST, 213 have taken up a long time to have doubled Cape Finifterre. At lafl a favorable wind fprung up, and in a fcvv days we got clear of the Spanifli coall, and in the latitude .of Breft. We were going to reconnoitre the place on the 28th of Odober, and were prepa- ring to go in, when a fudden gale from the fouth obliged us to give up our intention of landing, and to think of nothing but keeping in the latitude. The wind fliift- ing more to ihe well, without abar'ng in the lead, the fca grew very tcmpcftuous, and t'ne horizon very thick. We were tofled for three days with a violent florm, waiting for the clearing up of the weather, and for a more tradable wind, to go and examine the land, which our eftimatc brought us nearer to than we wiflicd. Our {hip fuftained feveral Iinart ftiocks, yet we were able to keep up our fails almofl the whoJc time. The m % .fe 214 ARRIVAL AT BREST The 30th of 0(5^obcr in the morning the wind abated a little, and turned to north weft ; the horizon cleared up ; all, in (liort, put on a promifing afpedt for our running towards the Ihore, At noon wc difcovered the ifle of U(hant j leaving this ifland to the northward, we entered the paffage of Iroife, which brought us fairly into the road of Bred, where we came to an anchor at fcven in the evening. Thus ended a voyage of four months and a half, lucky in every particular, I dare not add, fuccefsful in the execution ; that mufl be left to the ^.: figment of the public. Being landed at Brtft, I made ufe of the firft moments of fair weather, as they could not be expeded to be fre- quent at this advanced feafon. I foon got a fufHcient number of obfervations to clofe the trial of the time keepers. I then de- livered them up into the hands of Mr. h Le AND PARIS. ^15 Le Roy, and returned to Paris, where I arrived on the 28th of November. I had colleded on board the (liip all the obfcr- vations I had made for trying the watches, fo that I was very foon able to give an account to the Academy both of my ope- rations and of their refults. FINIS.