ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 263 



The Governor, at the present time Colonel Max- 

 well,* occupies a private house leased for him, which 

 has a fine situation on the ridge of a high hill, and 

 hence serves as a landmark to in-coming ships. The 

 Spanish Governor, while he was in possession after the 

 loss of these islands during the last war, had a wall 

 run about this residence, and planted cannon on the 

 garden-terraces leading up to the house; for a Span- 

 ish governor seems never to think himself safe, unless 

 begirt with cannon 



A church, a gaol, and an Assembly-house make up 

 the public buildings of the town. Under the splendid 

 name of Bourse there is frequented by the waterside 

 a building, quite open, furnished with a roof only, 

 where public sales are held of goods brought in, and 

 all notices and regulations are posted ; here may be 

 found throughout the day buyers and sellers, ships' 

 captains, and other persons, of affairs or of none, who 

 come to hear or retail the news. There is no pavement 

 in the town, but none is needed, since the streets, like 

 the whole island, are almost wholly stone. 



The inhabitants of the town of Nassau are a few 

 royal officials, divers merchants, shipbuilders and car- 

 penters, skippers, pilots, fishermen, and what laborers 

 are needed, with several families who live on the re- 

 turns from their lands and the work of their slaves. 

 The real planters, but of lesser consequence, live near 

 to the town on their estates. To the east of the town, 

 along the waterside, are a good number of houses, for 

 the most part occupied by sailors and fishermen ; and 



* Since October 1787 his Excellency the Earl of Dunmore, 

 (the last British governor of Virginia ), has taken over the 

 government of the Bahama islands. 



