I832.J RIBEIRA GRANDE— ST. DOMINGO. 3 



place in the island : it. now presents a melancholy, but very pic- 

 turesque appearance. Having procured a black Padre for a 

 guide, and a Spaniard who had served in the Peninsular war as 

 an interpreter, we visited a collection of buildings, of which an 

 ancient churcli formed the principal part. It is here the gover- 

 nors and captain-generals of the islands have been buried. Some 

 of the tombstones recorded dates of the sixteenth century.* The 

 heraldic ornaments were the only things in this retired place tliat 

 reminded us of Europe. -The church or chapel formed one side 

 of a quadrangle, in the middle of which a large clump of bananas 

 were growing. On anotlier side was a hospital, containing about 

 a dozen miserable-looking inmates. 



We returned to the Venda to eat our dinners. A considerable 

 number of men, women, and children, all as black as jet, col- 

 lected to watch us. Our companions were extremely merry ; 

 and everything we said or did was followed by their hearty 

 laugfhter. Before leaving- the town we visited the cathedral. It 

 does not appear so rich as the smaller church, but boasts of a 

 little organ, which sent forth singularly inharmonious cries. We 

 presented the black priest with a few shillings, and the Spaniard, 

 patting him on the head, said, with much candour, he thought 

 his colour made no great difference. We then returned, as fast 

 as the ponies would go, to Porto Pray a. 



Another day we rode to the village of St. Domingo, situated 

 near the centre of the island. On a small plain which we crossed, 

 a few stunted acacias were growing ; their tops had been bent 

 by the steadj^ trade-wind, in a singular manner — some of them 

 even at right angles to their trunks. The direction of the 

 branches was exactly N.E. by N., and S.W. by S., and these 

 natural vanes must indicate the prevailing direction of the force 

 of the trade-wind. The travelling had made so little impression 

 on the barren soil, that we here missed our track, and took that 

 to Fuentes. This we did not find out till we arrived there ; and 

 we were afterwards glad of our- mistake. Fuentes is a pretty 

 village, with a small stream ; and everything appeared to prosper 

 well, excepting, indeed, that which ought to do so most — iis 



* The Cape de Vera Islands were discovered in 1449. There was a 

 tombstone of a bishop with the date of 1571 ; and a crest of a hand ajid 

 dagger, dated 1497. 



