LOUISIANA. 5 



fome ridiculous ceremonies, which they oblige 

 thofe to undergo who never paiTed the line be- 

 fore : they are baptifed with fea-water ; but may 

 avoid this too abundant afperfion by making a 

 fmall prefent to the boatfwain. 



Two months after leaving RocheUe we arrived 

 at Cape FranfoiSy in the ifle of St, Bcmingo ; 

 which is that part of America where the Spaniards 

 have firft built towns and farts. 



The town lies at the bottom of a promontory : 

 it is defended by a fort cut -in the rock, at the 

 entrance of the port. This fortrefs, which has 

 a good ilore of artillery, projedls into the fea; 

 and by that means forms a cape, from whence 

 the town takes its name. Its inhabitants are 

 European merchants, Creoles, and negroes ; the 

 lafl being employed to cultivate fugar-canes, 

 coffee, indigo, cacao, cotton, caiTia, tobacco, 

 and various other produ6ls. 



The French and Spaniards have divided the 

 ifland between them ; the latter poffefs the weft- 

 em part of it *. San Domingo is the capital of 

 B 3 the 



* Since that time the Spaniards have given their Ihare of 

 this iHand to the French. F, 



