XII INTRODUCTION. 



quails and fish; and you sec at the poor peoples 

 doors, great heaps of periwinkle shells, those 

 fish being a great part of their food. On the first 

 day of May, having a fair wind at east, we put to 

 sea, and were on the ocean (without speaking to 

 any vessel, except a Ketch, bound from $"ew Eng- 

 land to Barbadoes, laden with horses, fish, and 

 provisions,) till the latter end of July, when the 

 winds hung so much southerly, that we could 

 not get to our port, but put into Sandy-hook bay, 

 and went up to Kew York, after a pinching voy- 

 age, caused by our long passage. We found at 

 the watering place, a French man-of-war, who had 

 on board, men and necessaries to make a colony, 

 and was intended for the Mississippi river, there 

 to settle. 



The country of New York is very pleasant in 

 summer, but in the winter very cold, as all the 

 northern plantations are. Their chief commodities 

 are provisions, bread, beer, lumber, and fish in 

 abundance : all which are very good, and some 

 akins and furs are hence exported. The city is 

 governed by a mayor, (as in England,) is seated on 

 an island, and lies very convenient for trade and 

 defence, having a regular fort, and well mounted 

 with guns. 



The buildings are generally of a smaller sort of 

 ileinish brick, and of the Dutch fashion, (except- 

 ing some few houses.) They are all very firm and 

 good work, and conveniently placed, as is like- 

 wise the town, which gives a very pleasant pros- 



