SEPT. 1770 QUADRUPEDS . 343 



sweep of their semicircle in front 7 feet 6J inches. One 

 caution is, however, exceedingly necessary in buying these 

 beasts, which is that one of them of any given size does not 

 weigh half as much as an ox of the same size in England ; 

 in this we, who were ignorant of the fact, were very much 

 deceived. The larger animals which we guessed to be 400 

 Ibs. did not weigh more than 250, and the smaller which 

 we guessed to be 250 not more than 160 ; this vast differ- 

 ence proceeded first from a total want of fat, of which there 

 was not the least sign, but more especially from the thinness 

 of the flanks, and thin pieces which were literally nothing 

 but skin and bone. Their flesh, notwithstanding this, was 

 not bad ; it was well tasted and full of gravy : not that I 

 can put it on a footing with the leanest beef in England, 

 yet I should suppose it better than a lean ox would be in 

 this burnt-up climate. 



Mr. Lange told us that when the Portuguese first came 

 to this island there were horses upon it, an opinion from 

 which I confess I rather apostatise ; but, to waive the 

 dispute, horses are now very plentiful. They are small, 

 generally eleven or twelve hands high, but very brisk and 

 nimble, especially in pacing, which is their common step. 

 The inhabitants appear to be tolerable horsemen, riding 

 always without a saddle, and generally with only a halter 

 instead of a bridle. This is not, however, the only benefit 

 that these islanders receive from them, for they use them as 

 food, and prefer their flesh to that of buffaloes and every 

 other sort but swine's flesh, which holds the highest rank 

 in their opinion. 



Their sheep are of the kind that I have seen in England 

 under the name of Bengal sheep ; they differ from ours in 

 having hair instead of wool, in their ears being very large 

 and flapping down, their horns almost straight, and in their 

 noses, which are much more arched than those of our 

 European kind. These sheep are, I believe, very frequently 

 called cabritos, from their resemblance to goats, which, though 

 I cannot say it appeared to me at all striking, yet had such 

 an effect on the whole ship's company, officers and seamen, 



