?7+ 



<a M E <KI C J. 



Chap. VII. 



things about them were beaten to pieces ; and thofe in Garrifon march'd out, not- 

 withftanding they might eafily have endur'd a long Siege, having twenty Brafs, 

 and fixteen Iron Guns, befides all manner of Ammunition. Houte>been thus be- 

 come Mafter of all things on the Ifland of Sjt. Thomas, fent for the fled Tortuguefes 

 into the City on reafonablc Proffers, embrac'd by many of the Inhabitants and No 

 ^GreatMor- ~ rQ ' s g uc wn il e ft Houte-been put all things in good order here,theCountrey Difeafe 



tality among o *■ r \ r \ \ i • 1 1 r f • * 1*1 i 



ybtGuicb on k-aan to rage amonsft the Seamen, for thole who but a little before climb d up the 

 Thomas, by yj ^\ s c0 uragioufly ,gre w faint, and fell down in a Swoon ; thole who fought vali- 

 unwhoifom- ant ]y againft their Enemies, were now put into their Graves- in fhort, of a thou- 

 rl * ce - fand Mcn,a hundred were fcarce left in health,the reft being departed,or lying Bed- 

 rid : the unwholfom Air without any difference infected both great and fmall . for 

 tht Commanders Maftmaker.Valett, Dammert, Qaudius, Teer, Tack, and the chief in 

 this Expedition, Houte-been, were all taken off, and Interr'd in the chief Church of 

 (pavoafa, after the finifhing of fo much bloody Work. Mod complain'd of intole- 

 rable Head-ache, even to Diftradtion, others alio of horrible GripingS; and all 

 thofe who were afflicted either of thefe two ways, moft certainly dy'd in four days 

 time. The occafion of this deadly Diftemper was by divers, according to their dif- 

 ferent Judgments, imputed to fevcral Accidents . but doubtlefs it was chiefly to 

 be afcrib'd to the poyfonous Damps or Fogs, which often rife in this Ifland, at 

 which times every one us'd to keep clofe in their Huts or Houfes ; which the Ne- 

 s therlanders being ignorant of, negletted* 

 Tbefira co- The <Portuguefe that dwelt on this Ifland inform'd the Netherlander s, that few liv'd 

 Ihcrby/ot 1 " above fifty years there, yet notwithftandingthe great Gain tempted them to tarry, 

 wng'of pV- feveral of them having two or three hundred 2>{egro's that work'd in the Sugar- 

 '***■• Mills; that John the Third, King of Portugal, fent a Colony thither above two hun- 

 dred years before, whom though the unwholfom Air deftroy'd, yet the Place was 

 not left defolate • for he fent new Inhabitants, who firft Setled in Guinee, next in 

 Angola, and laftly on the Ifland St. Thomas, that fo they might be the better us'd to 

 the Air - that the faid King fold all thofe Jews for Slaves that refused to embrace 

 the %oman Religion, and caus'd their Children to be Baptized, from whom Ccoming 

 thither in great numbers) moft of the piefent Inhabitants were defcended. 



Twice a year, vi%j, in March and September, the Sun is in the Zenith here, being 

 right perpendicular, and by that means makes no Shadow at Noon 5 but the Heat is 

 fomewhat mollifi'd in thefe two Monethsby the Rains which fall, and in the Sum- 

 mer by a Weft, or South Wind 5 for there never blow neither Eaft nor Northerly 

 Winds. 

 The Derm- The white People that dwell here have commonly a Feaver every eighth day ; 

 ifli° f tbe fi r ft tne y grow chill, next cold, and at laft very hot, which lafts onely two hours. 

 They commonly Let Blood four times a year to prevent this Diftemper. The Ne- 

 gro's generally attain to a great Age, many times to above a hundred years. The 

 Ifland bears the Name of St. Thomas from the Saint on whofc Day the Portuguese 

 difcover'd the fame. From the middle of it rifes a Hill, overgrown with Trees, 

 andcover'don the tojr with Snow, which dropping down into certain Brooks, runs 

 through the Woods, and moiftensthe Cane-Fields. The Ground it felf is tough, 

 and Afh-colour'd 5 in it breed blue Crabs like Moles, which hurt all manner of 

 Roots and Plants. The City offa^acfa is the Metropolis of the Ifland, and a Bi- 

 fhop's See • it lies near a clear and pleafant Brook, and is flank'd on one fide with 

 Hills, fruitful in the production of Sugar-Canes, but partakes of the unwholfom 

 Air of the Ifland, which therefore can fcarce be defended by Netherlander s, becaufe 

 they being unaccuftom'd to the Climate, generally die : Wherefore Crave Maurice 



advis'd 



