( 3 6 3 ) 



wind ; but this did not laft, and rain of a quar- 

 ter of an hour's duration cleared the Iky and 

 laid the waves of the fea ; which greatly re- 

 fembled thofe perfons, who are of a foft and 

 mild temper, but are fometimes liable to violent 

 fits of paffion, which, however, are foon ap- 

 peafed. I imagine that the currents contribute 

 to calm the fea fo fpeedily after thefe violent 

 agitations. They are indeed very fenfibly felt 

 throughout all this pafTage, and, befides, with their 

 continual variation, difconcert the moft expert 

 pilots. 



After leaving the gulph of Florida, the ftreight 

 courfe for St. Domingo would be fouth-eafl ; but 

 the winds, which almoft conftantly blow from the 

 caftern quarter, prevent this courfe being fteer^ 

 ed, fo that it is neceffafy to go as high as Ber^ 

 mudas, which it would even be convenient to 

 rnake, if poffible, in order to be certain of the 

 longitude. For want of this, vefTels are fome- 

 times obliged to go as far to the north-ward as 

 the great bank of Newfoundland, that they may be 

 fure of being far enough to the eaftward to avoid 

 all thofe rocks which lie to the northward of 

 St. Domingo, 



This great circuit, however, has not always 

 been taken in going from the gulph of Mexico 

 to this ifland. At the firft difcovery of the rtew 

 world, after coafting along the northern fide of 

 Cuba, as far as point Itaque, which is its eaf- 

 tern extremity, about fourteen leagues from Ma- 

 tanzas, they turned to the right, leaving or* 

 fhe left all the Lucayo iflands, of which Ba- 

 hama is the chief. This is what is called the 



old 



1 



