6o 



THE COAST OF 



Audience of 



LA VERA CRUZ. 



THE old town of this name having fallen to decay, and the port being 

 very bad, occafioned the prefent town to be built i6 miles further to 

 the eafl:, where was a fafe port well fituated, and proteded by a rock on 

 which they built a fort called ,6V. 'John de Ulua. New Vera Cruz is not a place 

 of very great extent, no Spaniard of diftindion refiding here on account of 

 its uriwholfome fituation between trafts of dry land on one fide, and rank bogs 

 on the other j yet, as to trade, this is one of the mofl: confiderable places per- 

 haps in the world : it is the natural center of the American treafure, and the 

 magazine of all the merchandize that goes out of New Spain, or is tranfported 

 from Europe. It receives a vaft quantity of Eaji- India commodities over land 

 CYtxyy&zihomAcapulco: and the merchants here carry on a great trade through 

 America, being protected by the Barvolento fleet, which is a fmall fquadron 

 employed to clear the coaft from pirates and interlopers, and which comes 

 hither conftantly in OBober. 



When the flota, which is always obliged to winter here, arrives and un- 

 lades the goods from Old Spain, and takes in thofe of Mexico, as well as the 

 merchandize that comes from the Philippine iflands, by the Acapulco fliips, a 

 fair is opened in this town, which lafts many weeks, fometimes till the fhips 

 are ready to depart : then this place nay be faid to be immenfely rich j but the 

 moft wealthy merchants not only refide at the city of Los Angeles, the far 

 greater part of the year, but alfo keep their filver there, till fuch time as the 

 flota is juft ready to go ofi^, which ought regularly to be in May, but is fome- 

 times detained till Augujl ; therefore, the conflant inhabitants of this place 

 are only Mulattos and Mejiizes, with a few Spanijlo fadors. The inhabi- 

 tants, flaves and all, are computed at about 3000, and the city is about half a 

 Spanifo league in cornpafs. The ftreets are very regular, and the buildings, 

 for moft part of timber, decently furnifhed with porcelaine, and china goods ; 

 and their churches magnificently adorned with plate. The fail it ftands in 



is 



