^18 



A VOYAGE TO 



but he was not certain that he could afford protection 

 to those who were with him. I do not suppose they 

 are quite as ferocious as they are generally represent- 

 ed to be; but I presume they are very little better than 

 the Missouri Indians. We soon found ourselves in 

 the midst of ruins, whose aspect was much more me* 

 lancholy than those of the city itself. Nearly the 

 whole extent which I have mentioned, was once co- 

 vered with delightful dwellings, and contiguous gar- 

 dens, in the highest cultivation; it is now a scene of 

 desolation. The ground scarcely exhibits traces of 

 the spots where they stood, or of the gardens, excepting 

 here and there, fragments of the hedges of the prickly 

 pear, with which they had formerly been enclosed. 

 The fruit trees, and those planted for ornament, had 

 been cut down for fuel, or perhaps through wanton- 

 ness. Over the surface of this extensive and fertile 

 plain, which a few years ago contained as great a po- 

 pulation as the city itself, there are, at present, not 

 more than a dozen families, upon whom soldiers are 

 billeted, and a few uninhabited dilapidated buildings. 

 This is the result of the unhappy sieges which have 

 reduced the population of this city and suburbs, from 

 upwards of thirty thousand to little more than seven. 

 From this, some idea may be formed of the havoe 

 which has been made. We found, however, in riding 

 along the basin above the town, a fine garden, which 

 had escaped the common wreck. We alighted, and 

 were hospitably received by the owner, who led us 

 through his grounds, and showed us his fruit trees, 

 and vegetables. It is from this spot that Lecor^s ta- 

 ble is supplied. The fruits, peaches, grapes, figs, 

 oranges, apples, &c. are exceedingly fine. In this 



