BAT A VI A. 205 
The ceremony of our introduction being ended, we pro- 
ceeded from the castle to the country-house of Fan JVeeger- 
man, the second in council, to which we v/ere conveyed in 
small carriages, each drawn by a pair of ponies, and driven 
by a black coachman, who, mounted on a high box, with a 
large three-cornered hat and an enormously long whip, formed 
no unimportant part of the equipage. The distance we had 
to travel was only about a mile beyond the city gate. We 
entered his villa by a draw-bridge tlu'own across a moat, with 
which it was surrounded, and Avhich Avas intended as well for 
ornament as defence. Behind the house Avas a considerable 
piece of ground laid out Avith much formality into a sort of 
pleasure garden intersected, rather injudiciously it Avould 
seem in such a climate, with fish ponds and canals or, more 
correctly speaking, Avith puddles and ditches of dirty Avater, 
The ground was Avell stocked Avith all kinds of tropical fruits, 
and many rare plants peculiar to the island. Orange trees 
of a large size, shaddocks and mangoes Avere loaded Avith 
fruit ; and every individual of the vegetable Avorld seemed to 
flourish Avitli a vigorous luxuriance, except a fcAV sickly 
European plants, Avhich Avere here and there seen drooping 
in pots. On observing to our host hoAv very bountiful nature 
had been to this island in the distribution of some of her 
choicest stores, he replied, " Ya mynheer het is wel wa'cir." 
" You are very right. Sir, Ave have abundance of every 
" thing ; and yet," continued he, " het is een vervloekf land" 
" it is an accursed country, to say the best of it, where wt 
*' eat poison and drink pestilence at every Meal." In Avliat 
this poison and pestilence consisted Avill best appeal- by a 
short description of Van Weegerman^ diniier. 
