I 
200 The VO Y 
sc Money they coll, at the next Port we were going to.” 
However, I affured him, I did not like his Proceedings 
by any means. The Account which Captain Betagh gives 
of this Matter, is very different. He afferts, that Captain 
She ho eke ordered Imperial Colours to be hoiited, and then 
obliged the Portuguefe to bring to : Captain Hatley , going 
aboard with a Boat’s Crew, armed each Man with a Cut- 
lafs, and a Pair of Piftols, put the Portuguefe Captain 
in fuch a Fright, that he not only fent all Sorts of Re- 
frefhments, but a dozen Pieces of Silk, flowered with 
Gold and Silver, worth about three Pounds a Yard, fe- 
veral Dozens of China Plates and Bafons, a Japan Cabinet, 
and three hundred Moidores in hard Gold, ninety-fix of 
which were afterwards found upon Hatley when taken Pri- 
foner by the Spaniards in the JVefi Indies , where this Fa£t, 
having fo ftrong an Appearance of Piracy, had like to have 
coft him his Life. 
3. On the 23d of June, they anchored before the Ifland 
of St. Catharine , where, fays Captain Shelvocke , the firft 
thing I did, was to fend the Carpenter afhore, with all the 
People that could be ufeful to him, in felling of Trees and 
la wing them into Planks : The reft of the Crew were em- 
ployed in other neceffary Services : And, in the mean time, 
the Captain of the Ifland, and the reft of the Inhabitants, 
came off every Day with frefli Provifions •, which was a 
very great Convenience, becaufe it hindered our People 
from breaking in upon their Sea-ftores, while they con- 
tinued in this Harbour. I purchafed likewife 21 Black 
Cattle, feveral Hogs, and 200 large faked Drum-fifh 5 
together with 150 Bulhels of a fort of Meal which the 
Portuguefe call Farino de Fao , which is the Flour of Caf- 
fador-root, as fine as our Oatmeal ; a very hearty Food, 
and prepared with Very little Trouble. I likewife bought 
1 60 Bulhels of Calavances, lome with Money, at the Rate 
of a Dollaf a Buftiel, and fome with Salt, exchanging one 
Bufhel for another ; adding to all this a very neceffary Ar- 
ticle ; which was, a good Quantity of Tobacco. The 
Account given by Monfieur Frezier , of this Ifland, is very 
exa£t, except in two Particulars : The firft is, that he takes 
no notice of an Ifland lying between that of Gall, and the 
Continent of Brafil-, the next, a Reef of Rocks, which is a 
Very material Omiflion. In all Defcriptions of this Kind, Care 
fhould be taken to fet down every thing plainly, fo as to 
prevent any Doubts from arifing in the Minds of fuch as 
are to make ufe of thefe Defcriptions, efpecially with re- 
gard to Roads, Anchoring-places, and where Water is to 
be taken in. For want of Accuracy in this refpedl, fuch 
as have no other Guide but their Books and Charts, which 
was our Cafe, are liable to run into dangerous Errors, and 
fuch, perhaps, as admit of no Remedy j and, for this 
Reafon, where-ever I venture upon any Defcriptions, I 
fhall be more careful to lay down what may be of Ufe, than 
to entertain the Reader with Matter of Amufement. But, 
to return from thefe Reflections, to that which occafioned 
them. In order to arrive at the Anchoring-place, you 
muft continue to fail in the Chanel between St. Catharine's, 
and the Continent, till you come within or near two fmall 
Iflands, which, as yet, have had no Name given them : 
Over-againft the Northermoft of thefe is the Watering- 
place on St. Catharine' s, near to the Entrance of a fmall 
Salt-water Creek ; oppofite to which, you may come-to 
in fix or feven Fathom very fafely, the Bottom being a 
line grey Sand. Hie Ifland of St. Catharine's, is about 
eight Leagues and an half in Length, but, in Breadth, no- 
where exceeds two Leagues •, and the Chanel, between it 
and the Continent, fo narrow in one Part, as not to be 
much above a Quarter of a Mile in Breadth : It is all over 
covered with inacceflible Woods, fo that, excepting the 
Plantations, there is not a clear Spot upon it. The leaft 
Ifland about it is in the fame Manner, abounding with a 
great Variety of Trees, and Undergrowth with Brambles and 
Thorns, which hinder any Accefs *, and the main Continent 
of Brafil may be juftly termed a vaft continued Wilder- 
nefs. The Saffafras, fo much efteemed in Europe , is fo 
common there, that we laid in a good Quantity, inftead of 
other Wood, for firing. They have there great Plenty of 
Oranges, both China and Seville, Lemons, Citrons, Limes, 
Bananas, Palm, Cabbage, Melons of all Sorts, and Po- 
tatoes. They have the Sugar-cane very large and good, 
% 
AGES of Book I. 
but make little or no Ufe of it for want of Utenfils, fo 
that the little Melaffes and Rum they have they fell very 
dear. As to their Game, there is hardly any to be had, 
although the Woods are full of Parrots, which are good 
Eating, and are always feen to fly in Pairs, notwithftand- 
ing there may be fome hundreds in a Flock, Maccaros,? 
Cockatoes, Plovers, and a great Diverfity of other Birds," 
of curious Colours, and peculiar Shapes, particularly one 
fome what larger than a Thrufh, which has a Spur in the 
Joint of each Wing. The Flamingoes are very often feen 
here in great Numbers ; they are of a very fine Scarlet, 
and appear extremely beautiful when flying •, they are about 
the Size of an Heron, and not unlike them in Shape. ’Tis 
quite otherwile with the Fifhery * for, as they have abun- 
dance of feveral Sorts of good Fifh, fo they have almoft 
every-where the beft Conveniency for haling the Seyne. 
All their Bays and Creeks are very well flocked with Mul- 
lets, large Rays, Grunters, Cavallies, and Drum-fifh, fo 
called from the Noife they make, by which they are fol- 
lowed to Shole-water, and taken ; fome of which are 
twenty or thirty Pounds Weight, and their Scales are 
almoft as big as a Crown-piece the Portuguefe call them 
Moroes. You may go up three or four Miles into the 
falt-water Creek before-mentioned, to be near the Water- 
ing-place, where each Rock, Stone, and even the Roots of 
the Mangrove-trees, afford a delicious Sort of fmall green 
Oyfters : Likewife, among the Rocks by the Sea-fide, you 
find what is commonly called the Sea-egg ■, in its outward 
Form, it nearly refembles a Doekbur, excepting that they 
are generally three or four times as big, and are of a Sea- 
green or deep-purple Colour ; but, in the Infide, they 
are divided in Partitions, like Oranges ; each Partition con- 
tains a yellow Subftance, which is eaten raw, and, in my 
Opinion, exceeds all the Shell-fifh I ever tailed ; they have 
Prawns of an extraordinary Size ; and, in our Nets, we 
fometimes caught the Sea-horfe. On the Savannahs of Are- 
zihha, on the Continent, over-againft the Southermoft Part 
of St. Catharine' s, they have great Numbers of Black Cattle, 
fome of which we were fufficiently fupplied with from 
thence, and which we bought at a very reafonable Price. 
The Chara£ler of th z Portuguefe of this Ifland is, that they 
are a Parcel of Banditti, which come for Refuge here from 
the neighbouring and more ftridfcly governed Colonies of 
Brafil : Emanuel Manfa , who was what they called the 
Captain of the Ifland, was ftill their Chief, as much as in 
Frezier' s Time ; however, for my Part, I can but do 
them the Juftice to fay, that they traded with me very 
honeftly, and were very civil to every one, but thofe who 
gave them thofe grofs Affronts hereafter mentioned. They 
enjoy the Bleffings of a fertile Country, and a wholfome 
Air i and Hand in need of no Neceffaries, except Cloathing. 
They have Fire-arms fufficient for their Ufe ; and, in- 
deed, they have need of them very often ; for they are 
greatly troubled with Tygers •, but Ufe has made them eafy 
under that Inconveniency •, yet, in their Houfes, they are 
obliged to keep a great many Dogs, to deftroy thofe ra- 
venous Creatures, who oftentimes make a prodigious Ha- 
vock amongft them. I Lave been told, that a Tyger has 
killed eight or ten Dogs in a Night ; but, if’ it be Day- 
light, they feldom efcape from them ; for they then afford 
the Inhabitants a kind of Diverfion, and an Opportunity 
to deftroy them effedlually. In fhort, nothing is more 
common, than to fee the Prints of Tygers Paws upon the 
fandy Beach: As to their fine Dwelling-houfes, mentioned 
by Monfieur Frezier , none of us could fee any fuch thing ; 
nor have they any Place worthy the Name of a Town, nor 
any Fortification of any kind, except the Woods, which 
are a certain Retreat and Security againft any Enemy that 
may attack them. As to the Indians of thofe Parts, I 
cannot fay much of them, having never feen above two or 
three of them. 
4. There happened, during the Stay we made at St. 
Catharine's, fome Paffages worthy of Notice, of which there- 
fore I fhall give a concife Account : On July 2. we faw a 
large Ship at Anchor under Parrots Ifland, about five Miles 
below the Place where we lay ; upon which, after taking 
the neceffary Precautions for fecuring the Watering-place, 
and what we had afhore there, I fent my Launch, well 
manned and armed, under the Command of a Lieutenant, 
to 
