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PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
those of the higher class, such as that of the governor and curate 
were filled with mud. The inhabitants gave me the most friend¬ 
ly reception, every where invited me into their huts, where hogs* 
dogs, fowls, jackasses, men, women, and children, were grouped 
together, and from whence, in a few minutes, I was always glad 
to make my escape, from the innumerable swarms of fleas with 
which they were infested ; and the house of the governor was no 
more exempt from this plague than those of the plebeians, of which 
his wife and naked children bore innumerable testimonies, in the 
large red blotches on their neck and bodies. 
The men of this place seem to be of the lowest class of those 
who call themselves civilized ; and the women, although of fine 
forms, animated, cheerful, and handsome countenances, are des» 
titute of all that delicacy, the possession of which only can ren¬ 
der the female lovely in our eyes- I shall mention one instance 
only of the many I witnessed during my short stay in this place, 
to convey an idea of their total want of decency. The governor’s 
wife had a young child in her arms. I asked her if it was yet 
weaned ; she informed me it was not, that she had plenty of milk, 
and, to convince me of the truth of the assertion, took out one of 
her breasts, and spirted the milk to a considerable distance, observ¬ 
ing at the same time, that she should not wean him until she found 
herself again pregnant, accompanying the observation with suit¬ 
able gestures to make me understand her meaning. The inhabi¬ 
tants, finding that I had some presents to dispose of, came flock¬ 
ing to the governor’s, some with a nosegay, some with a pair of 
fowls, a half dozen of eggs, a few oranges, watermelons, goats, 
or whatever else they considered most likely to extort from me 
something of value ; but having soon got clear of the articles I 
had taken with me, which consisted of silk shawls, &c., and having 
nothing else to dispose of, I was compelled to leave them, in the 
expectation of my returning with a larger supply. I left Mr. 
Shaw, the purser, to procure a supply of fruit and vegetables for 
the crew, not considering it prudent to remain all night from the 
ship, a thing I was by no means induced to do on a view of the 
bed I should in such case have been compelled to occupy, which 
