102 Relation [1672 
They have farms where they make plantations, & breed 
Oxen, Sheep, Goats, Pigs & Fowls. 
We purchas’d here some butter which they make from 
their cattle, & we found it as good as the best of Europe. 
During the time we were there, we had the Sun in the 
Zenith, going from the Line towards the Tropic of Capri¬ 
corn ; & although we were under the Torrid Zone, at 
16 degrees from the Line & the Sun, as well, as I have 
said, in the Zenith ; nevertheless we requir’d good cloth¬ 
ing to protect ourselves from the cold. Those who have 
written & said that the Torrid Zone is uninhabitable, 
because of the excessive heat from the Sun which never 
ceases, have not had experience. 
The fourth November , about six o’clock in the evening, 
we weigh’d anchor & departed from the Island with the 
favourable continuation of the same wind from the South- 
East. 
The nth day, Saint Martin’s, we dropp’d anchor before 
the Island of Ascension ; at four o’clock in the afternoon 
we sent our Boat & some people in it, to shore to see if 
they could get some Sea-Turtle of which a quantity breed 
in this Island ; the Boat having return’d, those who had 
gone there report’d that there was no fresh trace of these 
Turtle, & that consequently they did not come to shore at 
that season ; so, not being able to get any, we weigh’d 
anchor the same day & depart’d from the Island with a 
continuation of the same wind. 
The Isle of Ascension is situate in eight degrees south 
of the Equinoctial Line; it contains three to four leagues 
in length, & one league in breadth, it is uninhabited ; not 
having any fresh water, nor wood, nor any land to culti¬ 
vate, it is very ugly to the view. There’s nothing but 
mountains, which are of Pumice-Stone or of a kind like it ; 
there’s a large number of birds which make their Nests 
there. The Turtles which lay their eggs in this Island 
