At noon the south-end of the island St. Iago bore S. W: by W. distant four leagues; and the north-end N.W. distant five leagues. At half an hour after three we anchored in Port Praya, in that island, in company with the Swallow and Prince Frederick, in eight fathom water, upon sandy ground. We had much rain and lightning in the night, and early in the morning I Sent to the commanding-officer at the fort, for leave to get off some water, and other refreshments, which he granted.

We soon learnt that this was the sickly season, and that the rains were so great as to render it extremely difficult to get any thing down from the country to the ships: it happened also, unfortunately, that the small-pox, which is extremely fatal here, was at this time epidemic; So that I permitted no man to go ashore who had not had that distemper, and I would not suffer even those that had to go into any house.

We procured, however, a supply of water and some cattle from the shore, and caught abundance of fish with the seine, which was hauled day: we found also in the valley where we got our water, a kind of large purslain, growing wild in amazing quantities: this was a most welcome refreshment both raw as a sallad, and boiled with the

Voyaging Accounts