rce understand him: for he seemed to speak
his words by halve. We offered him a dram: but he would not touch it;
having drank nothing but water since his being there; And it was
sometime before he could relish our victuals. He could give us an
account of no other product of the island, than what we have mentioned,
except some black plums, which are very good, but hard to come at, the
trees, which bear them, growing on high mountains and rocks.
Pimento-trees are plenty here, and we saw some of sixty feet high and
about two yards thick; and cotton-trees higher, and near four fathoms
round in the stock. The climate is so good that the trees and grass are
verdant all the year round. The winter lasts no longer than June and
July, and is not then severe, there being only a small frost, and a
little hail: but sometimes great rains. The heat of the summer is
equally moderate; and there is not much thunder, or tempestuous weather
of any sort. He saw no venomous or savage creature on the island, nor
any sort of beasts but goats, the first of which had been put ashore
here, on purpose for a breed, by Juan Fernandez, a Spaniard, who settled
there with some families, till the continent of Chili began to submit to
the Spaniards; which, being more profitable; tempted them to quit this
island, capable however, of maintaining a good number of people, and
being made so strong, that they could hot be easily dislodged from
thence.

February 3d we got our smith's forge on shore, set our coopers to work,
and made a little tent for me to have the benefit of the air. The
Duchess had also a tent for their sick men; so that we had a small town
of our own here, and every body employed. A few men supplied us all with
fish of several sorts, all very good, in such abundance, that, in a few
hours, we could take as many as would serve 200. There were sea-fowls in
the bay, as large as geese: but eat fishy. The governor never failed of
procuring us two or three goats a day for our sick men; by which, with
the help of the greens, and the wholesome air, they recovered very soon
of the scurvy; so that Captain Dover and I thought it a very agreeable
seat, the weather being neither too hot nor too cold. We spent our time,
till the 10th, in refitting our ships, taking wood on board; and laying
in water, that which we brought from England and St. Vincent being
spoiled by the badness of the casks. We likewise boiled up about eighty
gallons of sea-lions oil, as