r, called Kil van Kol. The eastern part
is high and steep, and has few inhabitants. It is the usual place
where ships, ready for sea, stop to take in water, while the captain
and passengers are engaged in making their own arrangements and
writing letters previous to their departure. The whole south side is a
large plain, with much salt meadow or marsh, and several creeks. The
west point is flat, and on or around it is a large creek with much
marsh; but to the north of this creek it is high and hilly, and beyond
that it begins to be more level, but not so low as on the other side,
and is well populated. On the northwest it is well provided with
creeks and marshes, and the land is generally better than on the south
side, although there is a good parcel of land in the middle of the
latter. As regards the middle or most hilly part of the island, it is
uninhabited, although the soil is better than the land around it; but,
in consequence of its being away from the water, and lying so high, no
one will live there, the creeks and rivers being so serviceable to
them in enabling them to go to the city, and for fishing and catching
oysters, and for being near the salt meadows. The woods are used for
pasturing horses and cattle, for being an island, none of them can get
off. Each person has marks upon his own by which he can find them when
he wants them. When the population of the country shall increase,
these places will be taken up. Game of all kinds is plenty, and
twenty-five and thirty deer are sometimes seen in a herd. A boy who
came into a house where we were, told us he had shot ten the last
winter himself, and more than forty in his life, and in the same
manner other game. We tasted here the best grapes. There are now about
a hundred families on the island, of which the English constitute the
least portion, and the Dutch and French divide between them about
equally the greater portion. They have neither church nor minister,
and live rather far from each other, and inconveniently to meet
together. The English are less disposed to religion, and inquire
little after it, but in case there were a minister, would contribute
to his support. The French and Dutch are very desirous and eager for
one, for they spoke of it wherever we went, and said, in the event of
not obtaining Domine Tessemaker, they would send, or had sent, to
France for another. The French are good Reformed churchmen, and some
of them are Walloons.[149] The Dutch a