is in lat 33 deg. 40' S. and long. 79 deg. W. being
at the distance of about 150 marine leagues, or 7 deg. 30' from the coast
of Chili. It is about fifteen English miles long from E. to W. and five
miles at the broadest, from N to S. entirely composed of mountains and
valleys, so that there is no walking a quarter of a mile on a flat. The
anchoring place is on the north side of the island, and is distinguished
by a little mountain, with a high peak on each side. It is not safe to
anchor in less than forty fathoms, and even there, ships are very much
exposed to sharp gales from the north, which blow frequently. There
cannot well be a more unpleasant place to anchor in, as the bay is
surrounded by high mountains, and is subject to alternate dead calms and
sudden stormy gusts of wind. This island enjoys a fine wholesome air,
insomuch that out of seventy of us, who remained here five months and
eleven days, not one among us had an hour's sickness, though we fed upon
such foul diet, without bread or salt; so that we had no complaints
among us, except an incessant craving appetite, and the want of our
former strength and vigour. As for myself, from being corpulent, and
almost crippled by the gout, I lost much of my flesh, but became one of
the strongest and most active men on the island, walking much about,
working hard, and never in the least afflicted with that distemper. The
soil is fertile, and abounds with many large and beautiful trees, most
of them aromatic. The names of such as we knew were the _Pimento_, which
bears a leaf like a myrtle, but somewhat larger, with a blue blossom,
the trunks being short and thick, and the heads bushy and round, as if
trained by art. There is another tree, much larger, which I think
resembles that which produces the jesuit bark. There are plains on the
tops of some of the mountains, on which are groves of the _Indian
laurel_, mentioned by Frezier in his description of Chili. These have a
straight slender body, from which sprout small irregular branches all
the way from the root to the top, bearing leaves like the laurel, but
smaller. _Palm-trees_ are found in most parts of the island, growing in
smooth joints, like canes, some thirty and some forty feet high. Their
heads resemble the cocoa-nut tree, except that their leaves are of a
paler green, and bear large bunches of red berries, bigger than sloes,
which taste like haws, and have stones as large as those of
heart-cherries. That which