e town of Aso: the inhabitants thereof drive great traffic
with those of another village, in the very middle of the island, and is
called San Juan de Goave, or St. John of Goave. This is environed with a
magnificent prospect of gardens, woods, and meadows. Its territory
extends above twenty leagues in length, and grazes a great number of
wild bulls and cows. In this village scarce dwell any others than
hunters and butchers, who flay the beasts that are killed. These are for
the most part a mongrel sort of people; some of which are born of white
European people and negroes, and called mulattoes: others of Indians and
white people, and termed mesticos: but others come of negroes and
Indians, and are called alcatraces. From the said village are exported
yearly vast quantities of tallow and hides, they exercising no other
traffic: for as to the lands in this place, they are not cultivated, by
reason of the excessive dryness of the soil. These are the chiefest
places that the Spaniards possess in this island, from the Cape of Lobos
towards St. John de Goave, unto the Cape of Samana nigh the sea, on the
north side, and from the eastern part towards the sea, called Punta de
Espada. All the rest of the island is possessed by the French, who are
also planters and hunters.

This island hath very good ports for ships, from the Cape of Lobos to
the Cape of Tiburon, on the west side thereof. In this space there are
no less than four ports, exceeding in goodness, largeness, and security,
even the very best of England. Besides these, from the Cape of Tiburon
to the Cape of Donna Maria, there are two very excellent ports; and from
this cape to the Cape of St. Nicholas, there are no less than twelve
others. Every one of these ports hath also the confluence of two or
three good rivers, in which are great plenty of several sorts of fish
very pleasing to the palate. The country hereabouts is well watered with
large and deep rivers and brooks, so that this part of the land may
easily be cultivated without any great fear of droughts, because of
these excellent streams. The sea-coasts and shores are also very
pleasant, to which the tortoises resort in large numbers to lay their
eggs.

This island was formerly very well peopled, on the north side, with many
towns and villages; but these, being ruined by the Hollanders, were at
last, for the greatest part, deserted by the Spaniards.

The spacious fields of this island commonly are five or six