Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 3: containing a collection of curious travels, voyages, and natural histories of countries as they have been delivered in to the Royal SocietyRoyal Society (Great Britain)
History
Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 3: containing a collection of curious travels, voyages, and natural histories of countries as they have been delivered in to the Royal Society
Royal Society (Great Britain)
Natural history; Science -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
_Crab Island_ is about 6 Leagues long, and in some places 5 broad,
the Soil is very good. It's all full of Trees; all the South side is
full of Bays, very fit for anchoring in, but the best of all is to the
Leeward, where the _Dane_ hoised his Colours. It would have been worth
our while to possess it, had we not been a coming to a better Country.
It has this Inconvenience, that nothing but strength of Men, or Peace
with every Body, can render it secure. It is called _Crab Island_, from
the multitude of Land-Crabs there.
_November 3._ We anchored before _Golden Island_, and sent in our
Pinnace to the Bay. The Natives had hoised a White Flag in sign of
Peace, and told us a great many Stories of Captain _Swan_, Captain
_Davies_, and others, for they took us for _English_, by reason of our
red Fly; but we took no notice of the Men they nam'd. At last they
ask'd us our Business? we told them we designed to settle among them,
and to be their Friends. They told us we were very welcome, and that
by prediction they had expected us these two Years; for they say that
two Years ago it was foretold them that a People should come and live
among them, that would treat them civilly, and teach them good manners.
We conversed some time with them, and after viewing the Harbour came
aboard.
The 4th we came into the great Harbour of _Caledonia_: It is a most
excellent one, for it is about a League in length from N. W. to S. E.
It is about half a Mile broad at the Mouth, and in some places a Mile
and more farther in. It is large enough to contain 500 sail of Ships.
The greatest part of it is Land-lock'd, so that it is safe, and cannot
be toucht by any Wind that can blow the Harbour, and the Sea makes
the Land that lies betwixt them a Peninsula. There is a Point of the
Peninsula at the Mouth of the Harbour, that may be fortified against
a Navy. This Point secures the Harbour, so that no Ship can enter but
must be within reach of their Guns. It likewise defends half of the
Peninsula, for no Guns from the other side of the Harbour can touch it,
and no Ship carrying Guns dare enter for the Breast-work at the Point.
The other side of the Peninsula is either a Precipice, or defended
against Ships by Shoals and Breaches, so that there remains only the
narrow Neck that is not naturally fortify'd; and if 30 Leagues of a
Wilderness will not do that, it may be artificially fortified 20 ways.
In short, it may be made impregnable, and there is Bounds enough within
it, if it were all cultivated, to afford 10000 Hogsheads of Sugar
every Year. The Soil is rich, the Air good and temperate, the Water is
sweet, and every thing contributes to make it healthful and convenient.
The Product of this Place, I mean in the Harbour and Creeks hereabouts,
is Turtle, Manatee, and a vast variety of very good small Fish, from
the bigness of a Salmon to that of a Perch. The Land affords Monkeys of
different sorts, Wild-Deer, _Indian_ Rabbit, Wild Hog, Parrots of many
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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