CITY OF ST. SEBASTIAN.

Latitude:  22 deg. 54’ 13” south

Longitude, deduced from our time-keeper of the meridian of Greenwich, and which agrees with that laid down in the new requisite tables, but which certainly are not correct:  42 deg. 44’ 00” west.

Longitude, determined by two astronomers sent from Portugal for that and other purposes:  43 deg. 18’ 45” west.

Longitude, by an eclipse of Jupiter’s third satellite, taken by Lieutenant Dawes, on the island Enchados:  43 deg. 19’ 00” west.

Longitude, by a mean of several distances of sun and moon taken by me at the outer anchorage:  43 deg. 11’ 15” west.

Longitude, by Lieutenant Bradley:  43 deg. 33’ 00” west.

The tide flows here at full and change of the moon, north-east by north and south-west by south, and rises between six and seven feet.

The harbour is very extensive and commodious; there are many convenient bays in it, where a vast many ships may be laid up in perfect security from any bad weather.  The town is large, well built, and populous, but ill situated for the health of its inhabitants:  it stands upon low ground, which was formerly swampy, and is surrounded with hills of immense height, which entirely exclude the benefit of the refreshing sea and land breezes; so that in the summer time, it is really suffocating hot, and of course very unhealthy.  The streets, some few of them, are pretty wide, the others in general rather narrow, and mostly intersect each other at right-angles.  The square, or parade, opposite to which the boats land, is large, and the buildings round it are good, and on the south side of this square stands the viceroy’s palace.  The churches are very good buildings, and their decorations exceedingly rich, and they seem to have excellent organs in them; all those which I saw here, as well as at Teneriffe, had what in a large church I conceive to be a considerable improvement, and it is what I never have seen applied to any of our organs, even in the largest churches in England; each pipe of the organ has a tube which projects from its lower part in a horizontal direction, and is wide at the outer end, like a trumpet:  these tubes throw every note distinctly into the church, and prevent, what I have frequently observed, in many of our organs, some of the tones being almost lost in the body of the instrument.

I observed here, that the different mechanics carry on their business in distinct parts of the town, particular streets being set apart for particular trades; you find one street filled with taylors, another with shoemakers, a third with carpenters, etc. etc.

As far as numerous forts and guns can be said to give strength to any place, the city of Saint Sebastian may be considered as strong; the island of Cobres, which overlooks and lies close to the town, has a strong work upon it, the east end of it is rather low, and there is good depth of water off it, so that ships of very large size may come very near in, and there are many hills very near, which command the town and most of the works which defend it.