and fleshy; and they and their children as round and plump as little porpoises; though the island appears so barren to a stranger as scarce to have food for its inhabitants.  I enquired how many people there might be on the isle; and was told by one of the padres that here were 230 souls in all.  The negro governor has his patent from the Portuguese governor of St. Jago.  He is a very civil and sensible poor man; and they are generally a good sort of people.  He expects a small present from every commander that lades salt here; and is glad to be invited aboard their ships.  He spends most of his time with the English in the salting season, which is his harvest; and indeed, all the islanders are then fully employed in getting somewhat; for they have no vessels of their own to trade with, nor do any Portuguese vessels come hither:  scarce any but English, on whom they depend for trade:  and though subjects of Portugal, have a particular value for us.  We don’t pay them for their salt, but for the labour of themselves and their beasts in lading it:  for which we give them victuals, some money, and old clothes, namely hats, shirts, and other clothes:  by which means many of them are indifferently well rigged; but some of them go almost naked.  When the turtle season comes in they watch the sandy bays in the night to turn them; and having small huts at particular places on the bays to keep them from the rain, and to sleep in:  and this is another harvest they have for food; for by report there come a great many turtle to this and the rest of the Cape Verde Islands.  When the turtle season is over they have little to do but to hunt for guinea-hens and manage their small plantations.  But by these means they have all the year some employment or other; whereby they get a subsistence though but little else.  When any of them are desirous to go over to St. Jago they get a licence from the governor and desire passage in any English ship that is going thither:  and indeed all ships that lade salt here will be obliged to touch at St. Jago for water, for here at the bay is none, not so much as for drinking.  It is true there is a small well of brackish water not half a mile from the landing-place which the asses that carry salt drink at; but it is very bad water.  Asses themselves are a commodity in some of these islands, several of our ships coming hither purposely to freight with them and carry them to Barbados and our other plantations.  I stayed at Mayo 6 days and got 7 or 8 ton of salt aboard for my voyage:  in which time there came also into this road several sail of merchants ships for salt; all bound with it for Newfoundland.

The author’s arrival at st. Jago; Praya and st. Jago town.