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Day, Having A Tolerably Good Wind, They Stood In With The Shore, Sending
The Boat Before, And Came To Anchor In A Good Bay, Under The N.W. Side
Of The Island, In Twelve Fathoms, Only Two Or Three Cables Length From
The Shore.
This island lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, almost
at equal distances from the main land of Africa and that of Brazil, in
Lat.
15 deg. 43' S. between five and six hundred leagues from the Cape of
Good Hope.
Candish went here on shore, and entered the church, to which there was a
fair causeway; having a frame between two bowls, and a cross of
freestone adjoining. Within it was hung with painted cloth, on which
were represented the Blessed Virgin, the story of the Crucifixion, and
other holy legends, hung round the altar. The valley in which this
church stands is extremely pleasant, and so full of fruit-trees and
excellent plants, that it seemed like a very fair and well-cultivated
garden, having long rows of lemon, orange, citron, pomegranate, date,
and fig-trees, delighting the eye with blossoms, green fruit, and ripe,
all at once. These trees seemed nicely trimmed, and there were many
delightful walks under the shelter of their boughs, which were
pleasant, cool, and shady. At some distance there rises a fine clear
spring, which diffuses itself in many fine rivulets, all through this
valley, watering all its parts, and refreshing every plant and tree. In
the whole of this great garden there is hardly any unoccupied space; as,
where nature may have left any part empty, there art has supplied the
deficiency, so as to fill the whole space to advantage. This island also
affords great abundance of partridges and pheasants, both being larger
than ours in England. There are also turkeys, both black and white, with
red heads, about as large as those in England, and their eggs much the
same, only altogether white. There is also plenty of cabritos, or wild
goats, as big as asses, and having manes like horses, and their beards
reaching down to the ground. These are so numerous, that their herds or
flocks are sometimes a whole mile in length. It contains also vast herds
of wild-swine, which keep chiefly in the mountains, as do likewise the
wild-goats. These swine are very fat, but so excessively wild that they
are never to be got at by a man, unless when asleep, or rolling
themselves in the mire.
Having taken in all necessaries that this place produced, Candish set
sail for England on the 20th of June, standing N.W. by W. It is
observable, that the wind at St Helena is generally off the shore. On
Friday, the 23d of August, he steered E. and E. by S. for the
northernmost of the Azores; and on the 29th, after midnight, he got
sight of the islands of Flores and Corvo, in lat. 39 deg. 30' N. whence he
shaped his course N.E. He met a Flemish vessel on the 3d September,
bound from Lisbon, from which he had the joyful news of the total defeat
of the Spanish Armada.
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