Indeed, The Height To Which Religious Zeal
Is Carried In This Place, Cannot Fail Of Creating Astonishment In A Stranger.
The greatest part of the inhabitants seem to have no other occupation,
than that of paying visits and going to
Church, at which times you see them
sally forth richly dressed, en chapeau bras, with the appendages of a bag
for the hair, and a small sword: even boys of six years old are seen
parading about, furnished with these indispensable requisites. Except when
at their devotions, it is not easy to get a sight of the women,
and when obtained, the comparisons drawn by a traveller, lately arrived
from England, are little flattering to Portugueze beauty. In justice,
however, to the ladies of St. Sebastian, I must observe, that the custom
of throwing nosegays at strangers, for the purpose of bringing on
an assignation, which Doctor Solander, and another gentleman
of Mr. Cook's ship, met with when here, was never seen by any of us
in a single instance. We were so deplorably unfortunate as to walk
every evening before their windows and balconies, without being honoured with
a single bouquet, though nymphs and flowers were in equal and great abundance.
Among other public buildings, I had almost forgot to mention an observatory,
which stands near the middle of the town, and is tolerably well furnished
with astronomical instruments. During our stay here, some Spanish
and Portuguese mathematicians were endeavouring to determine the boundaries
of the territories belonging to their respective crowns.
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