Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.3)

Jan. 1832. sT. jago — cape de verd islands. 3 The heraldic ornaments were the only things in this retired place that reminded us of Em-ope. The church or chapel formed one side of a quadrangle, in the middle of which a large clump of bananas were growing. On another side was a hospital, containing about a dozen miserable-looking in- mates. We returned to the " Venda " to eat our dinners. A con- siderable number of men, women, and children, all as black as jet, were collected to watch us. Our companions were extremely merry ; and every thing we said or did was fol- lowed by their hearty laughter. Before leaving the town Ave visited the cathedral. It does not appear so rich as the smaller church, but boasts of a little organ, which sent forth most singularly inharmonious cries. We presented the black priest with a few shillings, and the Spaniard, patting him on the head, said, with much candour, he thought his colour made no great difference. We then returned, as fast as the ponies would go, to Porto Praya. Another day we rode to the village of St. Domingo, situ- ated near the centre of the island. On a small plain which we crossed, a few stunted acacias were growing ; their tops, by the action of the steady trade -wind, were bent in a singular manner — some of them even at a right angle to the trunk. The direction of the branches was exactly N.E. by N., and S.W. by S. These natural vanes must indicate the prevailing direction of the force of the trade wind. The travelling had made so little impression on the barren soil, that we here missed our track, and took that to Fuentes. This we dia not find out till we arrived there; and we were afterwards very glad of our mistake. Fuentes is a pretty village, Avith a small stream ; and every thing ap- peared to prosper well, excepting, indeed, that which ought to do so most — its inhabitants. The black children, com- pletely naked, and looking very wretched, were carrying bundles of firewood haK as big as their own bodies. Near Fuentes we saw a large flock of guinea-fowl — pro- bably fifty or sixty in number. They were extremely wary, B 2