A Voyage to New Holland | Page 6

than this is for easterly winds; and then all
ships that are there put to sea. Between this watering-place and Santa
Cruz are two little forts; which with some batteries scattered along the
coast command the road. Santa Cruz itself is a small unwalled town
fronting the sea, guarded with two other forts to secure the road. There
are about 200 houses in the town, all two stories high, strongly built
with stone and covered with pantile. It hath two convents and one
church, which are the best buildings in the town. The forts here could
not secure the Spanish galleons from Admiral Blake, though they
hauled in close under the main fort. Many of the inhabitants that are
now living remember that action in which the English battered the town,
and did it much damage; and the marks of the shot still remain in the
fort walls. The wrecks of the galleons that were burnt here lie in 15
fathom water: and it is said that most of the plate lies there, though
some of it was hastily carried ashore at Blake's coming in sight.
LAGUNA TOWN LAKE AND COUNTRY; AND ORATAVIA
TOWN AND ROAD.
Soon after I had anchored I went ashore here to the Governor of the
town, who received me very kindly and invited me to dine with him the
next day. I returned on board in the evening, and went ashore again
with two of my officers the next morning; hoping to get up the hill time
enough to see Laguna, the principal town, and to be back again to dine
with the Governor of Santa Cruz; for I was told that Laguna was but 3
miles off. The road is all the way up a pretty steep hill; yet not so steep
but that carts go up and down laden. There are public houses scattering
by the wayside, where we got some wine. The land on each side
seemed to be but rocky and dry; yet in many places we saw spots of
green flourishing corn. At farther distances there were small vineyards
by the sides of the mountains, intermixed with abundance of waste
rocky land, unfit for cultivation, which afforded only dildo-bushes. It
was about 7 or 8 in the morning when we set out from Santa Cruz; and,
it being fair clear weather, the sun shone very bright and warmed us
sufficiently before we got to the city Laguna; which we reached about

10 o'clock, all sweaty and tired, and were glad to refresh ourselves with
a little wine in a sorry tippling-house: but we soon found out one of the
English merchants that resided here, who entertained us handsomely at
dinner, and in the afternoon showed us the town.
Laguna is a pretty large well-compacted town, and makes a very
agreeable prospect. It stands part of it against a hill, and part in a level.
The houses have mostly strong walls built with stone and covered with
pantile. They are not uniform, yet they appear pleasant enough. There
are many fair buildings; among which are 2 parish churches, 2
nunneries, a hospital, 4 convents, and some chapels; besides many
gentlemen's houses. The convents are those of St. Austin, St. Dominick,
St. Francis, and St. Diego. The two churches have pretty high square
steeples, which top the rest of the buildings. The streets are not regular,
yet they are mostly spacious and pretty handsome; and near the middle
of the town is a large parade, which has good buildings about it. There
is a strong prison on one side of it; near which is a large conduit of
good water, that supplies all the town. They have many gardens which
are set round with oranges, limes, and other fruits: in the middle of
which are pot-herbs, salading, flowers, etc. And indeed, if the
inhabitants were curious this way, they might have very pleasant
gardens: for as the town stands high from the sea on the brow of a plain
that is all open to the east, and hath consequently the benefit of the true
tradewind, which blows here and is most commonly fair; so there are
seldom wanting at this town brisk, cooling, and refreshing breezes all
the day.
On the back of the town there is a large plain of 3 or 4 leagues in length
and 2 miles wide, producing a thick kindly sort of grass, which looked
green and very pleasant when I was there, like our meadows in England
in the spring. On the east side of this plain, very near the back of the
town, there is a natural lake or pond of fresh water. It is about half a
mile in circumference; but being stagnant, it is only used for cattle to
drink of. In the wintertime