Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/51

Oct.] I oberved among the plants that grow in the neighbourhood of St. Croix, a woody pecies of balm, known by botanits under the name of melia fruticoa, alo the accharum teneriffæ, the cacalia kleinia, the datura metel, the chryanthemum frutecens, &c. Some of the gardens were ornamented with the beautiful tree termed poinciana pulcherrima.

In the evening, Citizen Ely, being truck with the groteque appearance of ome of the women in the town, who, even during the greatet heat of the eaon, wear long cloaks of very coare woollen tuffs, was employed in drawing a ketch of one of them, when he was uddenly interrupted by a entinel, who imagined him to be taking a plan of the harbour. It was in vain that he attempted to explain to him what his draught was intended to repreent: the oldier would not uffer him to finih it.

As we had anchored too cloe to another mall veel, we cat an anchor in the afternoon nearer to the hore, by which we kept ourelves at a convenient ditance.

The bearings we took at this place gave us the following reults:

The redoubt on the north ide of the town, N.N.E. 4° E. The