Page:A voyage to New Holland - Dampier.djvu/92

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52
The Governor and Soldiers.

observ'd, affecting to have large Houses; but are little curious about Furniture, except Pictures some of them. The Houses of the Town are 2 or 3 Stories high, the Walls thick and strong, being built with Stone, with a Covering of Pantile; and many of them have Balconies. The principal Streets are large, and all of them pav'd or pitch'd with small Stones. There are also Parades in the most eminent Places of the Town, and many Gardens, as well within the Town as in the Out-parts of it, wherein are Fruit-trees, Herbs, Salladings and Flowers in great variety, but order'd with no great Care nor Art.

The Governor who resides here is call'd Don John de Lancastario, being descended, as they say, from our English Lancaster Family; and he has a respect for our Nation on that account, calling them his Countrymen. I waited on him several times, and always found him very courteous and civil. Here are about 400 Soldiers in Garison. They commonly draw up and exercise in a large Parade before the Governor's House; and many of them attend him when he goes abroad. The Soldiers are decently clad in brown Linen, which in these hot Countries is far better than Woollen; but I never saw any clad in Linen but only these. Beside the Soldiers in Pay, he can soon have some thousands of Men up in