Note 18 — Chapter IX
Reading edition
The pirate, Dampier, in giving an account of the capture and burning of Leon by himself and his associates, says:
“Our countryman, Mr. Gage, who travelled in these parts, recommends Leon as the pleasantest place in all America, and calls it the Paradise of the Indies. Indeed, if we consider the advantages of its situation, we may find it surpassing most places for health and pleasure in America; for the country about it is of a sandy soil, which soon drinks up all the rain which falls. It is encompassed with savannas, so that they have the benefit of the breezes which come from any quarter; all of which makes it a very healthy place.”—Dampier’s Voyage round the World, vol. i. p. 218.