le; the water is
deep close to the rock, and there the vessels often moor. There is a bar
at the entrance of the harbour, over which there is, in ordinary tides,
sixteen feet water, so that ships of considerable burden lie here.[43]
His Majesty's brig Alacrity lay some time within the reef; and two feet
more water on the bar, would have enabled the Doris to have entered,
though, as far as I have seen, there would be no room to turn about if
she wished to go out again. The reef is certainly one of the wonders of
the world; it is scarcely sixteen feet broad at top. It slopes off more
rapidly than the Plymouth break-water, to a great depth on the outside,
and is perpendicular within, to many fathoms. Here and there, a few
inequalities at the top must formerly have annoyed the harbour in high
tides or strong winds, but Count Maurice remedied this, by laying huge
blocks of granite into the faulty places, and has thus rendered the top
level, and the harbour safe at all times. The Count had intended to
build warehouses along the reef, but his removal from the government
prevented his doing so. A small fort near the entrance defends it, and
indeed always must, so narrow and sudden is the passage. Near it, a
light-house is in a fair way of being soon finished, at the very
extremity of the reef, and these are the only two buildings on this
extraordinary line of rock. We rowed up the harbour among vessels of all
nations, with the town on one side, and the reef on the other, until we
came to one of the wide creeks, over which the Dutch built a fine stone
bridge, now in decay. We were a a good deal struck with the beauty of
the scene; the buildings are pretty large, and white; the land low and
sandy, spotted with bright green tufts of grass, and adorned with
palm-trees. A few years ago a violent flood nearly destroyed the greater
part of the centre of the bridge, yet the arches still serve to support
light wooden galleries on each side of it, and the houses and gateways
are still standing at either end. We landed pretty near the bridge, and
were received by Colonel Patronhe, who apologised for the governor, who
could not come to receive us, as he was in the council room.[44] The
colonel conducted us to the government house, a very handsome building,
with a square in front, and a tower, and we entered what had evidently
been a splendid hall. The gilding and painting still remained on some
parts of the ceiling and walls; but now it is o