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[Page 2]
I went on shore on Saturday 30th and examined all the variety of soil & situation in the neighbourhood of Saneta Cruz [Santa Cruz], & I cannot say that ever I traversed so much ground with so little pleasure, for near the town the country is so very barren that it affords but a scanty variety of plants of any denomination - I therefore proposed on Monday to make a more extensive excursion to the inland country, which I am told is a little more fertile. Had it not been for an accident which happened on Sunday evening & which had nearly turned out to be a very serious one. - it was as follows - Being a holy day a number of men from both vessels were permitted to take the recreation of the shore - Capt. Vancouver with a party of the officers rode to see the City off Laguna about two Leagues off, and returned to Saneta Cruz to dinner; In the afternoon the midshipman who went on shore for the liberty-men had a scuffle with the Chatham's people on the wharf which induced the Spanish Sentinals to interpose and one of them had his musket renched out of his hands by one of our Marines, upon which he immediately ran to alarm the guard, at this time Capt. V --- & some of the officers came down to