Francisco Was Much Pleased At His
Arrival; And A Portion Of The Fort Being Allotted To Those Newly Arrived,
It Was Soon Finished.
Though built of timber, this castle was as strong
and handsome, as if it had been constructed of stone and lime.
It was of a
square form, each face being eighteen yards, with bulwarks or bastions at
each corner mounted with ordnance. The walls were made of two rows of palm
trees and other strong timber, firmly set in the ground, and bound
together with iron hoops and large nails, the space between the two rows
of timber being rammed full of earth and sand, and the whole surrounded by
a ditch always full of water[4]. The day after this fort was finished,
which was named Manuel in honour of the king of Portugal, the captain-
general with all his people made a solemn procession, in which the vicar
of the fort bore the crucifix under a canopy carried by the captains of
the fleet, preceded by trumpets and other instruments of music. The fort
was solemnly blessed, and consecrated by the celebration of mass; after
which friar Gaston preached a sermon, in which he exhorted his hearers to
be thankful to God, who had permitted the inhabitants of the small western
kingdom of Portugal to construct a fortress in this distant region, among
so many enemies of the Catholic faith. He expressed a hope that this might
be the forerunner of many other establishments of a similar nature, to the
advancement of the true religion among the heathen, and the glory of
Portugal.
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