Laguna is a pretty large well-compacted town, and makes a very agreeable
prospect. It stands part of it against a hill, and part in a level. The
houses have mostly strong walls built with stone and covered with
pantile. They are not uniform, yet they appear pleasant enough. There are
many fair buildings; among which are 2 parish churches, 2 nunneries, a
hospital, 4 convents, and some chapels; besides many gentlemen's houses.
The convents are those of St. Austin, St. Dominick, St. Francis, and St.
Diego. The two churches have pretty high square steeples, which top the
rest of the buildings. The streets are not regular, yet they are mostly
spacious and pretty handsome; and near the middle of the town is a large
parade, which has good buildings about it. There is a strong prison on
one side of it; near which is a large conduit of good water, that
supplies all the town. They have many gardens which are set round with
oranges, limes, and other fruits: in the middle of which are pot-herbs,
salading, flowers, etc. And indeed, if the inhabitants were curious this
way, they might have very pleasant gardens: for as the town stands high
from the sea on the brow of a plain that is all open to the east, and
hath consequently the benefit of the true tradewind, which blows here and
is most commonly fair; so there are seldom wanting at this town brisk,
cooling, and refreshing breezes all the day.

On the back of the town there is a large plain of 3 or 4 leagues in
length and 2 miles wide, producing a thick kindly sort of grass, which
looked green and very pleasant when I was there, like our meadows in
England in the spring. On the east side of this plain, very near the back
of the town, there is a natural lake or pond of fresh water. It is about
half a mile in circumference; but being stagnant, it is only used for
cattle to drink of. In the wintertime several sorts of wildfowl resort
hither, affording plenty of game to the inhabitants of Laguna. This city
is called Laguna from hence; for that word in Spanish signifies a lake or