THE WEST INDIAN PORTS ad. 



1587. 

 Dios : and the cause thereof is, that those labouring men 



which doe use to unlade those marchandize, are all the 



whole day wading in the water up to the armepits to 



bring the packs of cloth and other commodities aland ; 



for there is no landing place where there can come any 



boates to land any goods close to the shore, so this 



wading and the parching of the Sunne is the cause why 



so many doe dye of a burning fever. There are but 60. 



dwelling houses in Nombre de Dios, and but thirtie 



dwellers which doe continually dwell there, and the 



rest doe goe to Panama after the fleete is gone, and 



then this Towne doeth remayne desolate, every man 



forsaking it because it is so full of diseases. 



In the entring in of this harbour for the more securitie 

 thereof and defence of the towne it is needefull to build 

 upon the toppe of the mount which lyeth to the North- 

 ward, a little fort fouresquare that will hold foure or 

 five pieces of ordinance, and to appoynt sixe men to 

 watch and ward ; and this beeing done wee shall have 

 no occasion to make any more defence, by reason the 

 countrey is full of rocks and filthy wayes, and all full 

 of woods round about the harbour. 



And so likewise on the other side to builde a little 

 tower in maner of a fort, with eight pieces of ordinance 

 and five and twentie souldiers to keepe it. And this 

 will bee of more importance because it must be builded 

 on the towne side. And a little beyond this place on 

 the Northside there lyeth a creeke, where there is a 

 very good ankering in eight fathome water: so this 

 fort beeing builded in this place it will defend the 

 harbour and offend the enemy: and will defend the 

 coast along and a poynt of the land which doth runne 

 from the East to the West, and reacheth to the Hand 

 of Buena Ventura. And put case that the fort which 

 is builded on the other side doth decay, or be taken 

 by the enemy, with this other fort wee may defend the 

 citie very well, if the enemy should chance to come into 

 the harbour, and bee succoured and holpen by the 



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