142 A VOYAGE TO Book IV, 



From the time we fet fail, till Punta de Mala bore 

 from us N. W. 6° 30' wefterly, we continued to fíeer 

 S. S. W. 1° 30' aud 8° 30' wefterly : the winds vari- 

 able with calms. 



ApTt:^ pairing Punta de Mala, we fteered S. be- 

 tween 8° weiierly a«d 2° 30' eailerly, till ñx in the 

 evening of the firfl- of March 1736, when we dif- 

 covered the land contiguous to St. Matihew's bay. 

 Upon which we ilood to the S. W. to avoid a ledge 

 of rocks, which runs three leagues into the fea, and 

 alfo the currents, which fet towards it, and Gorgona 

 bay. 



This ledge of rocks was difcovered in 1594, by a 

 ihip's fíriking on it. 



From St. Matthew's bay, we, for fome hours, 



fíeercd S. W. 6° 15' weiicrly '; and the next day S. E. 



I fouthcrly ; which, being the third day, at one in the 



afternoon, brought us in light of Cape St. Francis, 



-bearing N. ^ eaiterly. 



According to the reckoning of Don George Juan, 

 the difference of meridians between Panama and Gape 

 St. Francis was o°36'; which nearly agrees with the 

 map of this coail. It muh, however, be fuppofed that 

 the diftance between each knot on the log-line was 47 

 feet by 5^ royal inches, which is equal to 50! Engliih 

 feet : this confirms what we have already obferved, 

 book I. chap. i. and proves the juitnefs of our obfcr- 

 vations on the currents. 



Having weathered this cape,, we fleered W. 3® 

 foutherly ; S. W. 3° weflerly ; and on the 6th and 7th 

 S. 7° ealierly, and S, E. 6° eailerly ; till on the 7th, 

 at 8 in the morning, we again made Cape St. Francis, 

 bearing N. 5° eafierly, and Cape Panado S,; after 

 which we coa fled along furore, obferving the rnoft- 

 remarkable parts, till the 9th, when, at half an hour 

 after three in the evening, wc cam'e to an anchor in 

 Manta bay, in eleven fathom water, the bottom mud 



mixed 



