26a l'Lloa's voyage to south america. 



alfo decayed : fo that wanting the proper conveniences for the religious to refide In, 

 they live in the town difperfed in private houfes. 



That of St. Juan de Dios is only a fmall building like an oratory, and not in better 

 condition than that of La Merced. Its whole community confifts of a prior, chaplain, 

 and another religious, and fometimes even of lefs : fo that its extent is very fmall, 

 fince properly fpeaking, it has no community : and the apartments intended for the 

 reception of patients confifts only of one chamber, open to the roof, without beds or 

 other neceffaries. Nor are any admitted but fuch as are able to pay for their treatment 

 and diet. It is therefore of no advantage to the poor of the place ; but ferves for 

 lodging fick men belonging to the men of war which come hither, being provided with 

 neceifaries from the fhips, and attended by their refpedive furgeons, lodging-room 

 being the only thing afforded them by this nominal hofpital. 



At the eaft end of the town, which is the road to Panama, is a quarter called Gui- 

 ney, being the place where all the negroes of both fexes, whether Haves or free, have 

 their habitations. This quarter is very much crowded when the galleons are here, 

 moft of the inhabitants of the town entirely quitting their houfes for the advantage of 

 letting them, while others content themfelves with a fmall part in order to make money 

 of the reft. The mulattos and other poor families alfo remove, either to Guiney, or 

 to cottages already erected near it, or built on this occafion. Great numbers of arti- 

 ficers from Panama likewife, who flock to Porto Bello to work at their refpedive 

 callings, lodge in this quarter for cheapnefs. 



Towards the fea, in a large track between the town and Gloria caftle, barracks are 

 alfo ereQed, and principally filled with the fhips' crews j who keep ftalls of fweetmeats, 

 and other kinds of eatables brought from Spain. But at the conclufion of the fair, 

 the fhips put to fea, and all thefe buildings are taken down, and the town returns to 

 its former tranquillity and emptinefs. 



By an experiment we made with the barometer in a place a toife above the 

 level of the fea, the height of the mercury was twenty-feven inches eleven lines 

 and a half. 



CHAP. III. — Defcription of Porto Bello Harbour. 



THE name of this port indicates its being commodious for all forts of fliips or veffels, 

 great or fmall ; and though its entrance is very wide, it is well defended by Fort St. 

 Philip de Todo Fierro. It ftands on the north point of the entrance, which is about 

 fix hundred toifes broad, that is, a little lefs than the fourth part of a league ; and the 

 fouth fide being full of rifes of rocks, extending to fome diftance from the fhore, a 

 (hip is obliged to ftand to the north, though the deepeft part of the channel is in the 

 middle of the entrance, and thus continues in a ftraight direction, having nine, ten, or 

 fifteen fathom water, and a bottom of clayey mud, mixed with chalk and fand. 



On the fouth fide of the harbour, and oppofite to the anchoring-place, is a large 

 caftle, called Saint Jago de la Gloria, to the eaft of which, at the diftance of about 

 one hundred toifes, begins the town, having before it a point of land projecting into 

 the harbour. On this point ftood a fmall fort called St. Jerome, within ten toifes of 

 •the houfes. All thefe were demolifhed by the Englifh admiral Vernon, who with a 

 numerous naval force *, in 1739, madehimfelf mafter of this port j having found it 



* The numerous naval force mentioned by our author, confifted we know of fix (hips only. 



fo 



