z6 AVOYAGETO Book I. 



country was the trade it carried with Choco and Darien ; 

 from whence they brought, in exchange for this metal, 

 the feveral manu failures and works of the art they flood 

 in need of. Gold was the moft common ornament of 

 the Indians, both men and women. 



CHAP. III. 



Defcription of Carthagena-bay, 



CArthagena bay is one of the bed, not only on 

 the coaft, but alfo in all the known parts of this 

 country. It extends two leagues and a half from 

 north to fouth ; has a fufficient depth of water and 

 good anchorage^ and fo fmooth, that the Ihips are 

 FiO more agitated than on a river. The many flial- 

 iows indeed, at the entrance, on fome of which there 

 is fo little water that even fmall velTels ftrike, ren- 

 der a careful fteerage neceffary. But this danger may 

 be avoided, as it generally is, by taking on board a 

 pilot and for further fecuriiy, his majefty maintains 

 one of fufficient experience, part of whofe employ- 

 ment is to fix marks on the dangerous places. 



The entrance to the bay, as I have already obferved, 

 was through the narrow llreight called Boca Chica, a 

 name very properly adapted to its narrownefs, figni- 

 fying in Spanifh Little Mouth, admitting only one 

 Ihip at a time, and even fhe muft be obliged to keep 

 clofe to the fhore. This entrance was defended on the 

 E. by a fort called St. Lewis de Boca Chica, at the ex- 

 tremity of Tierra Bomba, and by Fort St. Jofeph on 

 the oppofite fide in the ifle of Baru. The former, 

 after fullaining, in the laft fiege by the Englifh, a vi- 

 gorous attack both by fea and land, and a cannonading 

 of eleven days, its defences ruined, its parapets beat 

 down, and all its artillery difmounted, was relinquifhed. 

 The enemy being thus ii}afters of it, cleared the en- 

 trance. 



