-8 A VOYAGE TO Book I. 



Nueftra Senora de la Popa bore E. N. E. two degrees 

 nortih, diftance two leagues ; the caftle of St. .Lewis de 

 Boca Chica, E. S. E. diftance three leagues and a half, 

 and the north part of lila Vofaria^ fouth one quarter 

 weilerly. It muii, however, be remembered that thefe 

 obfervations were made on the apparent rhombs of the 

 needle. 



The bay abounds with great variety of fifli both 

 wholefome and agreeable to the palate the moft com- 

 mon are the ihad, the tafte of v/hich cannot indeed be 

 recommended as the moft delicate. The turtles are 

 large and well tafted. But it is greatly infefted with 

 fharks, which are extremely dangerous to feamen, as 

 they immediately feize every perfon they difcover in the 

 water, and fometimes even venture to attack them in 

 their boats. It is a common diverfion for the crews of 

 thofe fhips who ftay any time in the bay, to fifh for 

 thefe rapacious monfters, with large hooks faftened to a 

 chain ; though, when they have caught one, there is no 

 eating it, the flefti being as it were a kind of liquid fat 

 Some of them have been feen with four rows of teeth ^ 

 the younger have generally but two. The voracity of 

 this fi£h is fo prodigious, that it fwallows all the filth 

 either thrown out of fhips, or caft up by the fea. I 

 myfelf faw in the ftomach of one, the intire body of a 

 dog, the fofter parts only having been digefted. The 

 natives affirm that they have alfo feen alligators*, but 

 this being a frefn vv^ater animal, if any were ever feen in 

 the fea, it muft" be fomething very extraordinary. 



In the bay it is that the galleons from Spain wait the 

 arrival of the Peru fleet at Panama; and on the firft ad- 

 vice of this, fail away for Porto Bello ; at the end of 

 the fair held at that tov/n, they return into this bay, 

 and, after taking on board every neceffary for their 

 voyage, put to fea again as foon as poffible. During 

 their abfence the bay is very little frequented; the coun- 

 try veiTelSj which are only a few bilanders and feluccas, 

 ftay no longer than is neceffary to careen and fit out fo^ 

 profecuting their voyage. C H A P, 



1 



