I 



A VOYAGE TO BdOKiL 

 meeting no refinance, eafily fucceeded in their defign 

 upon this city, which furrendered by capitulation^ 



The anchoring-place for the large Ihips, is N* W. 

 of Gloria-caftle, which is nearly the centre of the 

 harbour •, but lefler veflels, which come farther up, 

 muft be careful to avoid a fand bank, lying 1 50 toifes 

 from St. Jerome's fort, or point, bearing from it W.- 

 one quarter northerly and on which there is only a 

 fathom and a half, or, at moft, two fathom water. 



N. W. of the town is a little bay, called la Calderay 

 or the kettle, having four fathom and a half water j 

 and is a very proper place for careening fliips and 

 vefifels, as, befides its depth, it is perfectly defended 

 from, 'all winds. In order to go into it, you mufl keep 

 pretty dole to the weftern fliore till about a third part 

 of the breadth of the entrance, where you will have 

 five fathom w^ater (whilft on the eaftern fide of the 

 fame entrance there is not above two or three feet), and 

 then fleer dire6lly towards the bottom of the bay^ 

 When the Ibips are in, they may moor with four ca- 

 bles eaft and wed, in a fmall bafon, formed by the 

 Caldera ; but care mult be taken to keep them always 

 on the weftern fide. 



N. E. of the town is the mouth of a river called 

 Cafcajal, which affords no freQi water within a quarter 

 of a league or upwards from its mouth and it is not 

 uncommon to fee in it Caymanes, or alligators. 



The tides here are irregular, and in this particular, 

 as well as that of the winds, there is no difference be- 

 tween this harbour and that of Carthagena ; except 

 that here the fhips mull always be towed in, being ei- 

 ther becalmed, or the wind dire6lly againft them. 



From obfervations we made, both by the pole ftar 

 and the fun's azimuth, we found the variation of the 

 needle in this harbour to be 8° 4' eafteriy. 



Among the mountains which furround the whole 

 harbour of Porto Bello, beginning from St. Philip de 

 Todo Fierro^ or the iron caftle (which is fituated on 

 - ' ' their 



