io6 AVOYAGETO Book II. 



failing firft to touch at Jamaica, fo that her loading 

 alone was more than half of all thofe brought by the 

 galleons ; for, befides that her burthen fo far exceeded 

 five hundred Spanifli tuns, that it was even more than 

 nine hundred, Ihe had no provifions, water, or other 

 things, which fill a great part of the hold ; (he in- 

 deed took them in at Jamaica, from whence (he was 

 attended by five or fix fmaller vefiels, loaded with 

 goods, which, when arrived near Porto Bello, were 

 put on board her, and the provifions removed into 

 the tenders *, by which ai-tifice the fingle fhip was 

 made to carry more than five or fix of the largeft gal- 

 leons. This nation having a free trade, and felling 

 cheaper than the Spaniards, that indulgence was of in- 

 finite detriment to the commerce of Spain. 



In the dead time, all the trade ftirring here confifts 

 in provifions from Carthagena and cacao and quin- 

 quina, down the river Chagre : the former is carried in 

 ■fmall veflels to Vera Cruz, and the quinquina either 

 depofited in warehoufes, or put on board fliips, which, 

 with permiiffion, come from Spain to Nicaraqua and 

 Honduras ; thefe fiiips alfo take in cacao. Some fmall 

 vefiels likewife come from the iflands of Cuba, La 

 Trinidad, and St. Domingo, with cacao and rum. 



Whilst the afliento of Negroes fubfifted either with 

 the French or Englifh, one of their principal fadories 

 was fettled here, and was of confiderable advantage to 

 its commerce, as being the channel by which not only 

 Panama was fupplied with Negroes, but from whence 

 they were fent all over the kingdom of Peru : On 

 which account the agents of the afiiento were allowed 

 to bring with them fuch a quantity of provifions as 

 was thought necefi^ary, both for their own ufe, and their 

 fiaves of both fexes. 



BOOK 



