142 A VOYAGE TO Book IV. 



For the time we fet fail, till Pnnta de Mala bore 

 from VIS N. W. 6° 30' wefterly, we continued to fleer 

 S. S. W, i'' 30' and S"" 30' wefterly: the winds vari- 

 able with calms. 



AftePs. paffing Pnnta de Mala, we fleered S. be- 

 tween 8^ wefterly and 2"^ 30' eafterly, till fix in the 

 evening of the firft of March 1736, when we dif- 

 covered the land contiguous to St. Matthew's bay. 

 Upon which we flood to the S. W. to avoid a ledge 

 of rocks, which runs three leagues into the fea, and 

 alfo the currents, which fet towards it, and Gorgona- 

 bav. 



This ledge of rocks was difcovered in 1594, by 

 a fliip's flriking on it. 



From St. Matthew's bay, we, for fome hours, 

 fleered S. W. 6"" 15' weflerly; and the next day S. E. 

 i foutherly ; which, being the third day, at one in 

 the afternoon, brought us in fight of Cape St. Francis, 

 bearing IN . J eaflerly. 



According to the reckoning of Don George Ju- 

 an, the difference of meridians between Panama and 

 Cape St. Francis was 36'; and which nearly 

 agrees with the map of this coaft. It mufl, however, 

 be fuppofed that the diftance between each knot on 

 the logline was 47 feet, 5 | royal inches, which is 

 equal to 50 f Englifli feet ; and this confirms what 

 we have already oblerved, book I. chap. i. and proves 

 the juflnefs of our obfervations on the currents. 



Having weathered this cape, we fleered W. 3^ 

 foutherly ; S. W. 3"* weflerly ; and on the 6th and 

 7th S. 7° eafterly, and S. E. 6° eaflerly; till on the 

 7th, at 8 in the morning, w^e again made Cape St. 

 Francis, bearing N. 5° eafterly, and Cape PafTado S. j 

 after which v/e coafted along fhore, obferving the 

 moft remarkable parts, till the 9th, when, at half an 

 hour after 3 in the evening, we came to an anchor in 

 Manta-bay, in eleven fathon:i water, the bottom mud 



mixed 



