Chap. I. Captain William Dam pier. 
Captain Davis and his Men, having been almoft choaked 
in the Marches among the Mangrove-woods, returned 
without having been able to advance far on their Way to 
the Town. It was then refolved to row up in Sight of 
the Town ; and, if we found ourfelves difcovered, to re- 
tire without attempting : So, rowing through the Morth- 
eaft Chanel, we got in the Night in View of the Town, 
when, at the Difcharge of a Mufquet, we faw, on a hidden, 
the whole Town full of Lights ; where, as there was but one 
feen before, this appeared almoft an infallible Sign, that we 
v/ere difcovered •, but, as fome alleged, that thefe Lights 
were ufed by the Spaniards in the Nights before Holy-days, 
as the next Day was, they upbraided Captain Swan and his 
Men with Cowardice : We landed in a Place two Miles on 
this Side of the Town , which being all over-run with W oods, 
we were forced to expebt Day-light. We had two Indian 
Guides *, one was run away from Gutaquil , the other a Pri- 
foner we had taken three Days before ; the laft being led by 
a Cord by one of Captain Davis’s Men, who feemed one of 
the moft forward in the Enterprize ; but now, perhaps, be- 
ginning to repent his Raihnefs, cut the Rope wherewith the 
Guide was tied, and fo let him make his Efcape into the 
Town : When he judged him to be out of Danger of being 
retaken, he cried out, that fomebody had cut the Rope ; fo 
that, after we had fearched in vain for our Guides, it was una- 
nimoufly refolved todefift •, however, about Break of Day, 
we rowed up into the Middle of the River, where we lay 
ftill about half an Hour, without being in the leaft mo- 
lefted from the Town, though we landed on the oppofite 
Bank to a Beef-clofe, and killed a Cow. We returned 
the ninth to Puna ; and, in our Way, feized upon the 
three before-mentioned Barks, laden with 1000 lufty Ne- 
groes ; out of them we kept about ftxty, and left the reft 
with the Barks behind ; whereas, if we had carried them 
all to St. Maria , on the Ifthmus of Darien , we might, 
with their Afiiftance, have worked the Gold Mines on 
that Side ; and, by ere&ing a Fort or two at the Entrance 
of the River of St. Maria , and with the Afiiftance of the 
Natives our Friends, and fome Thoufands of Englijh and 
French Privateers from all Parts of the Weft Indies , have 
not only maintained ourfelves there againft all the Power 
of Spain , but alfo extended our Conquefts to the Coafts 
and Gold Mines of Quito. 
28. We fet Sail again the 13th, and arrived at the Xfie 
of Plata the 16th •, where, after having provided ourfelves 
with frefh Water on the Continent, we parted our Cloth, 
and refolved unanimoufly to direbl our Courfe to Lavelia 
a Town in the Bay of Panama. Accordingly we fet Sail 
December 23. with abrifkSouth South- weft Wind, towards 
the Bay of Panama. The next Morning, we palled in Sight 
of Cape Paftao, S' South of the Line, being a round Point, 
but very high, divided in the Middle, bare towards the Sea, 
but covered with Fruit-trees to the Land Side ; the Land 
hilly and woody. Betwixt this and the Cape St. Francifco , 
you fee Abundance of fmall Points, which inclofe fo many , 
fandy Creeks, full of Trees of feveral kinds : As our De- 
fign was to look for Canoes, in fome River or other un- 
frequented by the Spaniards , fo our Indian Pilots were but 
of little XJle to us : However, as we were indifferent for 
the reft what River we came to, fo we endeavoured to 
make the River of St. lago , by reafon of itsNearnefs to the 
He of Gallo , in which there was much Gold, and where 
there was fafe Anchorage for our Ships. We paffed by 
Cape St. Francifco ; whence, to the North, the Sea Side 
is full of Trees, of a vaft Height and Thicknefs : From 
this Cape the Land runs more eafterly into the Bay of Pa- 
nama , this Cape being its Boundary to the South, as 
the Ifles of Cob ay a or Quito are to the North. Betwixt this 
Cape and the Me of Gallo are feveral large Rivers, but 
we paffed them all to go to St. lago , a large navigable 
River, 2 0 North : About feven Leagues up in the Coun- 
try it divides itfelf into two Branches, which inclofe an Me 
four Leagues in Circumference ; the broadeft is the South- 
weft Chanel ; they are both very deep, but the narroweft 
has fandy Banks at its Entrance fo that, at low Ebb, a 
Canoe cannot pafs over them. Beyond the Me, the River 
is a League broad, the Chanel ftrait, with a fwift Cur- 
rent ; it flows three Leagues up the River, but to what 
Height, I am not able to tell : It runs through a very 
4 
rich Soil, producing all forts of the talleft Trees ufually 
found in this Climate •, but efpecially red and rvhite Cot- 
ton-trees, and Cabbage-trees, of the largeft kind. The 
white Cotton-tree grows not unlike an Oak, but much 
taller and bigger ; the Trunk ftrait, without any Branches 
to the Top, where it fends forth ftrong Branches ; the Bark 
is very fmooth, the Leaves of the Bigriefs of a Plum-tree- 
leaf, dark-green, oval, fmooth, and jagged at the Ends ; 
they are not always biggeft near the Roots, but often in the 
Middle of the Trunks. The Cotton they bear is Silk 
Cotton, which falls in November and Decetnber upon the 
Ground ; but not fo fubftantial as that of the Cotton-fhrub, 
but rather like a Down of Thiftles ; they don’t think it 
worth their while to gather it in the Weft Indies , but in 
the Eaft Indies they put it into their Pillows. In April the 
old Leaves fall off, which, in a Week’s time, are fupplied 
by frefh. The red Cotton-tree is fomewhat lefs ; but, for 
the reft, altogether like the other ; except that it produces 
no Cotton, and its Wood hard, tho’ both are fomewhat 
fpongy •, they are found in the fat Grounds, both in the 
Eaft and Weft Indies. The Cabbage-tree is the talleft in 
thofe Woods, fome being above 120 Feet high : It is 
likewife without Boughs or Branches, except on the Top, 
where its Branches are of the Thicknefs of a Man’s Arm, 
and twelve or fourteen Feet long •, two Feet from the Stem 
come forth fmall long Leaves, of an Inch broad, fo thick 
and regular on both Sides, that they cover the whole Branch : 
In the midft of thefe high Branches fhoots forth the Cab- 
bage itfelf; which, when taken out of the outward Leaves, 
is a Foot in Length, and of the Thicknefs of the Small 
of a Man’s Leg, being white like Milk, fweet and whol- 
fome : Betwixt the Cabbages and the large Branches fprout 
forth other fmall Twigs, two Feet long, very clofe toge- 
ther ; at the Extremities of which grow hard and round 
Berries, of the Bignefs of a Cherry, which, once a Year, 
fall from the Trees, and are excellent Food for the Hogs. 
The Trunk has Rings half a Foot afunder, the Bark is 
thin and brittle, the Wood hard and black, and the Pith 
white ; as the Tree dies after its Head is gone, they cut 
them down before they gather the Fruit. 
29. As the Coaft and Country of Lima has continual 
dry Weather, fo this Part of Peru is feldom without Rains ; 
which, perhaps, is one Reafon why they have made but 
fmall Difcoveries on this Coaft : Add to this, that when 
they go from Panama to Lima , they don’t pafs along the 
Coaft, but fail up to the Weft, as far as the Cob ay a Ifles, 
for the Weft Winds, and thence ftand over to the Cape St. 
Francifco : In their Return they coaft it ; but their Ships, 
being then laden, are not fit to enter the Rivers, which, 
as well as the Sea Side, are covered with Woods and Bufhes, 
and therefore are fit Places for the Natives to lie in Ambuf- 
cade. Thefe Indians have fome Plantations of Maizand Plan- 
tains, as alfo fome Fowls and Flogs. We entered the Ri- 
ver of St. lago , with four Canoes, December 27. by the 
lefier Branches, and met with no Inhabitants till within fix 
Leagues of its Mouth, where we difcovered too fmall 
Huts, thatched with Palmeto-leaves ; and, at the fame 
time, Indians , with their Families and houfhold Goods, 
paddling againft the Stream much fafter than we could row, 
becaufe they kept near the Banks. On the oppofite Side 
to the Weft, we faw many other Huts a League off ; but, 
the Current being very rapid, we did not care to venture 
crofs it. In the two Huts, on the Eaft Side, we found 
nothing but a few Plantains, Fowls, and one Hog, which, 
feemed to be of the European Kind, fuch as the Spaniards 
brought formerly into America , but efpecially to Jamaica , 
Hifpaniola , and Cuba, where they feed in the Woods (be- 
ing marked beforehand) in the Day-time ; and at Night 
are called, and kept in Pens, by the founding of a Conch- 
fliell. On the Continent of America , they don’t turn their 
Flogs into the Woods. We returned the next Morning 
into the River’s Mouth, with an Intention to fail on to the 
Me of Gallo , where we had ordered our Ships to meet us. 
This Me is but final], and without Inhabitants, feated at 
3 0 North Latitude, in a fpacious Bay, three Leagues from 
the River Fomaco , and four Leagues and a half from an 
Indian Village of the fame Name : It is indifferently high, 
and well ftored with Timber-trees : At the North-eaft End 
is a good fandy Bay, near which is a fine Spring of frefh. 
Water, 
