The VOYAGES 0/ Book I. 
Water, and againft the Bay is very good Anchorage, at fix we came in Sight of Point Garachina , at 7 0 20 'North 
or feven Fathom Water ; there is but one Chanel to ap- Latitude. The Land is high, rocky, and without Trees 
proach the Me at four Fathom Water, but you muft go near the Sea Side : Within the Point is pjentv of Ovft ■- 
m with the Flood, and come out with the Ebb. The River and Muffels. About twelve Leagues from this p * 
oi Tomaeo , fuppofed to have its Rife amongft the rich the King’s or Pearl IJles ; betwixt thefe "and theTefnre! 
Mountains of g) s mto , has borrowed its Name trom an ad- mentioned Point of Garachina , is a fmall f r h 
jacent Village of the fame Name. Its Banks are well Ille, called Galleria , near which we came to Anch 
peopled by the Indians , and fome Spaniards , who traffick that time. The King’s or Pearl If.es are a o-ood N°rH — 
for Gold with them. It is fo lhallow at the Entrance, that of low woody Mes, feven Leagues from the C~ ^ ^ 
only Barks can enter it. The Town of Tomaeo is a fmall and twelve Leagues from Panama , and fourteen Te-fa-o 
Place, feated near the Mouth of a River* for the Entertain- in Length North North-weft by North, and South *{Hf S 
ment of the Spaniards , who traffick in thofe Parts. From South. In the Maps they are called the Pearl We* 0 ^ 
this Place to the Branch of the River of Si. Iago , where I never could fee one Pearl-oyfter, or any thinp- n 
we then were at Anchor, is five Leagues. As the Land near them. The Northermoft of 'thefe *is called P^h ^ 
here is low, and full of Creeks, we left the River Decern - or Pacheque , a fmall Me, eleven or twelve Leamie.Mrnm 
her 2 1 . and crofted thefe fmall Bays in our Canoes : In our Panama ; the Name of that moft South is St. Paul’s • the - ft 
Way we faw an Indian Houfe, whence we took the Matter, tho’ bigger, have no particular Names. Some of thefe are 
and whole Family, and lo rowed forward, and came at planted with Plantains, Bananas, and Rice, by the Neo-roes 
I welve at Night to Tomaeo : Here we feized upon all the belonging to the Inhabitants of Panama. The Chanel be 
Inhabitants y and, among the reft, one Don Diego de Pinas, twixt them and the Continent is feven or eight Leagues 
a Spanifh Knight, whofe Ship was not far off at Anchor to broad, of a moderate Depth, and has o- 00 d Anchoring 3 jf 
lade Timber : So we took her, and found thirteen jars of along : The Mes, tho’ lying clofe together, yet have their 
good Wine aboard her, but no other Lading. An Indian Chanels fit for Boats. At the End of St. Paul’s Ifl e is a 
Canoe came aboard us, with three of the Natives, who convenient careening Place, in a good deep Chanel in- 
were ftrait and well-limbed, but of low Stature, with black clofed by the Land. You muft enter in on the North 
Hair, long Wages, and fmall Nofes and Eyes, and of a Side, where the Tide rifes ten Feet perpendicular The 
dark Complexion. The 31ft, feveral of our Men, who 25th, we brought our Ships in with a Spring-tide • and 
had been feven or eight Leagues up the River, returned after having cleaned our Barks firft, we fent them the 27th 
with their Canoes, and brought . along with them fome to cruife towards Panama: They brought us the fourth 
Ounces of Gold they had found in a Spanijh Houfe, but Day after, a Prize, coming from Lavelia with Maiz o- 
the People were fled. Indian Corn, faked Beef, and Fowls. Lavelia is a laro-e 
30. January 1. 1685. as we were going in our Canoes Town, feated on the Bank of a River, on the North Side 
from Tomaeo towards Gallo, we took a Packet of Letters of the Bay of Panama , feven Leagues from the Sea Side • 
in a Spanijh Boat, fent from Panama to Lima, whereby As Nata is another Town, featedtn a Plain near another 
we underftood, that the Prefident of Panama wrote to Branch of the fame River : Thefe two Places fupply Pa - 
haften the Plate Fleet thither from Lima, the Armada from nama with Hogs, Fowl, Beef, and Maiz. In the Har- 
Spain being come to Porto-Bello : This News foon made bour where we careened, we found Abundance of Oyfters 
us alter our Refolution of going to Lavelia ; inftead Muffels, Limpits, and Clams ; thefe laft are Oyfters that 
whereof, it was refolved to rendezvous among the King’s or ftick fo clofe to the Rocks, that you muft open them where 
Pearl Mands, not far diftant from Panama, and by which they grow, if you will eat the Meat. We alfo met with 
all Ships, bound to Panama from the Coaftof Lima , muft fome Pigeons and Turtle-doves, 
of Neceffity pafs. Accordingly we failed the 7th; the 31. Our Ships being well careened by the 14th of Fe- 
8th, we took a Ship of 90 Tons, laden with Flour, and bruary, and provided with Fuel and Water, we failed out 
continued our Voyage, with a gentle South Wind, towards from amongft the Ifles the 18th, and anchored in the great 
Gorgonia , an Ifle twenty-five Leagues diftant from that of Chanel, betwixt the Mes and the Continent at fifteen 
Gallo, where we anchored the 9th, at the Weft Side of it, Fathom Water, foft oufy Ground; and the next Day 
in thirty-eight Fathom clean Ground, two Cables Length cruifed in the Chanel towards Panama, about which the 
from the Shore, in a fandy Bay, the Land againft it very Shore appears very beautiful, with Variety of fmall Woods 
low. This Me is feated at 3 0 North Latitude, and is re- and Hills ; befides that, a League from the Continent 
markable for two high Rifings, called the Saddles : Its you fee divers fmall Mes, fcattered partly with Trees ; and 
Length is two Leagues, and its Breadth one League, about the King’s Ifles, on the other Side the Chanel afford a 
four Leagues from the Continent. At the Weft End is very fair Profped, according to their various Shapes and 
another fmall Me. Gorgonia is full of large Trees, and Situations. The 16th, we anchored within a League of 
watered by many Rivulets : It has no other Animals but the Ifland of Pacheque , in feventeen Fathom Water • and 
Monkies, Conies, and Snakes: It is extremely fubjedt to the 18th, fteered our Courfe with a North North-eaft 
Rains ; and the only Difference obfervable in the Seafons Wind dire&ly towards Panama , where we anchored di- 
is, that in the Summer the Rains are more moderate. The rectly oppofite to Old Panama, once a Place of Note in 
Sea round it is fo deep, that there is no Anchorage, except thofe Parts ; but the greateft Part thereof beino- laid in 
at the Weft End, where the Tide rifes eight Feet. Muffels Allies in 1673. by Sir Henry Morgan , it was nev°r rebuilt 
and Periwinkles are here in great Plenty : The Monkies fince. About four Leagues from the Ruins of Old Panama 
open the Shells at Low-water. Here are alfo Abundance near the River Side, Hands New Panama , a very hand- 
of Pearl-oyfters ; thefe are fixed four, five, or fix Fathom fome City, in a fpacious Bay of the fame Name into 
under Water, to the loofe Rocks, by Beards, or fmall which difembogue many long navigable Rivers, * fome 
Roots, like the Muffels : They are like our Oyfters, but whereof are not without Gold ; befides that, it is'beauti- 
fomething flatter and thinner ; the Fleffi is flimy, and not fied with many pleafant Mes; the Country about it afford- 
to be eaten, unlefs dried beforehand, and boiled ; fome have ing a delightful Profpecl to the Sea, by reafon of Varie- 
twenty or thirty Seed-pearls, others one or two pretty large ty of adjacent Hills, Valleys, Groves, and Plains: The 
ones, lying at the Plead of the Oyfters, betwixt the Fiffi Houfes are for the moft part of Brick, and pretty lofty, 
and the Shell ; but the Infide of the Pearl carries a brighter efpecially the Prefident’s ; the Churches, Monafteries, and 
Luftre than the Pearls themfelves. The 13th, wepurfued other public Structures, which make the belt Shew "I* ever 
our Voyage to the King’s Ife, being now two Men of faw in the IVeft Indies : It is encompaffed with a high Wall 
War, and two Tenders, one Fireffip, and the Prize : We of Stone, on which are mounted a good Number of Guns, 
failed forward with the common Trade-wind South, along which formerly were only planted to the Land Side, but 
lo\y Land on the Continent near the Sea Side, but with a now alfo to the Sea. This City has a vaft Traffick, as 
Profpeft of Mountains deeper into the Country. The being the Staple for all Goods to and from all Parts of 
1 6th, we paffed by Cape Corientes, at f 10' Latitude, be- Peru and Chili ; befides that, every three Years, when the 
ing an. high Point, with four final! Hillocks on the Top ; Spanijh Armada comes to Porio-Bello , the Plate-fleet comes 
the Current then running ftrong to the North, The 21ft, thither with the King’s Plate, befides what belongs to the 
Merchants ^ 
