9 
VOYAGES 
0 
ook I. 
one Spaniard (perhaps the Commander) in one, of their 
Ships in the Weft Indies , all the reft being Indians . In the 
Morning, while we were bufy in recovering our Anchors, 
we difcovered a whole Fleet of Canoes, full of Men, 
pafs betwixt Tobagilla and the other Ifle, who proved 
Englijh and French Privateers, lately come out of the 
North Sea over the IJihmus of Darien ; there were 280 
in all, 200 French, and 80 Englijh •, thefe laft were taken 
aboard Captain Davis , and Captain Swan , and the reft put 
into our Flower Prize, under the Command of Captain 
Gronet, their Countryman : In Return for which, he offered 
Captain Davis , and Captain Swan, each a Commiffion 
from the Governor ot Petit Goave , it being their Cuftom 
to carry along with them blank Commiffions from the faid 
Governor. Captain Davis accepted of one ; but Captain 
Swan . , having one from the Duke of Fork , refufed it. 
35. Every thing being thus difpofed, wefet Sail, March 
the 2d, towards the Gulph of St. Michael , in queft of 
Captain Townley ( who they told us was coming with 180 
Englijh over the IJthmus of Darien). This Gulph lies 
thirty Leagues South-eaft from Panama , and you mu ft 
turn for your Paffage betwixt the King’s IJles and the Con- 
tinent. In it many Rivers difembogue into the Sea : On 
the South it is bounded by the Point Garrachina , at 6° 
40 North Latitude, and to the North by St. Lorenzo \ 
whereas the Name of Point Garachina , in the Maps, is 
given to the North Cape, and that of the South Cape 
quite left out, as well as that of St. Lorenzo , which pro- 
perly belongs to the North Cape. The moft noted Rivers, 
that difcharge themfelves into the Gulph of St. Michael , 
are St. Maria , Sambo , and Congo : This laft has its Rife far 
in the Country, and, being joined by many fmall Streams 
on both Sides, difembogues on the North Side of this 
Gulph, a League from Cape St. Lorenzo : It is deep and 
navigable fome Leagues into the Country, but not very 
broad. It is neglected by the Spaniards by reafon of its 
Nearnejs to St. Maria , where they have their Gold Mines. 
As I was never in this River Sambo , fo I cannot fay much 
of it, except that the Tide at its Mouth feems to denote 
it a large River: It empties itfelf into the Sea on the South 
Side of the Gulph near Garachina. Between the Mouths 
of thefe two Rivers, on either Side of the Gulph, it runs 
narrower towards the Land, making live or fix Ifles • be- 
yond which, deeper inward, the Shore clofes fo near, with 
two Points of low Land, as to make a ftreight Chanel, not 
half a Mile broad. This is the Entrance to the innermoft 
Part of the Gulph, making a Bay of three Leagues over, 
to the Eaft End whereof are the Mouths of divers Rivers, 
but efpecially of St. Maria , the largeft River of all that 
falls into this Gulph, being navigable for eight or nine 
Leagues, as far as the Tide flows beyond which, it is 
divided into feveral Branches, fit only for Canoes : The 
Flood rifes eighteen Feet in this River. Near fix Leagues 
to the South of the Entrance of the River of St. Maria , 
the Spaniards built, about twenty Years ago, the Town 
of St. Maria , on account of its Nearnefs to the Gold 
Mines. Soon after it was taken by Captain Coxon , Harris , 
and Sharpe , but was rebuilt foon after again ; for, when 
Captain Harris (the Nephew of the former) took it a fecond 
time, he found ift it great Store of Wine, iron Pickaxes, 
and other Inftruments the Slaves ufed in digging the 
Gold-mines. I have been told, that, befides what Gold 
they got out of the Ore and Sand, they found fometimes 
Lumps as big as an Hen’s Egg, and bigger, wedged in 
betwixt the Rocks. Such a one Mr. Harris (who got 
120 Pounds of Gold there) kept by him *, it has feveral 
Crevices full of Earth and Duft. In the adjacent Mines 
the Spaniards employ their Slaves in a dry Seafon ; but, 
when the Rivers overflow, they can’t work without great 
Inconveniency ; and then it is, that the Indians wafh the 
Gold out of the Sands, forced down from the Mountains 
by the violent Rains, which the Spaniards buy of them, 
and gain as much by it as they do by their Mines ; for, 
during the wet Seafon, they retire with their Slaves to Pa- 
nama. Captain Gronet faw Captain Townley, with his Crew, 
at this Town, making Canoes, it being at that time aban- 
doned by the Spaniards . Near the Mouth of this River 
of St. Maria , on the North Side, they have lately built 
another Town, called Smchadaroes , being a more airy 
- / 4 
Place than that of St. Maria : The Land all about the Gulph 
is low and fertile, producing Abundance of large Trees. 
36. March 3. as we were fleering for the Gulph, Cap- 
tain Swan kept near to the Continent, as we did nearer 
to the King’s IJles ; where, at Two of the Clock in the 
Afternoon, near the Place where we had careened our Ships, 
we met Captain Townley , with his Crew, in two Barks 
which they had taken, one laden with Brandy, Wine, and 
Sugar, and the other with Flour. As he wanted Room for 
his Men, and had Occafion for the Jars in which the Spa- 
niards carry their Wines, Brandy, and Oil, in thefe Parts, 
containing feven or eight Gallons apiece, he diftributed 
Part thereof amongft our Ships, being then all at Anchor 
among the King’s IJlands : But, as it was towards the lat- 
ter End of the dry Seafon, and all the Water dried up, we 
failed to the Point of Garrachina, in hopes of finding frefli 
Water. The 2 1 ft, we anchored two Miles from die Point, 
and found the Tide very ftrong, coming out of the River 
Sambo.. The 2 2d, we anchored at four Fathom within 
the Point ; we found the Tide to ride nine Feet, and the 
Flood to fet North North-eaft, and the Ebb South South- 
weft : The Natives brought us fome Refrelhments •, but, 
as they did not underftand in the leaft the Spanijh Tongue, 
I fuppofe they had no Commerce with the Spaniards. 
Meeting with no.frefh Water here, we fet Sail for Porto - 
Pinas , lying feven Leagues Southward by Weft hence, at 
7° North Latitude. It derived its Name from the vaft 
Numbers of Pine-trees growing there. The Country rifes, 
from the Sea Side, by a gentle Afcent, to a confiderable 
Height, and is pretty woody near the Shore : At the En- 
trance of the Harbour are two fmall Rocks, which render 
the Paffage into it narrow, and the Harbour but of a flen- 
der Compafs ; befides that, it lies expofed to the South- 
weft Wind. This made us not go into the Harbour, but 
fend our Boats to fetch fome frefli Water, which they could 
not perform, by reafon of the high Sea near the Shore ; fo 
we turned towards Point Garachina , where we arrived 
the 29th. In our Way, we took a Veflel laden with Co- 
coa from Guiaquil : Finding ourfelves here alfo difappointed 
in getting of frefli Water, we failed the 30th for Tobago , 
with a South South-weft Wind, being now in all nine Ships. 
April 1. we anchored at the Ifle of Pacheque , and the 3d 
at Perico : Our Men took a Canoe, with four Indians , and 
a Mulatto *, who, being found to have been in the fame 
Firefliip that was fent out to burn our Ship, was hanged 
immediately. Whilft we were employed in filling of Water, 
and cutting of Wood for Fuel, we fent four Canoes to the 
Continent, to get fome Sugar in the adjacent Sugar-works, 
to make our Cocoa up into Chocolate ; but efpecially to get 
fome Coppers, which we much wanted to boil our Victuals 
in, fince our Number was fo confiderably increafed : They 
brought us three Coppers. In the mean while, Captain 
Davis fent his Bark to the Ifle of Otoque , feated in the Bay 
of Panama , but uninhabited, except by a few Negroe 
Slaves, who bred up fome Fowls and Hogs there. Here 
our Men met with a Meffenger fent to Panama , with an 
Account that the Lima Fleet was failed : Moft of the Let- 
ters had been thrown into the Sea ; yet, out of the remain- 
ing Part, we underftood that the Fleet was coming under 
a Convoy, compofed of all the Ships of Strength that they' 
had been able to bring together from Peru. Being informed 
that the King’s Ships always came that Way where we 
now lay, we failed the 10th from Tobago to the King’s IJles , 
and the nth anchored at the Place, where we careened. 
Here we met with Captain Harris , who had brought along 
with him fome Men (we had heard the Indians mention 
before) from the River St. Maria , but they were not near 
fo many as they reported. The 19th, 250 Men were fent in 
Canoes to the River Cheapo , to furprife the Town of the 
fame Name. The 21ft, we followed, and arrived the 
2 2d at the Ifle of Chepelio , a pleafant Ifiand, feated in the 
Bay of Panama , feven Leagues from the City of that Name, 
and one League from the Continent, being about two 
Miles long, and as many broad, low on the North Side, 
but rifing by an eafy Afcent to the South. The Soil is 
Very good, producing in the low Grounds Store of deli- 
cious Fruits, fuch as Plantains, Sapadilloes, Avogato-pears, 
Mammees, Mammee-Sapotas, Star-apples, He. On the 
North Side, half a Mile from the Shore,, .is a good Anchor- 
ing- 
