Chap. I. Captain Willia 
45» The 21. we failed with the Land-wind, which is at 
North here, and the Sea- wind at Weft South-weft, coaft - 
Ing along to the Weft. At firft the Land appears with 
ragged Hills •, but, farther to the Weft, with fruitful Val- 
leys^betwixt them. The 25th, wepaffecl by an high Hill, 
divided into Peaks, at 18 0 8' North Latitude : The Spa- 
niards fay, there ftands a Town, called the Cup an, not far 
from it, but we could not find the Way to it. The 26th, 
200 Men were fent to endeavour to find out the City of 
Colima , a rich Place *, but, though they rowed twenty 
Leagues along the Shore, they could not meet with any 
Place to land in, and faw not the leaft Sign of any Inha- 
bitants. At two Places they faw two Horfernen, and our 
Men followed them, but loft the Track in the Woods j fo 
we returned the 28th on board ; and, foon after, the Vol- 
cano, or burning Mountain, of Colima , very remarkable for 
its Height, at 1 8° 36' North Latitude, fix Leagues from 
the Sea-fide, appeared, with two high Points, from each 
of which iffues always either Fire or Smoke. The 
Valley, in which it ftands, bears the Name of the Mountain, 
as does the adjacent Town, the chief City of all the Coun- 
try. If we may credit the Spaniards , it is a moft delight- 
ful and fertile Valley, abounding in Cocoas, Corn, and 
Plantains, being ten or twelve Leagues wide to the Sea, 
and ftretching a great Way into the Country ; but there is 
no Landing-place near it, occafioned by the Impetuofity of 
the Waters j for, about two Leagues from the Eaft Side, 
is low woody Ground, and, at the End, is a deep River, 
which difembogues into the Sea ^ but, by reafon of a 
Land-bank at the Mouth, there is no Entrance, even for 
Canoes. The 29th, 200 Men were fent again, to try 
whether they could find any Path or Track leading to the 
Town of Sallagua , feated, as the Spaniards report, at the 
Weft End of the Bay of the Valley of Colima but, the 
Waves running fo high, there was no landing, they re- 
turned aboard the 30th. December 1. we came in Sight of 
the Port of Sallagua , at 18 0 5V : It is a Bay, parted by 
a rocky Point about the Middle ; fo that it appears like 
two diftindt Harbours, in either of which is fafe anchoring 
at ten or twelve Fathom Water, tho’ the Weft Harbour 
is the beft, having, befides this, the Conveniency of a 
frefh- water Rivulet falling into the Sea. We faw a good 
Number of armed Spaniards , to whom we gave a Vifit, 
the next Morning, with 200 of our beft Men ; but the 
Foot never flood one Charge, and the Horfe foon followed 
them : In the Purfuit, our Men, lighting upon a broad 
Road, leading through a woody and rocky Country, fol- 
lowed it for four Leagues j but, finding not the leaft Foot- 
fteps of any Inhabitants, they turned back, and in their 
Way took two ftraggling Mulattoes, who allured them, 
that the broad Road led to the City of Oarrah , four long 
Days Journey from hence, and that thefe Men were fent 
from that City to fecure the Ship from Manilla , that was 
to fet Paffengers afhore there. The Spanijh Maps place 
the Town of Sallagua hereabouts, but we could fee no 
Signs of it. December 6 . we failed again, coafting to the 
Weft towards Cape Corientes , in hopes of meeting there- 
abouts with the Ship expected from the Philippines. The 
Sea-winds are here North-weft, and the Land-wind at 
North ; the Land indifferent high, fprinkled with many 
ragged Points, and woody. Here I was afflicted with the 
Dropfy, and fo were many of our Men : This being a 
common Difeafe on this Coaft, the Natives pretend to cure 
It with the Stone or Cod of an Alligator (of which they 
have four, viz. one near each Leg within the Flefh) beaten 
to Powder ; but we had not the good Fortune to meet 
with any of thefe Creatures, though they are fometimes found 
hereabouts. Betwixt Sallagua and Cape Corientes are di- 
vers good Ports we did not touch at. As we approached the 
Cape, it appeared with many white Cliffs, and, deeper 
*-into the Country, with peaked Hills •, to the Weft of thefe 
runs a Ridge ot Mountains, beginning with an high lleep 
Mountain at the Eaft End, with three Peaks, relembling 
a Crown ; whence the Spaniards called it Coronado the 
Crown Land *, but at the Weft End it terminates in an 
eafy Defcent. The nth, we were in Sight of Cape Co- 
rientes. , bearing North by Weft, and the Corcnada to the 
North. This Cape is pretty high, very deep and rocky 
towards the Sea, but flat on the Top, and covered with 
M Dampier. 103 
Trees ; it is at 20° z8 ; North Latitude : I found its Lorn 
gitude from Peneriff 23 0 56', keeping thereby to the 
Weft, according to our Courfe ; purfuant to which Com- 
putation it is, from the Lizard in England , 121 0 41k and 
the Difference of Time eight Hours fix Minutes. 1 he 
Ship from the Philippines being obliged to make this Point 
in her Voyage homewards, we took our Stations with our 
four Sail, fo as that we judged we could not well mifs the 
Ship : But, as we wanted Provifions, fifty or fixty Men 
were fent in a Bark to the W eft of the Cape to get fome : 
They returned the 1 7th without any Purchace, not being 
able to get about the Cape, the Wind being generally 
North-weft and South-weft on this Coaft •, however, they 
left four Canoes, manned with forty-fix Men, behind, who 
intended to row to the Weft. The 18 th, we failed to the 
Ifles of Chametly , eighteen Leagues to the Eaft of Cape Co- 
rientes : They are five low, fmall, and woody Ifles, fur- 
rounded with Rocks, and lying in Form of an Half-moon, 
within a Mile from that Shore, betwixt v/hich, and thefe 
Ifles, there is fafe Anchorage. They are inhabited by 
Fifliermen, Servants to fome of the Inhabitants ot the City 
of Purification , a confiderable Place, fourteen Leagues up 
in the Country. The 20th, we entered on the South-eaft: 
Side, and anchored betwixt the Ifles and the Continent , 
we found here freih Water, Wood, and Rock-fifh in 
great Plenty. The 21ft, fixty of our Men, under Cap- 
tain Pownley , were fent feven or eight Leagues to the Weft, 
to furprife an Indian Village. 
46. The 24th, the four Canoes, left thereabouts by 
Captain Pownlefs Bark, returned to us near the Cape, 
having got beyond it by the Help of their Oars, and landed 
in the Valley of Valderas, or Val d* Iris , the Valley of 
Flags , lying at the Bottom of a deep Bay, inclofed between 
Cape Corientes on the South-eaft, and the Point Ponlique 
on the North-weft. The Breadth of the Valley is three 
Leagues ; the fandy Bay is level to the Sea, and affords a 
good Landing-place. In the midft is a good frefh-water 
River, navigable with Boats ; but, at the latter End of 
the dry Seafon, viz. in February , March , and April , it 
becomes brackifh. On the Land-fide, this Valley is 
bounded by a green Hill, which, by its eafy Defcent into 
the Valley, affords a delightful ProfpeSl; as do the 
wide-fpread Paftures, ftored with Cattle, the pleafant 
Groves of Guavas, Orange, and Lime-trees, which grow 
wild herein vaft Numbers. In this delightful Valley we 
landed thirty-leven Men, who, advancing three Miles into 
the Country, w ? ere attacked by 1 50 Spaniards , Horfe and 
Foot : By good Fortune there was an adjacent Wood, 
which afforded an happy Retreat to our Men, who from 
thence fired fo furiouliy upon the Spaniards , that they 
killed their Leader, and feventeen Troopers, befides 
many wounded, with the Lofs only of four Men, and two 
wounded : This made the Enemy retreat ; however, had 
the Foot feconded the Horfe, fcarce one of our Men could 
have efcaped. The 28th, Captain Pownley returned aboard 
with forty Bufhels of Maiz, which he had taken in an Indian 
Village to the Eaft of Cape Corientes , five Leagues in the 
Country. We continued cruifing off this Cape till the 
firft of January , when we failed for the Valley of V alder as, 
to provide ourielves with fome Beef : At Night we anchored 
at fixty Fathom Water, a Mile from the Shore. We 
continued here till the 7th, and landed 240 Men (50 
whereof were conftantly employed to watch the Motions 
of the Spaniards) : We killed and faked as much Beef as 
would ferve us two Months •, and, had we not wanted Salt, 
we might have had much more. By this time our Hopes 
of meeting with the Manilla Ship being quite vanifhed, we 
concluded, that, whilft we had been employed in looking 
for Provifion alhore, fhe had given us the Slip to the Eaft j 
which proved true, according to the Account we had after- 
wards by feverai Prifoners. The Lofs of fo great and rich 
a Prize muft chiefly be attributed to the Wilfulnefs of 
Captain Pownley , who would needs attempt the Taking of 
the Lima Ship in the Harbour of Acapulco , when, at the 
fame time, we ought to have provided ourfelves (as we 
might then have done) with Beef and Maiz for fuch an 
Enterprize, which whilft we were forced to feek, we loft 
this Ship ; whereas, had we not wanted Neceffaries, wp 
might have gone even as far as Cape Lucas , in California , 
5 where 
