While Busied Next
Morning In Recovering Our Anchors, We Discovered A Whole Fleet Of Canoes
Full Of Men, Passing Between Tabogilla And Another Isle.
These proved to
be French and English buccaneers, lately come from the North Sea across
the isthmus of Darien, 200 of them being French and 80 English.
These
last were divides between our two ships, under Captains Davis and Swan;
and the Frenchmen were put into our prize, named the Flower, under the
command of Captain Gronet, their countryman, in return for which he
offered commissions to Captains Davis and Swan, from the governor of
Petite Goave, as it is the custom of the French privateers to carry with
them blank commissions. Captain Davis accepted one, but Captain Swan had
one already from the Duke of York.
Learning from these men that Captain Townley was coming across the
isthmus of Darien with 180 Englishmen, we set sail on the 2d March for
the gulf of San Miguel to meet Townley. This gulf is on the east side
of the great Bay of Panama, in lat. 8 deg. 15' N. long. 79 deg. 10' W. thirty
leagues S.E. from Panama; from whence the passage lies between Isola del
Rey and the main. In this gulf many rivers discharge their waters. Its
southern point is Cape Carachina, in lat. 8 deg. 6' N. and the northern,
named Cape Gardo, is in lat. 8 deg. 18' N. The most noted rivers which
discharge themselves into this gulf, are named Santa Maria, Sambo, and
Congo. This last rises far within the country, and after being joined
by many small streams on both sides of its course, falls into the north
side of the gulf a league from Cape Gardo. It is deep and navigable for
several leagues into the country, but not broad, and is neglected by the
Spaniards owing to its nearness to the river of Santa Maria, where they
have gold mines. Santa Maria is the largest of the rivers in this
gulf, being navigable for eight or nine leagues, as far as the tide
flows, above which it divides into several branches fit only for canoes.
In this river the tide of flood rises eighteen feet. About the year
1665, the Spaniards built the town of Santa Maria, near six leagues up
this river,[173] to be near the gold mines. I have been told, that,
besides the gold usually procured out of the ore and sand, they
sometimes find lumps wedged between the fissures of rocks as large as
hens eggs or larger. One of these was got by Mr Harris, who got here 120
pounds weight of gold, and in his lump there were several crevices full
of earth and dust.
[Footnote 173: In modern maps the river which seems to agree with this
description of the Santa Maria, is called Tlace, one of the principal
branches of which is named Chuchunque. The gold mines of Cana and Balsa
are placed on some of its branches, on which likewise there are several
towns, as Nisperal, Fichichi, Pungana, Praya, and Balsa. - E.]
The Spaniards employ their slaves to dig these mines in the dry season;
but when the rivers overflow, as the mines cannot be then worked, the
Indians wash the gold out of the sands that are forced down from the
mountains, and which gold they sell to the Spaniards, who gain as much
in that way as they do by their mines. During the wet season, the
Spaniards retire with their slaves to Panama. Near the mouth of the
Santa Maria, the Spaniards have lately built another town, called
Scuchadores,[174] in a more airy situation than Santa Maria. The land
all about the gulf of San Miguel is low and fertile, and is covered with
great numbers of large trees.
[Footnote 174: This probably is that named Nisperal in modern geography,
the appellation in the text being the Spanish name, and the other the
name given by the Indians. - E.]
While crossing the isthmus, Gronet had seen Captain Townley and his crew
at the town of Santa Maria, busied in making causes in which to embark
on the South Sea, the town being at that time abandoned by the
Spaniards; and on the 3d March, when we were steering for the gulf of
San Miguel, we met Captain Townley and his crew in two barks which they
had takes, one laden with brandy, wine, and sugar, and the other with
flour. As he wanted room for his men, he distributed the jars among our
ships, in which the Spaniards transport their brandy, wine, and oil.
These jars hold seven or eight gallons each. Being now at anchor among
the King's islands, but our water growing scarce, we sailed for Cape
Carachina, in hopes of providing ourselves with that necessary article,
and anchored within that cape, in four fathoms on the 22d. We here found
the tide to rise nine feet, and the flood to set N.N.E. the ebb running
S.S.W. The natives brought us some refreshments, but as they did not in
the least understand Spanish, we supposed they had no intercourse with
the Spaniards.
Finding no water here, we sailed for Porto Pinas, about fifty miles to
the S. by W. in lat. 7 deg. 33' N. which is so named from the vast numbers
of pine-trees which grow in its neighbourhood. The country here rises by
a gentle ascent from the sea to a considerable height, and is pretty
woody near the shore. At the entrance into the harbour there are two
small rocks, which render the passage narrow, and the harbour within is
rather small, besides which it is exposed to the S.W. wind. We sent our
boats into this harbour for water, which they could not procure, owing
to a heavy sea near the shore; wherefore we again made sail for Cape
Carachina, where we arrived on the 29th March. On our way we took a
canoe, in which were four Indians and a Mulatto, and as the last was
found to have been in the fire-ship sent against us, he was hanged.
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