On The 11th Of April We Anchored Among The King's Isles, Where We Met
With Captain Harris, Who Had Come With Some Men By Way Of The River Of
Santa Maria.
The 19th, 250 men were sent in canoes to the river
Cheapo, to surprise the town of that name.
The 21st we followed them
to the island of Chepillo, directly opposite the mouth of the river
Chepo, or Cheapo, in the bay of Panama, about seven leagues from the
city of Panama, and one league from the continent. This is a pleasant
island, about two miles long, and as much in breadth, low on the north
side, but rising by a gentle ascent to the south. The soil is very good,
and produces in the low grounds great store of fine fruits, as
plantains, mammees, sapotas, sapadillos, avogato pears, star-apples, and
others. Half a mile from shore there is good anchorage, opposite to
which is a very good spring of fresh-water near the sea.
The Sapadillo-tree is altogether like a pear-tree, and the fruit
resembles a bergamot pear, but somewhat longer. When first gathered it
is hard and the juice clammy; but after keeping a few days it becomes
juicy and sweet. It has two or three black kernels, resembling
pomegranate seeds. The Avogato-tree is higher than our pear-trees,
having a black smooth bark, and oval leaves. The fruit is about the size
of a large lemon, green at first, but becomes yellow when ripe, having a
yellowish pulp as soft as butter. After being three or four days
gathered, the rind comes easily off, and as the fruit is insipid it is
commonly eaten with sugar and limejuice, being esteemed a great
provocative by the Spaniards, who have therefore planted them in most of
their settlements on the Atlantic. It has a stone within as large as a
horse-plum. The Sapota-tree, or Mammee-sapota, is neither so large
nor so tall as the wild mammae at Taboga, nor is the fruit so large or
so round. The rind is smooth, and the pulp, which is pleasant and
wholesome, is quite red, with a rough longish stone. There are also here
some wild mammee-trees, which grow very tall and straight, and are fit
for masts, but the fruit is not esteemed. The tree producing the
star-apples resembles our quince-tree, but is much larger, and has
abundance of broad oval leaves. The fruit is as big as a large apple,
and is reckoned very good, but I never tasted it.
The river Chepo, or Cheapo, rises in the mountains near the north
side of the isthmus, being inclosed between a northern and southern
range, between which it makes its way to the S.W. after which it
describes nearly a semicircle, and runs gently into the sea about seven
leagues E. from Panama, in lat. 9 deg. 3' N. long. 79 deg. 51' W. Its mouth is
very deep, and a quarter of a mile broad, but is so obstructed at the
entrance by sands as only to be navigable by barks. About six leagues
from the sea stands the city of Cheapo, on the left bunk of the
river.[175] This place stands in a champaign country, affording a very
pleasant prospect, as it has various hills in the neighbourhood covered
with wood, though most of the adjacent lands are pasture-grounds to the
north of the river, but the country south from the river is covered with
wood for many miles.
[Footnote 175: In modern maps the town of Chepo is placed on the right
bank of the river, as descending the stream, and only about five miles
up the river. - E.]
Our men returned from Cheapo on the 24th, having taken that town without
opposition, but found nothing there worth mention. The 25th we were
joined by Captain Harris, and arrived at Taboga on the 28th, when,
finding ourselves nearly a thousand strong, we meditated an attack on
Panama; but, being informed by our prisoners that the Spaniards there
had received considerable reinforcements from Porto Bello, that design
was laid aside. The 25th May we had intelligence from some prisoners
that the Lima fleet was daily expected, whereupon we anchored in a
narrow channel, a mile long and not above seven paces wide, formed by
two or three small islands on the south side of the island of
Pacheque. Our fleet now consisted of ten sail, only two of which were
ships of war, that commanded by Captain Davis having 36 guns and 156,
while Captain Swan's carried 16 guns and 140 men. The rest were only
provided with small arms, and our whole force amounted to 960 men. We
had also a fire-ship.
Hitherto we had the wind at N.N.E. with fair weather, but on the 28th of
May the rainy season began. On that day, about 11 a.m. it began to clear
up, and we discovered the Spanish fleet three leagues W.N.W. from the
island of Pacheque, standing to the east, we being then at anchor a
league S.E. from that isle, between it and the continent. We set sail
about three p.m. bearing down upon the Spaniards right before the wind,
while they kept close upon a wind to meet us. Night coming on, we only
exchanged a few shots at that time. As soon as it began to be dark, the
Spanish admiral shewed a light at his top, as a signal for his fleet to
anchor. In half an hour this was taken down; but soon after a light
appeared as before, which went to leewards, which we followed under
sail, supposing it to be still the admiral; but this was a stratagem of
the Spaniards to deceive as, being at the top-mast head of one of their
barks, and effectually succeeded, as we found in the morning they had
gained the weather-gage of us.
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