The Guide Now Conducted
Them Through A Pathless Wood Along A River, And Coming To A Farm-House
In A Plain, They Found A Caravan Of Sixty Mules, Laden With Flour,
Chocolate, Cheese, And Earthenware, Intended For Acapulco, And Of Which
This Woman Had Given Them Intelligence.
All this they carried off,
except the earthenware, and brought aboard in their canoes, together
with some beeves they killed in the plain.
Captain Swan went afterwards
on shore, and killed other eighteen beeves, without any opposition. We
found the country woody but fertile, and watered by many rivers and
rivulets.
[Footnote 180: Istapha is to the eastward of Petatlan, but Chequetan is
not delineated in modern maps, neither are any rivers noticed for a
great way either N.W. or S.E. from Petatlan. - E.]
Sailing on the 21st to the N.W. the land appeared full of rugged hills,
with frightful intervening vallies. On the 25th we passed a high hill
having several peaks, in lat. 18 deg. 8' N. near which there is a town named
Cupan,[181] but we could not find the way to it. The 26th, 200 men
were sent to find out the way to Colima, said to be a rich place, but
after rowing twenty leagues along shore they could not find any place
fit for landing, and saw not the least sign of any inhabitants, so that
they returned to the ships on the 28th. Soon after we got sight of the
volcano of Colima, remarkable for its height, six leagues from the sea,
in lat. 19 deg. 5' N. It shewed two peaks or summits, both of which always
emit either fire or smoke. The valley at the foot of this mountain is
said to be fertile and delightful, abounding in cacao, corn, and
plantains, and is said to be ten or twelve leagues wide towards the sea,
and to reach far into the country. It is watered by a deep river named
Colima, but which is so obstructed by a sand-bank at its mouth, as not
even to allow admission to canoes; but there is no landing on this part
of the coast, owing to the impetuosity of the surf. The town of Colima
is the chief place of this part of the country.
[Footnote 181: Probably Texupan, in lat. 18 deg. 17' N. is here meant. - E.]
The 29th, 200 men were sent in canoes to attempt to land, and if
possible to find a road to the town of Selagua, seated, as we were
told by the Spaniards, at the N.W. end of the vale of Colima, but they
were unable to land, owing to the violence of the waves. We came in
sight of the port of Selagua on the 1st December. This is a bay in
lat. 19 deg. 8' N. parted in the middle by a rocky point, so that it appears
like two havens, in either of which there is safe anchorage in ten or
twelve fathoms, though the western harbour is the best, and has besides
the advantage of a fresh-water rivulet. We saw a considerable number of
armed Spaniards on the land, to whom we made a visit next morning with
200 men, but they soon fled. In the pursuit our people found a broad
road, leading through a wooded and rocky country, which they followed
for four leagues, but found not the least appearance of any
inhabitants, and therefore turned back. On their return they took two
straggling mulattoes, who said the broad road led to the city of
Oarrah,[182] four long days journey into the country, and that these
men came from that city to protect the Manilla ship, which was expected
to set her passengers ashore at this place. The Spanish maps place a
town called Selagua hereabouts, but we could not find any appearance of
it.
[Footnote 182: Guadalaxara, the latter part of which is pronounced
achara, is probably here meant. It is 160 miles inland from the port
of Selagua. - E.]
We pursued our voyage on the 6th December towards Cape Corientes, in
hopes of meeting the Manilla ship. The land on the coast was moderately
high, sprinkled with many rugged points, and full of wood, having
several apparently good ports between Selagua and Cape Corientes, but we
did not touch at any of them. Cape Corientes, of which we came in sight
on the 11th, in lat. 20 deg. 28' N. is pretty high, being very steep and
rocky towards the sea, but flat on the top. I found its longitude from
the Lizard in England, by our reckoning, 121 deg. 41' W.[183] As the Manilla
ship is obliged to make this point on her voyage to Acapulco, we took up
a station here with our four ships in such a manner that we judged she
could hardly escape us; but as we were in want of provisions, fifty or
sixty men were sent in a bark beyond the cape to endeavour to get some.
They returned, however, on the 17th, not having been able to double the
cape, but left forty-six men in four canoes, who intended to attempt to
get beyond by rowing.
[Footnote 183: It is only in long. 105 deg. 88' W. from Greenwich; that in
the text, from computation or dead reckoning, being considerably
erroneous in excess. - E.]
The 18th December we sailed to the isles of Chametly, eighteen leagues
to the east of Cape Corientes. These are five small low and woody
islands, surrounded with rocks, and lying in form of a half-moon a mile
from the shore, having safe anchorage in the intermediate space. These
isles are inhabited by fishers, who are servants to some of the
inhabitants of Purification, a considerable town or city fourteen
leagues up the country.[184] We anchored at these isles on the 20th, and
here provided ourselves with wood and water, and caught great abundance
of rock-fish.
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