32' N. being a high point with four small
hillocks on the top, and at this place found a current setting to the
north. The 21st we came in sight of Point Garachina, in lat. 7 deg. 20'
N.[170] The land here being high and rocky, and without trees near the
shore. Within the point there is plenty of oysters and muscles. About
twelve leagues from this point are the islands called Islas del Rey,
or the Pearl Islands.[171] Between these and the Point of Garachina
there is a small flat barren island, called Galleria, near which we
came to anchor.
[Footnote 170: Carachina Point is in lat. 8 deg. 10' N.]
[Footnote 171: The Isla del Rey is a considerable island in the bay of
Panama, and the Archipelago de las Perlas are a multitude of [illegible]
islets N. by W. from that island. - E.]
The King's or Pearl Islands, are a considerable number of low woody
isles, seven leagues from the nearest continent, and twelve leagues from
Panama, stretching fourteen leagues from N.W. by N. to S.E. by S. Though
named Pearl Islands in the maps, I could never see any pearls about
them. The northermost of these isles, called Pachea or Pacheque,
which is very small, is eleven or twelve leagues from Panama; the most
southerly is called St Paul's Island, and the rest, though larger, have
no names. Some of them are planted with bananas, plantains, and rice by
negroes belonging to the inhabitants of Panama. The channel between
these islands and the continent is seven or eight leagues broad, of a
moderate depth, and has good anchorage all the way. These isles lie very
close together, yet have channels between them fit for boats.
At one end of St Paul's Island, there is a good careening place, in a
deep channel inclosed by the land, into which the entrance is on the
north side, where the tide rises ten feet. We brought our ships in on
the 25th, being spring tide, and having first cleaned our barks, we sent
them on the 27th to cruise towards Panama. The fourth day after, they
brought us in a prize coming from Lavelia, laden with maize or Indian
corn, salted beef and fowls. Lavelia is a large town on the bank of a
river which runs into the north side of the bay of Panama, and is seven
leagues from the sea; and Nata is another town situated in a plain on
a branch of the same river.[172] These two places supply Panama with
beef, hogs, fowls, and maize. In the harbour where we careened, we found
abundance of oysters, muscles, limpits, and clams, which last are a kind
of oysters, which stick so close to the rocks that they must be opened
where they grow, by those who would come at their meat. We also found
here some pigeons and turtle-doves.
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