From the circumstances in the text Lavelia seems to be
the town now named San Francisco, near the head of the river Salado,
which runs into the gulf Parita, on the west side of the bay of
Panama.
- E.]
Having well careened our ships by the 14th February, and provided a
stock of wood and water, we sailed on the 18th, and came to anchor in
the great channel between the isles and the continent, in fifteen
fathoms, on soft ooze, and cruised next day towards Panama, about which
the shore seemed very beautiful, interspersed with a variety of hills
and many small thickets. About a league from the continent there are
several small isles, partly ornamented with scattered trees, and the
King's Isles on the opposite side of the channel give a delightful
prospect, from their various shapes and situations. The 18th we went
towards Panama, and anchored directly opposite Old Panama, once a place
of note, but mostly laid in ashes by Sir Henry Morgan, and not since
rebuilt. New Panama is about four leagues from the old town, near the
side of a river, being a very handsome city, on a spacious bay of the
same name, into which many long navigable rivers discharge their waters,
some of which have gold in their sands. The country about Panama affords
a delightful prospect from the sea, having a great diversity of hills,
vallies, groves, and plains. The houses are mostly of brick, and pretty
lofty, some being handsomely built, especially that inhabited by the
president; the churches, monasteries, and other public edifices, making
the finest appearance of any place I have seen in the Spanish West
Indies. It is fortified by a high stone wall, mounted by a considerable
number of guns, which were formerly only on the land side, but have now
been added to the side next the sea. The city has vast trade, being the
staple or emporium for all goods to and from Peru and Chili; besides
that, every three years, when the Spanish armada comes to Porto Bello,
the Plate fleet comes here with the treasure belonging to the king and
the merchants, whence it is carried on mules by land to Porto Bello, at
which time, from the vast concourse of people, everything here is
enormously dear.
The Spanish armada, which comes every three years to the West Indies,
arrives first at Carthagena, whence an express is dispatched by land to
the viceroy at Lima, and two packets are also sent by sea, one for Lima,
and the other for Mexico, which last I suppose goes by way of Vera
Cruz. That for Lima goes first by land to Panama, and thence by sea to
Lima. After remaining sixty days at Carthagena, the armada sails to
Porto Bello, where it only remains thirty days to take in the royal
treasure brought here from Panama, said to amount to twenty-four
millions of dollars, besides treasure and goods belonging to the
merchants.
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