There Is A Low
Island Across The Entrance, Stretching From E. To W. About A Mile And A
Half Long
By a mile in breadth, having a deep channel at each end,
through either of which ships may enter or
Go out, providing they go in
with the sea-breeze, and out with the land-wind, which regularly blow at
stated times of the day and night. The channel at the west end of the
isle is narrow, but so deep as to have no anchorage, and through this
the Manilla ship comes in; but the Lima ship takes the other channel.
The harbour runs eight miles into the land to the north, when it closes
up and becomes narrow, after which it stretches a mile to the west. At
the entrance of this channel, and on the N.W. side, close to the shore,
stands the town of Acapulco, near which is a platform or battery with a
good number of guns; and on the east side of the channel, opposite the
town, there is a strong castle, having not less than forty pieces of
large cannon, and the ships usually ride at the bottom of the harbour,
under the guns of this castle.
Captain Townley went with 140 men in twelve canoes to endeavour to cut
out the Lima ship; but finding her at anchor within 100 yards of both
the castle and platform, found it impossible to effect his purpose, so
that he was obliged to return much dissatisfied. We accordingly sailed
on the 11th November along the coast to the N.W. between Acapulco and
Petaplan, where we found every where good anchorage two miles from
shore, but the surf beat with such violence on the coast that there was
no safe landing. Near the sea the country was low, and abounding in
trees, especially spreading palm-trees, some of which were twenty or
thirty feet high in the stem, but of no great size. This part of the
country was intermixed with many small hills, mostly barren, but the
vallies seemed fertile. The hill of Petaplan, or Petatlan, sends out a
round point into the sea, called Cape Jequena, in lat. 17 deg. 27' N.
which appears from sea like an island, and a little farther west there
is a knot of round hills, having an intervening bay, in which we
anchored in eleven fathoms. We here landed 170 men, who marched fourteen
miles into the country, when they reached a wretched Indian village,
deserted by the inhabitants, so that we only found one mulatto-woman and
four young children.
Proceeding on the 18th about two leagues farther to the N.W. we came to
a pretty good harbour named Chequetan, having the convenience of a
good fresh-wafer river and plenty of wood. On the 19th we landed
ninety-five men, having the mulatto-woman for their guide, at
Estapa,[180] a league west from Chequetan. 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.
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