further in it is deep enough and hath a good Harbour in Caret Bay which is some Leagues up the River hath two Islands of pretty high Land cloath'd with variety of Trees lying before it and two or three Streams of fresh Water falling into it From this Bay to the Promontory near Golden Island the Shore is indifferently fruitful and the Soil on the Northern Coast is generally good but swampy here and there to the Sea To the Westward of the Promontory at the entrance of the River is a fine sandy Bay with three Islands one of them Golden Island lying before it which make it an extraordinary good Harbour Golden Island is rocky and steep all round except at the Landing Place on the South side so that it is naturally fortifi'd The Land of the Isthmus over against it to the S. E. is an excellent fruitful Soil West of this Island lies the largest of the three being swampy and covered with Maingroves To the North of these lies the Island of Pines cover'd with tall Trees fit for any use From the Point against these Islands for three Leagues Westward the Shore is guarded by Rocks so that a Boat cannot Land but at the N. W. end of the Rocks there 's very good Harbour and good Riding as hâ—s been said in all Winds by some or other of those Islâ—nds which with the adjacent Shore make a lovelâ— Lâ—â—dskip off at Sea The Channel betwixt them and the Isthmus is two three and four Miles broâ—d â—nd Navigable from end to end and the Ground opposite to them within Land an excelleâ—t Soil and a continued Forest of stately Timber-Trees On the South-side there 's the River Sambo that falls into the Sea by point Garachina This is a â—â—rge River Then there 's the Gulph of St. Michael made by the Outlet of several considerable Rivers as those of Santa Maria and Congo and the Gold-River so call'd because of the great plenty of Gold Dust it affords to the Spaniards The River Congo may be entred at High-water and affords a good Harbour The Gulph has several Islands in it and affords good Riding in many places The Country on this side as on the other is one continued Forest and forms a Bay call'd the Bay of Panama abounding with fine Islands and affording good Riding for Ships The Soil of the Inland Country is for the most part a black fruitful Mold The Weather is much the same as in other places of the Torrid Zone in this Latitude but inclining to the wet extreme for two thirds of the year the Rains beginning in April The most remarkable of their Trees are the Cotton Tree which bears a Cod as big as a Nutmeg full of short Wool or Down and affords Timber for Canoes and Periagoes they abound with stately Cedars and Macaw Trees which bear a Fruit as big as a small Pear of a tart but not unpleasant Taste Bibby Tree the Wood hard and black as Ink and being tapp'd affords a Liquor call'd Bibby of a pleasant tart taste which the Indians drink They have abundance of Plantains set in Walks which make very delightful Groves and yield an excellent Fruit and being green and sappy are cut down with one stroak of an Ax. They have also plenty of Bonanoes another sort of Plantain which eats best raw as the Plantain does boil'd They have great store of that excellent Fruit call'd Pine-Apples which tastes like a Mixture of all delicious Fruits and ripens at all times of the year They have also Prickle-Pâ—ar which is a very good Fruit and Sugar-Canes of which they make no other use but to suck out the Juice The Maho-Tree of which they make Ropes Cables for Ships and Nets for fishing The Calabash whose Shells serve for Cups and other occasions is curiously painted the sweet sort of 'em is eatable and the bitter sort Medicinal They have also Gourds of the like nature There 's a Plant they call Silk Grass which resembles our Flags this they beat into strings like fine Flax much stronger than our Flax or Hemp of these they make Ropes Cordage of all sorts Nets for small Fish and the Spaniards and others use it for Shoemakers Thread Stockings and a sort of Lace They have a Tree call'd Lightwood as large as an Elm but so light that a Man may carry a great quantity of it on his back It is in substance like Cork and made use of by the Indians for Rafters to go to Sea or pass Rivers They have a Tree call'd Whitewood of a finer Grain and whiter than any European Wood and fit for inlaying They have Tamarind Locust-Tree Bastard Cinnamon Bamboes and Maingrove-Trees in plenty They have Shrubs that bear store of Pepper of two sorts call'd Bell Pepper and Bird-Pepper Mr. Wafer to whom we owe this Description takes notice of a Redwood whereof there grow great quantities on the Northern Coast the Indians make use of it for Dying and mix a kind of Earth they have with it It makes a bright glossy lively Red which no washing can fetch out again This we suppose to be the Nicaragua Wood. Their Roots are Potatoes Kams and Cassava of the last of which they make Bread They have likewise Tobacco but don't understand the Planting and Manuring of it it is not so strong as that of Virginia Their Beasts are the Peccary and Waree a kind of wild Hogs which are very good Meat They have considerable store of Deer and Rabbits and great droves of Monkies which are extraordinary fat and good to Eat They have an Insect call'd a Soldier somewhat resembling a Crab which seeds upon what falls from the Tree is a delicious Meat and yeilds an Oil that is an excellent Salve They have no European Cattle Their Birds are the Chicaly-Chicaly which makes a noise somewhat like a Cuccoo is a large Bird has Feathers of divers Colours very beautiful and lively whereof the Natives sometimes make Aprons This Bird keeps mostly on the Trees feeds on Fruit and is pretty good Meâ—t The Quam feeds in the same manner his Wings are dun his Tail dark short and upright He is much preferable to the other for Meat There 's a Russâ—t colour'd Bird resembling a Partridge runs most on the ground and is excellent Meat The Corosou is a large Fowl as big as a Turky and of a black colour The Cock has a fine Crown of yellow Feathers on his Head and Gills like a Turky They live on Trees and eat Fruit. They sing very delightfully and are so well imitated by the Indians that they discover their haunts by it They are very good Meat but their Bones make the Dogs run mad and are therefore hid from them by the Indians They have abundance of Parrots for size and shape much like those of Jamaica they are very good Meat Their Parakites are most of them green and go in large Flights by themselves They have Macaw Birds which are as big again as Parrots
and safe from all Winds and Tempests The Mouth of the Harbour is about random Cannon-shot over form'd by a Peninsula on the one side and a point of Land on the other In the middle of the Entrance there is a Rock three foot above Water upon which the Sea breaks most terribly when the Wind blows hard and within the Points there is a small Rock that lies a little under Water On both sides these Rocks there 's a very good wide Channel for Ships to come in That on the South-side is 3 Cables long and 7 Fathom deep and that on the North two Cables long From the two outermost points the Harbour runs away East a Mile and an half and near the middle on the right hand a point of Land shoots out into the Bay so that by raising Forts on the said Point on the Rock in the middle of the Entrance and the two outer-most Points it will be the strongest Harbour both by Art and Nature that 's in the known World The Bay within is for the most part 6 Fathom Water and till you come within a Cable's length of the Shoar three Fathom and an half So that a Key may be built to which great Ships may lay their Sides and unload The Peninsula lies on the Left-Hand is a mile and a half in length very steep and high towards the Sea So that it would be very difficult for any body to Land till you come to the Isthmus where there 's a small sandy Bay that little Ships may put into but is easie to be secured by a Ditch and a Fort. There are several little Rivers of very good Water that fall into the Bay and it abounds so with excellent Fish that we can with ease take more than it 's possible for us to destroy having sometimes caught 140 at a Draught Amongst others there be Tortoises which are excellent Meat and some of them above 600 weight The Peninsula was never inhabited and is cover'd all over with Trees of various sorts as stately Cedâ—rs Brasil-wood Lignum Vitae Box-Wood Fustick-wood Yellow Sanders Manshinel c. and the like sorts besides others whose Names we know not grow on the Continent and we doubt not of finding out the Nicaragua-Wood We have found Cabbage-Trees the Fruit of which eats like Colly-Flowers The Natives have no Plantation within two Miles of us We have a Watch-Tower upon an high Hill adjoining to our Plantation about a Mile South of the Bay from whence we can see the Ships in the Bay the Fort we have raised on the Bay and as far as the Mouth of the River Darien We can see above 30 miles Southward and have a fine Prospect of Golden Island and the Islâ— of Pines Westward towards Porto-Bello and Northward towards Jamaica The Hill is about a Mile in height so that we can see any Ships before they come within some Leagues of the Harbour We compute our selves to be about 50 Leagues North of Carthagena and as much South of Porto-Bello The Four Indian Kings or Captains on this Coast visit us frequently in their Canoes and the Natives are very kind to us and sell us Plaintains Fowls c. for Toys or old Shifts A Frenchman who hath Married one of the Natives informs us That the Spaniards have Silver and Mines on the Isthmus which we might make our selves Masters of with a 100 Men so that if they commit Hostilities upon us as we hear they threaten to do it 's not unlikely that we may visit them We found some French Refugees in the Country who are willing to settle under us and having been several years in these Parts and understanding the Language of the Natives are very useful to us We have seen some Sand in the Rivers which looks as if it were mixt with Gold and in some places the Earth seems to be very much mixt with it So that it 's concluded there 's more Gold-Dust here than in any part of Guinea The Indian Princes or Captains on this Coast do somewhat resemble our Heads of Clans in Scotland and by their Converse at times with the Spaniards and other European Nations affect Christian Names The first of these Princes we shall name is Captain Diego he commands from the bottom of the Gulph of Orba on this side Caret Bay and has 3000 Men under him he has been at War with the Spaniards several years occasion'd by an Insult his People had receiv'd from them when they came to demand their share in the Mines which they had discover'd to the Spaniards in their Country on condition of being Partners with them But when they came to demand it the Spaniards treated them villanously beat and abus'd them upon which they attack'd the Spaniards cut off 20 of their Men and three Priests that belong'd to the Mines The next is Captain Pousigo He is an Indian Clergy-man and Brother-in-Law to Captain Andreas The Peninsula that we possess lies betwixt his Territory and that of Captain Andreas who together with his Brother commands from Golden Island to the River Pinas Their Command is greater than that of Pousigo but not so great as that of Diego These Princes are very useful to us because of their Neighbourhood and Consanguinity to one another Captain Ambrosio commands from the River Pinas to the Samballoes He is a Man of about 60 years of Age but strong and vigorous well limb'd and of a stern Countenance He is a mortal Enemy to the Spaniards with whom he hath had a long War He is esteemed the bravest of all the Indian Captains His Son-in-Law Don Pedro having been taken by the Spaniards and kept by them as a Slave at Panama he can never forget nor forgive it them This young Man is a great Friend to the French who they are made to believe design to come and settle among them Ambrosio and his Son-in-Law prest us much to come and settle in their Dominions and join with them to make War on the Spaniards We gave them fair Words and promis'd to come and view their Coasts which we accordingly did and in our way thither four Leagues Westward of our Settlement we found an excellent Harbour capable of 10000 Sail but it can't be defended without many Forts Here the Privateers us'd to come and careen Captain Ambrosio's House lies about a League from the Water-side on the Bank of a River having twelve lesser Houses about it When we drew near it he advanced 50 Paces to meet us being attended by 20 Men in white loose Frocks with Fringes round the bottom and arm'd with Lances He saluted us kindly and gave us a Calabash of Liquor almost like Lambs-wool made of Indian Corn and Potatoes His House is 90 foot long 35 broad and 30 in height curiously thatch'd with Palmetto-Royal and over that Cotton-Leaves The Floor is of firm Earth like Tarras very smooth and clean The sides are compos'd of large Canes as thick as a Man's Leg. In this
River within an houâ— after Delivery The Boys are bred to the Bow Hunting and Fishing c. at which they are mighty dexterous and thâ— Girls help the Women in dressing their Victuals Weaving making Cotton Cloth Cordage Nets c. and the Men make Baskets very neat dying the Materials first with lively Colours They allow Poligamy but punish Adultery with the Death of both Parties They punish Theft also with Death and Fornication with thrusting a Briar up the Man's Yard whereof they commonly Die. The Facts must be prov'd by Oath which is a swearing by their Tooth When they Marry the Father or nearest Kinsman keeps the Bride privately in his own Apartments the first seven Nights and then she is deliver'd to her Husband All the Neighbours for some Miles round are invited to a great Feast and bring Provisions with them The Fathers of the young Couple bring them forth in their hands and the Bridegroom's Father makes a Spcech then he dances about in antick Gestures till all on a sweat when he kneels down and gives his Son to the Bride her Father also having danc'd himself into a Sweat and presenting her to the Bridegroom in the same manner then they take each other by the hand and so the Ceremony concludes After this all the Men take up their Axes and run shouting to a Tract of Wood-Land to prepare a Plantation for the new Couple That being done They have their Feast and afterwards drink hard all their Arms being first put out of the way to prevent Danger in case of quarrelling They divert themselves by Dancing and Piping on a small hollow Bamboe but without distinction of Notes The Men and Women never Dance nor Feast together but apart The Women accompany them likewise in their hunting Expeditions which sometimes last 20 days They tie their Hammocks betwixt two Trees cover them with Plaintain Leaves and have Fires all night by their Hammocks Such of their Prey as they take a â—unting and design to keep for future use they barbecue in the Woods and what they make use of for present Sustenance they mix with Roots Plantain Bonanoes and Pepper and stew it together till it be brought to a Pulp which they take up with the two foremost Fingers of their right Hand bent hookwise and put into their Mouths They travel by direction of the Sun or the bending of the Trees according as the Wind is None of the English Authors take notice of their Worship or Religion but give an account that they Pawaw or Consult the Devil to know Futurities And it would seem they are as ignorant in matters of Physick and Chirurgery since when they would let a Patient Blood they set him upon the Bank of a River and with a little Bow and small Arrow gag'd that it may enter no further than our Lancets they shoot as fast as they can at all parts of the Patient's Body and if they chance to hit on a Vein that the Blood spurts out a little they testifie their Joy by Antick Dances WE come next to give an Account of their Settlement of our Men there how they were receiv'd by the Natives what Indian Princes there are in their Neighbourhood in what state they found the Affairs of the Country and of the Situation of our Colony On the 27th of October 1698. our Ships came to an Anchor in a fair sandy Bay three Leagues W. off the Gulph of Darien upon which two Canoes with several Indians came on board were very free with our Men told them they had been long expected and were very welcome Our Men gave them some old Hats Looking glasses and Knives with which they were extremely well pleas'd and went off When our Ships stood further into the Bay they saw about 20 Indians drawn up on the Shore being arm'd with Bows and Lances upon which a Boat being sent ashoar and making a signal of Peace they unstruug their Bows talk'd familiarly and told our Men that two Great Captains would in a little time come on board our Ships Accordingly on November the 2d in the morning Captain Andreas one of their Princes accompanied by 12 Men came on board and ask'd their Business He was answered That we came to live among them and Trade with them and would afford them European Commodities cheaper than any other People He ask'd if we were Friends or Enemies to the Spaniards and was answered that we were at Peace with all Men and would make War upon no Man except they injur'd us He took us for Buccaneers and told us He knew Captain Swan and Captain Davis in the South-Sea and commended them as Men of Valour We heard that part of his Discourse with much Coldness and told him we came on no such design as those Men did but had Authority for what we undertook We treated him civilly gave him a Hat lac'd with Gold and some Toys And so he parted promising in a little time to come again which he accordingly did and brought Don Pedro another of their Princes or Captains with him Captain Andreas was freer with us than at first plainly own'd that he took us for Buccaneers and complain'd that some Englishmen of that sort had after great pretences of Friendship carried off some of their People and therefore Don Pedro would not come aboard us till he had further assurance of us Captain Andreas is a Person of a small stature he affects the Spanish Gravity as having been often among them at the Mines of Santa Maria Panama c. and formerly had a Commission under them as a Captain upon which he values himself above others The French hate him mortally because of something he did against some of their Nation formerly When he came on board us he had a sort of a Coat of red loose Stuff an old Hat a pair of Drawers but no Stockings nor Shoes and the rest that came with him were all naked excepting their Penis which was covered by Extinguishers as formerly mention'd Upon further Communing Captain Andreas was very well pleas'd with us offered us what part of the Country we would chuse and accepted a Commission from us and at the same time we gave him a Basket-hilted Sword and a pair of Pistols upon which he promised to defend us to the last of his Blood Some of the Princes on this side the Isthmus had been in Peace with the Spaniards for several years and suffered a few of them to reside amongst them to give notice to Panama of what Ships came upon these Coasts but upon some fresh disgust about two months before we arriv'd Captain Ambrosio who is the most noted Prince amongst 'em had oblig'd them to enter into a common Alliance against Spain and cut off ten Spaniards who liv'd upon Golden Island The Place where we are settled is four miles East of Golden Island within a great Bay We have an excellent Harbour surrounded with high Mountains capable of holding a thousand Sail Land-lock'd