Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	mile_n	point_n	west_n	1,750	5	9.6479	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40373	A defence of the Scots settlement at Darien with an answer to the Spanish memorial against it, and arguments to prove that it is the interest of England to join with the Scots and protect it : to which is added a description of the countrey, and a particular account of the Scots colony.	Philo-Caledon.; Ridpath, George, d. 1726.; Fletcher, Andrew, 1655-1716.; Foyer, Archibald.	1699 (1699)	Wing F2047; ESTC R18505	46,261	66

Darien It lies betwixt the 8th and the 10th Degrees of Northern Latitude and in the Narrowest place is betwixt 60 and 80 Italian Miles over We shall not trouble our selves with the Description of any more of it than is in the Possession of the Natives which is in length from E. to W. on the North side from the Mouth of the River Darien to Port Scrivan above 140 Italian Miles From Caret Bay to the River of Cheapo on the South side it is about 160 in length It is supposed to take its Name from the great River of Darien that bounds its Northern Coast to the Eastward It is bounded on the North and South with the vast Oceans that carry the Names of the North and South Seas It s Situation is very pleasant and agreeable and very commodious for a speedy and short Communication of Trade betwixt the North and South Seas and preventing that vast Compass that must otherwise be fetch'd round either of the Extremes of North and Sout●… America By this means also it lies convenient for a speedier Communication of Trade betwixt Europe and the East-Indies than any that hath hitherto been found out Mr. Dampier says that from Cheapo or Santa Maria River a Man may pass from Sea to Sea in three days and that the Indians do it in a day and half There are abundance of valuable Islands on both sides the Isthmus which prevent the breaking in of the Ocean upon it at once and besides the Conveniencies of Wood Fish Foul and Water afford good and safe Riding in all Weathers to any number of Ships especially those call'd the Sambaloes that lie along the Northern Coast. The Continent is ag●…eably intermix'd with Hills and Vall●…ys of great variety for height depth and extent The Valleys are watered with Rivers B●…ooks and Springs which take their rise from a great Ridg of Hills that run along the Isthmus but nearest to the Northern Shore from which it is seldom above 15 miles distant and from whence the Sambaloes Islands and the various makings of the Shore and the continued Forest all along the Country grati●…y the Eye with a very fine prospect The Rivers of t●…e Northern Coast are generally small because their Course from the abovementioned Ridg of Hills is but short yet the River of Darien is very large but the depth of its entrance not Answerable to its width yet further in it is deep enough and hath a good Har●…our in Caret B●…y w●…ich is some Leagues up the River hath two Islands of pretty high Land Cloath d with a varie●…y of Trees lying before it and two or three slreams of ●…resh Water falling into it From this Bay to the Promo●…tory near Go●…den-Island the Shoare is indif●…erent fruitful and the S●…il 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Northern Coast is generally good but swamp●… here and there to the Sea To the West ward of the Promontary at the E●…trance of the River is a fine sandy Bay with three Islands one of them Golden Islands lying be●…ore it which make it an extraordinary good Harbour Golden Island is rocky and steep all round except at the la●…ding place on the South side so that it is naturally forti●…y'd T●…e Land o●… the Isthmus over against it to the S. E. is an excellent ●…ruitful Soil West of this Island lyes the largest of the three b●…ing swam●…y and covered with Maingroves To the North of these lyes the 〈◊〉 of Pines cover'd with tall Trees sit for any use From the point against these Islands for three L●…agues W●…stward the Shoare is guarded with Rocks so that a Boat cannot La●…d but at the N W. end of the Rocks there 's a very good Harbour and good Riding as has been faid in all Winds by some or other of those Islands which with the adjacent Shore make a lovely Landskip off at Sea The Channel betwixt them and the Isthmus is two three and four miles Broad and navigable from end to end and the Ground opposite to them within Land an Excellent Soil and a continued Forrest of stately Ti●…ber trees On the South side there 's the River Sambo that falls into the Sea by point Garachina This is a large River Th●…n 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 affor●…s to the Spaniards The River Congo may be entred at high Water and affor●…s a good Harbour The Gulph has several Islands in it and afforcs good Riding in many places The Country on this 〈◊〉 as one the other is one continued Forrcst and forms a Bay call'd the Bay of Panama abounding with fine 〈◊〉 and a●…fording good Riding for Ship●… The Soil os the Inland Country is for the most part a black 〈◊〉 Mold The We●…ther is much the same as in other places of the Torrid 〈◊〉 in this Latitude but inclining to the wet Extreme for two thir●…s o●… 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 Nut●…meg fuil of short Wool or Down and affords Timber for Canoes and Periagoes they abound with stately Cedars and Macaw Trees which bear Fruit as big as a smal 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 stroke 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 Fruites and ripens at all times of the Year They have also Prickle-pear 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 is a plant call●…d Silk Grass which resembles ou●… Flaggs this they beat nto strings like fine Flax much stronger than our Flax or Hemp of these they make Ropes Cordage of all sorts Nets ●…or small Fish and the Spaniards and others use it for Shoemakers Thread Stockins and a sort o●… Lace They have a Tree called 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 bv the Indians for Rasters to go to Sea or pass Rivers They have a Tree call'd Whitewood

man except they injur'd us He took us for Buccaneers and told us he knew Capt. Swan and Capt. Davis in the South Sea and commended them as men of 〈◊〉 We heard that part of his Discourse with very much couldness and told him we came on no such designe 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 English men 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 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 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 Capt. 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 hiltted Sword and a pair of Pis●…ols 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 Capt. Ambrosio who is the most noted Prince among'st '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 setled is 4 Miles East of Golden-Island within a great Bay We have 〈◊〉 excellent Harbour surrounded with high Mountains capable of holding a Thousand Sail Land-lock'd and safe from all 〈◊〉 and Tempests The Mouth of the Harbour is about 〈◊〉 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 three Cables lon and seven Fathom depth 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 midle 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 midle of the Entrance and the two outermost Points it will be the Strongest Ha●…bour 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 an half in length very sleep 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 secu●…ed by a Ditch and a Fort. There are several little Rivers of very good Water that fail 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 Ced●…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 Collyflowers The Natives have no Plantation wit●…in t●…o Miles of u●… 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 Mouth of the Bay and as far as the Mouth of the River Darien We can see above thirty Miles Southward and have a fine Prospect of Golden-Island and the Isle 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 Ca●…thagena and as muc●… South of Portobello The four Indian Kings or Captains on this Coast visit us frequently in their Canoes and the N●…tives are very kind to us and sell us Plantains Fowls c. ●…or Toys or old Shift A French man who hath married one of the Natives informs us that the Spaniards have Silver and Gold Mines on the I●…thmus which we might make our selves Masters of with a 100 Men So that if they commit Hostilities upon us as we hear th●…y threaten to do it 's not unlikely that we may visit them We found some French Refugee●… 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 f●…om the bottom of the Gulph of Uraba on this fide 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