September 2.we weighed atMaderas, and were under the Tropic ofCancerby the 10th of the Month, at which time the usual Ceremony of Ducking from the Yards-arm was performed on those that could not pay their Tropick Bottle. All this time we had a brisk and constant Trade-wind, which lasted three days more, but afterwards we had it more variable than is usual in that place of the Sea.
The 28th we madeDeseada, a small high Island, about a league in length and as much in breadth; it is full of Trees, but whether it affords Water or not I know not. It is uninhabited. Next morning we were betwixtAntegoandMontserat, belonging to theEnglish, both pretty large and mountainous.Antegois Peopled withEnglishfor the most part, andMontseratby a mixture ofEnglishandIrish. Their Product is Sugar and Tobacco. We were in the afternoon close byRedonda, a small Rock about a mile long, inhabited only by Noddies and Boobies. When we were some leagues fromRedonda,we saw at the same timeAntego,Montserat,Redonda,Nevis,St. Christophers, andStatia. We sailed close byNevis, it bearing North of us; it is a small well Peopled Island, its Product is Sugar. They twisted the Flag at the Harbour, and we shew'd them the Company's Colours.St. Christophersis a large Island, ill Peopled, belongs half to theEnglish, half to theFrench. Night parted us from these Islands, and next day, which was the 30th, we came in sight ofSanta Cruz, belonging to theSpaniards. When we were within four leagues they held a Council. TheUnicornandSnowwere sent to St.Thomas, a small Island belonging to theDanes; it is a free Port, and they say is well fortified. We went on to the Southward of the Island, and next Day, beingOctober 1.we were about 12 a clock past the S. W. corner. It is very level towards the South. That Night we got a sight ofCrab Island, and next Day
October 2.we came into it, and sent some of our People ashore, and took possession of it in the Companies name.Octoberthe 4th we stood to the Leeward, hearing there was a Harbour there; when we came we saw theDanesColours flying on the Shore, for the Governour of St.Thomashad sent 14 Men and a Captain to take possession of it in the King ofDenmark's name. Our Councellors sent to know his Business there, and he told them this, but we found that we had taken possession of the Place before they came from St.Thomas. They gave in their Protest, yet seem'd to be glad enough of our Neighbourhood. We had notwithstanding our Flagupon the Shore all the while we stay'd, with 100 Men, and CaptainMeleanGovernour; they stayed till we were gone, but would certainly March next Day, otherwise theSpaniardsofPorto Ricowould not miss to take them off.
The 6th, CaptainPinkertonand theSnowcame in from St.Thomas, with old CaptainAlisonalong with them for a Pilot. On the 8th we left this place, and on the 17th madeNostra Signiora della Popa, we lay aside there along the Coast, until the 3d Day ofNovember, generally losing by Night what we had gain'd all Day.
Crab Islandis about 6 Leagues long, and in some places 5 broad, the Soil is very good. It's all full of Trees; all the South side is full of Bays, very fit for anchoring in, but the best of all is to the Leeward, where theDanehoised his Colours. It would have been worth our while to possess it, had we not been a coming to a better Country. It has this Inconvenience, that nothing but strength of Men, or Peace with every Body, can render it secure. It is calledCrab Island, from the multitude of Land-Crabs there.
November 3.We anchored beforeGolden Island, and sent in our Pinnace to the Bay. The Natives had hoised a White Flag in sign of Peace, and told us a great many Stories of CaptainSwan, CaptainDavies, and others, for they took us forEnglish, by reason of our red Fly; but we took no notice of the Men they nam'd. At last they ask'd us our Business? we told them we designed to settle among them, and to be their Friends.They told us we were very welcome, and that by prediction they had expected us these two Years; for they say that two Years ago it was foretold them that a People should come and live among them, that would treat them civilly, and teach them good manners. We conversed some time with them, and after viewing the Harbour came aboard.
The 4th we came into the great Harbour ofCaledonia: It is a most excellent one, for it is about a League in length from N. W. to S. E. It is about half a Mile broad at the Mouth, and in some places a Mile and more farther in. It is large enough to contain 500 sail of Ships. The greatest part of it is Land-lock'd, so that it is safe, and cannot be toucht by any Wind that can blow the Harbour, and the Sea makes the Land that lies betwixt them a Peninsula. There is a Point of the Peninsula at the Mouth of the Harbour, that may be fortified against a Navy. This Point secures the Harbour, so that no Ship can enter but must be within reach of their Guns. It likewise defends half of the Peninsula, for no Guns from the other side of the Harbour can touch it, and no Ship carrying Guns dare enter for the Breast-work at the Point. The other side of the Peninsula is either a Precipice, or defended against Ships by Shoals and Breaches, so that there remains only the narrow Neck that is not naturally fortify'd; and if 30 Leagues of a Wilderness will not do that, it may be artificially fortified 20 ways. In short, it may be made impregnable, and there is Bounds enough within it, if it were all cultivated, to afford 10000 Hogsheads of Sugarevery Year. The Soil is rich, the Air good and temperate, the Water is sweet, and every thing contributes to make it healthful and convenient. The Product of this Place, I mean in the Harbour and Creeks hereabouts, is Turtle, Manatee, and a vast variety of very good small Fish, from the bigness of a Salmon to that of a Perch. The Land affords Monkeys of different sorts, Wild-Deer,IndianRabbit, Wild Hog, Parrots of many kinds, Parakites, Macaws, Pelicans, and a hundred more Birds we have got no name to. There are moreover Land-Crabs, Souldiers, Land-Turtle, Lizards, Guanha's, Cock-Lizards, and Scorpions: I had almost forgot Partridges, Pheasants, and a kind of Turkey. All the Birds in this Country are beautiful, but none of them that I could observe have any Notes. We have a Monkey aboard that chirms like a Lark, it will never be bigger than a Rat. This Place affords legions of monstrous Plants, enough to confound all the Methods of Botany ever hitherto thought upon. However, I found a shift to make some Specimens, and that is all I can do. I say some Specimens, because if I should gather all, 'twould be enough to load the St.Andrew, for some of their Leaves exceed three Ells in length, and are very broad; besides these Monsters, reducible to no Tribe, there are here a great many of theEuropeankindred, (but still something odd about them) asLingua Cervinaof different kinds,Filixof different kinds,Polypodium, several of thePlantæ Papilonaceæ,Musci,Fungi,Convolvuli, and a great many more I cannot now remember.Now come we to their People. The Men are generally very Civil and Sagacious, have all of them good Faces, are of low stature, but very well built; they are of a Copper Colour, and have black Hair; they us'd to go naked, but are now as well Cloath'd as our selves; they wear a Plate of Gold in their Nose, and a great many rows of Beads about their Neck and Wrists. They cover their Yard with a piece of Bark, or sometimes Silver, of the very shape and bigness of that Paper-case we use to put a dose of Pills in; they seem to be very ill furnish'd, for I never saw any of them have it half an Inch long, yet no doubt it's longer, but I fancy they sheath it up, as Dogs and Horses do. The Women are generally the most pitiful like things that ever Man saw; their Habit differs from the Men, for they ordinarily wear a Ring in their Nose; they have Petticoats and a Veil over their Face. They are under no formal Government, but every Captain commands his own River, Bay or Island, where he lives; the greatest of them all is one CaptainAmbrosio, he commands particularly the Country about theSamballoesPoint, but when he pleases he can Levy all the Men betwixt that and the Gulf about 20 Leagues. There is another CaptainPedro, that lives in the House withAmbrosio, and is his Nephew and Son in Law; there is a 3d CaptainAndreasthat commands the RiverDas armas; a 4th CaptainBrandy, that commands about theGolden Island; a 5th CaptainAndreas, that commands the Country adjoining to our Settlement; and a 6th CaptainPedrohis Consort; a 7th CaptainPacigo, who commands atCarret Bay, and CaptainDiegothat commands the Gulph.Ambrosioseems to be the greatest, andDiegonext, both old Men; they are all very much our Friends, and fond of us. All have been frequently here except CaptainDiegowho is Goutish. Some of these Captains wear theScotsFlag in their Canoa's. There is no such thing as a King or Emperor ofDarien, nor, so far as we can gather from all the chief Men hereabout, has been these 40 or 50 Years: The old Men remember such a Man, they say he was a Tyrant, would take as many Wives as he pleased, and allow them but one, and therefore they cut him off. This derogates much from the reputation of theHistory of the Buccaneers. If there were such a Man, he has been anIndianmade Emperor by themselves, I mean by theBuccaneers. This Country certainly affords Gold enough, for besides that the Natives constantly assure us, that they know several Gold Mines on this side; besides that, I say, the Plates they wear in their Noses, and the quantity of Gold that is among them, is enough to perswade any Man of the truth of it. There was one Night aboard here someIndiansthat had a hundred Ounces of Gold about them. We are certainly much bound to Providence in this affair; for as we were searching for the place we were directed to, we found this, and though the Privateers had been so often atGolden Island, and thoughEnglish,DutchandFrenchhad been all over this Coast, fromPortobelotoCartegena, yetnever one of them made the discovery; even theSpaniardsthemselves never knew of this place. Besides, for as great a secret as we thought the Project, it was known all theWest Indiesover, and yet it was not in their power to crush it. AtMaderathey seem'd to know it, at St.ThomasI'm sure they knew it; atPortobelotheir Intelligence was so good, that they knew the names of all our Councellors and Captains of Ships before we landed, and had that particular observation, that there were fourRobertsamong them. Our circumstances are in some Respects very good, for we have advice by the way ofPortobelo, that there is a great Rebellion inMexico, and CaptainDiegoand all theIndiansabout him are at present at War with theSpaniards. CaptainAmbrosiois going to his assistance, and that will divert them on that side; but which is better than all, that we are now in a posture of defence against all theSpanishforce inAmerica. I have seen alreadyDutch,French, andEnglishall at the same time in our Harbour, and all of them wonder what the rest of the World have been thinking on, when we came hither to the best Harbour ofAmerica, in the best place of it. CaptainLongcame in eight days after, and I believe we were a great Eye-sore to him, tho' he said nothing. He commanded theRupert Prize, a smallEnglishMan of War, fitted out by the King, upon what design we know not, but he pretends it was to search for a Silver Wreck; he was on this coast a Month before sounding it; and conversing with the Natives, he put ashore Men in someplaces, to take possession for the King ofGreat Britain, but none of them within 15 Leagues of us. Hearing by the Natives that we were here, he came in with his Long-Boat, as he said to see us, but I believe it was only to know the certainty of what he feared was too true. He had told all theIndianCaptains that he came only to try their inclinations, and that there was a great Fleet coming with a great many People to settle among them, and defend them against their enemies, he meantEnglishthat were to come by his direction; but our Fleet coming within a Month after, they all lookt upon us to be the People he spoke of; so that whatever Presents he made them before that time, was as much for our Advantage as if our selves had given them. He pretends to be a Conjurer, and to foretel things; but that was the truest Prophecy ever he spoke, though he knew not whom he spoke of.