The 13th January we pursued our voyage for Isla del Rey, being two men of war, two tenders a fire-ship, and a prize vessel.  With the trade-wind at S. we sailed along the continent, having low land near the sea but seeing high mountains up the country.  On the 16th we passed Cape Corientes, in lat. 5 deg. 32’ N. being a high point with four small hillocks on the top, and at this place found a current setting to the north.  The 21st we came in sight of Point Garachina, in lat. 7 deg. 20’ N.[170] The land here being high and rocky, and without trees near the shore.  Within the point there is plenty of oysters and muscles.  About twelve leagues from this point are the islands called Islas del Rey, or the Pearl Islands.[171] Between these and the Point of Garachina there is a small flat barren island, called Galleria, near which we came to anchor.

[Footnote 170:  Carachina Point is in lat. 8 deg. 10’ N.]

[Footnote 171:  The Isla del Rey is a considerable island in the bay of Panama, and the Archipelago de las Perlas are a multitude of [illegible] islets N. by W. from that island.—­E.]

The King’s or Pearl Islands, are a considerable number of low woody isles, seven leagues from the nearest continent, and twelve leagues from Panama, stretching fourteen leagues from N.W. by N. to S.E. by S. Though named Pearl Islands in the maps, I could never see any pearls about them.  The northermost of these isles, called Pachea or Pacheque, which is very small, is eleven or twelve leagues from Panama; the most southerly is called St Paul’s Island, and the rest, though larger, have no names.  Some of them are planted with bananas, plantains, and rice by negroes belonging to the inhabitants of Panama.  The channel between these islands and the continent is seven or eight leagues broad, of a moderate depth, and has good anchorage all the way.  These isles lie very close together, yet have channels between them fit for boats.

At one end of St Paul’s Island, there is a good careening place, in a deep channel inclosed by the land, into which the entrance is on the north side, where the tide rises ten feet.  We brought our ships in on the 25th, being spring tide, and having first cleaned our barks, we sent them on the 27th to cruise towards Panama.  The fourth day after, they brought us in a prize coming from Lavelia, laden with maize or Indian corn, salted beef and fowls. Lavelia is a large town on the bank of a river which runs into the north side of the bay of Panama, and is seven leagues from the sea; and Nata is another town situated in a plain on a branch of the same river.[172] These two places supply Panama with beef, hogs, fowls, and maize.  In the harbour where we careened, we found abundance of oysters, muscles, limpits, and clams, which last are a kind of oysters, which stick so close to the rocks that they must be opened where they grow, by those who would come at their meat.  We also found here some pigeons and turtle-doves.