On the 11th of April we anchored among the King’s isles, where we met with Captain Harris, who had come with some men by way of the river of Santa Maria.  The 19th, 250 men were sent in canoes to the river Cheapo, to surprise the town of that name.  The 21st we followed them to the island of Chepillo, directly opposite the mouth of the river Chepo, or Cheapo, in the bay of Panama, about seven leagues from the city of Panama, and one league from the continent.  This is a pleasant island, about two miles long, and as much in breadth, low on the north side, but rising by a gentle ascent to the south.  The soil is very good, and produces in the low grounds great store of fine fruits, as plantains, mammees, sapotas, sapadillos, avogato pears, star-apples, and others.  Half a mile from shore there is good anchorage, opposite to which is a very good spring of fresh-water near the sea.

The Sapadillo-tree is altogether like a pear-tree, and the fruit resembles a bergamot pear, but somewhat longer.  When first gathered it is hard and the juice clammy; but after keeping a few days it becomes juicy and sweet.  It has two or three black kernels, resembling pomegranate seeds.  The Avogato-tree is higher than our pear-trees, having a black smooth bark, and oval leaves.  The fruit is about the size of a large lemon, green at first, but becomes yellow when ripe, having a yellowish pulp as soft as butter.  After being three or four days gathered, the rind comes easily off, and as the fruit is insipid it is commonly eaten with sugar and limejuice, being esteemed a great provocative by the Spaniards, who have therefore planted them in most of their settlements on the Atlantic.  It has a stone within as large as a horse-plum.  The Sapota-tree, or Mammee-sapota, is neither so large nor so tall as the wild mammae at Taboga, nor is the fruit so large or so round.  The rind is smooth, and the pulp, which is pleasant and wholesome, is quite red, with a rough longish stone.  There are also here some wild mammee-trees, which grow very tall and straight, and are fit for masts, but the fruit is not esteemed.  The tree producing the star-apples resembles our quince-tree, but is much larger, and has abundance of broad oval leaves.  The fruit is as big as a large apple, and is reckoned very good, but I never tasted it.

The river Chepo, or Cheapo, rises in the mountains near the north side of the isthmus, being inclosed between a northern and southern range, between which it makes its way to the S.W. after which it describes nearly a semicircle, and runs gently into the sea about seven leagues E. from Panama, in lat. 9 deg. 3’ N. long. 79 deg. 51’ W. Its mouth is very deep, and a quarter of a mile broad, but is so obstructed at the entrance by sands as only to be navigable by barks.  About six leagues from the sea stands the city of Cheapo, on the left bunk of the river.[175] This place stands in a champaign country, affording a very pleasant prospect, as it has various hills in the neighbourhood covered with wood, though most of the adjacent lands are pasture-grounds to the north of the river, but the country south from the river is covered with wood for many miles.