of deliberation, where We (hould take in this neceflary article;
but by confulting the accounts of former Navigators, and examining
our prifoners, we at laft refolved for the Ifland. o f Qjtibo, f ix ated
at the mouth of the bay of Panama : Nor was it but on good
grounds that the Commodore conceived this to be the propereft
place for watering the fquadron. Indeed, there was a fmall I Hand
called Cocos, which was lefs-out of our way than Quito, where
fome of the Buccaneers have pretended they found water ; but
none of our prifoners knew any thing of it, and it was thought
.too dangerous to rifque the fafety of the fquadron, by expofing
ourfelves to the hazard of not meeting with water when we came
there, on the mere authority o f thefe legendary writers, of whofe
mifreprefentations and falfities- we had; almoft daily experience.
Belides, by going to Quito we were not without hopes that fome
of the enemy's (hips bound to or from Panama might fall into our
hands, particularly fuch of them as were put to fea, before they
had any intelligence of our fquadron.
Determined therefore by thefe reafons for Quito;. we direfted
our courfe northward, being eight fail in company, and conle.-
quently having the appearance of a very formidable fleet; and
on the 19th, at day-break, we difcov.ered Cape Blanco, bearing
S.S. E . iE , feven miles diftant. . This Cape lies- in the latitude of
4® : 15'. South, and is always made by Chips, bound either to wincL-
ward or to leeward ; fo that off this Cape is a mod excellent.ftation
to cruize upon the enemy. By this time we found'that our laft
prize, the Solidad, was far from anfwering the character given her
of a good lailer ; and (Ire and the Santa Terefa delaying- us confider,-
ably, th.e Commodore commanded them.both to be cleared of every
thing that might prove ufeful to the reft of the Chips, and then to
be burnt; and having given proper inftrudtions, and a rendezvous
to the GloH.ee/ter and the other prizes, we proceeded in our courfe
for Quito; and, on- the 22d in the morning, faw the Ifland of
Plata, bearing Eaft, diftant four leagues. Here one of ourpriz.es
was ordered to (land, dole in. with it, both to difeover i f there
were..
were anv (hips between, that Ifland and the Continent, and likewife
to look out for a. ftream of frefh water, which was reported to be
there, and which would have faved us th.e trouble of going to
Quito ; but (he returned without having feen any (hip, or finding
.any water. At three in the afternoon point Manta bore S E. by
by E. feven miles diftant ; and there being a town of the fame name
in the neighbourhood, Captain Mitchel took this opportunity of
fending away feveral of his prifoners from the. Glouce/ter in the
Sfar.ijh launch. The boats were now daily employed in diftri-
buting provifions on board our prizes, to compkat their (lock for
fix months i And that the Centurion might be the better prepared
to give the Manila (hip'(one of which-we were told was of an
immenfe fize) a warm reception, the Carpenters were ordered to
fix eight (locks in the main and fore tops, which were properly
fitted for the mounting of fwivel guns. ,
On the 25th we had a fight of the Ifland of Gallo, bearing
E.S.E. i E , four leagues diftant ; and from, hence we crofted the
bay of Panama with, a N. W. courfe,. hoping that this would have
carried us. in. a diredl line to the Ifland of Qgibo. But we afterwards
found that we ought to have flood more to the weftward.;
far the winds in a ftiort time began to incliné to that quarter, and
made it difficult to gain, the Ifland. After pafling the equinoflial,
(which we did on the 22d). and leaving the neighbourhood of the
Cordilleras,, and (landing, more and more towards the Iftbmus,
where the communication of the atmofphere to the eaftward
and the weftward was no longer interrupted, we found in very
few days an extraordinary alteration in the climate. For inftead
of that uniform temperature, where neither the excels of heat or
cold was to. be complained of, we had'now for feveral days together
clofe and fultry weather, refembling what, we had before met
with on the coaft of B razil,, and in other parts between the tropics
on the eaffern fide of America. We had befides frequent
calms and heavy rains ;. which we at firft aferibed to the neighbourhood
of the line,, where this .kind of weather is generally found.to-
. prevail.