who fell wood in the forefts of the mountains, are very dextrous in encountering them, and fome, even on account of a flender reward, feek them in their retreats.

AMONG the great variety of animals in this country, one of the most remarkable is, the perico-ligero, or nimble Peter, an ironical name given it on account of its extreme fluggishnefs and floth. It refembles a middling monkey in thape, but of a wretched appearance, the fkin of it being of a greyish brown, and all over corrugated, and the legs and feet without any hair. He is fo lumpifh as not to ftand in need of either chain or hutch, for he never ftirs till compelled by hunger; and fhews no manner of apprehenfion either of men or wild beafts. When he moves, every effort is attended with fuch a plaintive, and at the fame time fo difagreeable a cry, as at once produces pity and difguft; and this even in the flightest motion of the head, legs, or feet, proceeding, probably, from a general contraction of the muscles and nerves of his body, which puts him to an extreme pain when he endeavours to move them. In this difagreeable cry confifts his whole defence; for, it being natural to him to fly at the firft hoftile approach of any beaft, he makes at every motion. fuch howlings as are even infupportable to his pursuer, who foon quits him, and even flies beyond the hearing of his horrid noife. Nor is it only during the time he is in motion. that he makes thefe cries; he repeats them while he refts himself, continuing a long time motionlefs, before he takes another march. The food of this creature is generally wild fruits, and when he can find none on the ground, he looks out for a tree well loaded, which, with a great deal of pains, he climbs; and in order to fave himself fuch another toilfome afcent, plucks off all the fruit, throwing them on the ground; and, to avoid the pain of defcending the tree, forms himself into a ball, and drops from the branches. At the foot of this tree he continues till all the fruits are confumed, never ftirring till hunger forces him to feek again for food.

SERPENTS are here numerous, and deadly; and toads innumerable, fwarming not only in the damp and marshy places, as in other countries, but even in the streets, courts of houses, and all open places in general. They generally measure about fix inches in length, and nothing can be imagined more difmal than their croakings during the night, in all parts of the town, woods, and caverns of the mountains.

THE town of Porto-Bello, which is thinly inhabited by reafon of its noxious air, the fcarcity of provifions, and the barrenness of its foil, becomes, at the time of the galleons, one of the most populous towns in all South-America. He

who

Panama.

who hath feen this town quite empty, and every place wearing a melancholy afpect, must be filled with aftonishment at the fudden change to fee the bustling multitudes, every houfe crowded, the fquares and streets incumbered with bales of merchandize, and chefts of gold and filver; the harbour full of fhips and veffels, fome bringing the goods of Peru, as cacao, jefuit's bark, vicuna-wool, and bezoar-ftones; others coming from Carthagena, loaded with provifions; and thus a fpot, at all other times detefted for its deleterious qualities, becomes the staple of the riches of the old and new world, and the scene of one of the most confiderable branches of commerce in the whole world.

FORMERLY this fair was limited to no particular time; but, as a long stay in fuch a fickly place, extremely affected the health of the traders, his catholic majefty transmitted an order, that the fair fhould not laft above forty days, and that if, in this time, the merchants could not agree in their rates, thofe of Spain fhould be allowed to carry their goods up the country to Peru; and accordingly the commodore of the galeons has orders to re-embark them, and return to Carthagena; but otherwife by virtue of a compact between the merchants of both kingdoms, and ratified by the king, no Spanish trader is to fend his goods, on his own account, beyond Porto-Bello: and, on the contrary, thofe of the English were formerly permitted to fend annually a fhip to this fair, which turned to great account, and whilst the affiento of the negroes fubfifted either with the English or French, one of their principal factories was fettled at Porto Bella.

PANAMA is built on the other fide of the isthmus of the fame name, the coat of which is washed by the South-Sea. Its latitude is 8 degrees 57 minutes 48 feconds north, but its longitude is uncertain. In 1521, the emperor Charles V. conftituted it a city, with the proper privileges. In 1670, it had the misfortune to be facked and burnt by John Morgan, an English adventurer, who had before taken Porto-Bello and Maracaybo. This misfortune rendering it abfolutely neceffary to rebuild the city, it was removed to its prefent fituation, which is about a league and a half from the former, and much more convenient. It has a wall of freestone, and is defended by a large garrifon of regulars, from whence detachments are fent to do duty at Darien, Porto-Bello, and Chagre. The houfes in general are of ftone, and make a handsome appearance. The streets are ftrait and broad, and for the most part paved. In this city is a tribunal, or royal audience, in which the governor of Panama prefides; and to this employment is annexed the captainfhip-general of Terra

Firma,

Firma, generally conferred on an officer of diftinction, though his common title is that of prefident of Panama. It has alfo a cathedral, and fome religious houses. There are none here bf fuch monftrous fortunes, as in fome cities of America; yet It is not deftitute of wealthy inhabitants, and all bave a fufficiency; so that if it cannot be claffed among opulent cities, it is certainly above poverty.

THE harbour of this city is formed, in its road, by the fhelter of feveral islands. The fhips here lie very fafe, and their distance from the city is about three leagues. Both the road and whole coast abound in a great variety of excellent fish. At the bottom of the fea are a great number of pearls, Pear? and the ovfters in which they are found are remarkably deli fibery. cious. This kind of fishery is of great advantage to the inhabitants of all the islands in this bay; and there are few perfoss of fubftance near Panama, who do not employ all, or at least part of their flaves, in this fishery, the manner of which not being commonly known, it will not be improper to defcribe it here.

THE owners of the negroes employ the moft proper perfons for this fishery, which being performed at the bottom of the fea, they must be both expert fwimmers, and capable of holding their breath a long time. These they fend to the iflands, where they have huts built for their lodgings, and boats which hold eight, ten, or twenty negroes, under the command of an officer. In these boats they go to fuch parts as are known to produce pearls, and where the depth of the water is not above ten, twelve, or fifteen fathom. Here they come to an anchor, and the negroes having a rope faftened round their bodies, and the other end to the fide of the boat, they take with them a fmall weight to accelerate their finking, and plunge into the water. On reaching the bottom, they take up an oyster, which they put under the left arm; the fecond they hold in their left hand, and the third in their right; with these three oysters, and sometimes another in the mouth, they rife to breathe, and put them in a bag. When they have refted themfelves a while, they dive a fecond time, and thus continue, till they have either completed their task, or their strength fails them. Every one of these negro divers is obliged daily to deliver to his mafter a certain number of pearls; fo that when they have got a fufficient number of oyfters in their bag, they begin to open them, and deliver the pearls to the officer, till they have made up the number due to their master; and if the pearl be but formed it is fufficient, without any regard to its being small or faulty. The remainder, however large or beautiful, are the negro's own property, MOD. HIST. VOL. XLIV.

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nor has the mafter the leaft claim to them, the flaves being allowed to fell them to whom they pleafe, though the mafter generally purchases them at a very small price.

BESIDES the toil of this fishery, from the oysters ftrongly adhering to the rocks, they are alfo in no fmall danger from fome kinds of fifh, which either feize the negroes, or by ftriking on them, crush them by their weight against the bottom: fo that these creatures feem to know that men are robbing them of the most valuable product of their element, and therefore make a vigorous attack upon their enemy. Every negro, to defend himself against thefe animals, carries with him a fharp knife, with which the fish being ftruck, immediately flies off. The officers keep a watchful eye on those voracious creatures, and, on discovering them, fhake the ropes faftened to the negroes bodies, that they may be upon their guard. Many, on the divers being in danger, have thrown themfelves into the water, with the like weapon, and hasten down to their defence: but too often all their dexterity and precaution are not fufficient to protect the diver from being devoured by thefe fish, or lofing one of his legs or arms by their bite. Several schemes have been practifed to prevent fuch melancholy accidents; but they have hitherto proved very ineffectual.

THE pearls of thofe fisheries are generally of a good water, and fome very remarkable both in fhape and fize; but, as there is a difference in both these properties, fo there is also in their difference and colour, fome being highly valuable, and others as remarkably defective; fome of thefe pearls, though, indeed but few, are fent to Europe, the greatest part being carried to Lima, where the demand for them is very great, being not only univerfally worn there by all perfons of rank, but alfo fent from thence into the inland parts of Peru. There are forty-three islands, where the pearl-fishery is carried on ; fome of them in the bay of Panama, some near the coaft of that city, and others fouth of Veraguas.

FROM what has been faid relating to the commerce of Porto-bello, in the time of the galleons, an idea may be formed of that of Panama on the fame occafion, this city being the first where the treasure from Peru is landed, and likewife the itaple for goods brought up the river Chagre. Even during the abfence of the armada, it is never without a great number of ftrangers, being the thoroughfare for all going to the ports of Peru, in the South-fea, as alfo for any coming from thence to Spain: to which must be added, the continual trade carried on by the Peruvian hips, and the coasting barks, which abundantly fupply the city with all neceflaries. The climate Bere, though hot, is by far more healthful than at Portobelle

and

and the inhabitants in general may be faid to live very comfortably.

THE city of Carthagena ftands in 10 degrees, 25 minutes, Cartha48 feconds north latitude, and in the longitude of 301 gena. degrees, 19 minutes, 36 feconds from the meridian of Pico Teneriffe. Its advantageous fituation, the extent and fecurity of its bay, and the great fhare it attained of the commerce of that fouthern continent, foon caused it to be erected into an epifcopal fee. The fame circumstances contributed to its preservation and increase, as the most esteemed fettlement and ftaple of the Spaniards; but at the fame time they alfo drew on it the hoftility of foreigners, who, thirfting after its riches, or induced by the importance of the place itself, have feveral times invaded, taken, and plundered it.

THE city is fituated on a fandy ifland, which forming a narrow paffage on the fouth-west, opens a communication with that part called Tierra Bomba, as far as Boca Chica. The heck of land which now joins them, was formerly the entrance of the bay; but having been clofed up by orders from Madrid, Boca Chica became the only entrance; and this alfa has been filled up fince the laft attempt of the English in 1741, who, having made themselves mafters of the forts which defended it, entered the bay with an intent of taking the city; but they miscarried in their attempt, and retired with lofs. This event caufed orders to be difpatched for opening the old entrance, by which all fhips now enter the bay. On the north fide the land is fo narrow, that before the wall was begun the distance from fea to fea was only thirty-five toifes; but afterwards enlarging, another ifland was formed on this fide, and the whole city is now, excepting thefe two places which are very narrow, intirely furrounded by the fea. Eaftwards it communicates by means of a wooden bridge, with a large suburb called Xexemani, built on another ifland, which has also a communication with the continent by means of another wooden bridge. The fortifications both of the city and fuburb are constructed in the modern manner, and lined with free-ftone. The garrifon in times of peace confifts of ten companies of regulars, each containing, officers included, feventy-seven men, befides feveral companies of militia.

On the Xexemani fide, at a small diftance from that fubub, on a bill, is a fort called St. Lazaro, commanding both the city and fuburb, and having an inchanting profpect, extending over the country and coaft to an immenfe diftance. The city and fuburbs are well laid out, the ftreets being ftrait, broad, uniform, and well paved. The houses are built of ftone, except a few of brick; but conlift chiefly of

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