Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/258

 this is a thing very needfull for this Countrey, as by experience I haue seene.

Puerto Bello.

Pverto Bello lieth fiue leagues from Nombre de Dios West-*ward: It is a very good harbour and sufficient to receiue great store of ships, and hath very good ankering, and fresh water: for neere the shore you shall find some sixe fathome water, and in the middest of the same harbour you shall find twelue fathome, very good and cleane ground or sand, without eyther banks or rockes. There are twelue small riuers or brookes of water which doe belong to this harbour, and so doe meete all together: so that the fleete may at all times prouide themselues of fresh water so much as shall serue their turnes. And likewise there is in this place great store of timber to build shippes. Also the harbour hath no danger at all in comming in, but onely when the wind is Westerly, which is seldome seene vpon this coast. The windes which doe most blowe vpon this coast are Northerly windes, and they are more dangerous and hurtfull then the Easterly windes are. Within this harbour there lieth a small creeke safe from all winds that can blow. This creek is about fiue hundred yards long, and so many in breadth, and in the entring in of this creekes mouth it is some 300. yardes broad, and foure fathome and a halfe of water: and entring farther in, sixe fathome, all oaze and muddie ground: so that if a ship should chance to strike or come aground, she could take no harme being soft oaze; also it doth ebbe and flow according as I haue certified your maiestie already.

And likewise the comming in and going out of this harbour is very good: and with all kinde of weather a shippe may set saile from this place except with a Westerly wind: and all this coast is very cleane where a shippe at all times may come to anker without the harbours mouth. This harbour is inuironed round about with woods: and at the ende of this harbour there is certaine land which is ouerflowen with water: it may bee easily dryed vp and walled round about, so this land will serue very well to feede cattell. For that is the chiefest thing which doth belong to any citie or towne, and of this pasture ground there is great want in Nombre de Dios, for there is no pasture at all to breede cattell, for all kinde of flesh which is spent in this place is brought from Panama: so towards the South there is a very good place,