All This They Carried Off,
Except The Earthenware, And Brought Aboard In Their Canoes, Together
With Some Beeves They Killed In The Plain.
Captain Swan went afterwards
on shore, and killed other eighteen beeves, without any opposition.
We
found the country woody but fertile, and watered by many rivers and
rivulets.
[Footnote 180: Istapha is to the eastward of Petatlan, but Chequetan is
not delineated in modern maps, neither are any rivers noticed for a
great way either N.W. or S.E. from Petatlan. - E.]
Sailing on the 21st to the N.W. the land appeared full of rugged hills,
with frightful intervening vallies. On the 25th we passed a high hill
having several peaks, in lat. 18 deg. 8' N. near which there is a town named
Cupan,[181] but we could not find the way to it. The 26th, 200 men
were sent to find out the way to Colima, said to be a rich place, but
after rowing twenty leagues along shore they could not find any place
fit for landing, and saw not the least sign of any inhabitants, so that
they returned to the ships on the 28th. Soon after we got sight of the
volcano of Colima, remarkable for its height, six leagues from the sea,
in lat. 19 deg. 5' N. It shewed two peaks or summits, both of which always
emit either fire or smoke. The valley at the foot of this mountain is
said to be fertile and delightful, abounding in cacao, corn, and
plantains, and is said to be ten or twelve leagues wide towards the sea,
and to reach far into the country. It is watered by a deep river named
Colima, but which is so obstructed by a sand-bank at its mouth, as not
even to allow admission to canoes; but there is no landing on this part
of the coast, owing to the impetuosity of the surf. The town of Colima
is the chief place of this part of the country.
[Footnote 181: Probably Texupan, in lat. 18 deg. 17' N. is here meant. - E.]
The 29th, 200 men were sent in canoes to attempt to land, and if
possible to find a road to the town of Selagua, seated, as we were
told by the Spaniards, at the N.W. end of the vale of Colima, but they
were unable to land, owing to the violence of the waves. We came in
sight of the port of Selagua on the 1st December. This is a bay in
lat. 19 deg. 8' N. parted in the middle by a rocky point, so that it appears
like two havens, in either of which there is safe anchorage in ten or
twelve fathoms, though the western harbour is the best, and has besides
the advantage of a fresh-water rivulet. We saw a considerable number of
armed Spaniards on the land, to whom we made a visit next morning with
200 men, but they soon fled. In the pursuit our people found a broad
road, leading through a wooded and rocky country, which they followed
for four leagues, but found not the least appearance of any
inhabitants, and therefore turned back.
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