which are implied in the names. Commonly the viceroys and prefidents hold their authority for the space of seven years; and the inferior magiftrates for four or three years, though the viceroy has power to renew their commiffions, upon their exhibiting proofs of the able and honeft discharge of their duty; a (cheme of policy, which, at the fame time that it is advantageous to the crown, is productive of the greatest miferies to the people. It prevents the great officers from eftablishing too extenfive an influence within their several jurifdictions, but it encourages the fubaltern magiftrates to fleece and opprefs; they know their power is only of fhort duration, and they lose no opportunity of making their fortunes at the expence of principle and reputation. They regard this feafon as a kind of harveft, which occurs but once in a lifetime; and thus the royal officers are generally a fet of legal thieves, and the rulers of the people only a fucceffion of robbers fkreened by authority, and guarded againft all inquiry by the royal mandate. The ftated appointment of the viceroy of Peru is, notwithstanding the great dignity of the employment, no more than forty thousand pieces of eight per ann: but then he has occafional falaries and perquifites which exceed all computation; for this reafon thefe employments are ufually bestowed on favourite noblemen of broken fortune, who by this means foon lay up fufficient refources for new fcenes of luxury and diffipation. THE province of Terra Firma is a very extenfive country, being bounded by Peru, the country of the Amazons, and part of Guiana, on the fouth; by the river Oroonoko on the southeaft; by the North Sea on the north and eaft: and by the South Sea on the weft, where the Ifthmus of Darien alfo di-' vides it from Mexico. From eaft to weft, it extends above 1300 miles, and is about 750 in breadth from north to fouth, though thefe dimenfions are extremely unequal, on account of the curvatures of the great river Oroonoko. Sometimes the province of Guiana is included in the divifion of Terra Firma; however, as it is not within the jurisdiction of the fame governors, or indeed under the dominion of the Spaniards, we propofe treating it in a separate article. The Spaniards have made fuch frequent alterations not only in the names, but in the boundaries of the feveral provinces in South America, that it is not eafy to ascertain their exact jurifdictions. Terra Firma, alfo called New Caftile, or Caftilla del Oro, from the quantities of gold found in the diftrict of Uraba, and other parts, was first discovered by the celebrated Columbus in his third voyage, as we have already related. We have feen the changes which happened in the government government of this country, and the misfortunes and hardhips to which the Spaniards were expofed through their own infolence to the natives, treachery to each other, and general mifconduct. The climate is neither pleafant nor healthy; one part of the year the inhabitants are fcorched by the most intenfe and burning heat, and the other, almoft drowned with perpetual floods of rain, pouring from the fky with such violence, as if a general deluge was to enfue. In fo large a tract of country the foil muft neceffarily vary; accordingly in fome parts of New Caftile, though the trees put forth a perfect verdure, yet they bear fcarce any fruit. In others, the foil is fo fertile naturally, that it fcarce requires the affiftance of the husbandman to produce two harvests; while, at the fame time, the meadows are stocked with the most beautiful herds of cattle. The mountains abound with tigers, it is reported with lions, and great numbers of other wild beafts; the rivers, feas, and lakes teem with fish, and the bowels of the earth were once furnished with the richest treasures, now almost exhausted. The fame may be faid of the pearl fifheries on the coafts, which now yield nothing equal to their former profits. The natives have never been thoroughly fubdued, and probably never will, as they are not only a gallant warlike people, but have almost impregnable faftnefles to retreat to, and bear an inveterate hatred to the Spaniards; yet there is little appearance that they can ever again acquire the entire dominion of their own country by the expulfion of the ftrangers. They are not cordially affected to any European nations, as may be perceived by the expeditions of the buccaneers, of whofe affiftance they made ufe against the Spaniards, without expreffing any inclination to fuffer them to fettle in the country; and yet this is the only profpect they have of getting rid of that particular nation, for which they entertain the most invincible averfion. NEW CASTILE, or Terra Firma, is divided into the following diftricts or governments; namely, the Ifthmus of Darien, or Terra Firma Proper, Carthagena, Santa Martha, Rio de la Hacha, Venezuela, New Grenada, New Andalusia, and the province of Popayan. The most northern of these is that country lying between the Gulph of Darien and Mexico, along the coaft of the North and South Seas, particularly diftinguifhed by the name of Darien. It is that narrow neck of land which forms South and North America, by fome writers called the Ifthmus of Panama, extending in the form of a crefcent round the bay of Panama, for about three hundred miles in length, and fixty in breadth, from the North Puerto Bello. North Sea to the Pacific; which fituation, together with the gold mines, gold fands, and fine pearls found here, renders the province invaluable. The land is generally rough, but beautifully variegated with mountains and valleys, woods and rivers, brooks and perennial fprings, that difcharge themfelves in the North and South Seas; which are feparated by a ridge of mountains. Great floods of rain fall in this country, which fome afcribe to its fituation between two feas; they begin towards the clofe of April, and pour down without intermiffion to the middle of the month of Auguft, or of September, when they abate and yield gradually to the fair feafon. The principal rivers are the Darien, which, after a courfe of near a hundred miles, falls into the North Sea near Golden Ifland; the river Conception, which difcharges itself in the fame fea, oppofite to one of the Santalloe islands; and the Chagre, the most frequented by mariners, which forms a harbour about ten leagues weft of Porto Bello. Into the South Sea fall the Santa Maria, on the fouth fide of the bay of Panama; the Congo to the northward of Santa Maria ; and the Cheapo, which empties itfel feven leagues to the weftward of Panama. All these rivers are navigable, but their utility for the purposes of commerce is greatly diminished by bars, which run across the mouths of each, and admit only of fmall veffels. NOMBRE DE DIOS was the firft fettlement made by the Spaniards in this province, which rofe in a fhort time to a flourishing city, and would have continued fo, in despite of the climate and unwholefome fituation, had it not been repeatedly deftroyed by the English, which obliged the inhabitants to look out for a more safe and commodious fituation. This gave birth to Porto Bello, ftanding in 9°. 34. 35". north latitude; the harbour of which was firft difcovered by Christopher Columbus, and fo named from its beauty. It was in 1584, that a colony was firft planted here by order of Philip II. The town lies close to the fea, on the declivity of a mountain, which furrounds the whole harbour. Moft of the houses are built with wood, they do not exceed a hundred and thirty in number; and are ranged into one long ftreet, which runs the whole length of the town, and is divided by feveral lanes and inlets to the harbour. Befides this street are two handsome squares, chiefly of stone, in one of which the governor ufually takes up his refidence. All the inhabitants do not amount to three thoufand, half of whom are Indians, mulattoes or negroes; the Spaniards of any fubftance not chufing to refide in a place fo extremely unhealthy unhealthy and fatal, ever to the lives of the natives. Until of late years, the air of Porto Bello was fuppofed to be remarkably unfavourable to parturition; and it was cuftomary with the Spanish women to remove, about the third or fourth month of pregnancy, to the oppofite fide of the ifthmus, to be delivered at Panama. It has even been a generally received opinion, that animals bronght to Porto Bello ceafe to procreate; but Ulloa affirms no more, than that the cattle removed hither from Panama or Carthagena, lofe their flesh fo faft in the beft paftures, as to become fcarce, eatable; and he lays it down for certain, that neither horfes nor affes are bred here, which ferves to confirm the notion, that this climate checks the generation of animals produced in a lefs noxious atmosphere. The heat, indeed, is here exceffive, which, joined to the moisture of the rainy feafon, may poffibly enervate the fyftem, and relax the folids, fo as to render animals unfit for procreation; but we would not chufe to reafon too much upon a fact, not yet fufficiently eftablifhed. The torrents of rain are fo dreadful, fudden, and impetuous, as to threaten a fecond deluge; and they are ufually accompanied with fuch tempefts of thunder and lightning, as must daunt even the moft refolute, the noife being prolonged by repercuffions from the mountains, like the explosion of cannon, the rumbling of which is heard for fome time after. To this may be added, the fhrieks and howlings of the multitudes of monkeys of all kinds, which inhabit the furrounding woods, and encrease the horror of the scene. Great pains have been taken to fortify the town and harbour, yet no place has been more unfortunate than Porto Bello; which, in 1595, was taken and ranfomed by Sir Francis Drake; in 1601, was surprised by Capt. Parker; in 1669, by Capt. Morgan; in 1678, by Capt. Croxon; and, in 1739, was taken by Admiral Vernon; a petty conqueft, which was extolled with as much noife as if he had reduced Peru and Mexico. Except during the fair, opened on the arrival of the galleons, the place is very inconfiderable; and, indeed, at no time of importance, but for the harbour, which is extremely beautiful and commodious for every kind of fhipping. The entrance is wide, but well defended by Fort St. Philip de Todo Fierro, ftanding upon the north point of the channel. On the fouth lide, and oppofite to the anchoring place, is a large caftle, called St. Fago de la Gloria; to the east of which, at a small diftance, begins the town, having before it a point of land proje&ing into the harbour, on which stood the castle of St. Jerome, demolished by admiral Vernon, BEFORE Panama. f BEFORE the arrival of the galleons at Porto Bello, proper expreffes are difpatched to Panama, requiring the king's treafure, and the merchandize from Peru and Chili, to be conveyed hither; which is either performed by land in fummer, or by water in the winter. When the galleons come into port, the cargoes are landed and lodged in proper warehouses; and the price immediately paid out of the treafures lodged in Porto Bello. The whole country round is filled with mules and beasts of burthen, employed in tranfporting the filver from Panama, which are emptied in the open fquare, and yet without theft or lofs, notwithstanding the feeming hurry and confufion. This exchange of plate for merchandize conftitutes the business of the fair, which, by order of the king, lafts no longer than forty days; and, if the merchants cannot finifh their bargains within that time, thofe of Spain fhall, in that cafe, have liberty to carry their goods up the country to Peru; but, otherwife, by virtue of a compact among themselves, and ratified by the king, no Spanish trader is to fend his goods, on his own account, beyond Porto Bello, nor can a Peruvian fhip money or fend remittances in his own name to Spain. THE next city we fhall mention in this province is Panama, ftanding, agreeable to the obfervation of thofe excellent aftronomers, Don Juan and Antonio Ulloa, in latitude 8o. 57. 48“. 1. north, upon that capacious and beautiful bay from which it derives its name (S). When Guzman first touched here in 1514, the place confifted intirely of fishermen's huts; Orius D'Avila fettled a colony here in a few years after, and, in 1521, it was conftituted a city by the emperor Charles V. with the proper privileges. In 1670, it was facked and burnt by John Morgan, an English adventurer, who had the preceding year taken Porto Bello. This misfortune occafioned the inhabitants to remove the city to its prefent fituation, diftant about a league from where it flood before; and, for the greater fecurity, the new city was inclofed by a free-ftone wall, and the houfes were built of stone and brick. Since that time feveral baftions have been added, and now there is always a complete garrifon maintained, and the walls mounted with large cannon. But all these precautions could not fave the city from another misfortune, being (S) It must be obferved that the civil and military tribunal refiding at Panama is honoured with the appellation of an audience; though we are unac quainted with the reasons, unlefs it be what Ulloa alledges, that it is the capital of the three provinces. intirely |