not be prevented.1 About the twentieth of December, a sloop arrived from Jamaica, commanded by Mr Edward Sands, freighted by Captain Moon and Mr Peter Wilmot of Port Royal, and a part belonged to one Master Robert Allison, who came from aboard of Moon's sloop along with us from St Thomas Island. This sloop was consigned to Mr Allison, and in his absence to me. Upon report of her cargo, the Council ordered Captain Jolly and Captain Pinkerton to agree with Allison, which agreement was, that they should have our goods as they cost in Scotland, and we were, in lieu thereof, to have the sloop's cargo of provisions as it cost in Jamaica, and, as I remember, ten per cent advance; whereupon the sloop's provisions were put aboard one of our ships, and the goods in exchange were to be delivered by us to Captain Moon, who was expected in a month after.

Before this time, Major Cunningham, one of our number, was become so uneasy, and possessed (as we thought) by so unaccountable conceits and notions, that he gave us no small trouble, and at last would

1 Included among the 'Darien Papers,' preserved in the Advocates' Library, there is an able letter (referred to in chapter ii.) by Mr Robert Douglas, a Scotch merchant in London. Mr Douglas enumerates, in detail, the various dangers and disadvantages which would certainly attend an occupation of Darien by the Company. As the adventure ultimately turned out, his forecast proved singularly correct. Among the minor defects in the Company's preliminary arrangements which he pointed out, was their omission to provide the Colony with small coasting sloops, and it is to the want of these vessels that Paterson refers in the above paragraph. Mr Douglas's letter was in the hands of the Directors for about two years before the first expedition sailed, so that they wittingly ignored its contents.

needs forsake not only his post, but also the Colony. This very justly offended the rest of the Councillors, considering their raw and unsettled circumstances; and some thoughts there were of detaining him by force. But after weighing his temper, they consented to his going; but thought it were prudent to part with him in friendship than otherwise, lest any that might espouse his humour in Scotland, should prove a means of retarding or frustrating our needful supplies. Upon these considerations, they gave him a general letter of recommendation, but no instructions in writing; and Mr Hamilton had also verbal orders to intimate the matter, but so cautiously as not thereby to prejudice the Colony's interest.

In order to cure as much as possible the convulsions we laboured under from the weight of our marine Governors, Mr Cunningham, Mr Mackay, and I agreed to try, before the Major went away, if we could persuade them to the admission of two or three new Councillors. But instead of complying with so reasonable a proposal, the three Gentlemen fell out into the greatest passion and disorder possible, and Mr Montgomery falling in with them, nothing could be done in it at that time.

Major Cunningham's going home proceeding not from the Council, but from himself. They proposed to send home a person who might by word of mouth represent to the Company things that could not be so well committed to writing. The Captains Pennicook, Pinkertoun, and Jolly, proposed Mr Hamilton; Mr Cunningham and I were for Mr Samuel Veitch; Mr Montgomery was for one Mr Alexander Baird; and Mr Mackay was non liquid. My reasons against

Mr Hamilton going away were, that he was appointed by the Company their Accountant-general, and indeed was the only person we had left fit for that and the management of the cargo, which at this time was in such disorder and confusion that I saw no way of bringing it into method but that Mr Hamilton, and such others as were capable to assist him, should go immediately about it; and thought Captain Veitch, or some other gentleman who could be better spared by the Colony, might be capable enough for that errand; whereas Mr Hamilton, his being taken from his station without supplying his place, would unavoidably reduce things to that disorder and confusion in which I am afraid the Company will find them when they come to inquire into the management of their Cargo.1

After Mr Hamilton was dispatched in Sands his sloop by way of Jamaica, a design was set on foot to send Captain Pinkerton and Captain Malloch in the Dolphin Snow to Curasoa, Saint Thomas, and other islands, to the windward. The design was to settle a correspondence, and to buy a sloop or two, together with rum, sugar, and other things we wanted from

1 "We have yours of the 28th of December last, by Mr Hamilton, who arrived here, by the way of Bristol, the 25th ultimo, as also your other of the same date by Major Cunningham, who arrived here on the Friday thereafter; both which gave a general satisfaction, not only to us, but to the whole nation in general. The ministers in their several churches gave public thanks to Almighty God for your safe arrival and settlement; and the several Corporations throughout the Kingdom did testify their satisfaction by public rejoicings, such as bonfires, illuminations, ringing of bells, and all the other demonstrations of joy."-Letter from the Directors in Edinburgh to the Council in Caledonia, dated 22nd April 1699.

them. But I made objections against this voyage -First, Because in our passage from Scotland we found the Snow no windwardly vessel, and the north and strong north-easterly winds were not yet over, and I questioned if anything abated, and therefore I believed (as it happened), that she would never be able to get to the windward; and, in the second place, either Pinkerton or Malloch could do anything that was to be done as well as both, whom we could not well spare by reason of our scarcity of good sea officers; and in the last place, I questioned if our present circumstances would allow of thus remote adventuring of so considerable a part of our cargo; but that it should rather lie ready by us as a bait to such as should come with present supplies, which we very much wanted at this time, and, for anything I saw, were like to want much more. But to all this I was answered in the usual form, that I did not understand it.

After Captain Pinkerton was gone Capt. Moon arrived, and on board him his owner, Mr Peter Wilmot, who called for the return of the provisions we had by Sands; when we came to offer him goods by our Invoice, he said he could buy them as cheap, if not cheaper, in Jamaica, complaining that the Invoice was not a true Invoice, but the goods were overvalued above forty per cent. However, after some clamours, the Council agreed with him for thirty pound per cent abatement upon the Invoice; yet he would not let us have any more of his provisions at that rate, but parted with us, complaining that he should be a loser. It vexed me not only to see us part with such a parcel of provisions, but also for the

effect it might have to discourage others, as it afterwards happened.

As the native Indians, at our first coming, had made us several advantageous offers to undertake against the Spaniards, so now, in this month of February, they continued to alarm us with the preparations of the Spaniards, and to press us from several parts to an undertaking against them. Among these were Corbet of the Samblas, Diego of the Gulf, and Pausigo of Carreto, with others.1

But we still answered them, that our King was at peace with the Spaniards, and so we could not make war, unless they begun with us; but whenever they did, we would repel force by force, and assemble all the Indians and others that were willing to assist us against them. They expressed a wonderful hatred and horror for the Spaniards, and seemed not to understand how we could be at peace with them, except we

1 Diego of the Gulf was esteemed the most powerful of the Darien captains or chiefs. He had about 3000 men under his command, and at the time the colonists landed on the Isthmus he had been at war with the Spaniards for about twelve months. On 24th February the Council entered into a perpetual alliance and federation with him, which included the other neighbouring captains and leaders of the natives. The written treaty was interpreted and explained to him, and thereafter the Secretary sealed and signed it on behalf of the Council, and Captain Diego followed by putting "his mark" upon it. A copy of the treaty in Spanish was given to him. The treaty opened with the words: "Treaty of Friendship, Union, and Perpetual Confederation, agreed and entered between the Right Honble The Council of Caledonia, and The Excellent Diego Tucuapantos and Estrara, Chief and Supreme Leader of the Indians, Inhabitants of the Lands and Possessions in and about the Rivers of Darieno and St Matolome."