Honduras, and
Florida. All ships that come from the parts before mentioned, as also
from Caraccas, Carthagena and Costa Rica, are necessitated to take their
provisions in at Havanna to make their voyage for Spain; this being the
necessary and straight course they must steer for the south of Europe,
and other parts. The plate-fleet of Spain, which the Spaniards call
Flota, being homeward bound, touches here yearly to complete their cargo
with hides, tobacco, and Campechy wood.

Captain Morgan had been but two months in these ports of the south of
Cuba, when he had got together a fleet of twelve sail, between ships and
great boats, with seven hundred fighting men, part English and part
French. They called a council, and some advised to assault the city of
Havanna in the night, which they said might easily be done, if they
could but take any of the ecclesiastics; yea, that the city might be
sacked before the castles could put themselves in a posture of defence.
Others propounded, according to their several opinions, other attempts;
but the former proposal was rejected, because many of the pirates, who
had been prisoners at other times in the said city, affirmed nothing of
consequence could be done with less than one thousand five hundred men.
Moreover, that with all these people, they ought first go to the island
De los Pinos, and land them in small boats about Matamona, fourteen
leagues from the said city, whereby to accomplish their designs.

Finally, they saw no possibility of gathering so great a fleet, and
hereupon, with what they had, they concluded to attempt some other
place. Among the rest, one propounded they should assault the town of El
Puerto del Principe. This proposition he persuaded to, by saying he knew
that place very well, and that being at a distance from sea, it never
was sacked by any pirates, whereby the inhabitants were rich, exercising
their trade by ready money, with those of Havanna who kept here an
established commerce, chiefly in hides. This proposal was presently
admitted by Captain Morgan, and the chief of his companions. Hereupon
they ordered every captain to weigh anchor and set sail, steering
towards that coast nearest to El Puerto del Principe. Here is a bay
named by the Spaniards El Puerto de Santa Maria: being arrived at this
bay, a Spaniard, who was prisoner aboard the fleet, swam ashore by night
to the town of El Puerto del Principe, giving an account to the
inhabitants of the design